Yearbook—1991

Title Page/​Publishers’ Page

1991 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Containing Report for the Service Year of 1990

“Let anyone hearing say: ‘Come!’” is the 1991 yeartext for Jehovah’s Witnesses. A warm, open invitation is extended by all of Jehovah’s Witnesses to people thirsting for true peace and security.​—Rev. 22:17.

Index

Page

3 Highlights of reports from around the world

38 1990 Service Year Report, 212 Countries or Territories

Acts of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Modern Times:

66 Hawaii

116 Sweden

186 Thailand

253 Doing Jehovah’s Work in Jehovah’s Way (Letter from the Governing Body)

Jehovah’s Witnesses​—1991 Yearbook Report

THE city was not populated by farmers. Yet what he wrote to certain citizens of this citadel of commerce and politics had to do with the fundamental principles of agriculture. ‘First, plant the seed,’ he said. ‘Then water and cultivate the crop.’ Next, he revealed a third element, the most crucial to plant growth. He said: ‘God keeps making it grow.’​—1 Cor. 3:6.

The city was Corinth, located on the Isthmus of Corinth; the time, the first century. The writer was the Christian apostle Paul, and the crux of his subject was the spiritual growth of the followers of Christ. Listen as Paul presents three terse statements about reaching Christian maturity: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept making it grow.” Then, to be sure we get the point, he says: “So that neither is he that plants anything nor is he that waters, but God who makes it grow.” (1 Cor. 3:7) Planting and watering are complementary, but what Jehovah God does is on an entirely different level. God does what no man can do: He makes it grow.

‘God Keeps Making It Grow’

Well could the apostle Paul say about his efforts in the ministry that “God kept making it grow.” How Jehovah blessed Paul’s 18-month ministry in Corinth! (Acts 18:9-11) And God also made things grow in other areas where Paul carried on his ministry, such as at Ephesus, Philippi, and Thessalonica.​—Acts 20:17-38; Phil. 1:3-7; 1 Thess. 1:3-10.

When we examine the planting and watering work done by the international brotherhood of Jehovah’s Witnesses during the past 12 months, we too can thankfully say: “God kept making it grow.” Thus, during the past service year, we had an average of 3,846,311 Kingdom publishers, with a peak of 4,017,213 publishers. We reached the highest number ever baptized​—301,518! What about future growth? With 3,624,091 Bible studies being held each month and with 9,950,058 attending the Memorial of Jesus’ death last April 10, the potential is very good.

From Peak to Peak

From around the world, reports show that our brothers have been busy in their spiritual farming work. They obtained 2,968,309 new subscriptions for The Watchtower and Awake!, a 23-percent increase. And not only did nearly all branches report peaks in publishers but a number had peaks repeatedly. Thus, Sweden reported five peaks during the 1990 service year; Austria, France, and Switzerland reported six peaks each. Czechoslovakia and Côte d’Ivoire reported 11 peaks during the year, Poland 12, and Yugoslavia 7. Brazil had nine peaks, the most recent being a total of 293,466 publishers.

Particularly outstanding is Ireland. Our brothers there had 12 peaks this year, making 29 peaks in a row, and they rejoice with a 10-percent increase in publishers over the previous year. Guatemala had 41 peaks in the past 42 months. And what about Mexico? It had 78 peaks in the past 80 months and now has upwards of 304,000 publishers.

The harder we work and the more Kingdom seed we plant, the more God will keep making it grow. For example, look at Venezuela. There the congregation publishers average 14 hours and one Bible study a month. At their Memorial, they had 197,211 present, almost four times the number of their publishers and 33,000 more than last year. In six years they doubled their number of publishers from 25,305 to 51,933, a 105-percent increase! And in the past year, they had eight publisher peaks. A similar report comes from Ecuador. “This has been the best year for Kingdom expansion in the history of the work,” said the branch. They had almost twice as many home Bible studies as publishers. In August they reported a peak of 18,069 publishers. And they reached seven peaks during the past service year.

Japan is a country where Jehovah has indeed made things grow, for in August 1990 they had their 140th consecutive peak of publishers in the field​—147,622. And that is happening in a land where the missionaries of Babylon the Great gave up, saying: “There is no way that Christianity will ever really take root in Japan.”

“Out of the Mouth of Babes”

Not only do men and women serve as God’s fellow workers but also those of tender years can bring praise to Jehovah God. Thus, on one occasion in Jesus’ ministry, young children sang his praise. This greatly disturbed his religious opponents, but he answered their objections by saying: “Did you never read this,‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have furnished praise’?”​—Matt. 21:16.

In our day do we also have children furnishing praise to God? We most certainly do! For example, there was little four-year-old Mi Mi living in Myanmar, who refused to join with her class in prayer. Her teacher asked: “You are a Christian, why don’t you join in prayers?” Mi Mi replied: “Yes, I am a Christian, but you pray to the Trinity, I pray to Jehovah.”

When a certain schoolteacher took a young New Zealand Witness girl to the principal because she refused to sing the national anthem, the principal burst out laughing. She then said to the Witness child that she was sorry for the embarrassment the teacher had caused her and added: “Continue in your deeds of courage because I admire your religion and the courage it has displayed both outside and here in school.”

And then there is little Juancito, a four-year-old child in Uruguay. Neither of his parents is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but his grandmother is. She looks after him while his parents are working. He has taught his parents to bow their heads when he prays at meals. And using an issue of the Awake! magazine on the subject of tobacco, he kept after his parents until they both gave up smoking. As a result of his efforts, both of his parents as well as other relatives are now reading the literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

When six-year-old Rodolfo in Argentina took his copy of My Book of Bible Stories to school, one of his classmates became curious and asked him to visit him at his home. The result? Rodolfo started a Bible study with his classmate. Before long the parents became interested, and today the whole family are baptized Witnesses.

Louise, a seven-year-old lassie in Britain, was asked to bring something Egyptian to school as part of a project on the land of Egypt. She took along her copy of My Book of Bible Stories, as it had several chapters dealing with Egypt. She also took along the drama cassette Jehovah’s Name to Be Declared in All the Earth, dealing with the Ten Plagues. The teacher listened to the tape privately and was so impressed that she arranged for all the children to come together every Tuesday to hear part of the tape and discuss the plagues. A total of 70 schoolchildren and three teachers were present. All are now very familiar with Jehovah’s name, thanks to the initiative of Louise in taking this tape to school.

In Italy the branch office stressed placing magazines during a certain month. One little girl of eight devoted 60 hours that month to field service and placed 51 magazines, and another little girl of ten devoted 61 hours and placed 110 magazines during the same month. No question about it, today as in times past Jehovah is perfecting praise by means of small children.

Relief Campaign for Romania

During the early part of 1990, a noteworthy relief campaign was organized to assist our fellow workers in need in Romania. This greatly benefited them in both spiritual and material ways. Over 70 tons of foodstuffs were sent from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia during January, February, and March. In addition, tons of cleaning supplies and other items were shipped, and a large consignment of clothing and shoes was distributed. The response of our brothers in Europe was truly impressive. Even little children who heard of the plight of our brothers in Romania contributed money to help.

Our Romanian brothers expressed great appreciation for the gifts received and are determined to do all they can to share the truth with others. The brothers write: “Many worldly people were surprised when we received huge amounts of relief goods from our brothers all over the world. Part of the goods were distributed among worldly people, and this helped many to change their mind about Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many people got help from us, while they did not get help from their clergy. Each time assistance was rendered, the brothers took advantage of the opportunity to give a thorough witness.”

Growth at Bethel Homes

More workers in the field mean more workers at the 93 Bethel Homes. The full-time ministers who serve at Bethel help keep the publishers in their country organized for Kingdom-preaching and well supplied with literature. In 1980 the worldwide Bethel family numbered 5,039; ten years later the figure is 11,092.

Bethel volunteers also keep busy in field service. Because of their full work schedule, very few can auxiliary pioneer. However, a sister serving in the Guatemala Bethel Home auxiliary pioneered during the month of April. As a result of her street witnessing before breakfast and after working hours, she placed 556 magazines.

With full-color printing expanding around the world, it was necessary this past year for the Watch Tower Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, to purchase, inspect, crate, and export five of the four-color high-speed web offset presses. These were sent to the following branches: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, and Spain. Also, an order was placed for another press for South Africa.

These facts remind us of what Jehovah foretold at Isaiah 65:13, 14: “Look! My own servants will eat, but you yourselves will go hungry. Look! My own servants will drink, but you yourselves will go thirsty. Look! My own servants will rejoice, but you yourselves will suffer shame. Look! My own servants will cry out joyfully because of the good condition of the heart.”

Certainly we rejoice in the way Jehovah is blessing our efforts. However, there are two things we want to bear in mind: First, we must zealously plant and water. And second, it is God who makes things grow. This second point should keep all of God’s servants humble. We are like the farmer, who plants and cultivates but must depend upon the sunshine and rain that God provides in order to reap a good crop.​—Matt. 5:45.

Growth at World Headquarters

“Your people will offer themselves willingly . . . You have your company of young men just like dewdrops.” So sang King David about the volunteer spirit of Jehovah’s people. (Ps. 110:3) Today, throughout Jehovah’s visible organization, there are numerous young men and women who, just like dewdrops, give refreshing service to God and to fellow worshipers. More than four thousand of them serve as Bethelites at the Watch Tower Society’s world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and at nearby farms. Because of the rapid increase in the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, growth is taking place also at the world headquarters.

More volunteer workers are needed in Brooklyn, and so is more space to house these. Thus, the Governing Body determined that a nine-story factory building at 160 Jay Street, purchased in 1986 and not yet remodeled, be demolished to make room for the construction of a 30-story Bethel residence building that will be known by a new address, 90 Sands Street. This building will accommodate an additional thousand persons. Final governmental approval for the project was given on August 30, 1990. The overall project will take about three years to complete.

This past year the Society was able to complete the purchase of a property known as 85 Jay Street, which contains several buildings of various sizes. It is two blocks from the factory complex and has a ground area of 97,800 square feet [9,100 sq m], larger than that of the present five factory buildings. The property will be held for any future needs.

In the spring of 1989, the Society bought a newly constructed building, with unfinished interior, located at 67 Livingston Street, about a 15-minute walk from the Watch Tower central offices. It is a narrow building (nicknamed the Sliver) 29 stories in height that will accommodate about 150 Bethelites. Occupancy took place in late 1990.

Early in 1989 it was announced that work was under way on the largest single construction project ever undertaken by the Society’s engineering and construction staff​—the Watchtower Educational Center. The center is located on 658 acres [266 ha] in a scenic valley at Patterson, New York, 70 miles [110 km] north of Brooklyn and 45 miles [72 km] east of Watchtower Farms. A school and office complex is planned, with residence buildings and support services for up to 1,200 students and Bethel workers. Final Site Plan approval came on August 30, 1990, the same date the 90 Sands Street building was approved in Brooklyn.

A report by Patterson Farm on obtaining building permits for this vast project states: “Jehovah’s direction has been evident in these dealings. An example of this is a recent announcement from the State that no additional wastewater treatment plants would be approved in the watershed area. The last plant approved was ours.”

As of September 1, 1990, a visitors’ center was opened and will function seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It has an observation deck that gives a fine vantage point for viewing nearly all the construction activity at the educational center.

Next, let us turn our attention to the literature production of the Brooklyn factories. They printed 44 percent more Bibles than last year​—a total of 3,155,811, which includes 1,161,189 deluxe Bibles. Export Shipping saw to it that more than 19 million pounds [8.5 million kg] of material got to the right locations in all parts of the world, while Domestic Shipping handled over 10.5 million pounds [4.8 million kg] for the United States.

Any pollutants that may result from our printing must be removed. To accomplish this, a large pollution-control unit was placed on the roof of one of the five factory buildings. This new Katec unit replaces five existing pollution-control devices. The new unit incinerates ink solvents with temperatures of up to 1,400° F [760° C.]. This is one of the first installations of its kind in the New York City area. The Department of Environmental Protection stated that they believed that the Society’s installation would be used as a benchmark, or standard, for future installations in the New York area. The reason they gave? They had confidence that the Society would strictly adhere to governmental regulations in the fabrication involved and that the installation of the unit would be a model worthy of imitation.

Watchtower Farms reported that the subscription campaign in October and November 1989 resulted in 596,087 subscriptions processed​—a 36-percent increase for the United States! That figure includes a 57-percent increase in new subscriptions obtained. Also, the Society’s own computer system, MEPS, is in use in over 90 lands and is able to accommodate more than 190 languages.

Memorable Events in Germany

Startling events in the GDR (German Democratic Republic) in 1989 led to the fall of a seemingly unconquerable regime. Legal status was granted to Jehovah’s Witnesses on March 14, 1990, ending a 40-year ban on their activities. What a thrill for the brothers! Why, even non-Witnesses reacted positively to the legal recognition. “Good news!” wrote one reader to a Berlin newspaper. “Though religiously nonaligned, I feel deeply moved.”

Legal status brought freedom to import literature of the Watchtower Society into the GDR. Imagine the excitement at the Germany branch at Selters in the western part of the Federal Republic of Germany! March 30, 1990, saw a truck being loaded with 25 tons of our literature, all destined for the GDR. Milton G. Henschel and Theodore Jaracz of the Governing Body were present to witness the historic event.

Further deliveries followed. Supplying an additional 250 tons, including 115,000 Bibles, to the GDR over the next two months almost exhausted literature stocks at Selters. And beginning with The Watchtower of May 1, and the Awake! of May 8, 1990, Witnesses in the GDR have been receiving all the copies they need. But what would our brothers in eastern Germany do with all that literature?

Freedom to Do What?

“Are you going to get involved in politics?” a journalist asked Brother Helmut Martin, coordinator of the work in the GDR. A natural question, since many clergymen have been in the forefront of political restructuring. “No,” he replied, “that is not the intent of our religion. Jesus gave his disciples a Scriptural assignment, and we see that as our main job.” Yes, books and magazines were eagerly awaited in the GDR for use in the “main job” of preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom.​—Matt. 24:14.

The initial delivery was to Bautzen, near Dresden. There, a dispatch team was organized to unpack the literature and prepare it for transport to the congregations. Brothers and sisters worked in shifts, even after their secular jobs, so as to get the books and magazines into the hands of the brothers without delay. For some this was an overwhelming experience. In what way?

During the ban, individuals had volunteered to carry literature over the border into the GDR. Each took great risks to serve others spiritually. One such brother was now on the dispatch team at Bautzen, serving his brothers under very different circumstances. Tears came to his eyes as he stood dwarfed by tons of the very same kind of literature that he had carried in piecemeal. Others recalled the bitter persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The prison at Bautzen, where many had been incarcerated, is within view of the building where the brothers were now freely distributing Christian literature.

First Public Talks

April 1990 witnessed yet another milestone in the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the GDR​—the first public talk since restrictions were imposed 40 years ago. In Bautzen a hall was rented and then decorated to be worthy of the occasion. Tears of joy were evident as brothers flocked in. Some met for the first time in years, others for the first time ever, even though they lived in the same city. Yes, freedom brought many changes. Until then, meetings had been held in groups of from 10 to 12 persons, who were limited to three copies of a condensed Watchtower magazine. Now, each of the 238 Witnesses in attendance had his own personal copy, and that in full color!

Our brothers in all parts of Germany are grateful to Jehovah that the preaching work can be carried out more freely. The extra work load in Bautzen and elsewhere is seen as a joyful expansion of Kingdom activity. In Selters, working extra time is necessary to meet the demands of Eastern European countries. One member of the Bethel family commented: “We get a thrill every time the production figures go up. It’s great to have a part in the action.”

Conventions Make History

When border controls between East Germany (GDR) and West Germany were lifted on July 1, 1990, one German newspaper headline read: “What Happened on the Border on Sunday Is Incomprehensible for the Mere Eye and Mind.” About 30,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses from East Germany felt similarly as they attended the special “Pure Language” international convention in the Olympia Stadium in West Berlin from July 24 to 27. Some 45,000 delegates from 64 countries, including seven members of the Governing Body, saw theocratic history in the making.

An East German Witness noted: “After the lifting of the ban, there was a sumptuous feast of unity, love, and harmony. That proves that it was worth keeping illegally active those 40 years.”

The convention was organized especially for the benefit of the brothers from East Germany, and they accepted the invitation with relish and anticipation. Witnesses in Dresden had planted 16,000 flowers, which blossomed right on time and adorned the two convention platforms, the program being conducted in German and in English.

East German officials ran 13 special trains carrying 9,500 Witnesses to the convention in Berlin, and at each railway station in East Berlin, they welcomed the delegates over the public-address system. Additionally, the congregations chartered 200 buses. All visitors could be accommodated thanks to the hospitality of the brothers, their diligence in finding private accommodations, and the kindness of officials in East and West in making schools available.

A delegate from West Germany remarked: “We experienced a shower of warmth and hospitality from the East German brothers. Our host found room for 22 adults and 6 children, turning his home into a miniature mass-accommodation. And he found place for others in the neighborhood.” A couple in East Berlin, with a two-room apartment and four tents in the yard, took in 26 visitors before and during the convention.

What made the convention special for East German Witnesses? For many it was the first chance to attend a convention with their own congregation. Others were impressed by the communal singing of Kingdom songs or viewed the reunion with old friends as a highlight. The spiritual food offered and the new literature released were accepted with great thankfulness.

There was also much appreciation for talks given by the East German elders, who had served their brothers courageously for many years. One Witness related: “When the first brother from the East stood on the platform to discuss the daily text with us​—that gave me a feeling I cannot put into words because I knew what he had taken upon himself during the years under ban.”

Following the baptism talk, the 1,018 candidates set the scene for what one person described as “a climax of joy.” For 19 minutes there was nonstop applause in the stadium while the baptism candidates, waving their hands, were led out. Many of those in attendance could not hold back tears of joy and emotion. “We have until now seen events like this only in literature or in slide talks,” remarked one Witness. Other East German brothers recalled their own baptism under ban, in a bathtub.

The love and fine spirit reached beyond the stadium and was noticed by outsiders. A director of West Berlin Transport said: “I have been involved in public events for 20 years, but I have never seen such politeness, consideration, and self-restraint.” A public transport coordinator added: “I wish we always had such pleasant passengers. Come back soon!”

In the concluding talk, Brother M. G. Henschel thanked not only the West Berlin police but also the police in East Berlin for directing traffic. For many who recalled the situation under ban, it was an unbelievable gesture. A brother from Dresden summarized how the delegates from East Germany felt: “The event was so lovely that I caught myself asking whether it was real or just a dream. It was a little foretaste of the new world.”

More Special Conventions in Eastern Europe

From August 2 to 5, about 22,000 assembled in Budapest and three other cities in Hungary. A week later, August 9-12, a national convention was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, with 23,876 present. During the same period, a convention program presented in Russian and Polish at Warsaw’s largest stadium was attended by more than 35,000, including over 17,000 delegates from the Soviet Union. This was history in the making for the Witnesses from the Soviet Union​—the entire program was in the Russian language. Never before had this happened. They were pleasantly surprised too, when the convention program booklet contained 73 Kingdom songs in their own tongue, including all the ones to be sung at the convention. What a time it was to sing praises to Jehovah! In addition, there were ten other conventions in Poland during the months of July and August, with a total attendance reaching 152,460.

For the first time in more than 40 years, Witnesses in Romania met for district conventions. The cities of Brasov and Cluj-Napoca were used, with an estimated 36,000 in attendance. At the conventions in Berlin and in Eastern European cities, the number baptized came to 10,481.

And for the first time ever, Witnesses from Bulgaria enjoyed an entire district convention program in their own language. They were among the 6,537 assembled in Salonika, Greece, August 23-26, 1990. They listened to four talks delivered by brothers from Bulgaria. The rest of the program was translated from Greek into Bulgarian. And one more first: Yugoslavia had district conventions in each one of the six states. Reports of the conventions were published in newspapers, heard on the radio, and seen on television.

In many parts of the world, ethnic problems divide people even within the same country. By their peaceful international gatherings, Jehovah’s Witnesses give evidence that they live and work together in unity regardless of their varied national backgrounds. Thus, ‘God keeps making them grow.’​—1 Cor. 3:6.

Branch Dedications: ‘God Made Them Grow’

A healthy child all too soon outgrows his clothes, sending parents on a quest to obtain larger-size apparel. In a similar way, as the number of publishers increases in a country, those charged with oversight seek larger headquarters to meet the demands of a growing force of Kingdom preachers.

A Branch Committee looks upon this as a happy challenge. It is evidence that God is blessing their branch with growth. (1 Cor. 3:6) Last service year, four branches dedicated new facilities exclusively to Jehovah’s service.

Australia

November 25, 1989, was the date for the dedication program. The original branch complex was erected in 1982 and dedicated early in 1983. In 1987 the office was enlarged. But now a five-story residence building and a three-story factory addition were dedicated.

Forty years ago, there were just over 4,000 publishers in the country, but now there are more than 51,000, an increase of over 1,100 percent! Nearly 22,000 of these have come into the truth in the past ten years. Printing has expanded to care for the needs of not only Australia but also New Zealand and the many islands of the Pacific region. Publications are now being produced in 37 languages.

Guatemala

Happy hearts and smiling faces were the order of the day in Guatemala City on November 26, 1989. That is when 13,882 of Jehovah’s Witnesses met together to celebrate the dedication of their new branch facilities. The day was the crowning point of seven years of activity leading to a branch complex that has proved to be more than eight times as large in floor area as the previous building. The present site has an area of 2.8 acres [1.1 ha] and abounds with eucalyptus, cypress, and pine trees. Set in such pleasant surroundings, with the picturesque silhouette of volcanoes in the background, the new Guatemala branch facility, with its white walls and red tile roof, truly stands out.

The need for a new branch facility had been evident for quite a number of years. The old branch building near the center of the city had been in use since 1949, when there were only 218 publishers. By 1985, when the property for the new branch complex was bought, the number of publishers had risen to 8,135. By the time the building was completed four years later, the publisher figure had risen to a new peak of 11,147, representing an increase of 37 percent.

Construction actually lasted two and a half years. During that time, the local congregations provided 269 regular workers, as well as more than 2,000 weekend volunteers. Added to this were the 215 who came from foreign countries as near as Costa Rica and as far afield as Canada, Finland, and the United States. These volunteer workers trained the local brothers in different trades, such as concrete work, tile setting, and furniture making.

Visitors were treated to a special day on Saturday, November 25, beginning with tours through the complex. The day ended with a supper in the back garden; the music of the marimba mingled with the sounds of animated conversation and the laughter of friends enjoying sweet Christian fellowship.

Honduras

Cool weather but warm hearts was the experience of the 5,085 attenders in Tegucigalpa on October 22, 1989, the second day of a special two-day gathering. The dedication program on the 21st recounted the history of the preaching work in Honduras since 1945 when the branch office was opened.

Right next to the original branch building, which was erected in 1961 and enlarged in 1978, sits the new branch addition. The new facility, with its basement, ground floor, and first floor, almost triples the available floor space. There is a covered walkway that connects the new building with the former one, which was completely remodeled. The branch complex now has a total of 13 rooms for accommodations, 10 rooms in the new building and 3 in the remodeled one. There is now ample space for the present 13 members of the Bethel family and for expansion, since the branch complex can now house up to 26 persons. Construction kept some 125 International Volunteer Construction Workers and more than 1,500 local brothers and sisters busy for two years.

Nigeria

On January 20, 1990, when the new branch facilities for Nigeria were dedicated before a crowd of 4,209, representatives from 29 countries were present. The following day over 60,000 attended special meetings in three Nigerian cities.

The new Bethel Home and branch office is located in the countryside near the village of Igieduma, about 225 miles [360 km] from Lagos. It was back in 1983 that the 140-acre [57 ha] site was obtained. Trees and bush had to be cleared from the property, but enough vegetation was left to shelter the remaining antelope. Hundreds of fruit trees and seven thousand pineapples were planted. One day at the early stages of construction, a forestry official came to the site and questioned the project overseer as to why trees were being cut down. However, upon being shown the grounds, the proposed development, and the method of building with voluntary help and donated materials, he was so impressed that on leaving he asked: “Where is the contribution box?” He then put in his contribution and said nothing further about cutting trees and permits.

Ministerial Training School Equips Graduates for Future Growth

In the United States during the past service year, two classes, the fifth and sixth, of the Ministerial Training School were held in Los Angeles, California, and in St. Louis, Missouri. Experienced instructors were also sent from the United States to conduct the first class in Britain, which graduated on June 17, 1990. Additional instructors were also trained for further classes of the school to be held in that country.

The average age for each class of elders and ministerial servants ranged from 29 to 32. These brothers had already gained experience in handling congregation responsibility. Most had been serving in some form of full-time service before enrolling in the school. Graduates of these three classes were invited to take up assignments in places where there is a current need, such as Britain, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Leeward Islands, Senegal, Taiwan, United States, and Zambia.

The school course is an intensive one covering a wide range of Bible teachings, organizational procedures, and counsel for shepherding responsibilities and for handling problems in Christian living. Those who came to school with limited speaking, shepherding, and teaching experience were trained to develop such experience so that they would be better equipped to take on greater responsibility in the future. Students attending the school deeply appreciated the kindness and hospitality of the brothers who housed them during the school term. Breakfast and noon meals were provided for the students at the Assembly Hall where classes were held. Each morning just before breakfast, their routine called for a consideration of the daily text, similar to that conducted at all of the Society’s branches.

All the graduates express great appreciation for what the organization is doing in their behalf. Members of the sixth class, for example, viewed the school course as being exceptional and said that the program provided an excellent foundation on which to base their lives. The class in Britain commented: “We experience the joy of being taught by Jehovah and wholeheartedly recommend that single brothers reach out for this goal.”

Arrangements have already been made for classes to be conducted during this service year in a number of other languages, including French, German, Italian, and Spanish. In many countries this year, district overseers will meet with single elders and ministerial servants who are interested in attending the school and discuss with them the requirements they must meet in order to be eligible for such training.

Hospital Information Services​—A Helper for a Time of Need

In January 1988 the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses established the Hospital Information Services (HIS) at the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. For what purposes? To research the medical literature for nonblood medical management treatments, to develop and maintain records on cooperative surgeons, and to train and supervise selected elders to assist Jehovah’s Witnesses in a time of medical need.​—Compare Matthew 25:36.

Why such a service now? From Acts 15:28, 29, it is clear that true Christians must ‘abstain from blood,’ just as they abstain from idolatry and from fornication. Conscientious obedience to this law of God has brought the Witnesses into conflict with a powerful element of this world that wants them to compromise, often trying to frighten them to acquiesce by threatening to force upon Witnesses a defiling violation of their dedicated bodies. (Rom. 12:1) Yet, the Witnesses are “firmly resolved” to obey God and not ingest blood.​—Deut. 12:23-25.

This position is often misunderstood by others as a rejection of all medical treatment or as exercising a so-called right to die. Witnesses do not wish to die; rather, they seek alternative medical treatment without the use of homologous blood. At times the Witnesses either have to educate the medical community on the availability of effective nonblood management or have to face the problem of trying to find a cooperative physician who respects the patient’s right to make an informed choice of such treatment.

Thus, since 1988 in the United States, a total of 18 HIS seminars have trained more than 600 elders to serve on a network of 100 Hospital Liaison Committees located in major U.S. cities. These committees have since made hundreds of informative presentations to the medical staff at various hospitals to help them appreciate the Witnesses’ reasonable position on the medical use of blood. How is this done?

The committee alerts the hospital staff to the many alternative procedures now available, explaining to them how the Witnesses’ health problems can be and are being managed without the use of homologous blood. The committee then offers to poll the medical staff to see who are willing to cooperate with the Witnesses. Some of these health-care centers have since adjusted hospital policies to accommodate the Witness patient. Others are at the point of becoming centers for alternative nonblood management. Thanks to Jehovah, these changes have greatly reduced the number of confrontations the Witnesses once endured.

The Hospital Liaison Committees are also schooled to train Witnesses to talk to hospital administrators, the surgical team, and others about nonblood management of the patient’s medical needs. Additionally, the committees are able to assist in setting up consultations with favorable doctors so that less-experienced surgeons can learn how to treat Witnesses without homologous blood. In emergency situations, the committees have even been able to defuse literally hundreds of confrontations and have averted threats of forced blood transfusions.​—Compare Isaiah 32:1, 2.

For example, a Witness was seriously injured in a head-on automobile accident. He suffered a broken left hip, a cracked pelvis, several fractured ribs, a two-inch [5 cm] opening in his left temple, and a severely mangled left arm that was hemorrhaging badly, with the elbow now missing. Some doctors insisted that blood was required to do the surgery needed to stop the bleeding.

The relatives of the injured brother got in touch with the nearest Hospital Liaison Committee for help in finding another physician or another facility that would cooperate with their Scriptural stand. But because of valuable time lost while doctors were unsuccessfully trying to persuade the family to accept blood, the patient’s hemoglobin count had dropped perilously low (4.5 grams). This made it unwise to transfer him elsewhere. However, consultation by the primary-care physician with a favorable surgeon was arranged. The result? Because of having a better understanding of what could be done, the surgical team agreed to operate without blood. The operation was successfully performed, and the patient was home again less than a month after the accident.

In another case a 16-month-old baby with meningitis was becoming more anemic. As is often the case, the anemia was due to many blood samples being routinely taken for testing purposes. Pediatricians wanted to transfuse blood to combat the anemia that they were causing. Working with the Hospital Liaison Committee, HIS sent to the hospital an article from a medical journal that explained how to avoid drawing so much blood. The pediatrician in charge accepted the information and altered his procedure, and the baby was successfully treated without blood.

In another case, a newborn infant developed a quite common jaundice condition called hyperbilirubinemia. Medical articles that explain the benefits of double-light phototherapy for this condition were sent by HIS to the local committees, who then spoke with the doctors involved. When this procedure was followed, the “standard” treatment of blood transfusions was not needed.

During February and March of this year, members of HIS conducted four seminars for eight branch offices in the Pacific area, and ten more seminars are scheduled for Europe and Latin America. Our prayer is that Jehovah will continue to bless this loving provision to assist our brothers in a time of need.

Africa

“O Jehovah, who is there like you, delivering the afflicted one from one stronger than he is?” asks Psalm 35:10. Restrictions on the activity of Jehovah’s people have been lifted in some African countries. What a reason to thank Jehovah for deliverance!

After nearly 14 years, the ban on the work in Benin was lifted by the authorities on January 23, 1990. The government decreed that the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is legally recognized and is free to carry on its religious activities. Then, in early April, another decree was published, authorizing the missionary work of Jehovah’s Witnesses and annulling the former decree that expelled the missionaries in April 1976. The decree even listed the names of the missionaries who had been expelled at that time, saying that they, as well as any other missionaries of Jehovah’s Witnesses, are free to exercise their missionary activities in Benin.

Since then the Benin brothers have been working with great zeal and enthusiasm to get the work reorganized and to build new Kingdom Halls, as well as to repossess the branch property and Kingdom Halls that had previously been seized by the revolutionary government. The new government has promised that all confiscated properties will be returned to their rightful owners. At the time of writing, the branch property in Cotonou, the missionary home in Porto-Novo, and several Kingdom Halls have been returned to the brothers. Although all need repair and renovation, the Kingdom Halls are being used again for congregation meetings.

As soon as the Society’s branch property was returned in mid-July of 1990, the brothers planned two special assemblies for August 11 and 12, to be held on the land surrounding the Bethel Home. Thus, the local people would come to know that Jehovah’s Witnesses had repossessed their rightful property. The Nigeria branch, which oversees the work in Benin, agreed.

