God Knows My Heart

James and Katrina Ueno are from the Marshall Islands.  James is from the capital city of Majuro.  His family was some of the first members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Marshall Islands.  His father wanted all eleven of his children to be taught the gospel. The missionaries came to their house and began teaching James’ oldest brother and then taught each sibling.  James was the last one of his siblings taught the gospel. Whenever the missionaries came over, he’d leave to go play basketball with his friends. His father became frustrated with him running off so he told James that he would be the one to teach him the gospel!   Because of his father’s faith and love for the gospel, James developed a strong testimony.  His father baptized him when he was thirteen years old.  His father baptized all of James’s siblings and some cousins as well.

Through his paternal grandmother, he was blessed to be part of a royal bloodline of the high kings.  Through this family bloodline, his father was given a lot of land.  His father donated a beautiful piece of land to the Church to build a chapel.  His father’s siblings tried to discourage him from doing that, but his dad told them: “This is God’s church.  This gospel is true!” They argued with him and asked him why he was not giving that land to his children and grandchildren.  He answered them by saying: “This is what Heavenly Father wants me to do.” The Chapel was built within walking distance for the Ueno family.  It was changed from being donated land due to a conflict within the family when his dad left for Pohnpei to go to college. The Church ended up signing a long-term lease for it instead.   His father was a great example of sacrifice for the Lord.  He taught James how to be a good man.  James also witnessed the blessings that came from his parents’ sacrifice. He was taught the importance of getting a good education.  His father received a master’s degree in education from the University of Guam. After receiving his master’s degree, he returned to Majuro and was blessed to find a good job to support his family.  His father and oldest brother served as a bishop in different areas at the same time.

When James began his freshman year in a college on the Marshall Islands, his brother John called home needing some help.  He was in Saipan at the time working.  Their father asked James to go to Saipan and help him.  He didn’t want to go because he had just started college, but out of respect for his father, he went to Saipan.  He planned on transferring his credits to the Northern Marianas College and continuing his education there.  Plans changed when he got to Saipan.  He ended up babysitting John’s children while he and his wife worked. When they were big enough to go to school, John helped James get a job at the Hyatt Hotel.  He started there as a dishwasher and moved up to becoming a Hyatt chef! Around this time, his father began having some heart problems.  James and his new wife, Katrina who was also from the Marshall Islands, decided to move back home.  They shipped most of their belongings to the Marshall Islands. James was planning on taking care of his father.  Unfortunately, COVID broke out around the world. 

The Marshall Islands closed their borders quickly preventing James and Katrina from returning home.  Due to his father’s heart issues, after he was given the COVID vaccine, he passed away.  This devastated James even more because he was unable to go home for the funeral.  Before his dad passed away, he gave James the responsibility for all his land on the Marshall Islands.  This was a responsibility that weighed heavy on his shoulders. It was during this low point that there was a knock on their door.  James said that it was ‘two white warriors’ from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

Even though James was baptized years ago, he followed his wife Katrina into the Protestant church.  They had become very active in that church with many responsibilities.  James had become a deacon and was next in line to be the pastor or reverend.  The missionaries began teaching their son, Harry.  Sister Ueno didn’t want anything to do with the missionaries.  She said that she was happy in the Protestant church.  Harry continued taking the lessons and was enjoying learning about the gospel.  James would sit quietly as they taught him or go to the other room.  He asked his wife to listen to the missionaries with their son.  She said: “Why do I need to listen to them?  I already know and believe in God.  What is the difference between going to my church and the one that these Elders are teaching?  It’s the same thing.  I know about our God.  I grew up going to Sunday School, youth, and women’s club, so I really know God.” James continued to encourage her to go in and sit down and listen to the lessons.  Every time the missionaries came, she refused to listen to them. 

Katrina came from a big family of eleven siblings as well.  She was raised by her grandmother on one of the outer islands of the Marshall Islands.  She was surprised that she had never heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On her island there were only two churches: the Catholic and the Protestant. Every summer her and James would return to the Marshall Islands to attend a Bible study class and attend meetings with the Protestants.  

