MY KOREAN MISSION EXPERIENCE

By Don G. Powell, born in Rexburg, Idaho, on May 27, 1933.





During the “Korean Conflict” every male 18 years of age or older was either serving in the military, had a deferment because of physical problems or was attending school. As the conflict ended I was married and attending school at the University of Idaho. As the Christmas holidays approached in 1953 we discovered my wife was expecting a child. This presented some problems as she was working to help me through school and she was having terrible morning sickness. As we visited our parents during the holidays as to what we should do, my father, who was also my Bishop, indicated that the local draft board would allow one person from our ward to go on a mission. It was determined that my parents would support me on my mission if I wanted to go and my wife’s parents would support her and the baby while I served. She had a married brother with children at home serving at the time and her father had served as a young man while married so this was not that unusual at the time. The decision to serve was made and preparations began. 



I had a very close friend who was serving in the Japanese Mission and I really had a desire to go there. I had lived around and worked with many Japanese people in our community and felt very comfortable around them. I worked in the potato harvest each year for several of them and found them very kind and generous. 



I never expressed this desire to anyone, even my parents. 



Arrangements were made for me to travel by bus to Salt Lake City and interview with Elder Hugh B. Brown. During that interview he would repeatedly say,”Now when you get over there” but never mentioning where there was. There was no doubt in my mind where there was and when my call came I was not surprised when it was to the Japanese mission.



My trip to Japan was two week voyage on the SS President Wilson filled with sea sickness. Was I ever glad to arrive in Yokohama and be greeted By President Hilton A. Robertson. There were approximately 90 missionaries serving in Japan at that time and the mission covered ALL of Asia. In September 1954 Elder Harold B. Lee and his wife toured our mission which included a trip to Korea to visit mainly the service men there. 



During the summer of 1955 I was serving in Kanazawa, Japan with Elder Gail Carr, my companion. We received the monthly Mission Newsletter and the headlines read, “Korea To Be Dedicated for Missionary Work.” Elder Carr and I looked at each other and both said at the same time, “I’m going to Korea.” 



Elder Joseph Fielding Smith and his wife, Jessie Evans Smith toured our mission and on August 2, 1955 traveled to Korea where he dedicated the land for missionary work. This was about the same time I was called as District Leader. Considerable time went by and we heard no more about Korea. During a District Meeting with President Robertson I finally had the opportunity to ask him when he was going to send missionaries to Korea now it had been dedicated. His answer to me was that it would be a long time before missionaries went to Korea because it was too dangerous and the people and land were not ready. 



In the first part of 1956 Elder Richard Detton & I were called to be Traveling Elders and was assigned to visit every set of missionaries and assist them where needed. During our first visit to the first set of Elders we received a call and were instructed to come to the mission home. We were informed that President Robertson had developed cataracts in his eyes and was returning home for surgery. 



Upon arriving at the mission home we were greet by President Paul C. Andrus, his lovely wife, Fran and children. President Andrus has made a quick trip to Korea where he met with Dr. Kim Ho Jik and the servicemen stationed there. Dr Kim had been set apart as the District President of the Korean District of the Northern Far East Mission which was created by Elder Smith during his visit. Dr. Kim was very anxious for missionaries to come to Korea and had been working very hard toward that end. He had a very responsible position in the Korean Government as a member of President Sigmund Rhee’s cabinet. He was able to pull a lot of strings and was willing to personally guarantee our protection and support which would enable us to get Visas. 



President Andrus ask Elder Detton and myself if we would be willing to go to Korea and commence the missionary work there. He informed us that as he was set apart as Mission President he was instructed to visit Korea and commence the work there as soon as possible. We were excited to get started and hoped to arrive there on April 6, 1956 but our visas did not arrive in time. 



I had written home and informed my parents of this new assignment and they were concerned about the conditions there also. They attended April Conference with my uncle Peter J. Ricks who had just completed his service as mission president of the Florida Mission. During a special temple session for recently returned mission presidents uncle Pete was sitting next to President Robertson and during the course of there conversation uncle Pete learned that President Robertson had just returned from Japan. He informed President Robertson that I had just been called to Korea and his response was, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that because conditions are not right for missionaries to go there.” Of course uncle Pete rushed back to the hotel and informed my parents of their conversation and then my mother was really worried. My parents immediately looked up Elder Marion D. Hanks who had set me apart for my mission. He was able to calm them down and assured them that the Lord would protect us while we were serving there. 