The brothers wondered if preparations could be made in time because they had only one month to clean and level the land, cut bamboo poles to construct the booths and seats for three thousand persons, build the cafeteria and other departments, prepare toilet facilities, and cover all the roofs with woven straw mats. To their happy surprise, when the guest speaker arrived, not only was that work complete but the entire concrete wall surrounding the property was whitewashed as well. The main entrance to Bethel and the Kingdom Hall were repainted too, and the badly soiled property was renovated. The brothers had removed the huge sign that identified the previous occupants, replacing it with a beautifully painted watchtower, along with the words “WATCH TOWER SOCIETY.” At the main gate, they had erected another sign, saying “Welcome to the Bethel of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Since the property borders a lagoon and has a gate opening onto the lagoon, the brothers built steps down into the water where 22 persons were baptized during the two special assembly days. Everyone rejoiced that Bethel was being used once again to praise Jehovah.

A presidential speech and news conference in Zaire on April 24, 1990, indicated a marked change in the attitude toward the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Zaire.

In his news conference before both national and foreign journalists, the president gave assurance that in Zaire all the basic freedoms exist, including freedom of the press and freedom of religion. Thus, it is no surprise to the general population to see Jehovah’s Witnesses preaching and meeting more openly and carrying on their religious activities. Brothers who had been held in prison for preaching or for attending religious meetings were released. Since interest in the truth is great and has manifested itself in several new peaks in publishers and Bible studies in 1990, the brothers are grateful for this favorable development.

The work had been under ban in Togo since May 1978. However, on October 21, 1987, the government of Togo inaugurated a commission, known as the National Commission on Human Rights, to investigate reports of human rights violations and to recommend solutions. Later, after a petition appealing for freedom of worship was made, five elders representing Jehovah’s Witnesses in Togo were invited to appear before a Working Committee of the Human Rights Commission to explain the Witnesses’ stand on many of the issues on which they had been misrepresented.

Following that, on October 12, 1989, the National Commission on Human Rights organized a public forum on the theme “Freedom of Worship and Public Order” and again invited five elders to attend. Since the forum was telecast and given wide newspaper coverage, an effective, countrywide witness for the truth resulted. The harassment of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the tension caused by the ban in Togo were thus eased.

The congregations have taken full advantage of the relative calm to intensify Kingdom activity on a scale unprecedented in Togo’s history. During the service year, there were nine publisher peaks and an increase of 20 percent. Each month, congregation publishers averaged 15 hours in the service and conducted nearly two Bible studies.

The brothers write: “We are certainly grateful to Jehovah for the freedom we now enjoy. We pray that there will be a complete lifting of the ban.”

One of the most outstanding happenings in Mozambique during the 1990 service year occurred on May 27, when the legal organization Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses of Mozambique was formed in Maputo. This was a significant step toward legal recognition of the work by the government. On the following day, the constitution of the Association was presented to the government representative in Maputo. The brothers are now awaiting further word.

Four months earlier, on January 27 and 28, 1990, Witnesses held their first circuit assembly openly at Manga Stadium in Beira, where 753 persons were in attendance, and 42 of them were baptized. This assembly has led to a great increase in home Bible studies and congregation meeting attendance in that city. This circuit assembly was a spiritual eye-opener even for some of our brothers, many of whom had never attended a ‘big gathering’ in their years in the truth.

Asia

“Praise Jah, you people, for it is good to make melody to our God; for it is pleasant​—praise is fitting,” sang the psalmist. (Ps. 147:1) Despite tests of faith, the publishers in Asia have found that giving praise to Jehovah is very pleasant.

The Philippines branch office reports that a sister in Lapu-Lapu, who is also a schoolteacher, took a strong, uncompromising stand for the truth. Listen to her story: “One day I was called into the office of our district supervisor and told that I must contribute a certain amount to buy a birthday gift for a fellow teacher. Three things came to my mind. First, the amount desired was inconsequential. Second, my contribution would please my superior and could gain me favors. Third, if I contributed, no one in the congregation, not even my husband, would know.

“But I recognized the snare laid out by Satan and so quietly told my supervisor: ‘Please count me out in this affair. God’s instruction is for me to keep away from celebrations of the world, including birthdays, and my conscience does not allow me to disobey him.’ At this he shouted abuse at me and told me to leave the school system if I could not conform to group policies. He was not able to force me to contribute, but he pressured me in my work, giving me extra teaching loads, perhaps to find fault and dismiss me. But I executed his requests dutifully, promptly, and efficiently. As a result, the supervisor whom I refused to obey by not giving a birthday gift later promoted me. However, it is not my promotion that gave me the greatest happiness but the spiritual progress of my family. In the same year as my promotion, two of our children were baptized.”

A congregation on distant Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal, desired to increase its praise of Jehovah through the placing of The Watchtower. So during the magazine campaign, the congregation’s enthusiasm for the subscription offer was built up by encouraging each publisher to set a goal of obtaining one subscription per week and if that goal was met, to set a goal of two. At congregation meetings the total number of subscriptions obtained by the brothers was announced each week, and publishers were interviewed during the Service Meeting to give their experiences in obtaining subscriptions. The result? In one month this small congregation obtained 150 subscriptions. This was equivalent to what the congregation had placed over the previous two and one half years!

In Korea a famous TV actress found that her fame had brought her only unhappiness, including a failed marriage. She was most impressed with the fine moral standard of one of her colleagues, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who started a Bible study with her. Finally, she was baptized in June 1989. She enjoyed a month as an auxiliary pioneer, and everywhere she witnessed in the door-to-door ministry, she was recognized. Now, she says, she wants to be known as a minister of Jehovah rather than as a TV actress.

Europe

“May the sighing of the prisoner come in even before you. According to the greatness of your arm preserve those appointed to death.” Those words of Psalm 79:11 have comforted many of the oppressed. But now Europe has been swept by the winds of change, allowing greater religious freedom for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

From Romania comes this account: “After 42 long years, we are glad to send a joyful report about the activity in Romania. We are grateful to our loving Father, Jehovah God, who listened to the fervent prayers of millions of brothers and put an end to the merciless persecution.​—Dan. 2:21.

“Since March we have been organizing the house-to-house service in far distant villages. Usually, we preach in the whole village, inviting all the people to come and listen to a free Bible talk in the community hall we have rented. In one village with 1,200 inhabitants, more than 500 people were present for the lecture. After the program, a professor gave thanks to the brothers in behalf of all present for the fine explanations of the Bible. More then 200 persons left their addresses with our brothers and asked to be visited.”

Jehovah has opened a large door that leads to activity in Hungary, and many of the Hungarian brothers have entered through it. Since the beginning of the calendar year, they have had full-color magazines and have used them well in preaching the good news. About 100,000 magazines were placed monthly, indicating the awakened interest of the population. They made 13,000 more return visits and conducted 1,100 more Bible studies than they did each month the previous service year. The result was that at their four “Pure Language” District Conventions, 901 persons symbolized their dedication by water baptism.

During this past year, great changes took place in Bulgaria as well. The construction of their first Kingdom Hall was started, and it should soon be filled because there are many interested persons. Owing to the changed situation in Bulgaria, some Witnesses from other countries have moved there. Thus, there are already some regular and auxiliary pioneers. Additionally, brothers from Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Greece have made visits to render help in connection with the distribution of spiritual food and the organizing of meetings and field service.

Exciting things happened during the past service year in Yugoslavia. Seven publisher peaks were reached. The number of home Bible studies continually increased, as did the number being baptized. Regular pioneer service was also on the rise. As the number of publishers grew, new Kingdom Halls had to be built. This year seven new Kingdom Halls were dedicated. The brothers rejoice that they receive the magazines in full color and that Awake! is now published monthly.

A publisher in Norway was calling back at a house where previously no one was home. He had tried several times at different hours. As he was leaving the house, the householder with his family arrived. They had left but came back to take care of something they had forgotten. The publisher was invited in and then was told by the wife that she had been disfellowshipped several years earlier because of smoking. Now she wanted to come back to the congregation, but she believed it would be difficult because she had been away for so long. The brother, who is an elder, advised her on what steps she had to take. Her husband, whom she had married after being disfellowshipped, listened to this intently and accepted a Bible study on the spot. She had already witnessed frequently to him.

Soon she was reinstated and has since then become an active and zealous publisher. Her husband was opposed by a grown son from a former marriage. Because of the father’s calm and kind explanations, the son agreed to have a Bible study. The truth has produced great changes in his life. In February 1990 he and his father were baptized.

The small band of publishers on the Faeroe Islands in the North Atlantic are driven by great energy to find deserving ones, even if the search takes them to small isolated islands. The number of Bible studies is 39 percent above that for last service year.

One of the Faeroese persons baptized during the year is Elisabeth. She lives on an island where there is no Kingdom Hall. In order to attend meetings, she must, together with others, travel by car and by boat. Shortly after her baptism, a relative challenged her to preach to the people in her own native village. Resolutely, she picked up 20 magazines and started visiting all her neighbors. When she returned, she was all smiles. She had placed all the magazines except two. In the meantime, her in-laws arrived; they got the last two magazines.

Latin America

“May the afflicted one and the poor one praise your name,” reads Psalm 74:21. When a healthy economy turns sour, providing for the everyday needs of life becomes a real challenge. Nevertheless, the Witnesses in Latin America still voice praise to Almighty God, Jehovah.

March 15, 1990, will long be remembered in Brazil as the date of the economic shock. The government put into effect its plan to stop runaway inflation that passed 80 percent a month. One measure was to freeze bank accounts above a certain amount for a period of 18 months. This meant that the only money available to individuals and to firms was the minimum available in these accounts and any cash on hand.

Literature placements in the field were affected. The congregations and publishers were all hard put to meet rent and other monthly payments. The branch office also had the problem of paying for the monthly shipments of paper and supplies and of keeping the 1,230 special pioneers, 228 traveling overseers and their wives, and the 800 members of the Bethel family in their respective services. At stake, too, was the construction of the new factory annex, which was half completed. How did the brothers cope with this crisis?

All purchases apart from those absolutely essential were postponed. Construction was cut back. The Bethel family agreed to do without their monthly reimbursements for a time. Then telephone calls began to come in to the branch from the brothers making available donations and loans. As the weeks passed, so did the crisis. Finally the government allowed nonprofit organizations to withdraw some funds, allowing the Society gradually to resume normal functioning.

In spite of the economic shock, March showed a new peak of publishers, the fifth for the service year. With four more peaks to come, Brazil ended the service year with 293,466 Kingdom proclaimers reporting. This increase made it necessary to form 13 new circuits during the year.

In recent years El Salvador has become known as a country of economic upheavals and uncontrollable lawlessness. Even under these trying circumstances, Jehovah’s people kept spiritually strong and active and looked forward to the district conventions planned for December and January.

As Saturday, November 11, 1989, was drawing to a close, warfare broke out and explosions occurred throughout the country. Over the next few weeks, extensive losses of life and property were suffered. Thousands, including many of our brothers, abandoned their homes as they fled areas of violence, and droves of people looked for ways to flee the country. Many people were forced to remain in their homes for over a week with little food and water, huddled together in the safest places they could find. What a fine display of Christian love was shown as so many of the brothers in less dangerous areas opened up their homes to their brothers in need. The branch office took immediate steps to provide necessities for the brothers who had fled with nothing but the clothes they wore. As the fighting came to a halt, many brothers were left homeless, and others had to repair their damaged houses. It was necessary to change the schedules for the evening meetings so that everyone could return home before the curfew hour. Sadly, two of our sisters lost their lives during this period of violence.

How did all of this affect the plans for the four district conventions? The branch report explains: “Large meetings like our conventions would be considered out of the question at this time. We trusted in Jehovah to open the way . . . and went ahead with all the planning as if nothing had happened. The convention committees met with the military authorities in charge of giving permission to hold public meetings. In San Miguel, where there was much violence even up to the end of December, permission was not granted. Then members of the Branch Committee talked to the military leader and explained what we had planned and how our convention would give assurance to the people that everything was returning to normal. Thus permission was granted. We also had the permission needed to hold our assemblies in San Salvador and Santa Ana. To many, this was indeed a miracle.”

The district conventions were just what they needed. The peak attendance for the four conventions reached 32,137, with 758 baptized. The Memorial attendance gave them further proof that the work was on the increase, when 60,783 attended, an increase of 4 percent over 1989. Though many people keep fleeing the country, mostly seeking material benefits elsewhere, the branch office says: “We are happy to be in El Salvador and see Jehovah’s hand at work and the number of sheeplike ones who keep associating with Jehovah’s organization as they search for the truth.”

North America and Caribbean Islands

“I shall laud Jehovah very much with my mouth, and in among many people I shall praise him,” proclaimed David. (Ps. 109:30) Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses laud Jehovah before many people, even before a court of law.

In the United States, three major court cases involving the right of patients to refuse blood transfusions were decided in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses by the highest courts in three states. In April 1986 a sister in Florida sought medical care for uterine bleeding. She informed the hospital that she would not accept blood under any circumstances. A hearing was conducted, and the judge authorized blood transfusions because the sister was the mother of two teenage sons who needed her as a nurturing parent. Although blood was administered, the case was appealed. On March 16, 1989, the Florida Supreme Court ruled six to one in favor of the Witness patient. This decision affirmed the right of adult Jehovah’s Witnesses to refuse blood transfusions even if they are the parents of minor children. In a special concurring opinion, two of the Florida Supreme Court justices went so far as to take excerpts from the Society’s brief verbatim and adopt them as their opinion.

In early 1987, a 17-year-old sister living in Illinois was diagnosed as suffering from leukemia. Upon being hospitalized, she refused to consent to the use of blood products. Her mother supported her choice of nonblood treatment. The hospital sought and obtained a court order authorizing the use of blood. On November 13, 1989, a five-justice majority of the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the Witness, even though a minor, had the right to refuse medical treatment that was objectionable to her. The court based its decision on the sister’s common-law right of bodily self-determination. The court said that the common law had long recognized the right of mature minors to make their own medical decisions. This is the first ever favorable state supreme court decision involving a Witness who is a minor.

New York State was the scene of another case, one in which a Witness who is a mother received a court-ordered blood transfusion. Posed before the court was the question: Can a patient be forced to submit to treatment against her will for the sake of her minor children? No, answered the New York Court of Appeals on January 18, 1990. The court stated: “In sum, the patient, as a competent adult, had a right to determine the course of her own treatment, which included the right to decline blood transfusions.”

These three victories with regard to the blood issue represent the most significant work done in decades in protecting the rights of Jehovah’s Witnesses to prevent forced blood transfusions. In addition, the Society’s Legal Department made several hundred copies of its child custody information packet available to Witnesses facing legal confrontations that challenge their right as Witness parents to raise their children.

Winter in parts of Alaska can be brutal. For several weeks this past winter, exceptionally low temperatures of from 30 to 60 degrees below zero Fahrenheit [-35° C. to -50° C.] at Fairbanks and the nearby town of North Pole did not stop publishers from preaching. In Valdez, record snowfall of more than 600 inches [15 m] piled snow higher than the homes. Despite this, the brothers continued in the field ministry as they walked on trails above the rooftops, stepping down to the doorways to find the residents.

How valuable may a visit to Bethel prove to be? The Bethel in the Dominican Republic helped a sailor change course. The wife of a sailor began to study the Bible with a Witness and then sent him Bible literature while he was aboard ship. The aircraft carrier he was on stopped at Santo Domingo as a port of call. His shipmates were anxious to go ashore for more mundane reasons, but he let it be known that he was going to “visit Bethel.” His shipmates asked: ‘What in the world is Bethel?’ Not knowing for sure, he replied: “I guess it is like the Vatican!”

Though apprehensive, he visited Bethel and was warmly received and given a tour of the facilities. As it was Saturday, he went along with one of the Bethelites to care for some errands and in this way got to meet a number of Witnesses. When it was time to go back on board, he just did not want to leave. A few months later, the branch family received word that he had been granted a release from his military commitment, in spite of his holding a high security assignment. He and his wife were soon baptized, and he writes: “The day I spent with you did more for me than I can ever truly express in words. July 10, I got out of the Navy. In September, I became an unbaptized publisher. In March, I symbolized my dedication to Jehovah by baptism. This month I am auxiliary pioneering. I would never have expected this 18 months ago, but Jehovah knows our heart and guides us along if we just will follow him.”

Islands of the Pacific

“Like your name, O God, so your praise is to the borders of the earth.” (Ps. 48:10) Magazine witnessing, in the words of the psalmist, has brought Bible truth ‘to the island borders of the earth.’

The population of the archipelago of Vanuatu is scattered. It is difficult to reach people. So magazines, brochures, and books are effective tools in spreading the good news. It is not surprising to find some issues of The Watchtower or other publications in small villages on remote islands. Thus, Awake! has been translated into the Bislama language, and the first issue, dealing with tobacco under the title: “Death for Sale,” has been eagerly received. The minister of health read it and found it extremely well documented and asked for more copies for distribution. Also, the wife of the prime minister, who is a journalist, would quote excerpts from the Awake! in her articles. Although authorities are opposed to our work, the publications are popular and are powerful tools in helping honesthearted people to find the truth.

Magazines are well received in the rest of the territory assigned to the branch in New Caledonia. For example, a brother received a phone call from the chairman of the local association for the safeguarding of nature, asking if he could get 200 copies of the March 22, 1990, issue of Awake! with its cover series of articles on the subject “Rain Forests Under Siege.” He wanted to distribute them in the schools and hand them out to active members of his association. The man said: “The articles are thoroughly documented and written by people well aware of the problem. The reasons and the arguments given are very simple and clear, the drawings are helpful. Anyone can understand the impact of the destruction of tropical forests. I am convinced that such articles will help many to be more conscious of this danger and become more respectful of nature.”

The work of preaching the Kingdom in Papua New Guinea is picking up speed. For the first time in a number of years, there was a sizable increase in the distribution of books, about 20 percent over last year. The magazines also are doing a mighty work in this country, as in the rest of the world. For example, the branch received a letter from an interested person in the North Solomons and translated her comments from the New Guinea Pidgin language.

She wrote: “My 12-year-old daughter is in Grade 6 at the Toniva International Primary School and is regularly using the Awake! magazine to prepare and research school projects. At the school the teachers issue gold stars for exceptional work. I am pleased to say that my daughter has many times received a gold star and high marks for her homework projects. I am also pleased to tell you that my daughter has been distributing the magazines to her fellow students. One day she gave out 13 magazines.” In conclusion this interested woman says: “So I thought I would like to write and say thank you for the good magazines you provide.”

Countries Under Ban

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I put my trust, fearing nothing; what can men do to me?” David’s words well echo the sentiments of Jehovah’s Witnesses who are faithfully serving under difficult circumstances.​—Ps. 56:4, The Jerusalem Bible.

One country in Asia is marking its 14th year under legal restrictions. On December 31, 1989, while a circuit assembly was under way, local authorities invaded the meeting place and stopped the program. Out of the 200 attending, 47 brothers were taken by army truck to the local military post. Twelve of them were detained there to be interrogated. It turned out that this was a plot by the local clergy. They wrote a collective note of protest to the authorities, demanding that the Witness program be raided and stopped.

The church leader who instigated the raid made many false accusations and spread nasty lies about the Witnesses. He even painted his hatred on the outer wall of a house owned by one of the Witnesses. It tauntingly read: “Prove yourself, Jehovah!” Just one night after the raid, neighbors heard screams coming from the church leader’s house. His heart had stopped. He died before he saw the light of the next day!

Although the Assembly Hall, which was also a Kingdom Hall, was sealed by the authorities and cannot be used at the present time, this experience was too obvious to go unnoticed by the local people and authorities. As a result, the brothers were not imprisoned and are able to continue their worship discreetly. When the special assembly was held in April 1990, there were five baptized. The harvest continues!

In a country in Africa where more than 11,000 publishers are active, severe drought this past year took the lives of 10,000 people in a three-month period alone. People collapsed on the streets. Cattle herds died. Farmers suspended the cultivation of crops, as anything that did grow was stolen. To survive, the Witnesses for a while ate the roots of plants as well as cooked avocado pits. In some places the brothers hesitated to share in the public ministry because they lacked sufficient clothing.

Their plight was dramatically altered when Jehovah maneuvered matters to send in 25 tons of relief provisions, which included food, soap, and clothing. (Ps. 37:25) Official government permission was granted for this shipment to enter the country and be distributed to Jehovah’s Witnesses. A military escort guaranteed safe delivery. The brothers are overwhelmed with what has happened. Many are the expressions of thanks to Jehovah and the organization he uses to care for his people.

“Do not be afraid because of their faces, for ‘I am with you to deliver you,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.” (Jer. 1:8) True Christians have drawn comfort from Jehovah’s reassuring words to Jeremiah. They have pressed on fearlessly, and Jehovah has kept his word.

[Chart on page 6]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

‘God Makes It Grow’ Worldwide

Publishers 6,000,000

1950 373,430

1960 916,332

1970 1,483,430

1980 2,272,278

1990 4,017,213

Pioneers 550,000

1950 14,093

1960 30,584

1970 88,871

1980 137,861

1990 536,508

Congregations 70,000

1950 13,238

1960 21,008

1970 26,524

1980 43,181

1990 63,016

[Chart on page 38-45]

1990 SERVICE YEAR REPORT OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES WORLDWIDE

(See publication)

[Pictures on page 11]

The building at 67 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, is narrow and 29 stories in height. Most floors have three Bethel rooms, allowing the building to accommodate a total of 150 Bethelites

The 90 Sands Street building will be 30 stories and have 506 rooms for residents, plus offices, a kitchen, and dining facilities that will seat 1,050 persons. The building will provide accommodations for 1,000 members of the Bethel family

[Pictures on page 12]

The Watchtower Educational Center at Patterson, N.Y., will be home to 1,200 persons

Guests will stay at the 144-unit Patterson Inn

Main courtyard of Educational Center

[Pictures on page 13]

On September 1, 1990, the visitors’ center with its observation deck was opened.

Work on the six-module hotel, the Patterson Inn, will be completed in early 1991

[Picture on page 14]

Brazil is just one of 21 branch facilities currently undergoing expansion, with another 25 proposed or in the design stage. At branches in Australia, Germany, and Japan, Regional Engineering Offices have been established

[Pictures on page 19]

March 30, 1990, the first literature shipment to the GDR

After a 40-year ban, Witnesses at Bautzen have their own copies of “The Watchtower”

[Pictures on page 20]

Olympia Stadium, Berlin

East German Witnesses planted 16,000 flowers to adorn the convention

Brothers once imprisoned in the GDR meet at convention

[Pictures on page 21]

The “Pure Language” Convention in Berlin, July 24-27, 1990, was the first time in 40 years that Witnesses from East Germany could assemble freely. Total attendance was 44,532

East German speakers were kept busy on convention program

[Pictures on page 22]

All delegates from East Germany received gift copies of the convention releases, “How Can Blood Save Your Life?” and “Mankind’s Search for God”

[Pictures on page 27]

In Australia, a five-story residence building with 51 rooms and a three-story factory addition were dedicated on November 25, 1989

[Pictures on page 28]

Guatemala branch facilities were dedicated on November 26, 1989. The present branch family of 28 now has room for expansion

[Pictures on page 29]

The new branch building in Honduras was constructed next to the former one and was dedicated on October 21, 1989

[Pictures on page 30]

The Nigeria branch complex was dedicated on January 20, 1990. With four residence buildings, it can house more than 400 people

[Picture on page 33]

The first class of the Ministerial Training School in Britain graduated on June 17, 1990, at Sheffield, England

[Pictures on page 34]

The fifth class of the Ministerial Training School in the United States graduated on January 14, 1990, and the sixth class on June 10, 1990

Acts of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Modern Times

Hawaii’s Paradise Proclaimers 66

“The loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean,” wrote Mark Twain of the Hawaiian Islands. Hearing the word “Hawaii” evokes in many people warm longings for the beauty and peace of paradise​—a message now proclaimed by 6,000 of her inhabitants.

Sweden’s Peaceful Conquerors 116

“Sweden Is Fantastic,” boasts a tourist brochure. Fantastic also fits the picture of mighty Norsemen, gliding powerfully in their swift longships to a fighting conquest. Today, though, another group of bold and courageous Swedes are on a mission of peaceful conquest.

Thailand’s Freedom Lovers 186

“Thailand” means “Land of the Free.” However, a special kind of liberty not previously known in Thailand has reached that faraway place. Just how true spiritual freedom is bursting forth there makes for a fascinating story.

Hawaii

1991 Yearbook Report

ON July 12, 1776, the ship Resolution set sail from Plymouth, England, in search of the fabled Northwest Passage​—a shortcut between Europe and Asia. At the helm stood a tall, fine-looking son of a Scots farmhand with the light of discovery in his eyes​—Captain James Cook.

Although unknown to him, this, his third world-circling voyage, was to be his last. After revisiting New Zealand, he sailed northeast to Tonga, then Tahiti. Leaving Tahiti, Cook navigated where few explorers had ventured, into North Pacific waters. There he made a great discovery​—a group of islands that he named the Sandwich Islands, in honor of his nobleman friend in the Admiralty.

When Cook and his crew landed in 1778, they became the first Europeans to set foot on the sands of those islands and were surprised to be reverentially greeted by natives from a highly developed aristocracy of Polynesians. However, a year later, Cook was killed during an altercation with the natives. Today, that string of volcanic islands has become the crossroads of the Pacific. They are the Hawaiian Islands.

Lying on the northern margin of the Tropics, this lovely archipelago of 132 islands, reefs, and shoals laces the mid-Pacific from southeast to northwest for a span of 1,523 miles [2,451 km]. Its seven main inhabited islands are Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii (called the Big Island).

From cascading waterfalls to snow-covered volcanic peaks, the enchanting loveliness of these islands has been told and retold in music, poetry, paintings, and motion pictures. Indeed, for millions the name Hawaii excites images of coconut palms swaying in tropical breezes and gentle ocean waves caressing ivory beaches. What a pleasant reminder of man’s universal longing for the beauty of paradise! However, the real beauty of Hawaii exists in other “desirable things,” namely in Jehovah’s meek, sheeplike people who inhabit a spiritual paradise. (Hag. 2:7) This is their story.

Grisly Rituals of the Past

Pagan religion with a fear-inspiring priesthood and deified kings reigned supreme among the first Polynesian inhabitants. If a person broke religious taboos, death was often the penalty. But, interestingly, cities of refuge provided sanctuary. For centuries the worship of many gods, along with the practice of offering human sacrifices, kept religion constantly to the fore in old Hawaii.

Into this atmosphere Protestant missionaries arrived from the east coast of the United States during the 1820’s. Shocked by the social life and religious rituals of the natives, these first missionaries brought great changes to the islands. One of these changes was putting the graceful Hawaiian language into writing. Soon, the Bible and other textbooks were printed. Also, efforts were initiated to educate the populace in Western ways. In a short time, Protestantism became the de facto religion, replacing the pagan priesthood of the past. In 1827 the first Catholic missionaries arrived in Hawaii. Then, immigrating Chinese and Japanese laborers brought with them their native Asian beliefs. So, by the end of the 19th century, the religious life of the Hawaiian peoples encompassed Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto.

Advanced in Ethnic Cooperation

During this time many nationalities melded into the Hawaiian makeup and altered its culture. The ancient Hawaiians were a tall, strong-boned, rugged people of Polynesian extraction, with amber skin, large brown eyes, and thick dark-brown or black hair. After Captain James Cook’s landing in the late 18th century, successive waves of immigrants from China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, the Philippines, the Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores, Puerto Rico, Spain, Scandinavia, and Germany sought a better life and came as indentured laborers on the sprawling sugar plantations. This ethnic mixture was enhanced during the 20th century by an increasing influx of people from Samoa and other Pacific islands, but after 1930, most came from mainland United States.

Hawaii’s colorful cross section of humanity has successfully blended over the years. Nearly 40 percent of all new marriages are interracial, resulting in a cosmopolitan mix of people that is a startling fascination to many a visitor. Yet, despite their varied backgrounds, people in Hawaii are generally good-natured and friendly. This, coupled with the tropical environs and generally sunny weather, has made Hawaii a delightful vacation resort. It was among such interesting and congenial people that Jehovah’s Witnesses would reap a grand harvest in this time of the end.

Visit by President

In 1912, with waters churning, the steamship Shinyo Maru chugged into Honolulu Harbor and docked. On board was the first president of the Watch Tower Society, Charles T. Russell, who had embarked on a tour around the world.

After visiting the Kamehameha Schools and Mid-Pacific Institute, he noted his observations in the April 15, 1912, issue of The Watch Tower: “We inquired respecting Christian instruction and were informed that the attempt to give it would alienate the pupils and thus cause the disruption of the schools. . . . It is our opinion that the work in Hawaii is a good one, viewed from the humanitarian standpoint, but an utter failure viewed from the standpoint of Christianization. So far as we could discern, faith in the Redeeming blood of Jesus, in his resurrection and in his coming kingdom have never been taught.”

Sowing the First Seeds

In 1915 Walter Bundy, a pilgrim (as a traveling minister was called back then), asked Ellis Wilburn Fox to accompany him and his wife on a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, offering to pay his fare. Brother Fox accepted the invitation, leaving his job as the head operator of a motion-picture theater in Vancouver, B.C. Brother Bundy and his wife, as well as Brother Fox, traveling by steamship from Vancouver to Honolulu, ventured to sow the first seeds of truth among the friendly, neighborly Hawaiians. In their baggage was a small hand-operated printing press to be used for producing handbills to advertise the public talks these two brothers were planning to give. Brother Fox expected to stay in Honolulu only a few weeks and then return to his well-paying job in Vancouver. Little did he know, however, that the few weeks would turn into seven years.

On the first Sunday in February 1915, the first meeting of the Bible Students (as Jehovah’s Witnesses were called at that time) was held in a room of a hotel on the corner of Fort and Beretania streets in Honolulu, with five people in attendance: the Bundys, Ellis Fox, and an interested man and his wife.

On ship a day or two before they reached Honolulu, the three agreed that the one who could obtain a job first would provide for the other two. Brother Bundy, a pianist, got work immediately in a music store.

Regarding those early days, Ellis recalled: “We prepared for a public lecture each Sunday. Walter would write up the announcement for the next Sunday’s talk, while my job was to set type, print handbills, and try to cover as much of Honolulu as I could each week. That brother seemed never to run out of public talks.”

Sensing Ellis’ apprehensions about public speaking, Walter would take him to the park, where they would work at improving his grammar and speech. As Ellis later said, “Very patiently he tried to rub some of himself off on me.”

Working With the First Group

This training was necessary and invaluable, for at the end of 1915, Brother Russell had Walter Bundy return to take up another assignment in mainland United States. Ellis Fox remained in Honolulu as the one and only elder for the small group of newly interested ones. It was then that he came to the realization that he would not be returning to his lucrative job in Canada in the immediate future. But he was enthusiastic about the truth and had the proper attitude toward staying in Honolulu and putting Kingdom interests ahead of those of a material nature.

Ellis also proved to be modest and humble in caring for his responsibilities during those early days. The study of Tabernacle Shadows was difficult. Recognizing his limited experience, he would, in open view, lay down paper and pencil and announce that for any questions that the group could not answer, a written note would be made of the question, and during the next week, each one could do some research on it. But as you might expect, most of the research was left for Brother Fox to do, and he had to work hard to come up with correct answers.

