Sister Helen Goo's conversion story:
In the fall of 1960 an 18-year-old young man by the name of Roger from Idaho Falls,
upon the persuasion of his parents, enrolled at Brigham Young University as a freshman.
Once on campus he made new friends and a new commitment to Church and family.
During this time he began to think about serving a mission. However, he was not sure if
he should go as soon as he turned 19. That October his parents came to attend general
conference, where Roger met them in Salt Lake City and went to conference with them.
At the end of the conference, as Roger and his mother were standing at the back of the
Tabernacle waiting for his father, they were watching the General Authorities walk past
as they exited the Tabernacle. It was especially thrilling to see the prophet, David O.
McKay. As Roger stood there a thought came to his mind, if he could shake hands with
the prophet it would be an acknowledgement that he should do all he can to serve a
mission. President McKay was so loved that there was a very large crowd of Saints
waiting to see him. Some of those in the front rows were able to shake his hand. Roger
was standing a couple of rows back, but as President McKay was about to get into his
waiting car, he turned around and reached his hand over the crowd and shook Roger’s
hand.
On December 13, 1960, Roger received his mission call to the Southern Far East Mission
with headquarters in Hong Kong. Little did Roger know that his decision to serve a
mission would have great impact on my life. In faraway China when I was about 8 years
old my parents left in a hurry for Hong Kong to escape the communist invasion of our
city. I was left behind with my aunt who was my mother’s youngest sister.
A year later my parents met a woman who was taking her daughter back to China to live
while she would return to Hong Kong to work. My parents asked the woman if she would bring me to Hong Kong using her daughter’s passport, and the woman accepted the
assignment and a sum of money for this favor.
I remember my aunt telling me about this woman. She helped me to memorize the name
of the little girl and instructed me that I would be using that name when I crossed the
border to Hong Kong with this woman to be reunited with my family. It was a joyous
occasion when I finally arrived in Hong Kong to live with my family.
When I was 12, I met the missionaries through a classmate, Anna. I was then attending a
Lutheran school in which my mother was a member of their congregation. I often
attended church with my mother but I never felt I belonged. One day as Anna and I were
walking home from school we saw two young American men walking toward us.
Surprisingly, Anna greeted them. Being that I came from China, where I was taught that
Americans were evil people, I stood aside and didn’t want to have anything to do with
these Quai Lows, or foreign devils. But Anna brought them to me and they shook my
hand and spoke to me in Cantonese. They proceeded to tell me about a prophet named
Joseph Smith. I had been taught that the Bible was the only scripture, and since the name Joseph Smith could not be found in the Bible I rejected their message and those of other
missionaries as well.
One night two missionaries knocked on our door and asked for me. Surprisingly, my
mother allowed them in. One of the elders told me that from the record he could see that I
had gone through several sets of missionaries and he wanted to know what my problem
was. I told him that I could not accept Joseph Smith as a prophet, and he asked if I had
read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it. I said no, and he challenged me to do so in
order for me to find out if it was true. I wanted to get rid of them and so I promised them
that I would study and pray about it. That night as I got into bed to sleep I thought of my
promise to them. I got up and started to read the Book of Mormon.
Afterwards, I knelt down to pray sincerely to the Lord asking if this was true. Nothing
spectacular happened, but I did feel a sense of peace and serenity. As I continued to study
and pray I became a very active nonmember of the branch. I was asked to help with the
Primary every Saturday by rounding up the children and taking them on the bus to church
to attend Primary. I would save my daily allowance from my breakfast and lunch so that I
had money to help pay for the bus fares for some of them. The chapel soon became my
second home.
After a while, my mother began to resent the Church for occupying so much of my time.
Her ministers took advantage of her discontent to tell her falsehoods about Mormonism.
This upset her even more, and she started to restrict my Church activities. In those days
church was held in two sessions, Sunday School in the morning and sacrament meeting in
the afternoon. I was only allowed to go to one but not both. It was very difficult for me as
I was a translator in Sunday School class and then I was the chorister for sacrament
meeting. I just had to go to both. From then on I had to be extra good around the house.
