Alma O. Taylor was called to the Japan Mission at age eighteen, and his
parents would have been shocked had they known his mission would last
nearly nine years. Alma, the eighteen-year-old lad, would return a
twenty-seven-year-old man, having served one of the longest continuous
missions in Church history.
For eight and a half years (August 1901–January 1910), Alma worked
with intense fervor, keeping a detailed journal of his experiences and
impressions. Alma's journal recaptures early Mormonism in Japan through
the eyes of a young missionary. The body of this book is devoted to
making his writings available for the first time to all those
interested in the foundational events of the Church in Japan.
Alma's many accomplishments included learning both the spoken and
written Japanese word; assisting in the translation of missionary
tracts, Church hymns, and the Book of Mormon; serving as president of
the Japan Mission from his early to late twenties; opening new
proselyting areas throughout Japan; and finding, teaching, converting,
and strengthening many of the early Japanese Saints.
Shortly before Alma left his mission, he recorded his feelings about
his final year in Japan: "During the year I have had many experiences
some the most pleasant in life and some the most bitter that humans are
called upon to experience. . . . Great is the debt of gratitude I owe
to the Lord for His many blessings."
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