Witnessing as a Taxi Driver

A piece of chalk and a taxi, a curious combination with which to broadcast the Kingdom message​—but not for Ellis Fox. While working as a taxi driver, Brother Fox would witness to other drivers. Using chalk to write on the pavement, he illustrated Jehovah’s promises and explained Bible chronology, such as the length of the Gentile Times, thus fostering many questions that resulted in lively discussions.

Another driver, James Harrub, enthusiastic about those Bible truths, requested further reading material. After racing through the books “New Creation” and other books in the set of Studies in the Scriptures, he was convinced that the message they contained was without doubt the truth of God’s inspired Word.

By 1918 Ellis was conducting a Bible study regularly with James and his wife, Dora. Dora, an Episcopalian, had her interest sparked by a newspaper clipping given to her husband by Ellis. It carried an account of the debate between a “Reverend” Troy and the second president of the Watch Tower Society, Joseph F. Rutherford, during which Brother Rutherford successfully exposed the doctrines of Trinity, hellfire, and immortality of the soul as unscriptural. Sparked by this little tidbit, she began her more than 50 years of serious study and application of the Scriptures.

First Disciples Baptized

When James Harrub expressed his desire to be baptized, Brother Fox obtained permission to use an old church that was vacant and that had its baptistery under a trapdoor. However, the sheet-metal tank leaked like a sieve. After doing their best to patch the holes with a soldering iron, they found the tank would hold the desired water level only if the tap was turned on full. Brother Fox related: “I had finished giving the baptism talk and was standing down in the water waiting for James to come out of the dressing room when something happened that came as a complete surprise to me. That lovely, sharp-eyed little Dora Harrub got down so she could whisper in my ear without the others hearing and asked, ‘Ellis, can I get baptized too?’ ‘Of course, you can! Get in there and get your clothes changed.’ What a thrilling experience for both her husband and me!” Thus, the first two Christian disciples in Hawaii were baptized on November 19, 1919.

The group of Bible Students moved their meeting place from the Leonard Hotel, where Ellis was living, to the home of the Harrubs on Spreckles Street in Honolulu. Nine persons regularly attended the Wednesday “prayer, praise and testimony” discussions and the Sunday Watchtower Study.

From Freemason to Witness

During World War I, Brother Fox worked as manager of a local business. One Sunday morning, at his home in Honolulu, he received a call from David Solomon. Mr. Solomon, operating a garage at a local military post, requested supplies and inquired if Ellis would open the store to fill his order, and this Ellis consented to do.

Brother Fox recalls: “As he drove me to the store, he remarked that I must be a Mason to be so accommodating. On being informed that I was a minister with the local Bible Students, he asked, ‘Do you ever give talks outside your own church?’ I answered, ‘Yes, if invited.’ Then he informed me that he was the master of the Masonic lodge at Fort Schofield and invited me to speak there. Of course, I did not tell him that I had never given a public talk. I prepared and used a chart similar to the one found at the front of Volume I of the Studies in the Scriptures. Preparing for and giving that first public talk gave me a chance to put into practice some of what I had learned from Walter Bundy.”

David Solomon thereafter met regularly with the small group of Bible Students. In spite of stiff opposition, he later resigned from the Masonic order and was baptized by Brother Fox.

Changing Places at Sunday School

Always innovative and having great initiative, Brother Fox was ever alert to opportunities to spread the truth. For example, with considerable boldness, he would venture into churches and Sunday schools. During the services, he would raise doctrinal questions, thus creating an opportunity right in the church to witness to attending members.

One Sunday he entered a church where, in the absence of the regular minister, a certain Mr. Elder was conducting a lesson on Matthew chapter 24. Brother Fox then proceeded to ask questions and give Scriptural comments concerning the material under consideration. Mr. Elder was so impressed that in the presence of all, he asked Brother Fox if he would please change places with him. Fine discussions ensued in this Sunday school class until the minister returned, and he, needless to say, quickly put an end to that arrangement. Mr. Elder, in turn, left the church and opened his downtown store one evening each week for the group of Bible Students to use for a Bible study.

In 1922 circumstances developed that required Brother Fox to leave the Hawaiian Islands and move to California. Entrusting the work to James Harrub and the remaining ones, he left with the confidence that the preaching work was established on a small but solid foundation.

From Italy to Hawaii

It was in 1923 that the Society dispatched O. E. Rosselli of Italy on a round-the-world trip to encourage the use of The Harp of God, a book designed to help the beginner in Bible study. One of his stops was Hawaii. Brother Rosselli was a live wire, zealous for the truth, and he visited every main island with the Harp, including the privately owned and usually restricted island of Niihau.

Brother Rosselli also strengthened the small group of Hawaiian brothers by relating heartwarming experiences enjoyed during his travels. Among those he witnessed to was Amy Ing, while she was working in her father’s store in Honolulu. He placed with her a set of Studies in the Scriptures, which she would treasure for years to come. She married Harry Lu, and both became stalwart supporters of Kingdom truth.

He Was a Buddhist

Kameichi Hanaoka and Albert Kinoshita were among those attending the Bible study meetings being held in the home of the Harrubs. The small seeds of truth sown in their hearts caused them to blossom into big trees of faith. These two Japanese-speaking brothers participated in the formation of the first Japanese-language study, organized in 1924. Both of them endured in Kingdom service for the rest of their lives. Brother Hanaoka helped to open up the work in Japan after World War II, completing 20 years of full-time service there by the time of his death in 1971.

James Nako, of Okinawan descent, was a strong Buddhist, which was true of the rest of his family. While he was browsing through a bookstore in Honolulu one day, a Bible captured his attention, and he began reading it but without much understanding. It was enough, however, to impel him to leave Buddhism and join the Makiki Congregational Church.

James said: “I read that a Japanese lecture would be given at the Nuuanu YMCA in Honolulu on the subject ‘Millions Now Living Will Never Die.’ This was something so different from what I had heard before, so I decided to attend. Since the advertisement invited us to bring our Bibles, I did so. I was very impressed with the speaker, who answered from the Bible all the questions asked. I filled out a slip of paper saying that I wanted to study the Bible.” This led him to the group study of 12 persons that comprised all the Bible Students associating together in 1926. James Nako progressed quickly and was baptized in July 1927.

In describing what it was like witnessing in Honolulu in 1927, Brother Nako related: “I owned an old junk Model T Ford, which had to be started by a hand crank. I would load the trunk with supplies of The Golden Age and The Watchtower in Japanese. The magazines had been translated from English into Japanese in Japan and were shipped to us for only the cost of the shipping freight. We distributed them free, asking people if they would like to study the Bible. I recall that Brother Hanaoka and I received about a thousand magazines a month for distribution.”

The “Rascal” Boys

Working as a cook on Sundays prevented James from sharing in field service, so he decided to go into business for himself. This, however, proved to be very time-consuming and resulted in his becoming inactive spiritually.

Nevertheless, he was very much concerned about the spiritual welfare of his family. For this reason he asked one of the brothers, James Watson, to study the Bible with his family, which Brother Watson did faithfully and patiently.

“When it was time to study,” Brother Nako remembered, “my two rascal boys, Richard and Tommy, would climb out the bedroom window and hide outside. My oldest daughter, Adeline, and I would comb the area and usually find them down the street at a park.” To this day, Adeline is serving in the missionary field in Japan as are the two “rascal” boys and their wives.

Did their father ever become active again in Kingdom witnessing? Yes, and he frequently auxiliary pioneered until his death in 1972. His widow, Alice, often shares in the auxiliary pioneer service in Honolulu.

But, let us go back to the time that family opposition developed from their Buddhist relatives because the Nakos’ Christian way of life departed so radically from what was traditionally accepted among the ancestor-worshiping Okinawans. Relatives could not understand why the Nakos would not participate in the seemingly small matter of burning incense at funerals and on other occasions in honor of the deceased. Relatives would ask, “Why do you believe that?” and before the Kingdom Hall was built in Honolulu in 1935, they would ridicule the Nakos, asking, “Where is your church?” However, James Nako and his wife were instrumental in helping a number of their relatives of three generations to come into the truth.

“A Fire Burning in My Bones”

Joseph Dos Santos, of Portuguese ancestry, was raised in Hawaii in a Roman Catholic home. By the tender age of 12, he had already lost faith in the church. After attending Berkeley Chiropractic College in California, in 1927 he moved to Inglewood, California. Sincerely searching for Bible truth, he spent his spare time listening to religious programs on the radio and visiting various churches but found these left him feeling empty, devoid of any satisfaction.

This feeling vanished when, in 1929, his landlady lent him a copy of The Golden Age dealing with the Catholic Inquisition. He said: “What I read in that magazine started to change my whole view of life. It began to fill the emptiness. A local Bible Student heard of my interest and supplied me with more literature. Soon I had no doubt that I had found the truth.”

During that year, he returned to Hawaii to practice chiropractic, and he continued to devour the Scriptural truths as explained in the Society’s literature. “As in the case of Jeremiah, Bible truth was like a fire burning in my bones,” he recalled. “And I could not keep quiet.” (Jer. 20:9) Although alone and without any contact with the other local Bible Students, he began of his own initiative to visit his neighbors at their homes in the Aiea district of Oahu. Eagerly, he organized a group study with a handful of immigrant workers from the Philippines, and by 1931 the attendance at the study had soared to 22. Since there was no literature in their dialect, Brother Dos Santos read scriptures from his English Bible and then had the students read them in their own Filipino Bibles.

This vigorous witnessing did not go unnoticed by the clergy. It did not take long for the Catholic priest in Aiea to start circulating a rumor that Brother Dos Santos was pupule (pronounced poo pooʹ lay, meaning “crazy” in Hawaiian). This led to his becoming known in the area as Pupule Joe.

One day, while visiting a friend, he was shocked at seeing the book Prophecy. He had honestly felt until this time that he was the only one in Hawaii possessing books from the Bible Students. He anxiously inquired of his friend how he had obtained the book. What a surprise and delight it was for him to learn of James Watson and the other five active Bible Students on the islands!

A Weighty Decision Made

“A time of decision in my life came,” related Brother Dos Santos. “I realized I had to make a definite decision, either to pursue my profession of chiropractic work, which could give temporary relief to physically ailing people, or to devote myself to the disciple-making work, which will result in man’s eternal benefit.” Confident in the words of Jesus about the kindly yoke of discipleship, he took the matter in prayer to Jehovah. (Matt. 11:29, 30) He could hardly wait to tell David Solomon (the Society’s depot overseer in Honolulu) that he had decided to devote himself to the preaching work and that he wanted to preach in the outer islands of Hawaii, thus leaving Honolulu for the other six Bible Students to cover. Even though no one had taken the good news outside of the island of Oahu, Brother Solomon was convinced of this young man’s determination and therefore built a house truck for his use in the colporteur work. So it was in 1929 that the full-time preaching career of Joseph Dos Santos began. He later remarked: “I went throughout the chain of islands of Hawaii in my 1927 Dodge truck for three and a half years, planting the seeds of truth without even one flat tire!”

Since the territory was vast and he was the lone worker, he concentrated on spreading the message primarily by literature placements. Describing what it was like, he wrote: “Because of the pace of the Kingdom work at that time, the Bible Students used big book bags or valises to carry spiritual ammunition. People were kind, and there were no insults or slamming of doors. It was like eating candy! People were glad to see you and quickly contributed a dollar for four books, which was the usual offer. I was then young and vigorous and could walk for miles on mountain trails and climb mountains with two valises full of literature, and I enjoyed many wonderful experiences. In some places the roads were so rough and rugged that I could neither drive the car nor walk, especially in the Kohala district on the Big Island. Sometimes I literally crawled to reach the homes. I even left a sizable amount of spiritual victuals for the lepers in the leper settlement on Molokai.”

He maintained a rigorous schedule, preaching six days a week and averaging 230 hours of service a month. In the three and a half years he spent working alone through the Hawaiian Island chain, he placed 46,000 pieces of literature.

On returning to Honolulu in 1933, Brother Dos Santos advised Brother Solomon that his next move was to go around the world with the good news. As matters turned out, however, he traveled only as far as the Philippines, where he spent almost 17 years. During that period, he withstood intense opposition, including three years of cruel imprisonment meted out by Japanese occupation forces during the second world war.

In 1949 Brother Dos Santos returned with his family to Hawaii, where he and his wife continued in the pioneer service until he finished his earthly course in 1983 at 88 years of age. His determination and fiery missionary zeal had considerable impact on the Kingdom work both in Hawaii and in the Philippines.

Branch Office and World’s First “Kingdom Hall”

After serving over eight years at Brooklyn Bethel, Don and Mabel Haslett were assigned to Honolulu in the spring of 1934 to assist the handful of active brothers to carry out their preaching assignment. In no time, a new branch office of the Watch Tower Society was established. Brother Haslett was appointed as its overseer. In the following year, the Watch Tower Society president, J. F. Rutherford, visited the islands and approved of purchasing property on the corner of Pensacola and Kinau streets in Honolulu as the site of the new branch office facilities. He also conducted the Memorial, which was held in a rented house on Young Street that had been used for meetings. A total of 25 persons were in attendance.

Noting a great potential for growth on the islands, Brother Rutherford also arranged to have the local brothers construct a meeting hall in connection with the new branch building. James Harrub approached him and asked, “What are you going to call this place when it is finished?” Brother Rutherford’s reply was, “Don’t you think we should call it ‘Kingdom Hall,’ since that is what we are doing, preaching the good news of the Kingdom?” Thus, in 1935, was coined the name that would designate the tens of thousands of meeting places of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. That little house of worship at 1228 Pensacola Street, which has since been expanded and renovated three times, holds the noteworthy distinction of being the first to be named Kingdom Hall.

“My Health Improved”

It was in January 1933 that James and Dora Harrub finally realized their long-awaited dream of entering the pioneer service. During their first year, they remained in Honolulu, awaiting the construction of the house trailer that was to become their pioneer home on wheels. After its completion, they moved to Maui, covering the island in six months, placing literature and using the phonograph to play recorded Bible lectures to the people. Next was the Big Island of Hawaii, where they spent an entire year covering the territory, but with minimal response.

Moving to the island of Kauai in 1936, they settled on the east side of the island near Kapaa. James loved the people there so much that he wrote to the Society and requested permission to make Kauai his permanent assignment. Permission was granted.

When James and Dora began to pioneer, both had poor health. Dora recalled: “My health improved with pioneering, and I didn’t worry about it.” With Jehovah’s help they went on to complete a lifetime of rich blessings, enjoying full-time service. The self-sacrificing spirit and absolute faith of this husband-and-wife team won them deep respect and love on Kauai, where many people still remember them fondly. After James’ death in 1954, Dora sold their home and, right in character, used the money to finance the construction of a Kingdom Hall in Kapaa on Kauai. She completed her earthly service as a regular pioneer, in August 1984 at 94 years of age. She and her husband had the grand hope of receiving their reward in the heavens.

Sound Car Spreads Message

Meanwhile, back in 1935 some brothers from Australia assisted the Hasletts in purchasing an automobile, a Plymouth, which was used as a fully equipped sound car. A loudspeaker mounted on top of the car would broadcast a public lecture in English, Japanese, Iloko, or Tagalog as the car cruised through the streets. During that year, over 17,000 persons heard the name Jehovah by means of such equipment. At the close of each lecture, house-to-house visits were made in the neighborhood, and the message was distributed in printed form.

This method of preaching came just in time as opposers, stirred up by Brother Rutherford’s visit to Honolulu in 1935, coerced the local radio station into dropping the broadcasts of Brother Rutherford’s lectures. However, it appears that a greater number of people were reached by means of the sound car than previously by radio.

A Pioneer Moves to Hawaii

Eddie Medalio arrived in Honolulu in 1936 to strengthen the small group of publishers. After his baptism in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, he wrote to the Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn about his desire to go to the Philippines at his own expense to preach full-time among his fellow countrymen in Manila. However, the Society suggested instead that he proceed to Hawaii and pioneer with the Hasletts in order to reach the many Filipino people there.

Eddie was a veteran of World War I, and he used his Navy bonus to pay his boat fare to Honolulu. Don and Mabel were so excited to receive help! They heartily welcomed Eddie and had him stay at the branch. Later, he married Eulalie, and the family left for their assignment in Hilo, where Eddie was appointed as overseer of that small congregation. While pioneering, the Medalios would cover many of the outlying towns and ethnic communities of workers on sugar plantations, called camps.

Eddie’s pioneer motto was: “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart.” (Prov. 3:5) He would repeat these words to himself and others constantly throughout each day, and they would unfailingly be included in his admonition to young ones who sought out his advice. By his life course, it could be seen that he truly lived by those inspired words. He was unflagging in his zeal, full of zest for living and for worshiping Jehovah. Eddie was also fondly regarded for his good humor and positive spirit regardless of the problems he personally faced. His frequent and infectious cackling laughter was a trademark. Many young ones appreciated his deep and sincere interest in them and affectionately called him Grandpa.

Brother Medalio served as a regular pioneer until his death due to pneumonia and other complications on January 3, 1990. He was 93 years of age and had completed 58 years of whole-souled service to Jehovah. Till the end he was still sharp of mind and single-minded in his devotion to Jehovah. On the last field service report he submitted, just two days before his death, he wrote: “My spirit is willing, but my flesh is getting weaker. I keep praying for Jehovah’s help.”

The brothers in Hawaii have truly been blessed by their association with such anointed brothers of Christ, many of whom expended their life’s energies in being used by Jehovah to pioneer the Kingdom work. After a lifetime of such service, it could truly be said of them: “Happy are the dead who die in union with the Lord from this time onward. Yes, says the spirit, let them rest from their labors, for the things they did go right with them.”​—Rev. 14:13.

Birth of Second Congregation

Outstandingly, in 1939, the number of publishers increased to 30, compared with 18 the year before. A second congregation was formed, in Hilo.

The witnessing work intensified, with information marches of publishers wearing sandwich boards advertising recorded lectures held in Hilo and in Honolulu. The spiritual feeding program enjoyed by Jehovah’s people also included the shortwave transmission of Brother Rutherford’s talks received at the Honolulu Kingdom Hall and on the outer islands. Since there were so few people in the islands who had taken their stand for Jehovah, it was of such encouragement to hear the message of truth going out on such a tremendous scale.

Pearl Harbor Attack

“A station-wagon load of us were headed for a day of witnessing in Pearl City, just past Pearl Harbor,” said Mabel Haslett concerning December 7, 1941. “We were turned back at Pearl Harbor Road by the police and clouds of billowing smoke. War!” The Japanese armed forces had launched their devastating air attack on Pearl Harbor that made a shambles of the American fleet docked there. Mabel continued: “A few days after December 7, there was a knock on the door. Four men armed with pistols took Don to military headquarters for questioning. Martial law was in force. As one after another of the officers shot questions at him, Don would answer from the Scriptures. One said angrily, ‘Leave the Bible out of this!’ But Don replied, ‘I can’t​—it’s my defense.’ Finally, the one in charge stood up, apparently satisfied, and well after ‘blackout’ time they brought Don home. . . . Although we were occasionally harassed, the work progressed.”

With World War II came fuel rationing, evening blackouts, curfews, and shipping difficulties. Despite these problems, the little group of publishers and pioneers that were scattered throughout the islands persisted in the preaching work. In fact, pioneer couple James and Dora Harrub wrote to the branch office in 1942: “Before Pearl Harbor, many took literature, but the majority refused to believe that any serious trouble would reach Hawaii. That is all changed now, and often questions are asked about the immediate future, etc. When they are told that the WATCH TOWER publications will answer all their questions, they are glad to get them.”

Molokai and a 50-Pound [20 kg] Load

It was just after learning the truth in Honolulu and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor that Harold Gale received his first pioneer assignment. He reports: “My assignment was the island of Molokai, where I had never been before. All alone with only a suitcase, I didn’t even know where I would stay the first night. But with Jehovah’s help, I was able to stay in the home of one of the most prominent Hawaiians on the island. He later arranged for me to rent a large house on an acre [less than half a hectare] of land, with 16 coconut palms on it, for only $7 per month. It was right across from the beach, about five miles [8 km] south of the port town of Kaunakakai.”

Not having any means of transportation, Gale would walk up to 18 miles [30 km] a day lugging a 50-pound [20 kg] load that included a suitcase of books, booklets, and magazines in up to six languages and a phonograph with 11 records in just as many languages. Many times the Filipinos asked to buy the records and even wanted to buy the phonograph. Later, a bicycle was sent to Gale by a brother on Oahu, and he was able to cover about 40 miles [60 km] in a day. Norman Chock, a Chinese brother, came to pioneer with him, bringing his Willys sedan. Though permitted only ten gallons [38 L] of gas a month because of wartime rationing, they covered the length and breadth of the island like real troupers. In three months’ time, they were conducting 18 Bible studies.

On the north side of the island is situated the isolated Kalaupapa leper colony, accessible only by boat or plane or by descending a 2,000-foot [600 m] pali, or cliff. Brother Gale recalls: “Carrying two suitcases of books, I took the steep trail and placed 65 copies of the Children book with Mr. Anderson, who was in charge and who promised to pass them on to the lepers that I could not contact personally.”

On the Big Island of Hawaii

Among those coming into the truth during those turbulent war years were Shinichi and Masako Tohara. Brother Tohara first obtained literature in 1935 and watched the Witnesses in 1938 walking the streets of Hilo with sandwich boards. Ralph Garoutte later began studying with him, and after just one month of study, Shinichi began witnessing to his friends during lunch hour at his job, the sake (rice wine) brewery in Hilo.

Remembering his first taste of house-to-house witnessing, he says: “One morning in March 1942, I prepared a book bag, filling it to the brim with literature. I was determined to go out witnessing with my son Loy. I went to the first house and knocked at the door, but my heart was knocking harder. I do not remember just how I got through this first call. But I did not have the courage to continue to the next house, so I went home.” After he received assistance from more-seasoned Witnesses, his apprehensions soon faded away. During the next month, he took a week’s leave from work to join the pioneers working in distant Waimea and Kohala. He had one joyful time! On April 19, 1942, he and his wife were baptized in the calm Pacific waters of Hilo Bay.

Reminded of Jesus’ parable of the traveling merchant who promptly sold the things he had in order to obtain the pearl of high value, just one month after their baptism the Toharas sold their household goods and began building a house trailer. By June they received their first pioneer assignment, in Pahala, a rural district in the volcanic area of the Big Island of Hawaii. After working this remote area, they were transferred to the district of Kona, where they trekked numerous mountain trails to witness to the humble coffee farmers.

“Caesar Says We Can’t Build”

The Honolulu Kingdom Hall began bursting at the seams with increasing attendance. Since it was obvious that a larger meeting place was required, it seemed logical to add an extension to this building, the first in the world to be designated “Kingdom Hall.” But in 1943 building materials were scarce and Hawaii was under martial law. It was for this reason that the military government said no to the extension.

Mabel Haslett recalled, “When I came home one day, Don was sitting, serious, a letter in his hand. It was an authorization from Brother Knorr, the Society’s new president, to build a new Kingdom Hall on the property back of the branch. Don said: ‘Caesar says we can’t build. Jehovah’s organization says, “Build.” Of course, we build.’”

Empowered by Jehovah’s spirit, the brothers overcame the obstacles, working day and night, bringing sand from the beaches and rocks from the mountains. Discarded steel rails were purchased at a minimal price from Oahu Railway Company, and scrap lumber from the dump was used for building cement forms.

Even the sisters toiled tirelessly, chipping rust from the rails, then painting them. A friend of Harry Lu lent a gasoline-powered welder, and in spite of gasoline rationing, there was always enough fuel to weld the steel rails into trusses.

One of the volunteers, Harold Gale, remembered: “We asked a contractor what this building project would have cost if contracted and how much time would have been needed to construct it. He stated that it was worth about $17,000 and would take a year and a half to build. After the building was completed, we calculated the actual cost to be about $700, including meals for 65 brothers; and it took the brothers three months to complete it!”

First Missionaries Arrive

The brotherhood emerged from the second world war in a spiritually prosperous condition. In 1946 there was a peak of 129 publishers, more than double the number at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack some five years earlier. During the year, 38 new ones were immersed.

Very crucial in this period following the war was the visit by Nathan H. Knorr and Milton G. Henschel from the Society’s headquarters in New York. During this visit, it was suggested that missionaries trained at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead be sent to Hawaii to accelerate the work.

On their arrival on September 27, 1947, Martha Hess and Ruth Ulrich, graduates of the seventh class of Gilead, received the traditional Hawaiian welcome at the pier, with lilting Hawaiian music as played by the Royal Hawaiian Band and with swaying hula girls. The brothers and sisters were so elated by the coming of the missionaries that they loaded them down with flower leis.

The sincere and conscientious work by these two missionaries would be a welcome sweet odor to the Hawaiian people compared to Christendom’s missionaries, who had left a sour taste. Martha recalls hearing a local comedian say bitterly, “The first missionaries came to the islands, gave you a Bible, and told you to look up to the great God in heaven, and while you were looking up, they took all your land away from you.”

At the time of the arrival of the two Gilead graduates, the 129 publishers in Hawaii were serving in association with three congregations on Oahu (Honolulu, Maili, and Waimea) and two on the Big Island of Hawaii (Hilo and Kona), as well as smaller groups on Kauai, Maui, and Molokai.

For ten and a half years, the two missionary sisters worked diligently in Hawaii, assisting many on the road to life. It was their excellent example and enthusiasm for the ministry that aroused the pioneer spirit among many youths. In 1957 Martha and Ruth were reassigned to Japan, where they continue as missionary partners to this day.

When a crisis arose in Japan, Brother Knorr inquired by letter in 1947: “Who of the Hawaiian brothers would be willing to go to Japan?” Hawaiian-Japanese Jerry and Yoshi Toma, Shinichi and Masako Tohara, and Elsie Tanigawa volunteered. In writing Brother Knorr, Don asked, “But what about the Hasletts?” So they too were included. Those seven later became nine, as the Toharas’ two young daughters, who accompanied them to Gilead School and subsequently to Japan, also became missionaries upon reaching adulthood. All of these still remain in their missionary assignments in Japan, except for the Hasletts, who as anointed Christians have finished their earthly course.

True Pioneer Spirit

With the work well organized on Oahu, attention could now be given to covering unworked territories on the neighbor islands. The time was ripe for willing and zealous ones to pioneer these isolated areas with the good news. However, pioneering in the 1950’s often meant dealing with some very trying circumstances.

John Ikehara moved to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii on April 1, 1955, to aid the small group there. Unable to secure a part-time job, he subsisted mainly on vegetables and fruits raised in the garden at the Kingdom Hall. Describing his study with a Filipino man living on one of the coffee plantation trails, he remembers, “My eyes would get sore from the smoke of the kerosene lantern. He would give his answers in English and read the paragraphs in the Iloko language.” John really looked forward to this Bible study, for more reasons than one. He explained, “Before studying each week, my student insisted that we eat first.” This was greatly appreciated, for it provided John with protein to supplement his vegetarian diet.

Experiences such as this one in Kona provided him with excellent training for his later missionary assignment in Japan, where he served until his death. Far from complaining, John once wrote: “I thank Jehovah for his many blessings he has poured on me and thousands of others too. I am very grateful to the Society for being so helpful and patient with me.”

In the autumn of 1954, Keith Stebbins, then branch overseer, approached Nathaniel Miller, a missionary from Japan who was in Hawaii because of his wife’s health, and asked if he would accept a special pioneer assignment in Kekaha, Kauai.

Though not owning an automobile needed for this rural assignment, Nat Miller and his wife, Allene, agreed to leave right away. Since Allene’s health prevented her from meeting the hour requirement for special pioneers, both of them had to manage on Nat’s special pioneer allowance of $30.00 a month.

The transportation problem was solved when Harry Lu gave the Millers a 1933 Dodge. The bearings were knocking, and this limited the speed to about 25 miles per hour [40 km/​hr], but it never left them stranded. Sometimes, however, it took 30 minutes or so to get it started.

Having only limited funds to buy gasoline, they concentrated their activity in the immediate area of the Kingdom Hall in the towns of Kekaha and Waimea. About a year later, after Allene started special pioneering, they began to preach in Hanapepe, Port Allen, and Koloa. They would pack lunch and supper, and then they would witness all day and conduct studies in Koloa till 10:00 p.m. Soon, the congregation in Kekaha doubled in size, and a new congregation was formed in the nearby town of Koloa.

Host to Hundreds of Delegates

It was a thrill for the brothers in Hawaii to be informed that they would host hundreds of delegates traveling on the Society-arranged round-the-world tour for the “Everlasting Good News” Assemblies in 1963. The program was scheduled to be held at the Waikiki Shell, an amphitheater adjoining the shores of renowned Waikiki Beach.

The warm fellowship with so many visiting brothers was a delight. Over 6,000 people were present to listen to Brother Knorr’s main discourse, which was also televised live throughout the island chain. The community could not help noting that Jehovah’s Witnesses are truly an international people. Delegates were also delighted to have the convention at the very romantic Shell, nestled at the base of famous Diamond Head, where soft prevailing trade winds caressed the audience.

New Branch Overseer

After completing a training program at Gilead School specifically designed for branch overseers, Keith Stebbins was reassigned with his wife to the Dominican Republic in 1964. During his 11 years of service in Hawaii, he had seen how Jehovah had blessed the work with remarkable growth. The number of publishers more than doubled, from 770 to 2,064. Congregations tripled from 12 to 37. Brother Stebbins’ fine ability to organize solidified the local organization and laid the groundwork for further increases in the future.

At the “Fruitage of the Spirit” district assembly in Hilo in 1964, Brother Knorr announced the appointment of Robert K. Kawasaki, Sr., as branch overseer. Brother Kawasaki, born and raised in Hawaii, was then serving as district overseer following his graduation from Gilead School in 1961.

Something Amiss

During 1965, the brothers at the branch office were puzzled and concerned when the field service reports for the first three months of the service year revealed successive declines in the number of publishers reporting. This was most unusual, as Hawaii had always enjoyed a steady increase.

At Brother Knorr’s direction, a special meeting was conducted with selected circuit and district overseers. After nine hours of intense and prayerful discussion, two causes of the decreases were clearly discerned​—materialism and weakened spirituality.

At the time, Hawaii’s economy was booming with tourism. The construction industry enjoyed unprecedented success. As a result, the cost of living escalated. Some brothers were enticed to take on two jobs. Some wives went to work full-time secularly, and many young ones were choosing secular work over pioneering. Even some brothers with responsibilities in the congregations became preoccupied with material gain.

However, even more serious and deeply rooted was a lack of spirituality among the brothers and sisters. Many were just not reading the Bible daily, nor were they considering the daily Scriptural text. Parents were not studying with their children.

How appropriate was Brother Knorr’s counsel from headquarters: “We need to give all the spiritual admonition we can to build up the SPIRITUALITY of the congregations. When people are strong spiritually they will be regular in field activity. The field work strengthens one’s spirituality too. A person cannot be strong in the field, however, if he is not feeding on spiritual things.”

Daily Spirituality Emphasized

In the light of this timely direction, it was decided that through the traveling overseers, the theme of daily spirituality would receive strong emphasis. Daily Bible reading, regular family study, and consideration of the daily Scriptural text would be conscientiously promoted on the congregation level. A campaign of Yearbook distribution (which then contained the daily texts) was successfully initiated so that each publisher and Bible student would have a personal copy.

Plans were also made to hold the annual district convention on each of the major islands of the Hawaiian chain. In this way brothers throughout the state would have easy access to the convention, being spared the substantial cost of air transportation to Honolulu.