One day as she opened the door to get out of her car from the parking lot at their house, she saw the missionaries standing there.  They smiled and greeted her with “Hi Sister Ueno!” She smiled back at them, and a thought came to her mind: “What?” I told myself, “It’s not going to hurt me to listen to what they want to share with me and my family.”  Her mind and heart opened to the missionaries, and she began joining her family for the lessons.  Sister Ueno said that when the missionaries began teaching her about the plan of salvation and the three degrees of glory, it touched her heart.  This was something that she was never taught or heard of in the Protestant church.  She got excited and wanted to learn more.  The missionaries showed pictures and then drew the plan of salvation on paper so it would be easier to understand.  (That piece of paper is a special treasure that she still has today) It touched her heart to find out where you go when you die.  Her understanding increased and she found joy in each lesson.  She felt like all of her years growing up and learning the Bible was God’s plan for her.

After several lessons, the missionaries invited their family to come to church.  They also invited them to walk around the temple.  The missionaries explained that they couldn’t go inside, but they could walk around and feel the Spirit as they walked on sacred ground.  They chose to go to the temple first.  As their family walked the temple grounds, they could feel the spirit touch their hearts.  Sister Ueno said: “It was a good feeling.”  The first time they walked into the Church to attend a sacrament meeting, they felt happy.  Sister Ueno again described her feelings that first Sunday by saying: “When we went to Church, I was so nervous, but as soon as we walked in, I felt so welcome!  People invited us to come and sit with them.  The missionaries were especially kind and inviting.” 

The missionaries returned to their home the following week.  They asked Katrina if she and her sons were ready to get baptized.  They had asked her before, but this time she knew they were ready.  James became excited, yet nervous.  He didn’t know what he was going to tell the Reverend! He said: “I remember laying on my bed that night staring up at the ceiling.  I was filled with so many emotions. I followed my wife into the Protestant church. I know that I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”  His heart turned to prayer saying: “Heavenly Father, what direction do I go now?  If I leave the Protestant, how am I going to explain it to them?  They depend upon me to help run that church.” His prayer was answered a short time later when he felt the desire to call the Elders.  He asked his wife to call them and have them come to their house right away.  The missionaries came and were excited to officially meet him.  They asked him: “How do you feel about your wife and kids getting baptized into this Church?” He said that he was happy for them. 

Shortly before Katrina and the boys got baptized, the missionaries asked James if he would like to have the lessons too so he could get baptized with his family.  He answered saying: “I’ve seen a baptismal font back home in the Marshall Islands, but I missed that font.  I was baptized in the ocean!”  The missionaries didn’t think they heard him right.  Chuckling he continued: “Can I get baptized in the font the second time since I was baptized in the ocean the first time?” The missionaries looked at him and each other several times and finally said: “Brother Ueno, are you baptized in this Church?”  Smiling, he said: “Yes, I was baptized in this Church!” Looking at him in amazement and laughing they said: “Then where have you been all these years?  Were you baptized for real?”  Brother Ueno assured that he was truly baptized when he was thirteen years old.  He explained that he knew that this Church was true, but he had followed his wife. He said: “It was a good thing that you came.  I feel like I sacrificed a lot, but God knows my heart.  He also knows that my wife is a good woman and a loving mother.  We both have many responsibilities in the other church.  It is good that Heavenly Father brought the missionaries to our house to not just teach my sons, but my wife as well! My family is now all in the Church and united again!”   

Once a date was set to get baptized, Katrina called her sister who was in the Philippines getting Chemo treatments for cancer.  She was very sick.  Katrina told her sister that her and their sons were getting baptized.  She was surprised at her sister’s reaction to the news.  Her sister said in a cheerful voice: “Oh! I am so happy for you!”  This brought joy to Katrina’s heart.  Her and their sons were baptized on July 12, 2022.  As soon as they got home and walked in the door after returning from the baptism, Sister Ueno received a phone call from her sister.  She was worried and almost afraid to answer the call, fearing the worst.  Her sister was excited to share the good news; the doctor just told her that she didn’t need any more chemo treatments!  Her cancer was officially in remission!  Katrina was so happy that she gathered her family together to say a prayer with her sister while she was on the phone.  Harry is the one who offered the prayer of gratitude.  Tears of joy and gratitude ran down their cheeks when they realized that Katrina’s sister had been blessed with a miracle.  Brother Ueno smiled and said: “I told my family that this is what Heavenly Father does for us, for this family.  We went through so many hard things, but He knows us. He has answered our prayers.”  

Around this same time, they had been trying to adopt a baby girl for several months.  In the Marshall Islands, the adoption process usually takes a long time, often two to three years or more to complete. The Lord blessed them with another miracle and the adoption of their baby girl was completed in less than a years’ time!  James, pointing to heaven said: “It is not us.  It is Him!  I cannot do anything.  I know that it was our Heavenly Father who helped us with the adoption.” Now they would all prepare to go to the temple to be sealed together as a family forever.