On Sundays I would get up very early and do all the chores in order to put my mother in a position that she really could not refuse to let me go to church. After Sunday School I
would just stay in the chapel and wait for sacrament meeting in the afternoon. I knew that
if I went home my mother would not let me go out again. From that time on, whenever
my mother was upset with me, I would find the door locked upon my return from church
and there would not be any dinner. My Church friends would buy me some bread to eat
while I waited outside the door until my father let me in.
As I was going through this difficult time my desire to be baptized increased each day.
After I listened to the eighteen discussions I knew I wanted to be a member of the true
church. When the missionaries challenged me to be baptized I told them I had to wait
because I knew my parents would not sign the permission form.
A short time later I overheard my parents making plans to go to Macau to visit an aging aunt. An idea came to mind and the next day I told the missionaries that I could be
baptized on Saturday. The night before my baptism I packed my little wicker school
basket with a towel and a change of clothes. Well, like many things in life this event did
not work out as smoothly as planned. My parents surprised us and returned home a day
earlier on Friday night. I was determined to go ahead with my baptism. The next morning
I told my parents that I was going swimming. I met Anna at the bus stop and we took the
bus to the mission home where the baptism would take place in the swimming pool.
When the missionaries asked for my permission slip I told them that my parents had gone
to Macau. Seeing that I was such a faithful and earnest nonmember, they believed me. On
August 1, 1958, I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Following the baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost I realized that I
should be honest with my parents. I waited until my mother had gone to bed and then told
my father about it. Being an understanding man, he told me that he knew how much I
loved the Church and his only request was that I would not do anything to bring shame to
the family name.
I am one of those blessed with great enthusiasm for almost everything in life, and
missionary work was no exception. I felt I could save the world. My enthusiasm caused
me a great deal of trials in my life. The Lutheran school I was attending became very
concerned over the lack of attendance in their own Sunday School meetings. Upon
further investigations they discovered that Anna and I had been taking our classmates to
our church to Sunday School and to MIA. They decided to take action against us. On Easter Sunday 1960, following the mandatory Sabbath worship for all the students,
the principal announced that Anna and I were to come to his office immediately after the
meeting. To our astonishment we were advised that we were being expelled from school.
No explanation, no consultation with parents; we were just expelled. We were devastated.
We had disgraced our families. When I notified the branch president he called the
mission office, and President Taylor sent missionaries to see the principal. Eventually
they were told that Anna and I were expelled because we were communists. When
evening came and my father was alone I told him what had happened to me in school. My
father was disappointed with me but told me not to let my mom know and he went about
securing a tutor for both Anna and me. We would meet at the chapel each day for our
lessons until my father secured a slot for me in another high school. Eventually my
mother found out and I was punished for disobeying her.
Life was not good for me at home. I felt a sense of hopelessness among my relatives, who regarded me as an outcast. At the age of 16 I was set apart as Primary president and that
kept me happy in my life. Each day I faced my life with faith in my Heavenly Father,
knowing truly that I was His daughter and that He loved me. Just that knowledge alone
has helped me to feel my worth and to live each day with hope for a brighter future. As a
sacrament meeting chorister I worked with the pianist, Elder Roger Romrell, from Idaho
Falls. He could play only eight hymns and every Sunday we sang those eight hymns.
Elder Romrell was a very compassionate person and perceptive to my situation. He asked
if I would like to go to Idaho to live with his family and finish my education. He said he
had five brothers and they had always wanted a sister.
And so at the age of 17, in September 1962, I left Hong Kong. Many of my Primary
children came to the airport, and they presented me with a doll. I clutched the doll, left
behind a difficult situation, and went on to begin a new life with my hands in the hands of
my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for my simple faith that comes from knowing in my
heart that Heavenly Father will watch over me. I am not saying that I was not afraid. I
cried almost all the way from Hong Kong to Tokyo.
At long last I arrived in the Idaho Falls airport. There the Romrells, along with Sister
Long who had served her mission in Hong Kong, met me at the airport and embraced me
with love. I felt instantly that I was part of their family. On the way to their home I asked
if I could see the Idaho Falls Temple. When I saw the holy temple I felt so much peace
and happiness in my heart. I knew I belonged to the true church of God.