Employing these various avenues to stress spirituality in the personal lives of the brothers began reaping excellent results. In 1966 there was a 4-percent increase in publishers, and from 1967 to 1969, there were successive 10-percent increases. How true it is that prompt application of instructions from Jehovah’s organization surely brings his blessing!

Increased spirituality stimulates Christian zeal. This became more and more apparent among the youth. Many began reaching out for expanded privileges of service. The 1968 service year saw ten hardworking pioneers receive invitations to Gilead School, Brooklyn Bethel, and missionary assignments in Micronesia.

Expanding the Work in Micronesia

Just prior to Brother Knorr’s zone visit in April 1968, a major airline announced in the Honolulu Star Bulletin its initiation of air service between Hawaii, Micronesia, and Guam. Since the Marshall Islands district (in the eastern reaches of Micronesia) had recently been assigned to the Hawaii branch, the brothers at the branch office eagerly showed Brother Knorr the newspaper article. Brother Kawasaki relates: “I could see his eyes light up as he began visualizing in his mind the possibilities this new air route would provide to expand the work in the seven districts of Micronesia and Guam.” After a moment of silence and meditation, he turned to Brother Kawasaki and said: “Brother [Nathaniel] Miller could serve these islands as circuit overseer, and you could go also, taking turns.”

Micronesia embraces 2,000 islands, 97 of which are inhabited, scattered over three million square miles [7,800,000 sq km] of ocean to the west of Hawaii. Each island district has its own language, though it must be remembered that Japan occupied most of this area after it was mandated to them by the League of Nations following the first world war. Therefore, for some 25 years, Japanese was taught in the schools, and many in the territory became fluent in that language. Since Brother Miller studied Japanese while a missionary in Japan, he was well suited to travel through these islands.

These events were actually preliminary to the eventual assignment of Guam and the rest of the territories of Micronesia to the oversight of the Hawaii branch on January 1, 1969. Because of its proximity to these islands, it appeared that the Hawaii branch would be in a position to render better service and keep in closer touch with those few publishers on this spiritual frontier. While Brother Miller served the area as circuit overseer, Brother Kawasaki, Sr., visited the nine missionary homes once a year. Even after some of the missionaries were appointed to serve as circuit overseers, the two brothers made annual visits to the missionary homes and served as district overseers throughout Guam and Micronesia. Thus began an extremely busy and spiritually rewarding chapter in the history of the Hawaii branch.

Off to Untouched Fields

It was also decided to staff the existing missionary homes in Micronesia with pioneers from Hawaii. Brother Knorr had concluded that most would readily adapt to the island way of life and fit in well with the local people. This was a significant decision, for it would afford many zealous young ones from Hawaii the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity truly to pioneer the Kingdom work as missionaries in virtually untouched fields.

While the prospect of serving as a missionary in Micronesia was exciting, it definitely would not be effortless. Much of the second world war between Japan and the Allies was fought on these very islands. Places like Kwajalein, Truk Islands, Saipan, Guam, and Peleliu were the infamous sites of horrific battles. Devastation throughout the district was extensive, and recovery was slow. There were only a few paved roads, and those that existed were alternately dusty trails and muddy quagmires, depending on the weather. Electric service was either erratic or nonexistent. The absence of sewage systems and potable water often spawned health problems from intestinal parasites. Then there was the relentless tropical heat and humidity, much more extreme and intense than in Hawaii.

It was amid these conditions that the missionaries, most of them pioneers from Hawaii, established the work. They would wade through streams, travel on small boats, and walk through dense forests to reach the homes of the people. Wet and muddy conditions made shoes impractical. So most of the missionaries started to wear rubber slippers while in the preaching work.

The Micronesian islanders proved to be of a friendly and meek nature. Their deep reverence for the Bible made preaching among them a delight.

Any initial apprehension about whether Jehovah would bless this arrangement of assigning Micronesia to the Hawaii branch was removed by the August 1970 field service report: Guam reported an 88.6-percent increase in publishers, Marshall Islands a 25-percent increase, Ponape an 82.4-percent increase, and Saipan a 114.3-percent increase. Missionaries were also successfully opening up the work in Belau (Palau), Yap, and the Truk Islands.

Youths Set Good Record

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, a healthy pioneer spirit spread among the young ones in Hawaii. It was estimated in 1971 that upon graduating from high school, 95 percent of the youth entered the full-time service. Many of these later ventured out as missionaries to Micronesia and were instrumental in intensifying the sounding of the Kingdom message in those faraway islands. Scores of young, healthy brothers were privileged to serve at Bethel in Brooklyn and at Watchtower Farms.

Stimulating this zeal for the full-time service was a solid group of traveling overseers, whose enthusiasm was contagious. Many congregation elders were very active and thus set a fine example in the ministry, and they were always positive in placing before young ones the full-time service as a viable career. Parents and the congregations in general were very supportive of the pioneers. It is no wonder that many young ones blossomed spiritually.

Typhoon Pamela​—Good From Bad

On May 13, 1976, the supertyphoon Pamela slammed into Guam. Its sustained winds of 140 miles per hour [230 km/​hr] made it one of the worst typhoons ever to hit the island. Eighty percent of the buildings on the island were damaged, at least half of them beyond repair. The Kingdom Hall and adjacent missionary home were totally demolished. Gratefully, none of the missionaries or publishers lost their lives.

The need to rebuild in the wake of this disaster prompted the brothers at the Hawaii branch office to rethink carefully how the work in Guam and Micronesia was being administered. After prayerful consideration, they discerned that a branch office in Guam would probably provide closer supervision of the work in Micronesia. Therefore, recommendations and plans for a new branch office were submitted to the Governing Body, and these were approved. The new branch would oversee the Kingdom-preaching work in Guam and in all the island districts of Micronesia. A modern building with six bedrooms, an office, a large Kingdom Hall seating 400 persons, and facilities for some printing was designed. This project proved be a major undertaking and was not as readily accomplished as had originally been expected.

Guam Branch Construction​—Hot and Humid

A prime parcel of land, convenient and centrally located, was purchased. Construction began in January 1978. From among the Witnesses in Hawaii and the continental United States came carpenters, plumbers, painters, architects, electricians, and a civil engineer. Many on this volunteer work staff possessed superb building skills. The work got off to a good start.

However, the stress of performing construction labor in the exhausting tropical heat and humidity of Guam in the midst of crowded living conditions began taking its toll. Work demands often resulted in the neglect of meetings and field service over extended periods of time.

The brothers at the Hawaii branch recommended that to alleviate stress, greater emphasis and attention should be focused on the spirituality of those working on the project. This served to improve the overall spirit. To their credit, the volunteers made considerable sacrifices to stick with the work. These brothers and sisters who labored together, often under a very hot sun, displayed a real willingness to exert themselves unstintingly. Jehovah God blessed their faithfulness and endurance with the successful completion of a lovely new branch facility, splendidly landscaped and situated in a tropical, rural setting. On April 20, 1980, Brother Milton Henschel of the Governing Body, during his zone visit to Guam, dedicated the new building to the pure worship of Jehovah.

On May 1, 1980, the Guam branch began operation, giving able oversight to the islands of Micronesia and Guam. Nathaniel Miller of the Hawaii Branch Committee, who had traveled extensively throughout these island districts while it was supervised by Hawaii, was appointed as Branch Committee coordinator of the newly organized Guam branch. Hideo Sumida and Arthur White, also former members of the Hawaii Branch Committee, were transferred from Hawaii to complete the Guam Branch Committee.

For 11 years the Hawaii branch served the islands of Micronesia and Guam. What a privilege it was to work with the hardworking missionaries and local publishers, who literally pioneered the Kingdom work in these scattered, isolated islands, planting and watering seeds of truth in the hearts of the humble native islanders!

Second Wave of Immigrants

During the 1980’s, Jehovah blessed Hawaii with steady and consistent growth. In October 1983, peak publishers exceeded the 5,000 mark for the first time in Hawaiian history, with 5,019 reporting field service in association with 60 congregations.

In recent years a second wave of immigrants from other Pacific island nations converged on Hawaii, attracted by its relative material prosperity. Of course, they brought with them their native cultures and languages. To accommodate the many sheeplike ones included among these, more foreign-language congregations had to be organized. In swift succession, Japanese, Korean, Samoan, Spanish, and Iloko congregations were formed. The brothers in these congregations are well organized and very diligent in caring for their Christian responsibilities.

A Cramped Branch Office

Growth in the publisher ranks meant a greater demand for literature and an increasing number of congregations for the branch office to serve. The little garage warehouse connected to the office was becoming overtaxed. The office was also becoming crowded as more personnel was required to handle the swelling load of correspondence.

The office on Pensacola Street, which had served the interests of Jehovah’s people in Hawaii for nearly 50 years, was now just too small. Being situated in a densely populated area of central Honolulu, expansion on the same site was prohibitive. Hence, a search was initiated for a suitable location for an expanded, new branch office.

In 1985 a local real estate agent sent a flier to the branch office advertising a 1.12-acre [0.45 ha] lot for sale with a 25,000-square-foot [2,300 sq m] building, formerly a supermarket, on it. The location was ideal, right near the airport and downtown Honolulu. Although another party had agreed in principle to purchase the property, with the Governing Body’s approval, the brothers on the Branch Committee contacted the agent to present an offer. Surprisingly, the first party withdrew from the negotiations. In further apparent evidence of Jehovah’s hand in the matter, the property owner was very favorable toward Jehovah’s Witnesses. In a few short months, the transaction was completed, and in November 1985, the deed was handed over to the Society.

Converting a former supermarket into a branch office, warehouse, Bethel Home, and two Kingdom Halls posed an interesting challenge. The brothers in Hawaii had never taken on a construction project of that magnitude. A building committee was appointed, architectural plans were drawn up, and various construction departments were arranged. There was complete confidence in the readiness of the local brotherhood to provide the necessary skills and labor to accomplish the task. But, of course, it was recognized that the foundation on which the success of the project rested was best expressed by the psalmist at Psalm 127:1: “Unless Jehovah himself builds the house, it is to no avail that its builders have worked hard on it.”

“Just Like Building Solomon’s Temple!”

In order to inform everyone regarding the branch office building plans, special meetings were held beginning in February 1987 at seven locations statewide. Over 5,000 gathered at the Waikiki Shell. The brothers on the building committee explained what had already been accomplished, and they outlined the construction schedule, which was targeted to begin on March 1, 1987.

Work began in earnest. Literally thousands of brothers and sisters on Oahu and on other islands arranged their affairs to have a share. Some traveled to the site on weekends, others for longer periods. Many Witnesses on Oahu graciously opened their homes to workers traveling from the neighboring islands. During the peak construction period, about 150 volunteers came on weekdays and 250 to 300 on weekends.

Though the work was strenuous and the hours were long, a willing and happy spirit prevailed. The emphasis was placed on spirituality. The text was considered daily, and The Watchtower was studied each week. Biblical talks were given regularly, with the entire work force in attendance.

The cooperation of various tradesmen and of scores of ready laborers resulted in the work’s flowing smoothly to completion. One volunteer worker commented: “This is just like building Solomon’s temple!” Well, there was quite a difference between Solomon’s temple and the new branch building. The temple was in part overlaid with gold on a structure that was “prefabricated,” so there was little noise in its construction. The branch building was built with cement, wood, steel, and a lot of noise. However, one thing was similar​—the same spirit that moved the temple workers in Solomon’s day was motivating the brothers and sisters in Hawaii. An attractive branch building rose out of a vacant, dilapidated supermarket. Almost a miracle!

Despite the consuming activity related to branch construction, five publisher peaks were reached in 1986. At the end of that service year, two new congregations were formed. There were three publisher peaks in 1987, and three more congregations were established. By July 1987 the structure was completed. The following month branch office operations were transferred to the new location.

Falling Rain​—Rising Spirit

Rain was falling early in the morning on April 3, 1988, in Honolulu, but the spirit was not dampened for the 5,870 gathered in the Neal Blaisdell Center for the branch dedication program. Another 2,838 brothers, assembled on Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii, were tied in by telephone line for the day-long program originating in Honolulu. The Branch Committee coordinator reviewed the history and progress of the Kingdom work in Hawaii. Those publishers preaching in the islands for over 38 years were seated in the front rows of the arena, and they heartily agreed with the speaker’s comment that Jehovah had richly blessed His people in Hawaii.

A 30-minute slide presentation, simultaneously shown at each assembly location, documented the transformation of the former supermarket into a new branch office. Each of the four visiting members of the Governing Body took his turn in speaking to the large audience. In a stirring delivery, Daniel Sydlik described Jehovah’s righteousness as being as unchangeable and constant as the mountains. (Ps. 36:6) Lyman Swingle encouraged the audience to “Count Your Blessings” in harmony with Psalm 144:15b. Lloyd Barry drew a parallel between the rejoicing that accompanied the celebration of the Festival of Booths and modern times when true worshipers are similarly celebrating the great ingathering being accomplished by Jehovah. (Lev. 23:40) In his dedication discourse, Milton Henschel stated: “Our God is a God of purpose, and in his dealings he manifests supremacy. This dedication of the new branch facility is part of the purpose of Jehovah. We want to recognize how this new building will be used in connection with Jehovah’s will.”

As this very special day of worship drew to a close and the crowds were united in the closing song and prayer, their sentiments were like those of the Israelites after the dedication of Solomon’s temple. They went to their homes “rejoicing and feeling merry of heart over all the goodness that Jehovah had performed.” (1 Ki. 8:66) It was a grand spiritual event, a real milestone in the 70-year history of Jehovah’s people in Hawaii.

As anticipated, construction of the new branch facilities prompted many brothers to reflect seriously on upgrading their aging Kingdom Halls or on the possibility of building new ones for flourishing congregations. In May 1986 the first quickly built Kingdom Hall in Hawaii was erected in Kekaha, Kauai. Since then, statewide, six new Kingdom Halls have been built and two were completely renovated. Also, the former branch office and Kingdom Hall on Pensacola Street have received a face-lift, and six other Kingdom Hall building projects are planned.

Good Example for All

What made the 1988 “Divine Justice” District Conventions uniquely exciting were the 63 missionaries who returned home to Hawaii for a visit. For all in the audience, heartbeats quickened and eyes filled with tears of joy when all these missionaries crowded onto the stage at the Honolulu convention during the Saturday discourse “What Effective Missionary Activity Requires.” The brothers and sisters in the audience could not contain themselves and, out of appreciation, followed the program with a powerful and long round of applause.

What a reminder that so many from Hawaii have striven to reach out for greater privileges of service! Since the end of World War II, 164 missionaries have been sent from Hawaii to Japan, Taiwan, Okinawa, Korea, Samoa, and countries in South America and Africa, with the majority of them having been sent to the islands of Micronesia. Currently, 77 are still serving at their assignments as missionaries, traveling overseers, and special or regular pioneers.

For others, Bethel service has been the goal, especially for the robust young brothers. The first one was invited to serve at Brooklyn Bethel in the early 1960’s. Since that time 127 have shared in this privilege of full-time service. At present, 25 are serving at Brooklyn Bethel and Watchtower Farms, and 13 serve as members of the Hawaii Bethel family.

The exceptional interest in the full-time service, especially among the young ones, can be attributed to the example set by the zealous early missionaries and, later, energetic elders and traveling overseers. Also, supportive parents back home in Hawaii have been of much encouragement to their children serving overseas as missionaries or as Bethelites. This has enabled many of them to stick to their assignments, instead of succumbing to unmanageable homesickness and discouragement. Thus, they reap the long-range benefits that accrue to those holding fast to their privileges of service.

Status of the Work Today

In August 1990 an all-time peak of 6,194 publishers was attained. As a result, Hawaii now enjoys a healthy ratio of 1 Kingdom publisher for every 180 persons of the population (based on 1989 population figures). The territories of the 72 congregations are worked frequently, averaging once every four to six weeks statewide. Also, in August, an all-time peak of 608 publishers reported as regular pioneers. We happily note that many of these are in their teens and 20’s.

The colorful array of people with their contrasting racial and cultural backgrounds can make field service an intriguing experience. For example, it is not unusual to encounter Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Hawaiian householders professing Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, and Mormon faiths. And all living on the same street! Although apathy to the Kingdom message seems to be increasing, sheeplike ones continue to stream to the mountain of Jehovah, as can be seen by the Memorial attendance of 15,245 in April 1990.

As is true in other areas of the world, Jehovah’s people in Hawaii are not immune from problems and the assaults of our chief Adversary, the Devil. Even though jobs are plentiful because of tourism and foreign investment, residents in Hawaii still have to cope with an unusually high cost of living. Resisting these economic pressures that often compel both husband and wife to work secularly in order to make ends meet, God’s people strive to maintain a healthy spiritual attitude. Illegal drug usage is pervasive in some neighborhoods and is reaping its tragic harvest, hence youths need to reject its insidious lure. Also, by virtue of Hawaii’s year-long sunny and mild climate, it is a place that is very conducive to play and fun, making recreation and pleasure-seeking a major distraction. Needless to say, it requires constant vigilance to avoid succumbing to these subtle enticements of Satan.

However, Hawaiian people, as is true of many island societies, are noted for their relaxed demeanor, friendliness, and hospitality. Perhaps this is due to the successful blending of the variety of peoples and cultures or the perennial sunshine and delightful weather. And especially among Jehovah’s people, these attractive qualities have become further enhanced by cultivation of the fruitage of the spirit.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hawaii continue active and zealous, with their lives revolving around spiritual activities. And throughout Hawaii’s modern-day history, they have proved themselves wholehearted and loyal in their support of Jehovah’s organization.

Without question much of the loveliness of a tropical paradise can be found in the Hawaiian Islands. But the real, exquisite beauty of Hawaii prevails in the spiritual paradise existing among the 6,000 loyal slaves of Jehovah, who cherish and delight in their service to him. How grateful they are that he has seen to it that ‘the mountain of the house of Jehovah has become firmly established’ even in the distant and exotic Hawaiian Islands.​—Isa. 2:2.

[Chart on page 115]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Hawaii 8,000

1950 320

1960 1,589

1970 3,340

1980 4,494

1990 6,194

Peak Publishers

1,000

1950 30

1960 80

1970 447

1980 591

1990 938

Av. Pioneers

[Box/​Map on page 66]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

HAWAII

Hilo

Kailua-Kona

Pahala

LANAI

MAUI

MOLOKAI

Kalaupapa

Kaunakakai

OAHU

Aiea

Pearl Harbor

Honolulu

KAUAI

Kekaha

Kapaa

Hanapepe

Koloa

NIIHAU

Pacific Ocean

[Box]

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Capital: Honolulu

Official Language: English

Major Religion: Diverse beliefs

Population: 1,112,100

Branch Office: Honolulu

[Picture on page 71]

Ivory beaches and quiet coves grace the Hawaiian Islands

[Picture on page 72]

Ellis Fox, along with the Bundys, began the preaching work, in 1915

[Picture on page 73]

Dora Harrub and her husband, James, were the first to be baptized, in 1919

[Picture on page 79]

Joseph Dos Santos began pioneering in 1929. Why was he nicknamed “Pupule Joe”?

[Picture on page 83]

Don and Mabel Haslett. He became Hawaii’s first branch overseer, in 1934

[Picture on page 84]

The first meeting place named Kingdom Hall was built in Honolulu, on Pensacola Street, in 1935

[Picture on page 85]

Sound cars broadcast Bible messages. This one was shipped from Honolulu to the outer islands in 1937

[Picture on page 88]

Sound cars cruised along streets, advertising Bible talks and playing recorded lectures

[Picture on page 94]

Don Haslett, Nathan Knorr, Mabel Haslett, and Milton Henschel. Knorr’s visit to Honolulu in 1947 sparked the sending of missionaries to Hawaii

[Picture on page 95]

The first two missionaries arrive in Honolulu on September 27, 1947. Martha Hess, front row, fourth from left, and Ruth Ulrich, back row, second from left. Hess and Ulrich now serve in Japan

[Pictures on page 96]

Waikiki Shell, site of the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly in 1963. Many were baptized at Waikiki Beach

[Picture on page 101]

Nathaniel and Allene Miller arrived in Hawaii in 1954 and served there until assigned to Guam in 1980a

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 105]

Guam branch office and Kingdom Hall was dedicated April 20, 1980. Guam oversees the preaching work in the 2,000 islands of Micronesia

[Picture on page 107]

Branch office and Kingdom Hall, located on Pensacola Street, served the Kingdom interests for nearly 50 years, until August 1987

[Pictures on page 108]

Former supermarket that was converted into branch office, warehouse, Bethel Home, and two Kingdom Halls was dedicated April 3, 1988

[Picture on page 109]

Branch Committee members and wives. From left to right, Robert and Hatsuko Kawasaki, Frans and Endeline van Vliet, and Gary and Carol Wong

Sweden

1991 Yearbook Report

FROM out of the darkness shrouding Europe during the Middle Ages burst forth the Vikings from the north. These mighty, Germanic men of Scandinavia mastered the art of naval warfare and designed great, swift galleys that enabled them to spread their power south, west, and east. Norwegian and Danish Vikings sailed to the shores of Britain, Ireland, and continental Europe, while Vikings out of Sweden nosed their prows eastward across the Baltic into rivers and lakes leading to the vast birch forests and steppes of Russia. From the end of the eighth century, and for some 250 years, Viking vessels began to rule northern waterways in quest of trade and wealth.

At the end of the 19th century, the Swedes were on the move again to foreign shores​—this time seeking peaceful conquest. They had suffered bad harvests, unemployment, and even starvation. In search of a better life, upwards of a million Swedes left the country between 1865 and 1914. Most of them settled in North America, where they found material prosperity. Some of them, though, discovered something far more valuable​—a rich spiritual life based on a living faith—​which would soon be shared with friends and relatives left behind in Sweden. How did this spiritual treasure chest eventually reach the coast of Sweden?

“Two Hundred Swedes Have Received It”

About 1882, a Swedish lay evangelist in the United States, Charles Seagrin, read some of Charles Taze Russell’s publications, including Food for Thinking Christians. Convinced that this was the truth, he fervently preached about it to Swedish emigrants. After six months of preaching, he wrote to Brother Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Society, saying: “During the time that I have preached this truth some two hundred Swedes have received it and are rejoicing in it and telling it to others. . . . Many of our nation [Sweden] seem to have an ear to hear . . . If we could have Food in Swedish also it would be of great good under the Lord’s blessing.”

This letter caused Brother Russell to remind the readers of Zion’s Watch Tower magazine (June 1883) that a special “Swedish Tract Fund” had already been created for printing literature in Swedish. He reported, however, that the fund then contained only $30. Confidently, he added: “Our Master is rich​—he owns the cattle upon a thousand hills, as well as the hills themselves, and all the gold and silver are His. If he deems the work necessary he will make the necessary provision.”

And “Our Master” did! Only four months later, Zion’s Watch Tower announced: “The Swedish tract fund reached such a sum as to justify the publishing of a sample copy of the TOWER in the Swedish language, to be used as a tract, among the Swedish and Norwegian Christians, here and in Sweden.” Ten years later, the first volume of the series Millennial Dawn​—later called Studies in the Scriptures—​was published in Swedish.

The foundation was thus laid for carrying the seeds of Kingdom truth to this, the largest of the Scandinavian countries. But what about the people, their character, their customs, and their land? Would a good “harvest” be reaped there?​—Matt. 9:37, 38.

Mantled by Forests

The landscape of Sweden is a green-and-blue paradise. Yet, how can this be when the country lies along the northernmost fringe of Europe, straddling the Arctic Circle? Richly endowed with majestic mountains, fruitful plains, coniferous forests, sandy beaches, and beautiful archipelagoes, Sweden basks in the soothing winds warmed by the Gulf Stream.

A unique tradition of “everyman’s right” entitles people to hike freely in forests and fields, pick berries and mushrooms, go swimming, or tie up a boat without having to ask for permission. As Sweden has the fourth largest area in Europe, stretching almost a thousand miles [1,600 km] from north to south and three hundred miles [500 km] from the Baltic Sea on the east to Norway and the North Sea on the west, it offers plenty of space to its almost 8.6 million inhabitants. Therefore, statistically, each person has some 13 acres [5 ha] as living space, of which almost 7.5 acres [3 ha] are woodland, trees of birch, spruce, and pine, giving each person an average of 7,500 trees to enjoy. Can you smell the bracing scent of those luxuriant green pines?

A Mixed Kingdom

One of the world’s oldest kingdoms, Sweden has long-standing democratic traditions, with a parliamentary multiparty system. Almost 95 percent of the Swedes belong to the Lutheran State Church, though only a small minority attend church regularly. During recent decades, however, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have turned Sweden into a religiously and culturally mixed society. No longer does the tall Swede, with fair or brown hair and blue eyes, solely constitute the nation’s palette.

Residents of Sweden are provided with a social welfare system stretching from the cradle to the grave. They enjoy child allowances, free education, housing allowances, sick pay, virtually free medical care, and old-age and disability pensions, among other government-backed services. Although the factories and machines of the Industrial Revolution were late in arriving, Sweden today ranks among the world’s most highly industrialized nations. And the essence of the distinctive Nordic spirit seems to abide in a quiet conviction that a thing worth doing is worth doing well. But under such seemingly favorable living conditions, would Kingdom seed take root and grow?

First Seeds Reach Sweden

A hundred years ago, Swedish emigrants who had eagerly accepted the truth in the United States began to send literature to relatives and friends in Sweden. Some of these seeds of truth landed in a small cottage on the little island of Sturkö, off the south coast of Sweden. There they sprouted quickly in a young man’s heart.

One evening in 1898, a 25-year-old, energetic, stockily built Salvation Army captain, August Lundborg, visited Petter Larsson and his family on Sturkö. When he was left alone briefly in their cottage, his eyes fell on two books​—the first two volumes of Millennial Dawn, by C. T. Russell. As he leafed through them, he found an explanation of Christ’s ransom sacrifice that struck him with amazement and joy. He borrowed the books, devoured them, and immediately began to teach from them at his meetings.

Lundborg, a man of action, wrote a letter to Brother Russell, dated December 21, 1898: “Dear Mr. Russell: The undersigned, ex-captain of the Salvation Army, has recently, on account of the light God has sent him through your work, M. DAWN, left said organization.” After expressing appreciation for the truth he had found, Lundborg concluded: “If you so desire, I shall be very glad to go into the colporteur work here in Sweden.” Without hesitation, Brother Russell mailed 55 sets of the first three volumes of Millennial Dawn to Lundborg, urging him to send copies to his former “Army” colleagues.

How disappointed Lundborg was when the shipment arrived! There were not enough books! In a short time, he had placed all of them with his colleagues and others. Quickly he wrote Russell for more. He waited and waited. It seemed that they would never come. Undaunted by the lack of literature, he began his colporteur activity, preaching full-time from house to house, in Stockholm in May 1899. Eagerly he obtained orders for books that he would deliver later. Thus the sowing of Kingdom seed continued.

First Congregation Takes Form

Brother Russell also sent Lundborg the address of a certain S. Winter in Denmark, who had begun to spread seeds of truth there, as well as in southernmost Sweden. Immediately Lundborg invited him to Stockholm and arranged for a Bible meeting​—the very first one in Sweden. A few interested persons squeezed tightly into the cramped kitchen of a family who had obtained some literature from Lundborg. The room was just buzzing with excitement as these spiritually hungry people devoured the words of truth.

By the end of 1899, this energetic small group began to meet regularly on Sundays. A small woodworking shop was rented on Apelbergsgatan for two kronor (33 cents) per evening. On Thursday, April 12, 1900, eight persons gathered in a rented room on Grev Magnigatan to celebrate the first Memorial in Sweden. They prayed for God’s spirit to speed up the growth.

A few months later, they rented a bigger place, an apartment at Trångsund 8. Their first “homemade” convention was held there on June 20-27, 1901. Some Bible Students from Denmark attended also. Wanting to test for interest outside Stockholm, the Swedes arranged for a meeting in the university town of Uppsala, north of Stockholm. They were overwhelmed when 150 interested ones attended.

Now the truth began to expand further. A small rented room at Kungsgatan 20 in Stockholm served as an office and literature depot. Lundborg strenuously kept on “sowing” in all directions by foot, carriage, train, and ship. (Matt. 13:3-23) In 1902 he reported that he had worked almost all the cities and towns in central and southern Sweden.

More Seeds Sprout

As more seeds of truth reached other parts of the country, they began to germinate in the hearts of many energetic people, who quickly joined in the work. One day in 1902 in the city of Malmö, a young man by the name of P. J. Johansson was walking through a park, and he paused before a bench. He noticed a tract lying there entitled Do You Know? He read it, realized that this was the truth, and wasting no time, soon began to serve as a colporteur.

In Segmon in the western part of central Sweden lived a blacksmith, Axel Gustaf Rud. For 35 years he had been a member of the Free Church as well as a popular preacher. He got a copy of Millennial Dawn by mail from relatives in North America. They just wanted to know his opinion of it. He became so convinced that this was the truth that he declared in his chapel: “Until now I’ve been speaking lies. Now I’ll speak the truth.”

When he, and some 30 other members, left his church, a local daily newspaper reported that it regretted the loss of “such a matchless preacher.” One of his former fellow believers lamented: “What can we now believe in, as Rud has taken hell away from us?” Soon a congregation of Bible Students was formed in Grums, a nearby town.

The “Watch Tower” Early in Swedish

Pushing on with the work during 1902, Brother Lundborg pleaded with Brother Russell for a magazine to be printed in Swedish. Brother Russell answered: “I still hold to the belief that colporteuring, together with the spreading of tracts, is far more important than the release of any magazine in any language, and I recommend you to spend your time accordingly.”

Nevertheless, strong-willed Lundborg went ahead with his plans. By the end of that year, he had printed and distributed the first issue of a monthly magazine, I Morgonväkten (In the Morning Watch). It contained excerpts from Zion’s Watch Tower, Pastor Russell’s sermons, poetry, and letters from readers. When Brother Russell visited Stockholm while touring Europe in May 1903, he decided that the magazine should be named Zion’s Watch Tower, with C. T. Russell as the editor. This was done in January 1904.

The First Real Convention

During Brother Russell’s visit to Stockholm, the first real convention was held May 3, 4, 1903. He gave several inspiring talks, which were translated by a former minister of the Swedish State Church. About 250 attended, half of whom were “outsiders,” newly interested ones.

The brothers and sisters felt very much attached to Brother Russell. Through his writings, his faith and his thoughts had become theirs, and now they were thrilled to see him and hear his message. One brother wrote: “We were surprised when seeing his stately figure and the young-looking, happy expression on his face, although the years had already strewn silver among the dark curls on his head. Kindness and love shone forth from his mild and yet serious eyes. His speech was lively and absorbing but free from all kinds of exaggeration. He won our sympathy from the very first moment.”

Delighted, Matilda Lindros, the first female colporteur in Sweden, wrote to the branch: “Those days now seem to me like a beautiful dream, but may God help me not only to remember them but also willingly to put into practice the things learned, . . . and may the Lord help his willing and obedient servants to remain in such a position until the end!” She remained faithful, serving Jehovah right up to her death in 1945 at the age of 91.

Brother Russell later wrote, summing up his satisfaction with the tour: “I shall never forget my visit to Scandinavia, and shall ever pray and seek for the Lord’s blessing upon his work there.”

Full-Time Service​—Backbone of the Work

Brother Russell’s faith and go-ahead spirit moved some of those who first learned the truth to engage enthusiastically in the full-time preaching work. Since then, the full-time ministry has been the backbone of the Kingdom work in Sweden.

