There wasn’t much around Minidoka when I stood in the sandy desert ruins not too many miles from where I lived as Pastor of two small United Methodist Churches in Shoshone, Idaho. It was 1984. I was there with a neighbor who enjoyed metal detecting and happened to have an extra set of equipment. I had never heard of Minidoka, and when I read the old and worn plaque marking the ruins I was stunned. From the recesses of memory I recalled brief references in history classes about a ‘small’ number of Japanese-Americans who were ‘temporarily’ placed in separate housing during WWII, but nothing of any depth; nothing that led me to know anything about the area I was standing in on that particular day. Since that day I have learned a lot about Minidoka, and Amache, Gila River, Poston, Jerome, Rohwer, Manzanar, Topaz, Tule Lake, and Heart Mountain. But nothing I ever heard, or saw in film, or read in a book prepared me for the wealth of experience, knowledge and personal stories I am privileged to share with many people at Epworth U.M.C. and in the greater Portland community.

When I began playing with the Minidoka Swing Band it was one way I believed I could help my new community. I thought it was a good project, and I love swing music– though I had never had the good fortune of playing it before, especially on trumpet! As time passed, however, I began to understand the connection of the Minidoka Swing Band, my now long-ago trip to the camp in Idaho, and the personal meaning for me in playing at the Dedication this June.

These words from The Rev. Naomi Southhard of Berkeley U.M.C. help me describe my own experience: “we are not just Japanese Americans; we are people of several races, several cultures. Only a few of us personally experienced the internment; but, by being members of a Japanese American church, we are saying that this is our history…we have the opportunity to learn new things from that experience. First, w e are honoring the people who suffered by pointing out the injustice of their conditions and the ways the internees rose above the limitations they faced; second, we demonstrate our concern for all people whose lives are touched by violence and hatred; third, we remind ourselves of the need for constant vigilance in upholding democracy and civil rights in the U.S., and in the actions the U.S. takes abroad; and fourth, we express our faith in God who hears the cry of the oppressed…and fifth, we create a space for those in need of healing to tell their stories and find meaning in their lives, surrounded by the blessings of God’s love and a caring community.

”Thank you, Rev. Southhard, and Thank-you, Minidoka Swing Band leaders and members; Thank -you members and friends of Epworth U.M.C. for helping me to express these values and this meaning for my own life. I look forward to the journey we are already on together…

See you in Church!

Rev. David