In the spring of 1964, when I was a senior at Idaho Falls High School, Dad Romrell was a
member of the stake presidency and often had meetings with the Church leaders. During
one of his meetings in Salt Lake City, Elder Hinckley asked what my plans were after
high school. Dad Romrell told him that I was going to enroll in Ricks College. Elder
Hinckley replied, “No, I want Helen to go to Church College of Hawaii where she will
In the spring of 1964, when I was a senior at Idaho Falls High School, Dad Romrell was a
member of the stake presidency and often had meetings with the Church leaders. During
one of his meetings in Salt Lake City, Elder Hinckley asked what my plans were after
high school. Dad Romrell told him that I was going to enroll in Ricks College. Elder
Hinckley replied, “No, I want Helen to go to Church College of Hawaii where she will
meet and marry her own.”
When Dad Romrell returned home and told me what Elder Hinckley said, I told him, “I
will go to Church College of Hawaii.” That summer after my freshman year in college I
met a young man of Chinese ancestry, Charles Goo, who was born and raised in Hawaii.
He was attending BYU and was home teacher to my friends from Idaho Falls. They told
him to look me up when he came home for the summer.
Shortly after we met he was called to serve his mission in Hong Kong. We corresponded
for two and a half years and after his mission we were married in the Hawaii Temple. I
am grateful for his faith and his commitment to the gospel. Because of that I have had the
privilege of supporting him in many Church callings. Serving side by side with my
husband has given me opportunities to grow in the gospel. Through these choice
experiences I have gained greater love for my Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and
my brothers and sisters throughout the world. We raised five wonderful children, three
daughters and two sons, and each one of them has served a mission. Four of them are
married and are married in the temple to worthy individuals. They are the crowning joy in
our lives along with our eight grandchildren. I am thankful for President Hinckley for his
love and concern for me. And because I listened and followed his counsel my life has
been blessed.
The early Saints came and endured many hardships and some were contemplating
leaving. When Joseph F. Smith was serving his third mission there he made this prophetic
statement: “My brothers and sisters, do not leave this land, for this place has been chosen
by the Lord as a gathering place for the Saints of the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay
Saints in Hawaii. Do not complain because of the many trials which come to you
because of the barrenness of the land, the lack of water, the scarcity of foods to which
you are accustomed, and poverty as well. Be patient, for the day is coming when this land
will become a most beautiful land. Water shall spring forth in abundance, and upon the
barren land you now see, the Saints will build homes, taro will be planted, and there will
be plenty to eat and drink. And upon this place the glory of the Lord will rest to bless the
Saints who believe in him and keep his commandments.”4
With faith in their hearts the
Saints remained in Laie. Soon after, true to the prophecy, wells were discovered. A
pristine source of pure water, millions of gallons, from the aquifer deep beneath the
ground was found. The Laie we see today is the result of the dedication and endurance in
faith of the Hawaiian pioneers.
Later on, labor missionaries from all the Pacific Islands as well as the mainland United
States came with faith in their hearts to help build the temple, the Church College of
Hawaii, and the Polynesian Cultural Center. And these three entities bless our lives in
countless ways while they stand as the witness to the world that we worship a living God
and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Today we see evidence of that same faith in Laie. We have in our Later on, labor missionaries from all the Pacific Islands as well as the mainland United
States came with faith in their hearts to help build the temple, the Church College of
Hawaii, and the Polynesian Cultural Center. And these three entities bless our lives in
countless ways while they stand as the witness to the world that we worship a living God
and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Today we see evidence of that same faith in Laie. We have in our midst many senior
missionaries and volunteers who have left their children and grandchildren to serve the
Lord. They come from all walks of life, armed with years of experiences to serve and to
mentor in the university, the PCC, and the temple. With faith in their hearts they go forth
to do good among the children of God. And because of their faith and diligence the Lord
remembers their families and loved ones at home and He extends His blessings to them
as well. They are building a legacy of faith for their posterity and for all of us by their
great examples.
To increase our faith simply