These early colporteurs began their work unhesitatingly, without any special training, often without a permanent home, with only part-time work for sustenance, and with their own feet as their only means of transportation. They realized the scope and urgency of their work, seeming to run from house to house rather than walk, quickly covering large areas. Lundborg reported to Brother Russell:

“I always try to be as practical as possible by following the same method as I see from your letter that you apply in America, that is, to visit all the houses in every place. I go from door to door, block by block (from early in the morning to late in the evening), until I am ready for the next town. But if a place is not bigger than the one that I am visiting now (Mariefred, with about 1,100 inhabitants), not many hours are needed.”

When it was too far to walk, colporteurs used other transportation, often of low price and slow. But time was spent wisely. The same report also says: “I travel cheaply. I have a strong body that can endure being treated a little roughly now and then. Wherever possible, I travel by water, sometimes on freighters. Sometimes I buy the cheapest accommodation on a passenger steamer (where the only berth​—night and day—​is the open deck). The time spent on this I also carefully devote to talking with people and studying the Bible.”

Visits by Traveling Overseers Begin

Regular visits from traveling overseers were needed to encourage and help new congregations become better organized. Visits by mature men called pilgrim brothers were therefore arranged in 1905. Charles Edberg, who had learned the truth in the United States and arrived on a steamer in 1904, was the first pilgrim brother, and he made a tremendous contribution to organizing the early Kingdom work in the country.

It was announced in the Watch Tower that congregations should write to the Society and request visits. The congregations were to arrange for meetings to be held by the visiting brother and to house him. They were advised not to make any other special preparations for him because, as the Watch Tower put it, “he does not come to be served, but to serve.”

Each of Brother Edberg’s visits lasted at least two days. Stimulated by his talks, one listener said after a visit: “I have learned more from these talks than I have learned during the past 20 years.” Another said: “It is remarkable how much there is in the Bible that we have neither heard nor seen.” Little did Brother Edberg imagine that such visits to congregations would still be made more than 85 years later by circuit and district overseers.

Branch Moves About

In its earliest years, the small Swedish branch office​—mainly furnished with literature cartons and Brother Lundborg’s bed—​was moved from one location in the center of Stockholm to another. In 1905 it was transferred from a cramped back room at Kungsgatan 20 to part of an apartment at Adolf Fredriks Kyrkogata 7. Three rooms were rented, one for meetings, one for the office, and one for the cartons and Lundborg’s bed. Before the year ended, however, the apartment’s owner wanted his rooms back, and the branch was moved to Rådmansgatan 39 B.

As the work expanded, especially in the two largest cities​—Stockholm on the east coast and Göteborg on the west coast—​Lundborg found it better to operate from a place halfway between them. Therefore, in 1907, the branch was moved to Örebro, some 120 miles [200 km] west of Stockholm, where it remained for almost 20 years.

Russell Interested in Sweden

Brother Russell’s many letters to Brother Lundborg reflected keen interest in the Kingdom work in Sweden. Always warm and encouraging, they contained clear and firm instructions. Once, he wrote: “Please, receive and be always assured of my love and sympathy, even when at times I see it necessary to criticize.”

In 1909, when Russell visited Sweden a second time, some 300 persons gathered at a convention in Örebro. Just two years later, he returned and spoke in Stockholm’s largest hall on the topic “The Judgment of the Great White Throne.” By then he was well-known in Sweden. The hall was filled to capacity, and some 1,500 disappointed souls could not even get in. There was excitement and talk in the whole city. When he and his party boarded the train to Copenhagen, his notable figure fascinated the train dispatcher, who just stood there with eyes and mouth wide open and forgot to give the departure signal on time. People asked: “Who is that royal personage?”

Brother Russell’s last visit to Sweden was in 1912, as part of a round-the-world tour. His public address in Circus, Djurgården, was entitled “Beyond the Grave.” One sister remembered the public excitement over his visit to her home town, Karlstad: “The hall rented for the meeting was so packed with people that it was feared that the floor would give way.”

Brother Russell continued to show interest in Sweden by sending brothers there from the headquarters, among them J. F. Rutherford, who later became president of the Watch Tower Society. In 1913 Brother Rutherford visited 15 larger cities in Sweden and Norway during just three weeks. His energy, Bible knowledge, and dynamic talks spurred on the brothers. His public talk was “Where Are the Dead?” One brother recalled from a meeting in Göteborg: “During his presentation, Brother Rutherford said: ‘I offer 1,000 dollars to anyone in the audience who can prove that man has an immortal soul.’ Nobody took up the challenge.”

When the news of Brother Russell’s death on October 31, 1916, reached Sweden, it became evident how well-known he was. A number of daily newspapers honored him with friendly notices. Some even printed one of his sermons. No doubt, Brother Russell’s interest in Sweden was an incentive to push ahead with the Kingdom work.

World War I No Surprise

The outbreak of World War I came as no real surprise to Bible Students in Sweden. Years before, they had read in Watch Tower literature that Bible chronology pointed toward the year 1914 as the time when “worldwide anarchy” could be expected. Anticipation was so great when 1914 began that some even started to lay up supplies of foodstuffs. So when the news of war came, they rejoiced at the nearness of their salvation.

Brother Arthur Gustavsson, 11 years old at the time, said: “I can clearly recall Sunday, August 2, 1914. My father was conducting the meeting in Göteborg when outside we heard a newsboy cry out: ‘World conflagration has begun!’ The brothers in the hall began looking at one another. Some of the things we had been proclaiming about 1914 were beginning to come true.” Brother Gustavsson later served in the full-time preaching work for 56 years and continued to preach until the end of his earthly course in 1987.

Although Sweden kept out of World War I, food and other vital supplies became scarce. Masses of workers became unruly and organized marches into the rural areas to plunder farms. However, Jehovah God kept his people in Sweden spiritually well-fed during the war years, even though communication with Brooklyn headquarters was seriously limited. The Watch Tower magazine was published without interruption. Even the seventh volume of Studies in the Scriptures reached Sweden and was translated and printed during the war.

The Photo-Drama, Another Tool

Equipment for showing the Photo-Drama of Creation​—a slide and moving picture production with synchronized sound, lasting several hours—​also reached Sweden as World War I flared up. A Swedish-American couple, William and Bella Undén, arrived from the United States to demonstrate the use of the equipment. That the brothers showed zeal and enthusiasm for the Photo-Drama is reflected in the Swedish edition of The Watch Tower, October 15, 1914:

“We must now as quickly as possible reach all the larger cities and communities in our country, . . . as we now see the skies of wrath over our heads and mankind trembling for fear because of the storm that is already shaking the present order of things.”

The first showing was held in Örebro Theatre on September 25, 1914. The hall was filled to overflowing, and the street outside thronged with people who were not able to get in. The show continued on the following nights. The Watch Tower reports: “The influx of people increased more and more, so that each time, several uniformed police constables were fully engaged in assisting us in our efforts to keep the masses back.”

A newspaper reported from Sundsvall in 1915: “Thanks to excellent guards, no unruliness occurred, but scenes of silent desperation were always observed when the doors were relentlessly closed. The thousands who could not get in dispersed reluctantly, and the most faithful remained as long as the presentation was in progress to be at least in the vicinity of the wonder, the miracle.”

Over the next three years, the Photo-Drama was shown in hundreds of places. In 1915 alone, it was shown 1,256 times. It did a great work in acquainting people with Jehovah’s purposes and making the Bible come alive. The newspaper that was quoted above added that Russell and his fellow believers “work, as is well-known, to popularize the Holy Scriptures and, by means of explanations of various Bible texts, to provide an intelligent idea about God.”

As a young woman, Elin Andersson took part in showing the Photo-Drama. Tears come to her eyes as she recalls, at the age of 90: “I belonged to the crew of 12 brothers and sisters who traveled around the country with one set of the Drama. My job was to assign seats and attend to the audience. It was wonderful to see all those people coming and to note how impressed they were. Many came to see it over and over again, queuing up for hours to get a seat. A most memorable and happy time!”

The truth was also spread during those war years by newspapers that reprinted Brother Russell’s sermons. This began before the war and continued until 1916. In all, five different newspapers provided several columns or entire pages. Some newspapers even printed the sermons regularly in their Saturday issues. It was impressive publicity in those days before radio and television became household items.

Sisters Have a Great Share

About the time of the thrilling year 1914, several Kingdom proclaimers were incited to change their lives radically. A number of young sisters​—at a time when it was thought that young women should get married and raise children—​unhesitatingly took up full-time service and remained in it till their death. Their work has been richly blessed, as some equally zealous modern-day Witnesses in Sweden can refer to them as their spiritual mothers, grandmothers, or even great-grandmothers.​—Joel 2:28.

A young nurse, Ebba Palm, wanted to help spiritually sick persons so much that she wore her nurse’s uniform in the preaching work. As her uniform represented a highly respected nurses’ order, the Sophia Sisters, the doors of many fashionable homes were opened to her. During her first three months as a colporteur, she placed 1,085 bound books and very many booklets.

Ebba’s older sister, Ellen, left her job as a bank clerk and began in the colporteur work. Her zeal was outstanding. After getting married, she and her husband together manned a steamboat to visit people along the fjords and inlets of the Baltic Sea.

Anna Wickbom was the daughter of a police commissioner. She had served as governess at the court of the Russian czar and later as a private teacher in the family of a count. She quit her well-paying job to become a colporteur in the territory near her home. Knowing her identity, the neighbors received her respectfully. Her good knowledge of languages opened many a door for her.

Once, she visited an imposing residence. The countess living there sent her butler to the door to intimidate Anna. “Today the countess will only converse in French,” he thundered. “That will be just perfect,” Anna retorted. When the countess heard Anna’s excellent French, she, speaking poor French, felt so embarrassed that she begged: “Swedish, please!” Needless to say, the countess was so impressed that for many years she regularly took literature when visited by the Witnesses.

Another young woman, Maja Lundquist, volunteered as a Photo-Drama attendant for three years. She enjoyed this privilege so much that it spurred her to continue zealously in the full-time ministry for 53 years, until her death. Her specialty was witnessing on foreign ships. For many years, this cheerful and energetic little woman was frequently seen on docks and decks, telling captains and their crews about God’s Kingdom and placing huge quantities of literature in many languages. “The harbor is my best territory,” she used to say.

The stamina, faith, and perseverance of such pioneer sisters were extraordinary. The late Branch Committee coordinator, Johan H. Eneroth, once reported: “It is indeed touching to learn how weak and feeble women walk on their feet many, many miles and sometimes through roadless woods, carrying heavy bags with books, to find some isolated little village and bring the message of hope and comfort and good cheer to the people living there under very difficult conditions.”

Would the Door Close in 1918?

As 1918 began, expectations increased among the brothers. Prophecies suggested that it would mark the beginning of “the first resurrection” and the taking up of Christ’s bride class to heaven. (Rev. 20:5, 6) Would this embrace all the anointed ones, including the last ones alive on earth at that time? Would the door to “the marriage feast,” spoken of at Matthew 25:10, soon be shut? Such questions circulated among the brothers, leading to some very deep discussions. At the Memorial, March 26, that year, 1,714 partook of the emblems. Many of them thought they had celebrated this event for the last time. Why, it seemed that even the work had slowed down! A zealous pilgrim brother, Ernst Lignell, wrote the branch:

“We hope that this was the last occasion of this kind on this side and that our next celebration will be to drink the cup of rejoicing in the Kingdom. However, may the will of our Father be done in everything! If it would please him to let us stay down here in the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ a little longer, we want to yield to that decision of his. But to all appearances, time seems to be very short.”

The Bridegroom, though, had other marvelous affairs in mind for the last ones of the anointed on earth. In 1919, at the grand convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, they were reminded of their privilege as the Lord’s ambassadors to announce the incoming of God’s glorious Kingdom. When the echo from this convention reached Sweden, the brothers rejoiced and quickly adjusted to the commission. The work speeded up again.

Tons of literature were placed. The booklets Millions Now Living Will Never Die and Where Are the Dead? were eagerly accepted. At times colporteurs needed this literature so urgently that they telegraphed the branch office to send “500 Millions” or send “200 Dead”​—messages that puzzled many a telegraph operator.

Serious Tests in the 1920’s

Now, this spirited activity did not go unnoticed by the great enemy, Satan the Devil. He tried to quench the brothers’ zeal for the work by spreading thoughts of disappointment. He then tried to manipulate weaknesses in human personalities, beginning about 1920 and climaxing in 1925. August Lundborg, who had carried responsibility for the Society’s branch for some 20 years, began to lose the proper view of himself in relation to God’s organization. Ignoring the counsel and instruction from the organization, he edited The Watch Tower according to his own interpretation. The brothers became confused. The work slowed down. Much time and effort was lovingly devoted to getting the erring one to realize his wrong course and repent.

Resourcefully, God’s organization proceeded to counteract Satan’s wiles. When Brother Rutherford learned of the problems, he took immediate action by sending Brother A. H. Macmillan to settle the case, in May 1921. But the Devil did not give up. Soon the problems reappeared, causing Brother Rutherford himself to go to Sweden in 1922. A convention was held in Örebro in hopes of encouraging the brothers.

After learning about further difficulties in the following year, Brother Rutherford sent a letter dated May 23, 1923, to all brothers, urging them to keep busy in the service: “The time has come for united action all over Sweden. I hereby exhort every one of the consecrated in Sweden to jointly and in full harmony cooperate in proclaiming the truth.”

In 1924 Brother C. A. Wise, who was the Society’s vice president then, was sent to Sweden to assist. His report made Brother Rutherford include Sweden in his trip to Europe in the spring of 1925. A convention for Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland was held in Örebro in May with about 500 persons present.

Time for a Change

Brother Rutherford then announced propitiously that a new office, the Northern European Office, similar to the Central European Office established in Switzerland a few years earlier, was to be opened in Copenhagen, Denmark. This new office would oversee the work in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, including the then independent Baltic States​—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It would also take over the legal editorship of The Watch Tower. The branches in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland would continue as before but under the direct supervision of the Northern European Office, with William Dey from London in charge. This announcement was enthusiastically received by the vast majority of the 500 persons assembled.

Shortly after the assembly, Brother Lundborg informed Brother Rutherford that he no longer wished to be responsible for the branch. Brother Rutherford then wrote: “If Brother Lundborg retires, it will be according to his own choice, and in that case I ask Brother Dey to put Brother Johan Henrik Eneroth in charge of the office. You know that he was born and reared in Sweden, knows the people and conditions there, and above all is wholly devoted to the Lord.”

A New Era of Branch Management

Brother Eneroth had learned of the truth when serving as a first lieutenant in the Royal Swedish Army during World War I. While he was on duty in northern Sweden, his mother sent him Volume IV of Studies in the Scriptures, called “The Battle of Armageddon.” “That book made me realize that there was a much more important war facing mankind than the one in which the worldly nations were engaged,” he said. One day he took courage and called at the home of some Bible Students. “Imagine the expressions on the faces of the man and his wife when they found a uniformed army officer standing at their door asking for a Bible study,” he said and added: “When their initial astonishment had settled, they welcomed me with open arms.”

Eneroth left the army and soon entered full-time service. In 1920 he was invited to work at the branch in Örebro. Later that year, he was dismissed by Lundborg and then served in Denmark until he was put in charge of the branch in Örebro in 1925. So, after a former Salvation Army captain had taken care of the branch for many years, Jehovah now let a former Royal Swedish Army lieutenant take over.

Brother Eneroth was only 32 years old when he became branch overseer in Sweden. He loyally stuck to his assignment for 50 years and finished his earthly course faithfully on February 7, 1982.

Unifying the Brothers Again

After assuming his duties, Brother Eneroth, with the assistance of Brother Dey, began helping the brothers take up the preaching work in unity again. Together, they spent about a year visiting some 70 congregations throughout the country. Brother Eneroth translated for Brother Dey. “In many places, we had to line up the brothers literally on two sides, for and against the Society,” said Brother Eneroth.

Thus the brothers and sisters were vigorously encouraged to trust in Jehovah’s organization and push ahead with the work. Gradually, they reorganized and experienced the full blessings of Jehovah once again. The opposers made some noise for a while and tried to arrange things their way, but​—as in other similar situations—​they soon diminished and disappeared from the scene. Once more, Satan’s efforts to stop the work met with dismal failure.

Brother Dey, a typical Scot and a former inspector of taxes in London, knew how to sort things out at the Swedish office. From March 1926, the Bulletin (now named Our Kingdom Ministry), with service instructions and prepared testimonies, was sent out monthly to all publishers to help them in their work. The country was also divided into territories of more practical size. All of this stimulated the brothers to renewed efforts, and the first Yearbook, dated 1927, carried promising words in a report from Sweden:

“There is still much to be done along the line of organization, but it is a real joy to note how the friends are grasping the idea more and more, that we are now battling under the King of kings and Lord of lords. And all the faithful ones are highly appreciating THE WATCH TOWER that brings still more light, refreshment and stimulus with each coming issue. More and more classes are taking up THE WATCH TOWER for study, and report great blessings therefrom.”

Witnessing at Funerals

Another means of witnessing became available to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden from 1926 onward. A law was passed that allowed funerals to be performed without the assistance of a State Church priest. Thus, thousands of bereaved ones could be comforted by Scriptural talks. Tens of thousands of persons, who probably would not have lent an ear otherwise, have listened to testimonies at funerals.

The late Martin Wenderquist, active in the Kingdom work for 67 years, was frequently called upon to give funeral talks. He once said: “Comforting the bereaved while conducting funeral services is something I have done more than 600 times at different places in Sweden and Finland. You can hardly find a more attentive and responsive audience than at a funeral. Many Bible studies have been started afterward, guiding people into the truth.”

A Refreshing Move

A refreshing theocratic move was the transfer of the branch office back to Stockholm in September 1926. The brothers found a suitable location at Drottninggatan 83, in the very center of the city. And how handy that the neighbor was a printing establishment called Egnellska Boktryckeriet, which, conveniently, was used to print our magazines for 28 years!

How was the office moved? Two fully loaded canal steamers moved all the branch equipment for 120 miles [200 km] from the inland city of Örebro to coastal Stockholm. The Bethel family followed on a third steamer. The trip took a day and a night.

Three years later, a four-story stone building in the city center became available at Luntmakaregatan 94. Brother Rutherford wanted the Society to buy it. And many willing brothers lent the money to pay the mortgages on the building. Finally, after many years on the move, the branch office was located in this place, which would serve Kingdom interests for the next 25 years.

The First Car​—A Sensation

In 1927 Brother Rutherford permitted the branch to buy its first motor vehicle, a brand-new Model A Ford. It was not, however, to be used by branch personnel as a limousine on city streets. It was to be used by two pioneer brothers on almost impassable roads to faraway villages, deep in the forests in the Far North, in Lapland. From April to September 1930, they reported traveling 7,000 miles [11,000 km] and placing over 2,000 books and 4,000 booklets.

The Ford attracted people in those isolated places, where cars were seldom seen or had never been seen at all. Many local people approached the brothers and asked for literature just to get a closer look at this mechanical wonder and sniff at the gasoline exhaust, which seemed like perfume to them. They willingly pushed when asked to help get it out of the mud or had their horses pull it out of a ditch.

One day, the two brothers offered some books to a group of road workers. Since they had no money with them, one of them said: ‘Follow this road until you find a house. That’s where we lodge. Give the books to the housekeeper and tell her to get my purse out from under my pillow and pay you.’ When the brothers got there and knocked on the door, nobody opened. The door was locked. However, after inspecting the outside of the house, they found a small window open high up on the wall, and the prophecy of Joel 2:9 came to mind, which says: “Through the windows they go in like the thief.” One of them climbed up and crawled in the window, found the purse, and took the correct amount. Then he put the purse back under the pillow, put the books on the bed, and gingerly crept out the same way as he went in. They never did find out if that road worker came into the truth. However, he did get his books!

The Bike Era

With bicycles becoming popular in the 1930’s, the hard-working colporteurs pedaled, rain or shine, along stony, muddy roads and tracks in order to reach remote farms and villages in these vast territories. Sister Rosa Gustavsson, equipped with strong faith, a good sense of humor, and a bike, tells about her colporteur work in the 1930’s with her sister-in-law, Mirjam Gustavsson:

“We moved from parish to parish, with all the baggage we could carry strapped onto our bikes​—shoes, clothes, washcloth and toothbrush, pots and pans, and, most important, cartons of books and booklets. What a sight! It was not always easy to find lodging. Often we pleadingly prayed to Jehovah for help. I remember one day, after working in service separately all day, Mirjam and I met each other late in the evening. Together, we cycled in the rain toward a dim light we saw in the distance. It was a farmhouse. We were chilled to the bone. It had been a long, exhausting day. Suddenly, we recognized the house. Our hearts sank into our stomachs. ‘Those people are opposed!’ we exclaimed as we looked at each other. A bit hesitant, Mirjam went timidly to the door and asked for lodging. To our surprise and great relief, the family invited us in. They led us to the best room in the house and served us a delicious meal. Full and satisfied, we left the table and were shown to a bedroom that we were to occupy. Well, we could not believe our eyes. The beds were made up with the best linen, more than we could ever afford!

“The night rolled by with pleasant dreams, and morning came all too soon. However, after breakfast was served, we obligingly offered to pay. But they refused our money. How could we show our appreciation? The book Deliverance would lovingly remind them of how we felt. So we asked, ‘May we give this to you as a token of our appreciation?’ ‘Oh, yes, we want that book!’ they quickly responded. ‘One of our acquaintances told us that you had given her one when you stayed with her, and she just loved it.’ Needless to say, this taught us a lesson. You never know what fruitage will result from a single placement of Bible literature.”

Brother Axel Richardson, short in stature but a spiritual giant, relates: “In 1936 my thin-limbed little wife, Asta, and I were assigned to serve in the vast mountainous western part of the province of Jämtland. The only earthly things we owned at that time were two bikes, a tent, a mattress case, and a suitcase. But we were absolutely determined to cover our territory, not leaving any isolated Lapp camp or mountain farm unvisited. Often we hiked in boots, our feet swollen and painful, with daily provisions and literature on our backs and in our arms, for tens of kilometers a day across the rugged and relentless mountains. Axel recalls an experience on an occasion when his wife did not go with him: “A kind man, a stranger, gave me a lift in his motorboat across a lake. After he left me on the shore, I watched him return to the other side. I looked around. There I was all by myself with my bicycle and a heavy book bag in a totally isolated place. I felt so forlorn. There were only three homes in this entire territory. After visiting them, I was impelled to move on. But how? I had the lake on one side and the steep mountain on the other. There was no choice. With the bike on one shoulder and the book bag on the other, I began to climb the mountain. After several exhausting hours of hiking a toilsome ascent, with a sigh of relief I began the descent on the other side. A man who lived lower down on the slope asked, ‘Where in the world did you come from?’ He stared in amazement as I pointed toward that high mountain. ‘You are the first one to come that way,’ he said, ‘and that on a bicycle!’ I felt happy to have made that effort for the sake of the good news.”

Using All Means

By the mid-1930’s about 60 pioneers, like busy bees, used all possible means of transport, including skis, snowshoes, bikes, horse and carriage, buses, trains, and boats, to spread the good news to every corner of the country.

During three months in 1935, two brothers used a motorboat to visit 284 islands along the east coast south of Stockholm and preach to the isolated inhabitants there. They reported that all together they met 1,053 persons and placed 428 books, 1,145 booklets, 68 subscriptions, and 496 copies of the Golden Age magazine. Several of those little islands had never been visited with the Kingdom message before that year.

Great ingenuity was used to spread the good news. In Hjo a small congregation of about ten publishers rented a little truck sometime in the early 1930’s and mounted a canvas hood over the bed of the truck. It was an ideal vehicle for field service. Their ingenuity paid off when sometime later the owner came into the truth. He then remodeled the truck into a minibus, which continued to be used for several years to spread the truth in 6 towns and 132 municipalities.

In 1939 two pioneers, David Börjesson and Elis Hulthén, bought a secondhand 2.5-ton truck. “Enthusiastically we remodeled it into a motor home to use in the pioneer service,” says now aged Elis. Leaning on his walking stick, he continues with a humorous twinkle in his eyes:

“Although the walls were made of thin fiberboard, it looked like an armored car, as we painted it gray. We were four valiant, single brothers living in good fellowship in our ironclad-looking mobile home. We were delighted to use this vehicle on our assignment in central Sweden.

“The second world war was raging in Europe at that time. Naturally, some people became very suspicious when they saw the gray truck parked in their neighborhood. Some people were even afraid of it and made a detour into the woods. Opposed persons sometimes sent the police after us. One night two officers came to check up. After listening to some recorded sermons, which gave them a good witness, they left without issuing a complaint. A chief constable once came to check how many people were in our group. ‘There must be at least ten of them in that truck,’ people had warned him. On another occasion, a farmer came half weeping and pleaded: ‘Please, boys, move that car off my property. Please, do. People have been abusive to me for having you here.’

“Those war winters were extremely cold. At night we tried to heat the truck with a kerosene heater. However, condensation ran down the inside of the berth walls and froze on the floor. One morning, David, in one of the lower beds, complained that he was ice-cold. No wonder, the drawer under his mattress had turned into a solid block of ice. We tried to comfort him by saying: ‘Frozen things never turn moldy.’ All of us became hardy, and we were never sick. This ‛armored car’ helped many rightly disposed persons find the truth.”

Expansion Prior to World War II

The period prior to the second world war saw good expansion. From 1925 to 1938, the number of Kingdom proclaimers increased from about 250 to a peak of 1,427. During those years, these zealous publishers placed approximately five million books and booklets, not to mention the thousands of subscriptions that were obtained and tens of thousands of magazines that were distributed.

These courageous publishers usually gave a thorough testimony. The number of testimonies given to the public was counted during one period in 1932: Approximately 300 publishers, taking part in the witness work each week, reported 515,119 testimonies. That corresponded to one twelfth of the Swedish population!

Efforts to Warn Hitler

After the Nazi horror period began in 1933 in Germany, reports reached Sweden that Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany were under great pressure. The following year a thrilling event occurred when the brothers in Sweden were invited by Brooklyn headquarters to join with their brothers in Germany and in 48 other countries to express themselves in behalf of their German brothers.

After a special gathering in all congregations on Sunday, October 7, 1934, telegrams were sent to Hitler, urging: “Your ill-treatment of Jehovah’s witnesses shocks all good people of earth and dishonors God’s name. Refrain from further persecuting Jehovah’s witnesses; otherwise God will destroy you and your national party.”

A New “Class” Identified

Outstanding news came from the big convention in Washington, D.C., in 1935. Brother Rutherford had presented Scriptural evidence that the “great multitude,” or “great crowd,” of Revelation 7:9 was identical with the ‘Jonadabs,’ the sheep class of Matthew 25:31-46. (Jer. 35:18, 19) Many who had thought of themselves as a secondary spiritual class now realized that they belonged to the “other sheep,” with an earthly hope.​—John 10:16.

A telegram announcing this startling news from Washington, D.C., arrived during one of the sessions at the annual Stockholm convention. It was read to the audience, and enthusiasm ran high among the 300 delegates. An appeal was made that all in attendance should start searching for these other sheep.

The response to this appeal is reflected in the report covering the 1936 service year: “In Sweden this multitude has continued to make itself manifest . . . One hundred and fifty Jonadabs have been reported as having symbolized their consecration to do Jehovah’s will since October 1 last year [1935], and we know of several places where quite a number are just waiting for an opportunity to do so. At each service convention several of this class come forth and start out to witness.”

“Stop Hindering Them”

At the same convention, an important matter regarding a certain group among God’s people was clarified. The children’s share in spreading the good news was discussed. Under the heading “Stop Hindering Them,” the Swedish Bulletin for August 1935 stated in summary:

“It is perfectly all right. . . . Let them begin by accompanying their parents or another grown-up publisher. . . . It will only bring a blessing if they take part in this work​—provided, of course, that it takes place because they have learned from their parents or their companions to love and honor the great God and to rejoice with his Kingdom, as far as they can comprehend.” The young ones just bubbled over with excitement at this great news and were as eager as a team of horses to get started.

Through the Tough War Years

Let us return to the backbone of the work​—pioneer service. During World War II, the pioneers continued even more zealously to spread the truth throughout the country, despite a shortage of money, food, clothing, and fuel. Although Sweden escaped actual warfare, the governmental authorities brought about restrictions and rationing. “As a pioneer during those years, you really had to trust in Jehovah,” says Gustaf Kjellberg, who in the late 1930’s left his career as a wrestler to devote himself fully to the truth. Gustaf, who is still pioneering, recalls:

“During the summer, my fellow pioneer and I lived in a tent, but during the winter, we lodged in private homes. This was often difficult and expensive. In an effort to help, the Society sent us a description of how to build a collapsible trailer that could be pulled behind a bicycle. We immediately had one built.

“It was cold in the winter, as the trailer was made of thin fiberboard. In addition to heating it by burning sticks and pinecones in an iron stove, we wrapped ourselves up in all our clothing to keep fairly warm. One night my companion woke me up and complained that he could not raise his head. No wonder! His thick hair had frozen to the steel frame of his bed! I had to release him by melting the ice with my hands. However, during all the time we lived in that trailer, we were never sick and were able to spend long days preaching the good news. What a wonderful time!”

Ingvar Wihlborg witnessed among the Lapps and covered vast territories in the North in the late 1930’s. He reminisces: “Far north above the Arctic Circle was the sparsely populated stretch, 130 kilometers [80 miles] long, between Kiruna and the Norwegian border. To find my way, I had to walk or ski along the railroad tracks, which I did twice a year. One dark cold evening, a train suddenly came rolling up in back of me. Its powerful snowblower threw me, along with my skis and rucksack, high up into the air and down into a deep valley. Well, it took me a few seconds to get oriented. Thanks to the lights from the Abisko Tourist Hotel, I found my way out. The hotel staff were taken aback as I strode in looking like a snowman. ‘How on earth did you get here?’ they asked. ‘By air,’ I cheerfully retorted. They were kind and treated me to hot cocoa and sandwiches.”

Despite the tough living conditions at that time in Sweden and the extraordinarily cold winters, the zealous pioneers did not slow down in their activity. Jehovah kept their hearts warm. The work steadily expanded during those years. The number of worshipers more than doubled, from 1,427 in 1938 to 2,867 in 1945, after the war.

Opposition Flares Up

Religious spokesmen of Christendom also tried to discourage God’s people. The branch reported:

“By this time there is hardly a newspaper of any sort or description in the country that has not carried one or more spiteful articles denouncing Jehovah’s witnesses as ‘fifth columnists financed by foreign capital,’ ‘an advance guard of Communism,’ ‘false prophets,’ ‘enemies of the state and society,’ etc., etc., using all the usual epithets. Needless to say, it is the clergy who are behind this, . . . and the croakings in the press culminated at the time a big church council was gathered in the capital in the middle of May.”

This flare-up of hatred started just after the Witnesses had enthusiastically distributed 300,000 copies of the booklet Fighting for Liberty on the Home Front. In a furious campaign, the clergy began to use our method, calling on people from house to house and having them read what was written against us.

Campaign Backfired

This campaign, however, resulted in Jehovah’s work receiving more publicity throughout the country than ever before. With renewed strength and courage, the Kingdom proclaimers gladly carried on through both “bad report and good report.”​—2 Cor. 6:8; Ps. 143:10.