We finally received our visas and traveled to Korea on April 20, 1956. We were greeted by Dr. Kim, several members who had been converted by the servicemen and by several servicemen. We rode to our new home in Dr Kim’s army jeep and walked in with our one suitcase. We had to send our trunks with our bedding and most of our clothes by ocean freighter. The home consisted of four walls, a floor and a ceiling. We had no furniture or bedding, and no cooking utensils. We were introduced to Brother Shin Ch-Won who would become our ‘houseboy’ and shadow for the next several weeks. The Servicemen took us out to the army base and bought us an honest to goodness hamburger which we hadn’t had for two years and then took us over to the quartermaster building where they were able to get us some army cot mattresses, some sheets and blankets and pillows. We felt relieved that we at least had something to sleep on. We ate for the first few days on the base until we could request some money from the mission home to buy cooking utensils, a table and silverware. The next thing we did was hire “Shorty” Lee as our cook only to learn that she really didn’t know how to cook. That was a lot of fun. I am very greatful that my Mother and my Boy Scout experience had taught me to cook, at least a little bit. 



The next challenge was what to cook. Brother Shin took us down to the black market street where we were able to buy some canned food which was sent to Korea as Care Packages. Most of it consisted of food the Koreans would never eat so we bought it very cheaply. With these items and the fresh vegetables and fruit we could buy on the local market we survived. 



The next challenge was to begin doing what we were sent there to do. Of course we didn’t know one word of Korean but we both knew Japanese fairly well. The problem with that was while the older Koreans could speak Japanese, because it was forced on them during the 40 years of Japanese occupation, as soon as they were liberated it was made illegal to speak it. The younger generation spoke fair English as all were taught it in school. After the older generation got to know us they would speak to us in Japanese if we were in private and no one could hear so we were able to teach in either Japanese or in English, depending on who we were speaking to. 



Teaching was a real challenge because we had no materials in Korean to work from. We had no song books, no lesson materials, no Book of Mormon. We didn’t even have text books to learn the language from so we depended on the members to teach us a little as we went along. Brother Hong Byung Sik, Brother Lee Young Bum, Brother Rhee Ho Nam and of course Dr. Kim Ho Jik translated for us when we taught or spoke in groups. Finding someone to teach was not a problem, finding time to eat and sleep was the problem. We had cottage meetings scheduled from early morning until late at night. The members really kept us busy. I never tracted one day or held one street meeting while in Korea. Elder Han In Sang was one of our first cottage meetings. 



In September of 1956 I received a letter from my wife indicating our marriage was in trouble. She had become disaffected with me and the Church. Soon after I received my letter President Andrus arrived in Korea and he had received instruction from the Brethern to release me early, after 2 ½ years instead of three so I could return home a try to save my marriage. I arrived home in October after many prayers that things could turn around for us. I was warmly received by my wife and my 2 year old daughter whom I had never seen. Things went fairly smooth for eight years during which we had two sons born to us. We were finally divorced in 1964. I met my present wife, Marie, in Salt Lake City and we were married in 1965. She had a daughter and two sons nearly the same age as my children. We have two daughters of our own, so we have three of mine, three of hers and two of ours, twenty grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Life has been great to us and we have been blessed in many ways. 



My experience in Japan and Korea was a wonderful time of my life. I appreciate all the companions and acquaintances made during that time. I know these are eternal friendship and I value them as such. I thank my Father in Heaven for the opportunity to serve and play even a small part of what is transpiring in those countries. I never cease to be amazed at what has transpired since our humble beginning there in 1956 with fewer than 90 members. 



I know much has been written about Dr. Kim Ho Jik but I would like to add my testimony that he was raised up by the Lord to bring about a great work in Korea. He was pre ordained and prepared for his mission by the Lord and was guided in what he did. The work could not have been started when it was without him. I have never met a more humble or spiritual man than he was. Even with his high position in the Korean Government and as a college president and professor he never showed any arrogance or pride but was ever able to use these positions to do the work of the Lord in a humble and sincere way. His name will go down in history of the Korean people as a man who has done much to bless the entire nation. I am most grateful for my opportunity to know and associate with him and look forward to seeing him again someday.



Don G. Powell