Brother Ueno’s father always hoped that one of his grandchildren would serve a mission.  Harry is in the process now of getting his mission papers sent in.  James said: “This makes me so happy!  I will miss him because he always stands with me and helps me.  The Elder’s keep saying that Harry needs to go on a mission.  They said that we would see many blessings if he served.  I know that this is a good opportunity for him.” 

Harry has had the opportunity to go out with the Elder’s and teach people the gospel.  One time, the sister missionaries asked if he and James could go with them to a lesson.  The sister missionaries sent them the address location to their cell phone and planned on meeting them there.  The sisters sent them a GPS ‘pin’ to the house of their investigator. It didn’t seem to work. They called the sisters and explained to them that the ‘pin’ did not work.  The sisters realized that they had sent the wrong one, so they sent a second ‘pin’. The second ‘pin’ took them to a correctional facility or jail. Harry turned to his father and said: “Dad, what are we doing here? This is a prison where they put bad criminals!”  James smiled and told Harry: “Well son, maybe this is God’s plan for us to be here at this time.  All those people in there need the help of the gospel too!”  James and Harry eventually met up with the sisters. They felt bad. They kept apologizing to them.  Brother Ueno chuckled and told them: “It was no mistake.  Maybe God wants me and Harry to in there and help someone.  Maybe someone inside the prison needs a lesson!”

They prepared for over a year to come to the temple as a family.  Getting all their paperwork in correctly happened surprisingly fast.  They needed to have an interview with their bishop, Bishop Roderick Boss.  Meeting with him was difficult due to work schedules.  Bishop Boss was a busy man as a CEO of a telecommunications company in Guam, as well as a bishop in the Barrigada Ward.  He was also recently called to be the mission president with his wife, Lori, in the Fukuoka Japan mission. Tears ran down their cheeks as Katrina and James expressed humble gratitude for their bishop.  James said: “Bishop Boss was kind enough to come to our house to interview us!  Can you imagine a CEO of a company leaving his job to be a mission president?  He is such a good man!  I am going to miss him.  He is a good bishop.  He took time off work to come interview me so it would fit into my work schedule!”  After the interview, Bishop Boss left to go to another meeting.  Harry had an interview with the stake president, President Fredivic Nicerio.  President Nicerio asked Harry where his parents were.  Their sealing was scheduled to happen in a couple of days.  He explained to Harry that they could not go to the temple without an interview from him.  Because everything was so new to them, they didn’t know or understand the process of receiving a temple recommend. Harry told his parents what the stake president had said.  They quickly talked to him.  President Nicerio had them come to his work office and he would interview them there.  Again, they were so grateful for the sacrifice of time for them.  Finally, on March 30, 2024, James and Katrina were able to be sealed together as husband and wife for eternity.  They were also able to have two of their sons, Harry and Debrum, sealed to them along with their little daughter, Jrina.  They said that the Spirit was strong that day in the sealing room.  They were so happy to be supported by their ward members and friends on their special day.  James said: “Every time I go to the temple, I can feel that Heavenly Father is there.”  Katrina shared her testimony saying: “I am so grateful I am part of this Church.  I’m grateful for the missionaries coming to my house.  I know that the Church is true and that we have a living prophet.  I am happy to be a member of the Church.”  Harry received his endowments the night before their family was sealed.

Harry shared his testimony and said: “I am so happy.  It started out with me taking the lessons from the missionaries.  I think I became interested in the Church when the missionaries asked me: ‘if there is only one God, why are there so many churches?’ I didn’t have an answer, but from that question, they taught me the plan of salvation and how the Church was restored.  Everything they taught me just made sense.  The more lessons I had, the more of my questions were answered. My brother, Debrum, had the lessons followed by my mother.  The missionaries were answering questions that we didn’t even know we had.  We always went to church, but the things that the missionaries taught us was new. It was a ‘good new’!  I am happy that we are in this Church.”  Harry said that he has several reasons for wanting to serve a mission. “One,” he explained, “is to honor my grandpa.  He always wanted one of his grandchildren to serve a mission. Another reason is to grow my own testimony. I just want to share what I know with other people.  The gospel makes me happy.  I want that happiness for everyone else!”

The Ueno’s are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Barrigada Ward of the Barrigada Guam Stake.  Brother Ueno was recently called to be a counselor in the bishopric. Sister Ueno serves as a Primary teacher.