The pioneers were again blessed during the 1944 service year. The special pioneers had good reasons to rejoice when they were able to organize 17 new congregations. The other pioneers were also gladdened when 11 new congregations were formed as a result of their efforts. That year 144 new congregations were formed! Thus, the campaign against us backfired. The following is a typical example:

The State Church Board in a country parish decided to demand that two pioneer sisters (1) stop calling on the people with their literature, (2) believe in the Lord Jesus, and (3) take up their abode outside that parish without delay.

The landlord with whom the sisters were staying was also pressured by the local priest to evict them immediately. The letter informing the landlord about the decision made by the board to evict the sisters ended with these words: ‘With hearty greetings to you and them (the two sisters).’ The landlord and his brother, both regular churchgoers, became so disgusted with the false accusations that they stopped going to church and started to attend the studies conducted by the sisters.

Not All Priests Opposed

A pioneer sister invited a brother from a nearby congregation to give a public talk in her territory. To everyone’s surprise, the local priest came, listened attentively, and took notes. Afterward he asked many questions and admitted that the church was wrong in many of its teachings. He complained that people would not come to church even if he were to preach the truth to them.

The brother said that the priest and his colleagues ought to do as Christ and his followers did, that is, go from house to house. The priest replied: “Yes, we ought to do that, but we are cowards and too lazy for it, and besides that we have too much to do about worldly things.” When leaving, the priest shook hands in a friendly manner and thanked the speaker for the talk.

Timidity Overcome

Swedes are by nature rather reserved, and many are not very talkative, being concerned about making blunders. Therefore, it is remarkable that so many Swedes have been able to overcome such traits and boldly go from door to door to fulfill Jesus’ command at Matthew 28:19, 20 to “go” and “make disciples of people . . . , teaching them.”

Jesus also said at Luke 18:27: “The things impossible with men are possible with God.” As Jehovah assisted Moses, when he complained about not being a fluent speaker, by giving him Aaron as a helper, so He has assisted the publishers in Sweden by providing them with different “Aarons,” or speaking instruments, through His organization, as the following examples will show:

“Aaron 1”​—The Testimony Card

One such “Aaron” was the testimony card, introduced in 1934 and used well into the 1940’s. It contained a short printed sermon and a literature offer. The Bulletin explained: “When you visit the homes, this card should be handed to the person opening the door. Let him read it. Then, hand him the brochure​—and all you need to say is that this is the brochure mentioned on the card.” How did it work in practice?

One pioneer recalls: “I did just as we were told. And it usually worked quite well. Sometimes misunderstandings occurred, though. The person simply took my card and went in and closed the door, or he thought I had a speech impediment and compassionately took several books. Some offered me alms to be charitable. Incidents occurred that gave the householders and me many a good laugh.”

These cards were helpful not only in breaking the ice with the householders but also in covering large territories in a short time. Happily, not all Swedes are reticent. Some publishers humorously told the Society that they believed the Lord had made this arrangement to help them ‘overcome the bad habit of wasting time by talking too much.’

“Aaron 2”​—The Phonograph

Another “Aaron” was the portable phonograph, with five-minute records of Bible sermons. This new instrument was put to good use for several years.

In 1937 Brother Eneroth recorded Judge Rutherford’s phonograph lectures in Swedish. When the records became available, the publishers were enthusiastic and went into the territories like swarms of locusts. During the first ten months, 107,077 sermons were played to 153,786 listeners. Brother Eneroth himself was one of the first to use the records. He chuckled as he recalled: “After playing one of these records for a couple in Stockholm, the woman said: ‘Your voice sounds so much like the one we heard. You must have listened to it many times.’”

At first, portable phonographs were rather big and heavy. Soon, however, a small collapsible type that could be carried in a briefcase became available. It was so cleverly constructed that the record was much bigger than the phonograph. When the publisher asked a householder if he could play a recorded Bible lecture, the householder often replied: “I have no phonograph.” Quickly, the publisher whisked out this little phonograph. Curiosity would overtake the householder, and the publisher was invited in. Some people would even ask if the phonograph was for sale. Thus many who otherwise would not have lent their ear to the testimony listened.

The phonograph often helped the brothers to feel more courageous in the service. One brother relates: “I came to a farm where a big party was going on to celebrate a child’s baptism. I asked the host if I could play a recorded Bible lecture. Since the host thought it would add some religious atmosphere to the party, especially as the priest was there, all guests were gathered. They listened attentively, including the priest, who, though, scurried off afterward, much to everyone’s surprise. I answered many questions. Several guests took literature too.”

“Aaron 3”​—The Loudspeaker Outfit

The branch set up special loudspeaker outfits by connecting a phonograph to a loudspeaker system that could be placed on a bicycle trailer. Thus a recorded sermon could be heard throughout a large housing development. Introductory music was played to arouse initial interest and to get people to open their doors and windows and to listen. After the lecture, the brothers visited the homes, answering questions and offering literature.

One zealous brother wanted his neighbors to listen to a sermon while they were digging potatoes in a field. He placed a loudspeaker high up in a pine tree and switched on the phonograph. As the strong, articulate voice filled the air, the people stopped working and listened with mouth open and eyes gazing into the sky, thinking it was a message from heaven!

By the latter part of the 1940’s, the use of phonographs was discontinued. From 1938 to 1943, some 1,200 phonographs were in use and a million and a half people had listened to recorded sermons. During this period, the number of publishers increased from 1,427 to 2,571.

Why did the use of phonographs stop? A far more effective means of spreading the good news came to the fore​—preaching and teaching by the ministers themselves. How was this possible among reticent Swedes?

“Aaron 4”​—The Theocratic Ministry School

What became one of the foremost factors behind the advancement of the Kingdom work in Sweden? The Theocratic Ministry School through which the Witnesses received excellent training.

In 1944, a year after the school started in the United States, it was established in all congregations in Sweden. To begin with, only brothers were enrolled. One brother was appointed by the Society as instructor. The importance of regular attendance was stressed by beginning each meeting with a roll call, which procedure was later abandoned.

The school meant hard work and much soul-searching for many students. One brother recalls: “Even before the meeting, the brothers who were scheduled to have a student talk that night were easily identified. They usually looked pale and moved around as if in a daze.” In one congregation the instructor asked the audience: “What is the first thing you do when you get a speaking assignment?” One brother answered: “I start dreading.”

A district overseer reported: “Many students practice their talks innumerable times in some secluded place at home. One brother, whose mind went blank in the middle of his talk, stopped speaking, stared at his audience for a while, and said: ‘I’m afraid this didn’t go so well.’ Gaining his composure, he exclaimed, ‘But you should have heard me in the woodshed!’”

A circuit overseer recalls: “Some brothers really had to fight hard to overcome their jitters. One brother was to give his first student talk. During the meeting, as he nervously awaited his turn, he had to go outside several times. When finally on the platform, his striking introduction was: “I have gone outside three times to throw up.”

Another brother remembers: “One of the first students in our congregation, tall and handsome, had prepared his talk so well that he knew it by heart. He was full of confidence. But when the big moment arrived, nervousness took over, and he was struck dumb. After what seemed like an eternity, he suddenly greeted the audience with a Hello! This word released his tongue. He regained the power of speech and gave an excellent student talk after all.”

Excellent Results

The Theocratic Ministry School produced not only good public speakers but also good teachers able to speak with people on doorsteps and in homes. When sisters were invited to take part in the training, they also made great strides as Kingdom proclaimers.

Thanks to the school, the young ones in Sweden have made fine progress too. It has motivated many boys and girls to become fully active in the Kingdom work. One seven-year-old boy asked the school overseer if he could be enrolled. The overseer asked, “Why?” The youngster quickly responded, “One cannot idle one’s whole life away!”

Marching in the Streets

The Swedish brothers have eagerly served Jehovah in any way that his organization suggested. For instance, during the 1940’s and early 1950’s, when they learned that the brothers in the United States and England were using sandwich boards and placards, marching to announce the public talk at conventions, such arrangements were enthusiastically made in Sweden too.

Jack Pramberg, who served as a district overseer at that time and arranged for many such marches, recalls: “In wintertime it gets dark very early in the afternoon in the north of Sweden, so we used torches to enhance the effect of our advertising. On one of these occasions, the theme of the public talk was ‘The Only Light.’ As the torchlight procession wound through the town, there was a sudden power failure. The whole town turned pitch-black. Our torches were aflame, though, spreading light on our placards on which people could read: ‘The Only Light.’”

Sven-Eric Larsson, a traveling overseer, remembers: “Sometimes brothers carried through the streets big signs on poles, announcing the public talk at conventions. Out of mere curiosity, in 1948, two lads attended a convention in Örebro. They had not yet decided to become Jehovah’s Witnesses. After one of the sessions, without knowing who they were, I just handed them a placard and told them where to march. Hesitantly, they took it and marched around in the town center. One of them, Lars Lindström, has been a congregation elder for many years now; and the other, Rolf Svensson, is serving as a district overseer.”

Christian Neutrality at Stake

Although Sweden has tried to maintain strict political neutrality, a strong defense with compulsory military service has been preserved. Therefore, the brothers’ integrity to their Christian neutrality has been put to the test. Before World War II, the brothers usually did substitute compulsory civil service, serving as firemen or woodsmen, digging at archaeological sites, and performing a variety of other civil services. Then, as World War II was in progress, they realized that they were actually classified as soldiers at the disposal of military authorities. Thus, they refused such service.

Repeated jail terms ensued, beginning with a one-month sentence for the first time they refused. Soon after they were released, they would again be called up for military service and be sent back to jail for another term, now for two months. Out again, they had to face this same procedure four, five, six, or more times, and each time another month was usually added to the length of the previous sentence. Over many years, hundreds of brothers were imprisoned for a total of almost a thousand years. Werner Johansson, then a pioneer, was sentenced to 12 months​—spread out over 13 years. He said:

“Being drafted time after time and going through one court procedure after the other and wandering in and out of different prisons like that was quite trying. I had a family to care for. But the love and encouragement we received from the brothers and sisters was a wonderful help. After all, it was a thrilling time, and many opportunities opened up to give a witness to all persons involved.”

Sometimes brothers were reviled and scolded by prosecutors and judges. One pioneer, Erik V. Johansson, remembers his first court trial: “The prosecutor and the judge said that they would give me a tough time if I didn’t do my duty. I told them I was prepared to suffer like Daniel when he was thrown into a lions’ den. Then the prosecutor said: ‘It would be interesting to throw Johansson into a lions’ den and see what his faith is worth.’ The next day, when I met the judge, he grabbed me and said: ‘You are a scoundrel, you should be shot, and you probably will be too.’” Well, that has not happened yet. Brother Johansson, now over 80 years old, is still alive and thriving in full-time service.

Authorities Try Desperate Action

It became increasingly evident to the authorities that prison sentences could not break the integrity of these young men. “Judges and prosecutors have been taking part in a game in which they have felt themselves to be helpless counters,” commented a former member of the Swedish parliament regarding the treatment of the Witnesses.

Toward the end of the war, the authorities reflectively made a desperate effort to change the situation. Suddenly, they ordered a mental examination of 126 of Jehovah’s Witnesses who declined to do compulsory work. Had they been declared mentally deficient, the courts would have handled them differently. A branch report says concerning this:

“The examinations took place in three different towns, and each of those examined was questioned by a priest and two doctors during five to six days. The brethren who were subjected to this agreed that it was a most encouraging experience, affording splendid opportunities to give a witness. The priests serving at these examinations were so confused and nervous that even the doctors were amused, and the doctors themselves admitted that Jehovah’s witnesses were, as a rule, very intelligent people of strong convictions and of a high moral standard.”

A Growing Problem

These mental examinations of the Witnesses were soon given up as futile. However, many judges, prosecutors, wardens, prison guards, and even prison chaplains became more and more perturbed. One prosecutor was quoted as saying to parliament:

“Despite being a prosecutor, I do not believe in threats of punishment in this case. . . . Do we really, in this year of 1958, have to be encumbered with such remnants of witch-trials, as these really are, involving what otherwise are blameless persons? It is frightening that they must be mixed with the criminal clientele in our prisons. I must admit that the only time I feel ashamed of my profession as a prosecutor is when I am forced to demand that such persons be punished with a prison sentence.”

The Prisoners’ Prison

As more young men embraced the truth, more were put into prison. The prisons were crowded with criminals, and prison expenditures also ran high. Since our brothers had to be squeezed in here and there to serve their prison terms, the Correctional Administration took the extraordinary step of trying to have Jehovah’s Witnesses run their own prison.

The construction was done by all the inmates, namely Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were left alone for 12 hours a day without prison guards. An official would come from time to time with food and work supplies. Occasionally, an official would appoint two brothers as guards, thus having prisoners guard prisoners. They could hold all meetings and receive visitors all day every Sunday. Witnessing was done by letter. This “prisoners’ prison” was reported in mass media as a ludicrous experiment. The brothers ran it perfectly, however. No escapes or escape attempts occurred.

A Remedy Takes Shape

Gradually, members of parliament and other government officials saw the need for a change of policy. As officials were contacted by the brothers and other sympathetic persons asking for a remedy, attention was drawn to the situation.

One brother who did house painting for a member of the government brought the matter up to him. Later, this person had the brother help him figure out the State’s costs for keeping the Witnesses in prison. Surprised with the results, he promised to show the figures to his colleagues. Also, a tailor in Stockholm had members of parliament as clients, and he would often remind them of the situation, urging them to do something to correct the problem.

In January 1964 the minister of defense formed a committee to propose an amended law. Two representatives of the Society’s branch office were called before the committee to suggest a substitute for compulsory service. However, instead of following the suggestion to free us from any kind of service, the committee proposed the following, according to their official report: “Therefore, it is the opinion of the committee that it should be seriously considered to . . . temporarily declare Jehovah’s Witnesses as unfit, according to the same rules as are applied to certain alcoholics or asocial individuals.”

Clergy on Our Side for a Change

Comparing us with “certain alcoholics and asocial individuals” awoke people’s indignation, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were known as decent and law-abiding citizens. Even church authorities protested. A newspaper quoted the diocese chapter of Härnösand as saying:

“Rightly, the committee regards it an unsatisfactory solution to meet [the Witnesses’] conviction with prison punishment. But because the treatment of this part of the problem ends with a recommendation to put young men who belong to Jehovah’s Witnesses in the same category as asocial persons and alcoholics, the committee is failing in the facts of the matter and in respect for human dignity.” This classification reminded us of Jesus, who was wrongly classified among similar people.​—Matt. 11:19.

The Final Decision

On May 25, 1966, parliament decided that a separate investigation should be made in every case of a conscientious objector who was a Witness. From this investigation, the government would decide not to call him up at present for military service. This victory after years of perseverance was received with great joy. The brothers could now go ahead preaching the good news uninterrupted.

A telegram was sent to the Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn, U.S.A. A Swedish couple, who were attending a large convention in Baltimore at that time, were excited to hear Brother F. W. Franz, then the vice president of the Society, read the telegram to the audience. “He commended the Swedish authorities and called Sweden a model country,” they recall.

The Swedish Model

The procedure defined by the Swedish government has been called the Swedish model by authorities in other countries, who have used it as a reference when trying to work out similar solutions. What exactly is that procedure?

Each one called up must obtain a certificate from elders in his congregation testifying that he is baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and a regular publisher associating with the congregation. The Society’s branch office verifies that the signatures are those of the appointed elders. The draftee submits this certificate and a personally written request for exclusion from conscription to his draft board, which grants exemption from military service for the time being. A similar procedure has been used for some sisters called up for civil defense duty.

Renewed Attempts to Seek Compromise

After this decision was made by parliament, attempts have been made to have us substitute compulsory work for military service. In the early 1970’s, a governmental committee was appointed to review the handling of conscientious objectors. For the sake of uniformity, the authorities wanted Jehovah’s Witnesses to serve on terms similar to those for other religious groups and do compulsory work as a substitute.

Representatives of the branch office appeared before the committee, explaining that the Witnesses could not accept any substitute for military service whatsoever, no matter how praiseworthy the task. They showed that Jehovah’s Witnesses already do a form of social work in their house-to-house ministry, helping people clean up their lives and become decent, law-abiding citizens. Then one of the committee members came up with a most surprising idea.

He wondered if we would agree to engage in that house-to-house ministry on a full-time basis within our own congregations for a period​—corresponding to that of compulsory service—​and report this to the authorities as a substitute. The brothers explained that our service to God can never be compulsory or a State affair. Finally, the committee suggested retaining the 1966 decision, concluding in its final report: “According to the committee’s opinion, there do not exist, at the present, other religious groups in our country that can be compared with Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Leaving the Church by the Thousands

The Witnesses in Sweden not only have firmly safeguarded their neutrality in political affairs but also have loyally heeded the command at Revelation 18:4 to get out of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. In connection with this, January 1, 1952, was a memorable date. A new law governing religious freedom came into force; it granted all Swedish citizens the right to leave the State Church without having to join another religious body recognized by the government.

The procedure was simply to fill out a form or write on a sheet of paper the desire to withdraw from church membership, have someone witness your signature, and leave the document at the parish priests’ office, where the withdrawal was to be registered without objection, queries, or discussion.

Swedes in general did not take advantage of this opportunity, mostly because of indifference. Jehovah’s Witnesses, however, delivered their form to the church as soon as possible. All 5,000 Witnesses at that time withdrew as one man. Many priests were astounded and could not keep from asking questions. A few months later, the branch reported:

“Their visits to the parish priests’ offices in this matter did afford these witnesses many fine occasions to witness to the Kingdom. In several cases the priests procured literature and even attended studies as a result of these interviews in order to find out more about our beliefs. The Bible tracts which appeared in Swedish just at that time came in very handy in this connection. One priest got so interested that the old sister, who constitutes the company [congregation] in that village, has had weekly studies with him in the book ‘Let God Be True’ ever since; and he told a visiting pioneer brother that he was glad that she is calling regularly and keeping him at it.”

Radio Not for Jehovah’s Witnesses

Radio in Sweden has been a State monopoly since broadcasting began. The monopoly means that a board, representing the State, has full control of radio (and now also TV) broadcasting. As Sweden is a democratically governed country where religious discrimination is considered illegal, we have made efforts to get broadcasting time.

In 1953 a pastor gave a 30-minute radio talk in order to “unmask” Jehovah’s Witnesses, without giving us a chance to comment. Afterward two brothers were sent to the head of the department for religious programs, a State Church priest, to ask for permission to broadcast a reply program. One of the brothers recalls:

“He bluntly told us: ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses will never be allowed to broadcast on Radio Sweden. We don’t consider you Christians.’ ‘Why not?’ we asked. ‘You don’t believe in the Trinity. That’s it! By the way, I have heard that you quote the Bible falsely in your literature.’ ‘Any example?’ we asked. ‘I have one of your books here in my bookshelf. Let me show you.’ He pulled out the English edition of ‘Make Sure of All Things’ (a book filled with Bible quotations) and a Bible in English. He began to compare them word for word, continuing for several minutes. Not finding any deviations, he rose and said: ‘Anyway, only Christians are allowed to broadcast,’ and showed us out.”

An Attempt to “Unmask” Backfired

In October 1976 a Radio Sweden official invited us to take part in a series of three programs that, he said, would inform people about us. We accepted after being promised that we would be treated impartially. The programs were to be based on recorded parts of our meetings and on interviews.

While recording, it became obvious to the brothers that the programs were intended as an attack on the Witnesses. The interviewed brothers were showered with biting, provocative questions. However, they answered calmly and factually. The tapes were then edited by the official so the programs would give the worst possible impression.

After the broadcast, the branch office received letters and telephone calls from listeners throughout the country, remarking that they noticed the difference between the Witnesses and their attackers and that the ring of truth sounded through. Incidentally, in November 1976, the month after the broadcast, we noted a new peak of 16,693 publishers of the good news in Sweden! We realized the truth in the Scripture: “Any weapon whatever that will be formed against you will have no success.”​—Isa. 54:17.

Need for a New Branch

During the 1940’s, the number of publishers had more than doubled, from 1,726 in 1940 to 3,702 in 1949. A report in 1949 announced prospects for future increase: “From almost every company, the circuit servants are reporting that there is more interest in the field than the local publishers can take care of.”

They also needed to print the magazines themselves. By 1950 the combined circulation of the two magazines had reached 123,000 copies a month. Printing was still being done by a secular company. The branch office only had room in the cellar for a small hand-fed Diegel press and a job press for printing smaller items. So a more spacious facility was greatly needed. The search for a suitable new place began.

Resolute Action

Lennart Thunberg, an architect, recalls: “We found some interesting places in the center of Stockholm. In addition, the community in Jakobsberg, some 20 kilometers [12 miles] northwest of the city, offered us two adjacent lots. However, we could not dream of moving outside the city after 25 years right in its center.

“We discussed the matter with Brother Knorr, the then president of the Society, during his visit to Sweden in 1951. Brother Eneroth and I recommended some places in the city center. But Brother Knorr, having other prospects in view, asked for something outside Stockholm. We mumbled about the lots in Jakobsberg. ‘Go ahead and buy them!’ he said resolutely.

“Just as the national assembly at Eriksdalshallen in Stockholm was in progress, Brother Knorr wanted to have the contract signed immediately in order to make an announcement. I rushed out to Jakobsberg and, after hours of searching, found the owners of the two lots, had them sign the contract, rushed back to the assembly, and informed Brother Knorr, who confidently announced the project to the joyful and enthusiastic delegates.”

Soon construction work was in full swing. Brother Thunberg continues: “Brothers from all over Sweden supported us by sending sacks of potatoes, newly slaughtered calves, fruit, berries, and many other food supplies. Financially it worked out well too. The company that bought the old place paid cash. The bank that the Society had used for many years granted us credit without security because of the Society’s good reputation. Many brothers also lent the branch money and contributed generously. One sister even sold her business to contribute.”

March 31, 1954, was a historic day, as the new Bethel Home opened in Jakobsberg. The branch family moved from a cramped area of 10,000 square feet [900 sq m] to brand-new facilities covering 38,700 [3,600 sq m] square feet, with plenty of room for modern printing equipment. Starting with the issues of May 15 and July 8, 1954, they printed their own editions of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. It turned out that this place would serve Kingdom interests in Sweden for 26 years.

A Foreign Territory Develops

After World War II, a new territory developed. Guest workers and their families from different countries, primarily from Finland and southern Europe, streamed in and settled. Thousands of refugees from all around the earth also joined Swedish society. Thus, a new foreign population of hundreds of thousands of people, speaking about a hundred languages, was ripe for receiving the good news.

To begin with, the publishers were advised to try to find out the householders’ nationality and obtain a publication in their language to place with them. Those who showed interest would gradually be integrated into the Swedish-speaking congregations. This did not work well in practice. Since many foreigners hesitated to come to the congregations, little progress was made.

In 1970 a change was brought about. During his zone visit, Brother Milton Henschel, from Brooklyn headquarters, recommended that these foreign-language brothers be organized into groups and congregations in their own language. He said that a person will grow quicker spiritually and get a deeper understanding of the truth when studying it in the language he knows best.

Foreign-Language Congregations

In December of that same year, the first foreign-language congregation, the Göteborg Finnish Congregation, was formed. Soon, another one followed in Stockholm. A circuit overseer who assisted in organizing this congregation reported:

“The enthusiasm and joy among the Finnish brothers is running high. From all over, Finnish-speaking brothers and sisters have come forth and, almost overnight, grown into a large, lively congregation. It is as if a warm rain has fallen upon a dry field.” More Finnish-speaking congregations sprang up, until by 1990 there were 33 of them, as well as 12 groups. They were organized into three circuits, embracing over 1,700 publishers and 119 pioneers.

Work soon continued with other language groups. In 1971 a circuit overseer held a “testing-the-interest” meeting for Spanish-speaking persons in Stockholm. Fifty-six came. What has happened since then? Lars-Erik Eriksson at the branch office, who is helping out in organizing the work in the foreign territory, reports: “We now have seven Spanish-speaking congregations plus seven groups. Besides Finnish and Spanish congregations and groups, we have one Italian, four Yugoslavian, three Greek, and three English congregations, plus several groups holding meetings in Yugoslavian, Greek, English, Arabic, and Turkish. Plans to organize a fourth English congregation, three Polish groups, and one French group are also under way. Thus, over 2,700 persons have been found in these foreign territories and brought together in 50 congregations and 28 groups.”

Hunger for the Truth

The following experiences show what a blessing this work among immigrant residents has been to many. Celo Pertot, of Italian origin, who for years has been working with foreign-language congregations, relates:

“A Swedish sister asked me to help her visit some Italian families. I hesitated because I had already been there, and they seemed not the least bit interested. I reluctantly went along. We met a woman I had not seen before. As the sister introduced us in Swedish, the lady began to close the door. Quickly I said in Italian: ‘We talk about the hope God’s Kingdom gives us.’ She began to listen. When we visited her again, she said: ‘Just before your first visit, I had planned to commit suicide. I had prayed to God: “If you exist, why have I lost faith in you, and why do I find life so meaningless?”’ Well, through a home Bible study, she found the real meaning of life. For many years now, she has served as a pioneer, zealous and full of life.”

One woman, before moving to Sweden, had studied with Jehovah’s Witnesses for a time in Chile and was told to look up the Witnesses as soon as she arrived. She tried but without success. One day she happened to leaf through a friend’s telephone notebook and found it in such a mess that she began to sort it out. And guess what she found! The name of a woman scribbled twice on a page, followed by the notation, “estudio de la Biblia” (Bible study). “That must be a Witness,” she thought, and excitedly called the number. It was a Witness! That same evening she attended a book study group in Spanish. She is now a happy, baptized publisher.

One of the traveling overseers met a Spanish woman at a door. As he could speak Spanish, he invited her to a discourse and began witnessing to her. She became so absorbed in the conversation that she forgot the telephone, which she had left off the hook. Her husband, at the other end at his place of work, waited with growing fury. The phone was blocked, and his boss needed to use it. In desperation he went home and became doubly furious when he found out who the visitor had been. Despite this incident, his wife went to the meeting and continued to attend meetings and eventually was joined by her husband. Nine members of that family became baptized Witnesses.

Witnessing Among the Lapps

Preaching among the Lapps, some of whom still live a nomadic life with their reindeer flocks in the snowy North, is a unique experience at times. After having entered the home of a Lapp and having greeted him, do not expect to start a conversation until after a period of silence. Gradually, you may begin to talk about the weather. As you finally direct the conversation to Scriptural things, you may reach a critical boundary.

Some Lapps regard the Bible so holy that they consider most people unworthy to read it. Gustav Kemi, an elder who is a Lapp himself, relates: “When talking to Lapps, especially to older ones, you almost get the impression that they think you should not even talk about the Bible. One elderly Lapp woman said bluntly that “one ought to cry tears of blood before one is worthy enough to open the Bible.” Another Lapp told a child who wanted to look into the Bible: ‛No, no. The Bible is too holy for children.’”

Several Lapps have, however, responded to Bible truths and have taken their stand for Jehovah, although sometimes at a snail’s pace. One Lapp obtained the book Salvation in the early 1940’s. He studied it and took it to heart but kept silent about it for some ten years. Then he visited another Lapp who was a Witness. He wondered why Jehovah’s Witnesses do not smoke or take snuff. He was satisfied with the answer; the next time he met the Witness, he happily said: “Now I have quit taking snuff. My children have hidden all my snuffboxes.” He was baptized shortly after that.

Theocratic Marriage Ceremonies, a Step Forward

Jehovah’s Witnesses have always worked at “legally establishing” the good news. (Phil. 1:7) Since marriage is a divine arrangement, Witness ministers want to conduct Christian marriage ceremonies. Prior to March 19, 1981, however, couples who were Jehovah’s Witnesses could be married only by a secular registrar. Since then, appointed congregation overseers, personally authorized by the government, may conduct marriage ceremonies in Kingdom Halls.

To be authorized, these overseers must attend a course for registrars. Guided by the world headquarters, the branch supplied this course, containing marriage code laws, the law of names, population registration regulations, the criminal code where applicable, and other related details. The overseers’ knowledge and qualifications are then tested by the president of their local district court. On his recommendation, the government makes appointments.

Many non-Witness relatives visit the Kingdom Halls to attend wedding ceremonies, and they receive a good witness as a result, even good advice on marriage duties and privileges. Some couples who got married before this arrangement humorously say they would like to be remarried under this theocratic arrangement.

“Beautiful, joyful, and filled with humor and warmth,” a news reporter described a ceremony in a Kingdom Hall, continuing: “A theocratic marriage is neither as strictly formalistic and filled with ceremonies as in the State Church, nor as bombastic. It is intended to be a joyful event without losing its dignity.”

Sweden’s Third Branch Committee Coordinator

In 1975 Brother Eneroth, the second Branch Committee coordinator, who was then 83 years old, could look back over his 50 years of faithful service in that capacity. How the Kingdom work grew during those years​—from about 250 publishers in 1925 to 16,000 then! With a glow of joy and warm satisfaction in his heart, he realized that the time had arrived for another brother to care for the responsibility. After having assisted Brother Eneroth for years, Brother Bengt Hanson was appointed to take care of coordinator responsibilities.

Asked to relate some of his theocratic history, Brother Hanson recalls: “At 16 years of age, I moved from my father’s farm to a nearby town, where a Bible study was started with some of my brothers and sisters and me. I began to attend meetings. I soon realized what this would mean, namely, reading aloud, leading in prayer, and giving talks before an audience. This was to become a real test for me, since I had great problems in reading aloud and performing in class at school. Love for Jehovah and a fervent desire to devote myself completely to full-time service was of great help. But, I must admit, I was deeply grieved at my handicap. I almost panicked when asked to speak extemporaneously.

“Then, I did something that would be of great importance to me in my life ahead. In despair at my handicap, I prayed to Jehovah and thanked him for opening up my heart to the truth, and I promised to devote my life to his service even, if necessary, unto death. I promised never to withdraw.

“Why did this prayer become so decisive in my life? Because, whenever I have been scared, I have always been able to refer back to it. This has helped me to stick to my duties. So, when looking back over the 40 years since I said that prayer, I must say that Jehovah has​—at times in an almost humorous way—​let me realize what it all involved.

“From then on, I was almost thrown into one assignment after another, requiring full confidence in Jehovah. At the age of 18, half a year after my baptism, I was assigned to give public talks. Within a year, I became a pioneer. Eight months later, I was called to Bethel. Then I was sent out into the circuit work, even though only 22 years old. At the age of 30, I was assigned to district work, but before I got started, my wife, Ulla, and I were invited to attend the first ten-month course at Gilead School in Brooklyn, in 1961. We were then assigned to work at Bethel in Sweden. We are still here, happily serving Jehovah with all our strength.

“Some may wonder if I ever got rid of that original handicap. Well, I don’t want to say I have, even if I believe that I am doing better now. I feel that the Lord’s words to Paul at 2 Corinthians 12:9 also apply to me: ‘My undeserved kindness is sufficient for you; for my power is being made perfect in weakness.’”

Arboga​—The Place for a New Center

On September 8, 1978, a strong and eager brother with a chain saw cut down the first tree in a stony woodland area on the outskirts of Arboga. Why? To clear the site for a new center of Kingdom work! This marked the end of a long period of planning and negotiation and the beginning of the construction of a building complex that would become, as a newspaper reporter put it, “the most outstanding and biggest ever built by volunteer workers in this country.”

The Bethel family had already outgrown the 26-year-old branch complex in Jakobsberg some years earlier. After many and frequent prayers, as well as two years of searching for a suitable place, we decided to build in Arboga, which is strategically situated close to the busy European Highway 3 between Sweden’s two largest cities, Stockholm and Göteborg.

