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SALT LAKE CITY -- Several missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have been serving in Japan returned home early Friday afternoon because of the emergency situation in the country.
The missionaries are all at the tail end of their two-year service. Even though they are coming home early, and on short notice, they had many family and friends here to welcome them home.
It was really tough to leave. I love (the Japanese people) a lot and I miss them.
–Elder Clay Marsh
#marsh_quote
A total of three missionaries returned to the Salt Lake International Airport in the past hour. In all, the LDS Church confirms it has released 45 missionaries from all six of the church's missions in Japan. The reason is simply to make room to accommodate missionaries who have been evacuated from Sendai -- the center of concern from last week's earthquake and tsunami.
"Two days ago we got a call from our mission president, and he just got off a conference call and was told that all missionaries scheduled to go home in April or May were coming home on Friday," said Elder Brett Warner.
While the missionaries were happy to see their families, they are home a month earlier, than they had hoped.
Two days ago we got a call from our mission president, and he .. was told that all missionaries scheduled to go home in April or May were coming home on Friday.
–Elder Brett Warner
#warner_quote
"[It's a] ‘still more I've got to do' kind of feeling," said Elder Matt palmer. "One of the people we have been teaching is getting baptized today, and I was really excited to go to that baptism."
All of the missionaries agree the people of Japan will overcome the tragic results of the earthquake and tsunami.
"I think they're doing alright," said Elder Clay Marsh. "The lovely thing about Japanese people is that they love to rebuilt as quickly as possible. That's their spirit and that's their kind of attitude, is that: ‘We don't sit. We move forward. We progress.'"
The missionaries said returning home now is very difficult when they think of the devastation and suffering in Japan.
"The fact I had grown to love the people so much, and to know that they are in such need of help, and to be sent away from the chance and opportunity to serve, it was a little more bitter than it was sweet," Warner said.
"It was really tough to leave," Marsh said. "I love them a lot and I miss them."
Even though they are returning home up to two months earlier than scheduled, the LDS Church says it still considers the missionaries to have all fully completed their missionary service.
Email: spenrod@ksl.com