A Unique Building Project

During the next two and a half years, some 5,000 volunteers from Sweden and neighboring countries worked on the site free of charge for shorter or longer periods. Normally, building workers do not live in a comfortable hotel while working, but the Society had bought an old hotel with apartments and rooms in town, which were renovated and then used as living quarters for the volunteer workers. After the project was completed, the hotel was sold.

Construction work was a joyful task. But it had some problems. “We will never forget that first winter,” Gunnar Heinstedt, one of the organizers, says, continuing: “It was considered one of the coldest winters of the century. During some periods, while we were preparing the foundations, the temperature went down to minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22° F.). The ground was as hard as flint. We had to cover large parts of the site with tarpaulins and blow hot air underneath, using oil drums as heaters. Bravely we carried on! It was one of the most joyful experiences in my 35-year career as an architect and builder.”

New Facilities Greatly Appreciated

Although December 23, 1980, was one of the darkest days of the whole year in Arboga​—the sun rose at 8:55 in the morning and set at 2:50 in the afternoon—​it was the brightest and happiest of all the days of the building period. The new branch was dedicated to Jehovah God on that day! Brother Milton Henschel of the Governing Body gave the dedication talk, encouraging the brothers to continue wholeheartedly doing the will of God while using the new building.

One member of the Bethel family said: “On the day we left the cramped branch facilities in Jakobsberg and moved over to this brand-new spacious Bethel complex, we felt like calves being let loose in the spring.” Its 215,000 square feet [20,000 sq m] of floor space and its 30 acres [12 ha] of wooded grounds and gardens gave the family a welcome feeling of openness and tranquillity. The beautiful park, recreation facility, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and lovely flower beds created a wholesome environment for the full-time workers, spurring them on to greater activity.

New Presses Speed Up the Work

The new factory allowed the brothers to use better and more-effective printing equipment. They switched from the old, slow presses to the M.A.N. converted rotary offset press from Brooklyn. It served for over five years but then was replaced by a four-color press in May 1989. An identical press was installed the following year. In 1990 monthly production reached almost 800,000 copies of the two magazines in Swedish and Norwegian. Inge Olofsson, factory overseer and member of the Branch Committee, says:

“Our first press, a foot-operated, hand-fed Diegel from the 1940’s, stands in a corner at the new branch like a museum piece as a reminder of the wonderful development of the work we have witnessed throughout the years. It reminds us of what Jesus said: ‘The things impossible with men are possible with God.’”​—Luke 18:27.

Fine Growth of Kingdom Interests

When one reflects on the nearly century-long Kingdom effort in Sweden, the many obstacles experienced along the way are evident, such as growing materialism, religious indifference and atheism, public opposition and ridicule, and the characteristic reserved nature of Swedes in general. Despite all such things, Jehovah’s Witnesses, because of their love for neighbor and love for God, pushed forward with the good news into every nook and cranny. Many people are still impressed by the wonderful message that the Witnesses are bringing them.

Erik Nordström, a district overseer, remembers: “My wife and I started out in the traveling service 37 years ago, and we have visited more than 300 congregations in Sweden several times over in the circuit and district work. We have traveled over 124,000 miles [200,000 km] throughout this long and narrow country. Neither the cold weather and blizzards of the North, beyond the Arctic Circle, nor the sun and heat of the South could stop us.

“Yes, after 45 years of full-time service, we can look back on a thrilling time of spiritual progress in Sweden. Contrary to what the old world has experienced, the theocratic society has always moved forward.”

“The Kingdom interests are firmly established in every part of this country,” says Rune Grahn, overseer of the branch Service Department. He reports: “We now have 338 congregations scattered all over the country​—from the southernmost tip to far beyond the Arctic Circle into the land of the midnight sun. We have 15 Swedish circuits and 8 in foreign languages, assembling regularly in four Assembly Halls, geographically covering the whole country. We had a peak of 22,742 publishers of the Kingdom in August 1990, of whom almost 1,700 were regular pioneers. There were 38,339 in attendance at the Memorial in 1990, promising further increase as long as Jehovah allows us to continue with this work.”

Step by step, the work in Sweden has progressed over the years. The brothers and sisters have shown stamina, faith, and endurance. Loyally and eagerly they continue to obey the wishes of their heavenly Father as expressed through his earthly organization. Therefore, they look to the future with confidence for Jehovah’s continued blessing. They keep praying that they will remain loyal to our God, who is doing such wondrous things in Sweden as well as in more than 200 other lands. “For you are great and are doing wondrous things; you are God, you alone.”​—Ps. 86:10.

[Chart on page 185]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Sweden 28,000

1950 4,460

1960 8,593

1970 11,696

1980 17,311

1990 22,742

Peak Publishers

4,000

1950 178

1960 314

1970 754

1980 1190

1990 2,724

Av. Pioneers

[Box/​Map on page 116]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Atlantic Ocean

NORWAY

North Sea

DENMARK

Copenhagen

SWEDEN

Kiruna

Arctic Circle

Härnösand

Sundsvall

Uppsala

Arboga

Jakobsberg

Örebro

Grums

Stockholm

Göteborg

Malmö

Baltic Sea

FINLAND

[Box]

SWEDEN

Capital: Stockholm

Official Language: Swedish

Major Religion: Lutheran

Population: 8,574,698

Branch Office: Arboga

[Picture on page 118]

Restful havens abound during autumn days in Sweden

[Picture on page 129]

Rosa and Arthur Gustavsson, busy in Kingdom preaching together for 59 years

[Picture on page 136]

Overseers from northern European countries. From left to right: Taylor (Latvia), Eneroth (Sweden), Harteva (Finland), Dey (general overseer), Lüttichau (Denmark), Öman (Norway), West (Estonia)

[Picture on page 137]

Johan H. Eneroth became branch overseer in 1925

[Picture on page 139]

William Dey became overseer of the Society’s new Northern European Office in 1925

[Picture on page 140]

Branch office, Luntmakaregatan 94, Stockholm, was bought in 1929. It served the Kingdom interests for 25 years

[Picture on page 141]

The good news traveled deep into the forests of northern Sweden

[Pictures on page 143]

All ready for a Sunday of preaching outside Stockholm

A group from Lulea will soon board the car to go preaching just south of the Arctic Circle

[Picture on page 145]

Asta and Axel Richardson served in the province of Jämtland during 1936

[Picture on page 147]

The early Witnesses in Hjo used a minibus to cover a territory of 1,900 square miles [5,000 sq km]

[Picture on page 150]

Never too young to serve the Kingdom

[Picture on page 155]

Portable phonographs were used to broadcast the good news. Why could they be called “Aaron 2”?

[Pictures on page 160]

Young publishers of the good news with their mother in Värnamo, 1946

Sandwich men advertising a public meeting in Stockholm

[Picture on page 170]

Branch office was in Jakobsberg from 1954 to 1980

[Pictures on page 176, 177]

Branch office and Bethel Home in Arboga was dedicated December 23, 1980. The Society’s president, F. W. Franz, in white hard hat, visited building site shortly before completion of branch

[Picture on page 178]

Branch Committee. From left to right, Åke Carlsson, Rune Grahn, Bengt Hanson, and Inge Olofsson

[Pictures on page 183]

New press replaces older M.A.N. rotary press. New press prints Bible publications in full color

[Pictures on page 184]

Witnessing to fishermen at Djupvik on the island of Gotland and in a backyard in Ystad, a small city in the south

Thailand

1991 Yearbook Report

FRANK DEWAR was a New Zealander and well acquainted with adversity. After all, he was one of the seven who sailed the South Pacific in the mid-1930’s on a 52-foot [16 m] ketch called Lightbearer. For the previous six years, he had trekked through New Zealand and ridden the waves to Australia, Tahiti, and Rarotonga, of the Cook Islands, with a burning missionary zeal. He had a message to preach. And did he preach about God’s Kingdom! Not content with evangelizing in the South Pacific, he set his sights on frigid Siberia. So, during July 1936​—a hot, steamy, monsoon-wet month—​what was he, at 27 years of age, doing in the strange city of Bangkok, where he knew not a soul and did not speak the language?

He and his partners, six other pioneers, or full-time preachers, had been asked by the Watch Tower Society’s branch office in Australia to select a country in the Far East as their witnessing territory. Frank singled out Siam, now called Thailand, figuring that was the nearest spot to the Soviet Union.

So, from Australia, Lightbearer, with the seven courageous pioneers aboard, set sail for Singapore. After preaching for a while in Singapore and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now part of Malaysia), Frank packed his belongings, bought a ticket, and with five dollars left in his pocket, boarded the train headed for Bangkok, where he arrived on July 22, 1936.

The train ride to Bangkok was long and wearying and sultry and sweaty; the quarters were tight, but Jehovah God was evidently looking after young Frank​—for a great work lay before him. However, Frank was not the first one to bring the good news to Siam. Claude Goodman was.

The good news of God’s Kingdom reached Thailand for the first time in 1931, when Claude Goodman from England visited Bangkok, the capital. He had begun pioneering in India in 1929. After working in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Burma (now Myanmar), and Malaya, he had to wait in Penang for a ship bound for Calcutta, India. Buying out this opportune time, he took the train to Bangkok and preached from house to house there for about one week, leaving stacks of Bible literature in English in the hands of interested people. Little did Claude know how difficult it would be to sustain the interest among the Thai. What are they and their country like?

The “Land of Smiles”

Have you ever heard of the “land of smiles”? Perhaps you have a Siamese cat. Likely you have heard of Siamese twins. These names are associated with the Kingdom of Thailand, an exotic country in Southeast Asia.

Bordered by Myanmar on the west, Laos on the north and northeast, Cambodia (Kampuchea) on the east, and Malaysia on the south, Thailand is about the size of France. Its 56 million inhabitants enjoy a tropical climate year-round. Expanses of fertile land, especially in the central plains, and ideal growing conditions make it a natural rice bowl. Its more than 1,600 miles [2,600 km] of coastal waters of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, which is an arm of the Indian Ocean, teem with marine life.

India and especially China have cast long shadows here. India dispersed the Hindu and Buddhist faiths across the “land of smiles” by means of her traders. But more than a thousand years ago, Thai people began spreading south from China. Thus, many of the Thai can trace their lineage back to those who migrated from southern China.

Since 1939 the country’s official name has been Thailand, an indication of the love of freedom its people have. How so? “Thailand” means “Land of the Free,” and while most of its neighbors were colonized during the previous centuries, Thailand managed to maintain its political independence. Another kind of liberty, however, had not been known in that country for a long time, until Goodman and then Dewar arrived. Let us see how that liberty grew among a non-Christian populace living in a land found in a “most distant part of the earth.”​—Acts 1:8.

Religiously a Faraway Place

Ever since its emergence as a nation in the 13th century, Thailand has been a Buddhist country. About 95 percent of the population are Buddhists, 4 percent are Muslims, and less than 1 percent profess to be Christians. Thai Buddhism is of the Theravada, or Hinayana, branch and is very tolerant. Because of the common belief that all religions are good, people frequently practice Buddhism and Confucianism at the same time. Animism is still very deeply rooted. And Brahmanism has been superimposed on many Buddhist practices.

The effects of past deeds, or Karma, are accepted in Buddhism as being responsible for one’s present station in life. Since Buddhist philosophy gives practically no thought to the existence of a superhuman being, there is no consciousness about being accountable to someone higher. Buddhists rely on themselves to gain knowledge and enlightenment. “Lord Buddha,” as the Thai respectfully call him, neither taught about God nor denied his existence.

In view of the religious environment, Thailand has indeed been a faraway place with regard to Bible truth. Christendom’s missionaries began to arrive in Thailand in the 16th and 17th centuries. Though they tried to acquaint people with the Bible, they did not help them to ‘know the truth that will set one free.’ (John 8:32) For this the Thai had to wait until well into the 20th century​—for people like Frank Dewar.

Message of Liberty Reaches Thailand

The 950 miles [1,500 km] by train from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok crept slowly by for Brother Dewar. He sat upright in a crowded third-class coach for a grueling 36 hours. “I was pretty wobbly from the injuries I had sustained from an accident in Kuala Lumpur a few months earlier,” he said. “But Jehovah, through his angels, provided for me.”

Traveling on the same train was a friendly young Thai, son of a former Thai ambassador to The Court of St. James’s in England. When he learned about Frank Dewar’s purpose in coming to Thailand and that Frank’s total capital was some five dollars, he kindly looked after Frank for a while. In that way, Frank got on his feet in the new country.

Frank set to work at once spreading the Bible-based message of spiritual liberty, and for the remainder of the first year, he preached extensively in the business and residential sections of the city, concentrating on the English- and Chinese-speaking population. There was no Bible literature available yet in Thai.

More Foreign Pioneers Join

Later, on a trip to Malaya, Frank met a tall and cheerful German pioneer, Willy Unglaube, from Königsberg in East Prussia, then a part of Germany. As a zealous and adventurous pioneer, Willy had already preached in several countries, including France, Algeria, and Spain, and on the island of Corsica. At a convention in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1936, Joseph F. Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, suggested to Willy and his partner, Kurt Gruber, that in view of the civil war raging in Spain, it would be better for them to preach somewhere else. They searched the Yearbook to see where pioneers were needed and chose Singapore, Malaya, and Thailand. So when Frank Dewar returned to Thailand in early 1937, he was accompanied by Willy Unglaube. However, Kurt Gruber stayed on in Malaya.

In 1938 these two hardworking pioneers in Thailand were joined by John Edward (Ted) Sewell, a young Australian pioneer. Ted was fairly new in the truth, having been baptized for only two years. But at an assembly in Sydney in 1938, when Brother Rutherford called for brothers to serve in the countries of the Far East, Ted did not hesitate to make a decision. Like so many of the early pioneers, at once he said: “Here I am! Send me.”​—Isa. 6:8.

In September 1939, while preaching in Penang, Malaya, Kurt Gruber was told by a friendly police official that Great Britain had declared war on Germany and that all German nationals found in British territories would be interned for the duration of the war. He advised Brother Gruber to leave Malaya immediately. Kurt jumped into his car, raced to his place of residence to pick up his personal belongings and, with the help of the official, passed the checkpoints without any trouble. He succeeded in engaging passage on a Chinese junk to Bangkok, with his car hidden under a big heap of coconuts. Great was the joy of now having four pioneers in the large field in Thailand!

Pioneering and Bedbugs

Preaching the good news was by no means easy. Although the Thai are generally very kind and hospitable, in that pretourism era, very few had direct contact with outsiders. Thus, they were not inclined to be outgoing with foreigners. The language barrier compounded the problem, as the pioneers spoke very little Thai. The publications they offered were also foreign not only in content but also in language.

On top of that, obstacles caused by the religious environment and the people’s way of thinking created more challenges. Being satisfied with their own tolerant and convenient religion, the Thai are usually not searching for something better, nor do they yearn for a Messiah to bring them deliverance.

The conditions there also required that the pioneers be content with little materially and that they get along with fewer conveniences than formerly. Having to support themselves, these roving pioneers could not afford the kind of accommodations enjoyed by other foreigners, who were there on business. On arriving in a new town, a pioneer would stay in a cheap hotel that, in most cases, was operated by Chinese. Frank Dewar remembers:

“At the railway station or at the bus or boat terminal, I would hire one ricksha for myself and another one to take my several cartons of books. For perhaps 25 satang (about 10 cents at the time), they would take me to a small hotel, where I would see the clerk and move in. The clerk would give me a small kerosene lamp and ask a room boy to take me along. The boy would show me the room, hand me a small towel, and tell me where the bathroom and toilet were. When the boy had gone, I would pour the contents of the kerosene lamp over the bed to discourage the multitudes of bedbugs, get the lamp refilled, have a bath, eat, read a bit, and finally get under the mosquito net and sweat off to sleep in that very tiny, stuffy room.”

Traveling in those days had its own characteristics too. Describing a train trip from Bangkok to the northern city of Chiang Mai, one pioneer said: “[We] had to stand all night on the platform [of the car] because there wasn’t a square inch of sitting space left; not only that, but the [train] corridors were full of bags and baskets, some of which had ducks and fowls in them, and people were squatting on these too. As the train got farther north we were sprayed with water at each station, as it was the time of the water-throwing festival, which the Siamese greatly enjoy. Traveling in the country districts is by bus in the dry season; these too, we found, were always packed with people and livestock. Or sometimes we would all have to get out while a load of rice was taken on, then we had to climb in as best we could and make the most of it.”

Prayers for a Translator Answered

During those first few years, much seed of Kingdom truth was sown in the Thai field, both in the capital and in the provinces. While working for about four months in towns of the north, Brother Dewar was able to place 2,491 books and booklets. During the 1939 service year, the three pioneers then there placed a total of 4,067 bound books and 14,592 booklets and obtained 113 subscriptions. All this literature, however, was in either English, Chinese, or Japanese. No publications were yet available in the local language except for the booklet Protection, which had been translated into Thai by a student in exchange for a set of English books.

The pioneers felt a translator was desperately needed​—one who was a dedicated servant of Jehovah and would have a fervent desire to make the precious truths about Him and His Kingdom available to the Thai people. Brother Unglaube wrote to Brother Rutherford, stating that they had no translator. Brother Rutherford replied: “I am not in Thailand; you are there. Have faith in Jehovah and work diligently, and you will find a translator.” The pioneers had faith and they persevered. Jehovah did not disappoint them.

During December 1939, Kurt Gruber and Willy Unglaube journeyed north to Chiang Mai, where they found the translator they had been praying for​—Chomchai Inthaphan. At the time, she was headmistress of the Presbyterian Girls’ School. Having studied at the University of Manila in the Philippines, she was well educated in the Thai and English languages. Having also a deep love of God and being zealous to serve him, she soon realized that what the two pioneers preached was the truth.

Despite opposition from the Presbyterian missionaries and enticing offers from the school, Chomchai turned in her resignation and served notice that she was leaving the church.a While still working at the school, continuing there until the end of the school year, she started translating the Salvation book. Later, when a branch office was established in Bangkok, Chomchai became one of the first members of the Bethel family. For many years Chomchai did all the translating. As a lover of felines, she also took her Siamese cat to Bethel. Though suffering from various crippling diseases during the last ten years of her life, she continued faithful in her dedicated service until her death in 1981 at the age of 73.

First Local Publishers

It appears that before getting to Chiang Mai in December 1939, Brothers Gruber and Unglaube worked the northern towns of Phrae and Nan. In Phrae a nurse obtained the booklets Home and Happiness and Protection and gave them to her friend Buakhieo Nantha, who was a nurse in Nan, and told her that the two foreigners would be coming to Nan shortly. Buakhieo, though raised a Buddhist, had become a Presbyterian two years earlier, after studying at a Presbyterian boarding school and receiving nurses’ training at a church hospital in Chiang Mai. She read the booklets with great interest. So by the time the two pioneers came to Nan, she was ready to study the Bible.

When Buakhieo was sent to Chiang Mai for more training, she again met Kurt and Willy, who by then were holding regular meetings with a group of interested persons. Chomchai had introduced the pioneers to the headmaster of the Presbyterian seminary, Kham-ai Chaiwan. After discussing the subjects of the Trinity, hell, and soul, he realized that Jehovah’s Witnesses were teaching the truth he had been searching for. He had compassion on Kurt and Willy and invited them to leave the hotel and move into his house. He made good progress in the truth. When put under pressure by his employer to compromise Bible principles, he would not budge, even though it meant losing his job and promised pension.

After four years of hard work, the efforts of the four foreign pioneers began to produce fruit. In 1940 Buakhieo Nantha, Chomchai Inthaphan, Chomchai’s fleshly sister Kaeomalun, and Kham-ai Chaiwan and his wife, Buakhieo, were baptized as the first local Witnesses of Jehovah in Thailand.

From Relative to Relative

As Jesus’ early followers were eager to tell their relatives about having found the Messiah, so these new disciples did not hesitate to preach the good news to their families and friends. (Compare John 1:41.) Brother Kham-ai had a relative, Kham Raksat, who was an elder in the church in San Kamphaeng, not far from Chiang Mai; in fact, he had built the church. Kham, like Kham-ai, was a sincere man, searching for the truth. He invited Kurt, Chomchai, and her sister Kaeomalun to his church to preach and explain the Bible. Incensed about this, the Presbyterian missionaries had some schoolteachers chase the Witnesses away. Such unchristian conduct, however, made Kham more determined than ever to continue studying the Bible with the Witnesses. Some years later, a congregation was established in San Kamphaeng. Kham became the presiding overseer, and he proudly affixed the sign “Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses” to his house. In later years many members of the Chaiwan and Raksat families came into the truth.

It was after long and deep discussions that Chomchai and Kaeomalun were able to convince their mother of the truth. She, like all the other early Witnesses in Thailand, was formerly a nominal Christian, and she had been very active in the local church at Ban Paen, some 20 miles [30 km] south of Chiang Mai. Her leaving the church caused quite a stir in the village. But her resoluteness and courage had good results when several persons in that village accepted the truth, and in time a congregation was formed.

From Chomchai’s mother, the truth was spread to Chomchai’s cousin’s family in Chom Thong, a district in Chiang Mai province, where another group of Witnesses was formed later.

So the first ones to respond favorably to the preaching of the good news in Thailand, especially in the northern part of the country, where Protestant groups existed in several towns and villages, were people with a nominal Christian background. It would yet take quite some time before the first Buddhist embraced Bible truth.

Work Continues in Spite of World War II

Since Thailand remained neutral during the first part of World War II, the foreign pioneers and local publishers were able to continue unhindered with their preaching. While Kurt Gruber and Willy Unglaube were having those thrilling experiences in the northern provinces, Ted Sewell remained in the capital, where an interested Sri Lankan family joined him in the witnessing work. In 1941, when Sister Chomchai moved to Bangkok, this family kindly received her into their home. Gradually, others, mainly Chinese, showed interest, and a congregation was organized.

Edith Mungsin, now in her 80’s, still remembers her first encounter with the congregation in Bangkok: “I came in contact with the Bible in a Protestant school. Following the death of our English father during the first world war, my three sisters and I were sent to a Protestant boarding school in Chiang Mai, where we also had Bible classes. So I learned about the history of Jesus Christ from childhood, and deep love and respect for him took root in my heart. However, quite a few questions about the Bible remained unanswered, as I was too timid to ask anybody, and we students were afraid of the teachers. Later on, I lived for a while in Singapore and returned to Thailand in 1941. On a trip to Chiang Mai, I also visited Kham-ai Chaiwan, whom I remembered as a leader among the Presbyterian community there. Since I was in a hurry to catch the train to Bangkok that day, he could hardly witness to me. But he gave me three booklets anyway and urged me to read them.

“On the train, I hurriedly took out the booklets and read them from cover to cover. I felt thrilled by the explanations of Bible teachings and at the same time astonished because this information was so different from what we had been taught in school. Wanting to find out what the truth was, I searched for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Bangkok. When I found their meeting place, they were just then having a Bible study. So I sat down and joined them. One of the 12 assembled I knew very well​—Chomchai, who had been a teacher in the school that I used to attend; we were very happy to meet again.

“Because of my increasing knowledge and understanding of the Bible, I stopped going to church. I also removed the cross from my neck. Two elders of the church visited me at my house and tried to make me return to church, telling me: ‘Don’t believe those false witnesses!’ I told them, ‘Let me study the Bible and make sure first. If Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong, I will return to your church.’ They never came back.”

Japanese Invasion Causes Hardships

As World War II raged on and Japan expanded its influence in the Asian and Pacific regions, Thailand finally felt the sting of war. George Powell, an Australian who had looked after the Society’s literature depot in Singapore before the work was banned there and who then moved to Thailand, remembers how, one morning in December 1941, Sister Chomchai came running down the stairs, calling out, “It’s happened!” Yes, the announcement had just come over the radio that the Japanese march into Thailand had begun. Though the Japanese military forces did not interfere very much with the daily life of the local people, economic conditions deteriorated. (The infamous bridge over the river Kwai [Khwae Noi] and the “death railroad” were built by foreign prisoners of war.) And the occupation by a foreign power that was an ally of Nazi Germany was bound to touch the preaching work of the Witnesses.

In 1941, after having served in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia), two German pioneers, Hans Thomas and Wolfhelm Fuchs, were reassigned to the still-neutral Thailand. After the Japanese invasion began, however, all the foreign pioneers experienced obstacles in their preaching either because they were nationals of countries with which Japan or its ally Germany was at war or because they were nationals of Japan’s ally that bitterly opposed Jehovah’s Witnesses. In Japan itself the Witnesses had already been banned for some years.

Not many days after the invasion, the Japanese authorities had the Thai police arrest George Powell and Ted Sewell and put them into an internment camp in Bangkok for the remaining three years and eight months of the war. In 1942 the Germans Kurt Gruber, Hans Thomas, and Wolfhelm Fuchs were arrested, and the literature at the depot was confiscated. Willy Unglaube escaped arrest, since he was up-country at the time. Though the Japanese authorities tried hard to find him, he eluded capture throughout the war.

The local publishers, for the most part, were left unharmed. Nevertheless, when they preached from house to house, especially in Bangkok, Japanese plainclothesmen would follow them. Often, after a publisher would come out of a house, these men would go in and interrogate, sometimes even threaten, the householder.

One incident happened while Sisters Chomchai and Buakhieo were preaching in the northern town of Nan. The police searched their bags and took the sisters to the police station. Even a local church elder, Duangkaeo Jarityonphan, with whom they had had several discussions, was arrested. Chomchai and Buakhieo were kept in police custody for days before the case was resolved. Apparently they had been falsely accused of being fifth columnists by a Roman Catholic priest who did not like their witnessing. By the way, Duangkaeo, the church elder, eventually came into the truth.

Cut Off​—But Cared For

After their arrest, the three German pioneers were detained by the Japanese military. Uninterrupted interrogation, along with cruel beatings, lasted for three days and three nights. The officers told them to sign a statement in Japanese, which they would not translate. When the brothers refused, one officer shouted angrily, “We don’t care what you say about the Kingdom of heaven, but as for the earth, the Japanese are going to rule that!”

Hans Thomas relates: “Since we were not Nazis, the German embassy did absolutely nothing for us. In fact, we were told, ‘You know what would have been done with you in Germany!’ Finally, after having been held in military confinement for weeks and weeks, we made a request to the Thai authorities please to do something in our behalf. After all, we had legally immigrated to Thailand to carry on our missionary work with the permission of the government. And as we had done nothing against the Thai government, we saw no reason why the Japanese military authorities should keep us in confinement. Since Thailand was known as a land of free people and was not legally under Japanese rule but only in a treaty of friendship with Japan, we requested to be handed over to the Thai authorities. Our request was finally granted.”

The pioneers were taken to the CID (Central Investigation Department) offices in Bangkok and kept there. The local brothers could visit them and supply them with the daily necessities of life. While they were at the CID, a report was received about the case of the sisters who had been arrested in Nan. The official in charge was also working on the case of the German brothers. When he read the report from Nan, he said, “Oh, Chomchai! Watchtower! I know these people. They are not dangerous.” Word was sent to Nan to release the Witnesses and drop the case. Not long after that, Kurt, Hans, and Wolfhelm were also freed. Incidentally, this official had previously been to the brothers’ home in Bangkok to study the Bible.

The German pioneers were cared for also in another way. Being cut off from all communication with Jehovah’s organization abroad, they were, so to speak, left on their own. At the same time, they had to be very circumspect to avoid being caught by the Japanese authorities. Some months before the Japanese invasion, the pioneers had conducted a Bible study with the manager of a Swiss import and export firm. This friendly man now came to the pioneers’ aid, engaging them as salesmen of stationery on a commission basis. This kind of job suited them well. They were able not only to cover their daily needs but also to save enough money to print booklets locally to replenish their dwindling literature supplies. And when there seemed to be trouble brewing in the territory, they could always dig out some stationery from the bottom of their big bags.

The two Australian pioneers in the internment camp were not “left in the lurch” either. (2 Cor. 4:9) George Powell says: “Our faithful German brothers and Thai sisters never failed us during those uncertain days. The fruit they brought was most welcome, but the interchange of encouragement with them was something even more refreshing that made our lives more bearable and full of hope.”

What did the brothers do after the Japanese occupation had cut off all supplies of spiritual food? They continued having regular meetings, including their weekly Watchtower Study. When no new issues were available anymore, they started using older ones, in reverse order. “The Watchtower of November 1941, with the article ‘Demon Rule Ending,’ was the last one we had received,” Brother Thomas recollects. “From this issue we studied backward year by year, hoping that one day the war would end and we would be able to get in touch with the Society. More than four long years passed. We were in the process of studying The Watchtowers of 1936 when new magazine issues began to arrive.”

Strengthened for Postwar Activity

On November 24, 1945, almost four years to the day after communications were disrupted, a cable was received from the office of the Society’s president in Brooklyn, U.S.A., informing the brothers that the worldwide witnessing work now was greater than ever before. After the surrender of Japan in August and the subsequent release of Brothers Powell and Sewell, arrangements were made to move the depot to a more suitable place that was also big enough to have meetings there. With the help of Thai officials, property was rented on Soi Decho, off Silom Road.

Before and during the war, the pioneers had been busy sowing the seeds of truth, so that now there was a nucleus of interested people. Thus, during 1946 it was most timely for the brothers to receive a shipment of literature containing Theocratic Aid to Kingdom Publishers, the Yearbook, and Organization Instructions. The pioneers devoured those valuable aids in order to “catch up,” and also to pass on the new information to their interested associates. Several new ones had started publishing, but they still had to gain a fuller appreciation for theocratic organization.

The pioneers diligently extended themselves to spread the good news by means of this new supply of literature. Thus, during the 1946 service year, the group of 14 publishers and pioneers placed 14,183 books and booklets and started 47 Bible studies. What an accomplishment for this little team!

A milestone was reached with the publishing of The Watchtower in Siamese (Thai), beginning with the January 1, 1947, issue. It was a monthly edition of 200 mimeographed copies. The Thai brothers were bubbling over with joy at now receiving solid spiritual food regularly in their own language. No longer was an interpreter needed at the Watchtower Study.

First Visit of the President

In April 1947 the then president of the Watch Tower Society, Nathan H. Knorr, accompanied by his secretary, Milton G. Henschel, made his first visit to Thailand. This occasion was marked by the first assembly ever held in Thailand. The public talk, entitled “The Joy of All the People,” was given to an audience of 275 people at the auditorium of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

The talk received good publicity in the local press. However, two newspapers accused Brother Knorr of defaming the Buddhist religion in his discourse. Such a sensitive matter brought about an immediate investigation by CID officers. It revealed that no offending statements or comments had been made. The editors of both newspapers apologized publicly for misinforming the Bangkok citizens and for the injustice done to N. H. Knorr and the Watch Tower Society. Several other newspapers published the Society’s response to the criticism, resulting in an even greater witness for the truth than the lecture itself.

Now a Branch

It was during Brother Knorr’s visit that arrangements were made to get the work better organized. To the joy of the brothers and sisters at the Bangkok depot, Brother Knorr announced that George Powell, upon graduating from the eighth class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead in that year, would return to Thailand as branch overseer. Thus, Thailand became a branch on September 1, 1947.

Shortly after that, Kurt Gruber was appointed as circuit overseer to visit the four congregations in the North and the one in Bangkok. These visits improved the brothers’ appreciation for theocratic arrangements and procedures, including the importance of reporting time spent in preaching. As a result, the total number of publishers during the 1948 service year jumped from 31 to 65.

A further impetus was given to the work in April 1948 by means of the first circuit assembly, held in Chiang Mai. Imagine the surprise and joy of the brothers at that assembly when they attended a Theocratic Ministry School for the very first time! Many of them came from rural villages and had little formal education, but from now on they could benefit from the theocratic education and training provided by Jehovah’s organization for his people everywhere.

The public meeting program that had started three years previously in many countries was now introduced in Thailand. Especially in Bangkok, public lectures were advertised by means of leaflets and sound cars. People attended these meetings at the local Kingdom Hall and at public schools. Once, a public talk was given at the Buddhist Association in Bangkok. It was an unusual sight to behold 125 Buddhist monks, attired in their yellow robes, seated in orderly rows and listening attentively to a lecture on the authenticity of the Bible. Afterward they asked a number of questions. The 1949 Yearbook commented on this occasion as follows: “Many of these priests are well educated and, unlike priests of the Catholic Hierarchy, they are tolerant, well-mannered and polite.”

Gilead Missionaries Open Up New Chapter

In an effort to strengthen the local organization, the Society invited Brothers Gruber and Thomas to attend the 15th class of Gilead School. Their graduation was held at the Theocracy’s Increase International Assembly at Yankee Stadium, New York, on July 30, 1950. Upon their return, they joined five other Gilead missionaries (besides George Powell) who had arrived in the meantime​—Alfred Laakso from the 7th class and Joseph E. Babinski, Donald Burkhart, Gerald (Jerry) Ross, and Darrow Stallard, all from the 12th class.

During 1951 and 1952, more Gilead graduates arrived. Among them were Guy Moffatt from England and Neil Crockett from New Zealand (both of whom had first been assigned to Malaysia), Esko and Anja Pajasalmi and Elon and Helvi Harteva from Finland, and Eva Hiebert and Marguerite Rood from Canada. By the end of the 1952 service year, a total of about 20 Gilead-trained missionaries were serving in Thailand.

With so many missionaries ready to assist in the work, missionary homes were established in different parts of the country, including Chiang Mai, Nan, and Lampang in the North, Nakhon Ratchasima in central Thailand, and Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla in the South. (In more recent years, missionaries were also assigned for some time to Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, and Nakhon Sawan.) These missionary homes became theocratic strongholds for the brothers by being local centers for much-needed spiritual support and encouragement.

The Challenge of Learning a New Language

A basic requirement for being an effective missionary is the ability to communicate with people in their own language​—a formidable challenge for many missionaries in Thailand. The problem with the Thai language is not that it has a complicated and intricate grammar. In fact, the grammar is simple, as there are no articles, suffixes, genders, conjugations, declensions, or plurals to worry about.

Unlike the picturelike characters of Chinese, Thai has a phonetic alphabet, consisting of 44 consonants and 32 vowels that combine to form syllabic sounds. But what makes this language so different from Western languages is its tonal character, which is similar to Chinese. In Thai, there are five different tones. Depending on the tonal inflection, a word or syllable may thus have several, and sometimes quite opposite, meanings. For example, “khao” spoken in a falling tone means “rice”; in the low tone, it means “news.” If the same word is given a rising inflection, it means “white,” and in the common, or even, tone, it becomes “stench.” So a new missionary may say he brings “good rice,” “good white,” or “good stench” instead of “good news.”

Mastering such peculiarities (including some vocal sounds that are completely different from those of most Western languages) requires practice, patience, and persistence. And as with other languages, a newcomer is prone to make mistakes that can be quite hilarious. When explaining the difference between Jehovah’s Witnesses and the religions of Christendom, one missionary wanted to tell the householder that we do not use the cross. What she really said, however, was that we do not use “pants.” “Not even the men?” wondered the householder. “Nobody,” was the sister’s emphatic reply.

Most of the early foreign pioneers and the first Gilead missionaries learned the language on their own. Later on, the Society initiated a new method to help missionaries learn the language spoken in their assignment. Laboring for 11 hours of language study a day for the first month, and 5 hours a day the second month, was no small task. The missionaries have appreciated this arrangement very much, however, for it has helped to make their preaching and teaching more effective.

Less Conspicuous Than Farangs

A highlight of the second visit of Brother Knorr in April 1951 was the introduction of the special pioneer work. Capable local brothers and sisters were assigned to assist congregations in the preaching work and to open up new territories. Not having to struggle with the local language and being less conspicuous than fair-skinned farangs, or foreigners, native pioneers have played a significant part in spreading the message and helping new ones. Currently, there are about 70 special pioneers (over 6 percent of the total publishers).

Sisters Buakhieo Nantha and Somsri Phanthuphrayun (now Darawan) were assigned as the first special pioneers, to serve in the southern city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Brother Sa-ngat Mungsin, another special pioneer, was sent to Chiang Rai, the northernmost province bordering Myanmar. The earlier pioneers had placed much literature in those places, and these special pioneers were eager now to do the follow-up work and start Bible studies.

The two special pioneer sisters in Nakhon Si Thammarat met Kruamat, a young Buddhist woman who had her own dressmaking shop. Since she had no desire to change her religion, it required many visits with gentle persuasion to get her to take some time off from her sewing to discuss a few paragraphs in the book “Let God Be True.” Once her interest was aroused, however, she became an eager student of the Bible, and despite opposition from her family and friends, she started to associate with the Witnesses and began publishing the good news. Soon after her baptism, she became a pioneer. Sister Kruamat later married missionary Neil Crockett, and for some years they served in the circuit work. Presently she is a special pioneer in a Bangkok congregation where Neil serves as an elder.

Help Given Despite Death Threats

When Brother Sa-ngat preached in the town of Mae Sai on the Myanmar border, he had an experience that shows that people of sheeplike disposition who hunger for truth and righteousness will be found, despite isolation or opposition. In October 1951 he met a young woman, Karun Chuthiangtrong, who was born into a Buddhist family that practiced ancestor worship according to the Chinese tradition. She relates about her background:

“As a teenager, I often asked Grandmother where we came from and what happens after death. But the myths and fables I was told in reply to my inquiries did not satisfy me. In 1945, when I was 19 years old, a relative in Chiang Mai sent the family a Thai New Testament. I began reading it and noticed that it talked about God as the Creator and about the hope of everlasting life. I remember that among the literature our relative sent us were two booklets of the Watchtower Society. At that time, however, I understood there was only one kind of Christian religion.

“In 1946 I was baptized in the Presbyterian Church. Filled with zeal to tell others about the message of salvation, I wanted to become a preacher. Several times I applied for admission to schools that trained ministers, both in Thailand and in neighboring Myanmar. But somehow it never worked out.”

When Brother Sa-ngat called on Karun and was able to answer her questions clearly and reasonably, she took the book “Let God Be True.” It did not take her long to recognize the ring of truth in the good news. But it did not take long for opposition to start either. “Often,” she continues, “while we were having discussions of the Bible, our house was pelted with stones, or people would come and make a lot of noise outside to disturb us. One day an elder of the church came with a policeman, who happened to be his younger brother, and tried to intimidate me by threatening arrest if I did not stop associating with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Brother Sa-ngat kept receiving death threats from a group known as the Black Hand. So the Society found it advisable to reassign him to Songkhla in the south of Thailand.” Not long after that, Brother Sa-ngat was shot to death one evening in 1953; the case was never solved.

Meanwhile, Karun began to publish the good news. All on her own now and 200 miles [320 km] from the nearest congregation, she continued preaching courageously, being strengthened by visits of the circuit overseer and by literature sent to her regularly by the branch office. Following her baptism in November 1952, Sister Karun served in the full-time work for more than 20 years and, in the face of adversities, still faithfully preaches the message of real liberty.

“A Strange Name for a Man of God”

The early pioneers played a vital role in getting the work established in Thailand. Though few in number, they preached tirelessly in their vast territory. It took years before they could see results in the form of new disciples. But they endured. They had ‘put their hands to the plow,’ and they continued without letup.​—Luke 9:62.

Eventually, most of them left Thailand to serve in other fields. With undiminished zeal, and love of Jehovah and their fellowmen, they persevered in the full-time work, some until their death, others right up to the present. After having pioneered for over 50 years, Willy Unglaube said: “When I look back, it seems only a short time. Being Jehovah’s messenger is the most wonderful service one could have on earth. Of course, one must have faith, much faith, to overcome all obstacles. But I always think of Proverbs 18:10. Yes, had I not taken up pioneer service, I would not have had the opportunity to experience how Jehovah cares for his servants if they depend on him. When I think of the prophecy at Isaiah 2:2, I know that there is still much work to do, and I want to keep on sharing in this work until Jehovah says it is enough.” Brother Unglaube was still serving as a pioneer in Germany when he finished his earthly course several years ago. One man in the territory once remarked that “Unglaube” (meaning “unbelief” in German) was indeed “a strange name for a man of God.”

And what about Frank Dewar, the first to stay and preach the good news in Thailand? His assignments took him to various countries on the Asian continent, including Burma, China, and India. In 1966 he returned to Thailand, where he and his Burmese wife, Lily, are still serving as special pioneers in the northern town of Chiang Rai. His son, Donald, served as a circuit overseer in Myanmar and is now assigned to Bethel in Yangon (Rangoon).

Missionaries Tested

As the “Land of the Free,” Thailand has always granted religious freedom to its citizens. And Thai Buddhists are by nature tolerant. So there has never been governmental hostility or open persecution. This freedom to preach the good news openly and unhindered, one would expect, should facilitate and accelerate the work.

During the 1950’s the number of publishers did increase steadily. Many foreign missionaries, however, faced a particular kind of test, which some of them failed to meet successfully. Kaarle Harteva, Elon Harteva’s younger brother, who was a graduate of the 20th class of Gilead and a missionary during that period, comments: “While the friendliness of the people made things pleasant, after a while it became a great strain to many missionaries. The friendliness was, and still is, a part of the culture and often forms a soft wall of resistance that is difficult to overcome. Hence, serious and deep discussions were few and far between.”

Also, because of their Buddhist background, much patience was required in helping new ones fully understand Bible truths and bring their lives into harmony with Jehovah’s standards. “Our new world ways were so different,” Brother Harteva continues, “but then, the people’s background was very different too, being rooted in a very permissive religion. Many elderly sisters in those days used to chew betel nut, which stained their teeth ebony-black. Other sisters were smoking their homemade ten-inch-long [25 cm] cigars wrapped in dry banana leaf even while going from house to house. One could almost spot them from their ‘smoke signals’ in the village. I also still remember brothers smoking at circuit assemblies.” Of course, in time they gave up these unscriptural habits.

Quite a few missionaries were tested in regard to endurance and devotion to the work when they found that it would take them a long time before they could really speak the language well enough to be able to teach and give talks. And later, when the increase slowed down and years would go by without making a single new disciple, some became discouraged.

Other missionaries, however, have made that assignment their home. After 20, 30, or more years, they are still fulfilling their obligations as missionaries and are setting fine examples.

Some of the married missionaries later had families and left the missionary arrangement for that reason. Commendably, a number of those couples made up their mind to stay on in Thailand, where the need for mature ministers is so great.

Society’s Film, an Eye-Opener

With a ratio of 1 publisher to almost 100,000 inhabitants, Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 1950’s were little known in the country. The motion picture The New World Society in Action therefore proved to be a big help in enlightening people regarding the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Witnesses themselves also benefited greatly, for this movie opened their eyes to the worldwide scope of Jehovah’s organization, thus moving them to feel closer to it. Previously, few of them could visualize just how large and extensive God’s visible organization is and how efficiently it functions.

Esko Pajasalmi showed the film in the northern part of Thailand and in Bangkok. How did he usually advertise the film? “Early in the day, we would set up the movie screen in the village sports field where all the villagers could easily see it,” he said. “Then we would visit the school and simply enter each classroom and make a short announcement to the students and teachers. In this way the whole village got the news. After sunset, vendors with their native delicacies​—peanuts and fried, cooked, and baked bananas, as well as other snacks—​would arrive at the sports field one by one. They would set up their little shops and light them by means of small kerosene lanterns made from empty milk cans. Soon, converging on us from all directions were what looked like swarms of fireflies. Instead, they were our audience carrying tiny kerosene lanterns. They came by the hundreds, and often by the thousands, to see our movie.”

This film was often shown in unusual places. One of the leading Buddhist scholars in northern Thailand, Khun Maha Phon, studied the Bible with Esko for some time, and he wanted the Buddhist monks and laity to see what the New World Society was like. “So we gave several showings when many yellow-robed monks were in attendance,” recalls Brother Pajasalmi. “Sometimes we would show the film right inside the wat [temple]. I would sit in front of an image of the Buddha that was from 20 to 26 feet high [6-8 m] and operate the equipment, and the screen would be stretched across the main door, with people sitting on the floor viewing the film. It was strange to preach about Jehovah and his Kingdom in a Buddhist temple.”

One of the finest public tributes given to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Chiang Mai came from this same Buddhist scholar, Khun Maha Phon. Brother Pajasalmi remembers: “He invited us to give a lecture and show the film at the auditorium of the Buddhist Association, where he introduced us as follows: ‘You may wonder why I, a Buddhist, have invited these Jehovah’s Witnesses to show their film and to speak in this auditorium. I have studied with one of them for many months and can tell that they are different from all the other Christian religions we have seen here. They work hard at preaching, and they practice what they preach. They even do their own work in their missionary homes. If any of you, after seeing the film, finds peace with the message Jehovah’s Witnesses preach, I will be only too happy.” So while the so-called fellow Christians were busy attacking Jehovah’s Witnesses, the so-called heathen Buddhists showed much more broad-mindedness.

Kaarle Harteva concentrated on showing the same film at principal towns in the northeast. “It is amazing how we sometimes managed,” he remarked. “Once, our generator broke down in the middle of the showing. Hoping that not all of the more than a thousand in attendance would leave, I rushed into town on a hired pedicab (tricycle) to look for another generator. To my surprise, when I returned, there were more people waiting to see the movie than at first. After the showing, my partner and I were unable to hand out our tracts to every individual in such a huge crowd. So we just threw the tracts into the air. Not a single one fell to the ground.”

An open-air showing in front of the provincial town hall in Kalasin set an attendance record​—over 4,200 were present. Thousands more saw the film when it was shown every day during a week-long Constitution Day fair at Lumpini Park in Bangkok.

‘We Talked Past Midnight’

In 1952 Elon Harteva and his wife, Helvi, were among the first group of missionaries assigned to Nakhon Ratchasima, the largest town in central Thailand. Using Nakhon Ratchasima as a base, Elon visited other towns in that semiarid region of the country. In Khon Kaen he met Mr. Seng Buawichai, a local preacher of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Already having some doubts about the Trinity doctrine, Mr. Seng welcomed a discussion on the subject. “We kept on talking past midnight,” recalled Elon Harteva. “And at four o’clock the next morning, Mr. Seng woke me up and started to ask more questions. In those days most houses had no electricity yet. Squatting on the floor, we read the Bible in the dim light of kerosene lamps.

“On my next visit, Mr. Seng had invited several other nominal Christians and arranged a public talk at his house. Some of the people present came from outlying villages. Visiting one of these interested persons required a 7-mile [11 km] walk through rice fields and jungle. On reaching the village, how surprised I was to find a small sala [hut] built on poles and shaped just like a little watchtower. The man had not only a Bible but also some Watchtower magazines, which he would use to explain the Bible to visitors who stopped at the hut to rest for a while on their way to other villages.”

Mr. Seng and another man in this village later got baptized.

Penetrating Into Indochina

Following Brother Knorr’s third visit to Thailand, in April 1956, efforts were made to send missionaries to the countries of former French Indochina, namely Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and they would come under the oversight of the Thailand branch. The good news first reached this region of the Indochinese peninsula in 1936, when two pioneers from Australia arrived in the city of Saigon (now named Ho Chi Minh City). One of them, Frank Rice, courageously carried on the work until he was arrested by soldiers of the Japanese war machine in 1943 and afterward had to leave the country. During 1953 and 1954, some preaching was done by an interested person, who sent his reports to the branch office in France.

After South Vietnam became a republic in late 1955, Brother Knorr asked Brother Babinski, then branch overseer in Thailand, to contact the authorities in Saigon in order to obtain permission for Watch Tower missionaries to enter the country. On June 27, 1957, the first five Gilead graduates arrived in Saigon, and the missionary home was placed under the jurisdiction of the Thailand branch.

Despite War in Vietnam, the Work Goes Ahead

The missionaries found preaching from house to house in Saigon most pleasant. The people generally received them kindly, and much literature was placed. During the first complete service year, almost 1,200 subscriptions for The Watchtower and Awake! were obtained. The disciple-making work, however, progressed rather slowly.

At first the preaching was in French, and all the meetings were conducted in French. This was the language of the “educated” class. As in the days of Jesus, not many of this class were ready to become disciples. The Society therefore encouraged the missionaries to learn and use the local language, Vietnamese. This took several years of hard work. But once the missionaries had become proficient in the local tongue and the common people ‘heard them speaking in their own language,’ many became interested.​—Acts 2:6.

The booklets “This Good News of the Kingdom,” “Look! I Am Making All Things New,” and Living in Hope of a Righteous New World were translated into Vietnamese and used extensively in the Bible study work. By 1966, the 8 missionaries had been joined by 11 publishers, of whom 3 were baptized.

But what about the gruesome war that raged in Vietnam for so many years? “Instead of worrying too much about what might happen to Saigon, we keep busy preaching the good news to the multitudes of people crowded into the city who need the message of hope so much,” said a missionary who was serving in Saigon at the time. Yes, the missionaries and the local brothers applied the principle at Ecclesiastes 11:4: “He that is watching the wind will not sow seed; and he that is looking at the clouds will not reap.” Instead, they continued ‘sending out their bread upon the surface of the waters,’ and ‘in the course of many days they found it again.’ (Eccl. 11:1) During 1974 in the three congregations in Saigon, 113 publishers were serving fearlessly, yet circumspectly.

Often, angelic guidance and protection was apparently provided, as in 1968, shortly before the bloody fighting began during the Tet offensive of the Vietcong. The missionaries moved from their comfortable home in a residential area to a humble house in the Chinese section of downtown Saigon. The area where they had lived was soon occupied by the Vietcong. Robert Savage, one of the missionaries, wrote: “The Vietcong forces have attacked in full force all over Saigon. The situation is quite harsh, but not critical for us yet. The brothers have been wonderful. At the risk of their lives, they have come to us through back alleys to try to help us.”

After the Tet offensive, the missionaries and the local brothers carried on. In 1970 the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life was released in Vietnamese, resulting in many new Bible studies. The publication of The Watchtower in Vietnamese in 1971 was another great stimulus to the work. Within the first year of publication, over a thousand subscriptions were obtained for the Vietnamese edition. In 1973 Vietnam became a branch and supervised the work there until the government changed in 1975.

Cambodia Receives a Witness

On his return trip from Saigon in June 1956, Brother Babinski stopped in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. As he had done in Saigon, he contacted government offices for permission to send missionaries into the country. Back in the late 1930’s, the pioneers from Saigon had done some witnessing in Phnom Penh. But after one week, the police told them that no religious work was permitted in that Buddhist kingdom except by special authority of the king. The king, however, did not grant permission.

Brother Babinski met the minister of the interior of the royal government of Cambodia. This official seemed to be very interested and told Brother Babinski that he saw no reason why Jehovah’s Witnesses could not carry on their activities in his country. After many months of waiting, the Society was informed that the government had not come to a decision about granting the requested visas. So, in April 1958, Brother Babinski requested the honor of an interview with Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Though Brother Babinski got to talk only to the prince’s private secretary and left some Bible literature for the prince, permission to preach was granted, and in December 1958 the first four missionaries finally entered Cambodia and rejoiced to begin their evangelizing work in Phnom Penh.

Many among the large Chinese population in Phnom Penh spoke some English in addition to Chinese; and quite a number of the Vietnamese residents spoke both French and Vietnamese. The majority of the common people, however, spoke only Cambodian. Needless to say, there was a language problem. At first, meetings were held in English, and quite a few Chinese came. Then, meetings were arranged in French, and some Vietnamese attended. The missionaries tried to learn Cambodian, and some literature was published in Cambodian in order to reach the local people with the Kingdom message. But there was quite a turnover in missionaries, and none stayed long enough to become really fluent in the language. Some Cambodians studied and started to associate with the missionaries, so that during one year there was a peak of 13 publishers in the field service. The truth apparently had not touched their hearts deeply enough, since most of them drifted away.

Because of the changes in the political alignment of the government, by early 1965 it was evident that Westerners were no longer welcome in Cambodia. The visa application for Panayotis Kokkinidis, who had graduated from Gilead in 1964, was rejected. (He was subsequently reassigned to Saigon.) George and Carolyn Crawford, the last two remaining missionaries, were informed that their visas would not be renewed when they expired on May 27, 1965. Interestingly, four years earlier a formal letter had been sent to the missionaries, stating that they were to stop their public preaching. But this letter was never received, nor did the security police get their copy of it.

So the Crawfords had to leave Cambodia. Only one Vietnamese Witness remained, namely Brother Long. However, later in 1965, Brother Long was joined by an elderly Cambodian man who was baptized during one of the regular visits by the circuit overseer. This brother died faithful two years later. Brother Long, who continued on as the lone local Witness for Jehovah in that country, went to France before the Cambodian government changed hands in 1975.

Theocratic Ways Prove Successful in Laos

The third country of former French Indochina that has been under the Thailand branch is Laos. Ethnically and culturally closely related to the Thai, the people of that Buddhist kingdom to the northeast of Thailand heard the good news for the first time in 1958. In December two missionaries arrived in the capital, Vientiane. Four more followed in March 1959. At the end of 1960, six new Gilead graduates were sent to Laos, and a second missionary home was opened in Savannakhet.

By the time those arrivals of 1960 had settled down, all the earlier missionaries had left the country for one reason or another. However, some, it seemed, wanted to follow their own ideas rather than the Society’s time-tested methods. In January 1965 the circuit overseer reported that the group had only a single one-hour meeting per week. Thus, little progress was made.

It was therefore timely when the Crawfords were reassigned to Vientiane after they had to leave Cambodia in May 1965. George Crawford remembered: “After only a few days in Vientiane, we noticed that there was a strange attitude toward meetings and the way they should be conducted. Some in the group were following men, and it appeared that they were associating for material gain. We made an effort to instill a proper viewpoint and appreciation for Jehovah’s organization and the need to work closely with the branch office in Bangkok. With Brother Timothy Bortz’ help, a switch was made to conducting meetings in conformity with the Society’s suggested manner and schedule. The Laotian language started to be used. Those who were following men slowly drifted away in spite of concentrated efforts to build them up spiritually.”

When Brother and Sister Bortz had to leave the missionary service in Laos for health reasons, the Crawfords were left alone as missionaries. “It seemed to us we were fighting a losing battle to overcome the wrong attitude existing in the group and in trying to get a new start,” continued Brother Crawford. “But soon four new missionaries arrived​—John and Kathleen Galisheff from Canada and Margaret Roberts and Sylvia Stratford from England. These were seasoned workers, having served as special pioneers in Quebec and in Ireland. Later in 1967, Terance Olsen from Canada and Brian Marks from England were added to our group. This extra help made the difference in overcoming the wrong attitudes. Now many new interested persons were reached and were helped to progress in the truth.”

Among them was a Laotian woman, Siphanh Lao. After she studied the Bible in Laos, she made a trip to Canada and the United States, where she was offered a high-paying but questionable job. She relates: “I did not let Satan take me back into the world by accepting a high-paying job . . . that would have caused me to break my neutrality as a Christian.” Instead, she decided to return to Laos and get baptized. In fact, Siphanh was the first Laotian Buddhist in Vientiane to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Before that, many people in the territory would say, “You don’t have any Lao in your religion.” This changed now. Siphanh’s younger brother, Bunhoeng, progressed very quickly in the truth and became a special pioneer in 1972.

Sister Crawford comments: “I remember when there were only six of us at the meetings during 1965 and 1966. At our first circuit assembly, we ended up with nine in attendance for the Saturday evening program, with most of them on the platform for the demonstration. In contrast, at the circuit assembly in 1971, we had 75 in attendance, and 99 attended the Memorial in 1974.”

When a new government took over in Laos in late 1975, there were two fine theocratically operating congregations functioning, one in Vientiane and the other in Savannakhet. Some preaching had also been done in the town of Pakse, farther south. All the missionaries had to leave Laos. However, the Crawfords and the Galisheffs have continued their loyal service in Thailand.

Brother Franz Comes to Thailand

Let us now go back to the work in Thailand. Frederick W. Franz, the Society’s vice president at the time, made his first visit to Thailand in January 1957. This was a big event for the native brothers. They had never met him, although they had heard much about him. A three-day assembly was arranged in Bangkok to coincide with his visit.

During the special meeting with the missionaries, the matter of having a suitable publication for the non-Christian population was brought up. The book “Let God Be True” had been published in Thai back in 1949 and was used extensively in the Bible study work. However, it concentrated on refuting the wrong teachings of Christendom, with which most Buddhist people were not familiar. Thus, it would be desirable to have a book that simply explained true Bible teachings to people who had little Scriptural background.

Brother Franz did not say much at the time. But when in 1958 the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained was released, how the brothers appreciated this timely provision by Jehovah’s organization! When it became available in the Thai language in 1961, over 50,000 copies were distributed in the field. With its beautiful illustrations and large size, people accepted the book, even though the contribution for it amounted to almost one day’s wages of a laborer.

Printing the Good News in Thai

Though the number of copies printed of the Thai edition of books and magazines is comparatively small, the brothers in Thailand have always been provided with spiritual food at the proper time in their own language. Most major bound books of the Society have been published in Thai. In 1952, when the circulation of The Watchtower reached 500, the magazine started to be printed by a commercial firm in Bangkok. (Since January 1, 1947, it had been mimeographed by the brothers.) Then, beginning with the October 1, 1971, issue, The Watchtower became a semimonthly magazine. And since 1978, Awake! has been published monthly. Not only does this mean a more varied spiritual diet for the brothers but Awake! has a greater appeal to the Buddhist readership.

Whether a few thousand or several million copies of a book or magazine are printed, the translation, typesetting, proofreading, and artwork take about the same amount of time for any language. So quite a lot of work is being done at the branch office, where 16 regular members of the Bethel family and several auxiliary branch workers are currently serving the needs of their brothers and of interested people throughout the country.

Local Pioneers​—Gilead Trained

Among the 103 students of the 31st class of Gilead, whose graduation exercises took place in 1958 during the memorable Divine Will International Assembly in Yankee Stadium, New York, were two pioneers from Thailand​—Brother Bantoeng Chantraboon and Sister Buakhieo Nantha. Brother Bantoeng had been appointed circuit overseer in 1956. He still serves as a special pioneer in the north of Thailand. Sister Buakhieo was one of the first two special pioneers in Thailand. She continued zealously in the special pioneer work until her death in 1986. Sister Somsri Darawan, Buakhieo’s special pioneer partner, had graduated with the 20th class of Gilead in 1953. For many years she has been assisting full-time with the translation work at the branch.

Several other local full-time workers received training at Gilead School and returned to their home country to further the Kingdom interests. The latest group, arriving in 1979, comprised Asawin Urairat, who is now on the Branch Committee, and his wife, Chiwan, as well as Sakda Darawan (Somsri’s son), who is serving as substitute circuit overseer, and Sister Srisuphap Vesgosit, who is a missionary at the Thon Buri missionary home.

New Branch Location and Oversight

Since the end of World War II, the Society had leased property for the branch office and missionary home at 122 Soi Decho, a familiar site to many residents of Bangkok. When, in 1957, the owner wanted to raise the rent exorbitantly, Brother Knorr felt it was time to purchase some land and construct a branch building. In 1959 suitable property was obtained at 69/1 Soi Phasuk, Sukhumwit Road, in a fine residential area not far from the city’s business district.

By October 1961 the contractor was able to begin construction. When completed six months later, the two-story building included a large Kingdom Hall and six bedrooms. The Bethel workers, three at the time, together with six missionaries, were happy to move from temporary facilities in Soi Lang Suan into the comfortable new quarters.

Shortly before construction began in 1961, a change in oversight of the branch took place. Joseph Babinski, who had replaced George Powell in that assignment in 1950, had to leave the missionary service because of family responsibilities. On September 1, 1961, Paul Engler was assigned to be branch overseer. Born in Germany, Brother Engler came to Thailand after graduating from the 20th class of Gilead. He served as missionary in the northern city of Chiang Mai for almost six years before moving to Bethel in 1959. All three branch overseers​—Brothers Powell, Babinski, and Engler—​provided valuable direction to the Kingdom work in Thailand.

A Time of Sifting

During the period of 1945 to 1960, there was a steady increase in the number of publishers, over 20 percent in some years. Then, suddenly, the numbers dropped. The 1961 service year ended with a 1-percent decrease. In the following three years, the drop accelerated, to 4 percent, 5 percent, and 12 percent respectively, before slowing down to 3 percent in 1965 and 1 percent in 1966. By then, the number of publishers was down to 265 from a peak of 382 in 1960. What had happened?

In retrospect it appears that the Kingdom Ministry School held in 1961 opened up a time of sifting. Darrow Stallard, who by then had served as circuit overseer for many years, conducted one class of the school in Chiang Mai and another one in Bangkok. During the course, the qualifications for Kingdom publishers were reviewed. The congregation overseers who attended the course, together with some special pioneers and missionaries, were made to realize that those who share with Jehovah’s Witnesses in their activity must be leading a life that harmonizes with Scriptural requirements. This had sometimes been overlooked. Some newly interested people had started in field service before they were Scripturally qualified. Others had been baptized even before having their marital affairs straightened out.

When the counsel received at the school was put into practice, many publishers were found to be no longer qualified to preach. Some even did not want to make necessary changes. During 1962, therefore, a total of 9 persons were disfellowshipped, and during the following four years, 25 more had to be disfellowshipped​—unusually high numbers for Thailand. This was a discouraging time for weaker ones, causing some of them to become inactive. However, an event in 1963 perked up the faithful ones.

Largest Assembly Ever

Great joy reigned when the announcement was heard that Bangkok would be included in the around-the-world “Everlasting Good News” assemblies in 1963. Now at one of their own assemblies, the brothers in Thailand would be able to experience firsthand the international scope of Jehovah’s organization. Preparing for the assembly and making the necessary arrangements for almost 600 foreign delegates was quite a task, since the visitors outnumbered the country’s publishers by 2 to 1. With 961 in attendance for the public talk on the subject “When God Is King Over All the Earth,” this was the largest assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses ever held in Thailand.

Before this it had been rare for such a large group of tourists to visit that country. No wonder the event received extensive newspaper, radio, and television publicity! The arrival of Brother Knorr was covered by TV. Six radio stations broadcast 15-minute programs that had been prepared. At least ten newspapers reported on the assembly and the movements of the world travelers. One headline blared: “The Biggest Airlift Since the GIs.”

Help From the Philippines

In December 1963, when Denton Hopkinson from the Philippines branch in Manila visited Thailand as zone overseer, he spotted the need for experienced workers to stimulate the local brothers in the field ministry. At that time Gilead School was emphasizing the training of overseers, and most of the missionaries that had left Thailand had not been replaced. So Brother Hopkinson recommended that special pioneers from the Philippines be sent to Thailand to help with the work. “But,” he told the branch overseer, “we can send you only sisters. We need all our brothers ourselves.” Later on, some Filipino brothers were sent too.

The recommendation was approved by the Society, and by the middle of 1964, the first two sisters​—Rosaura (Rose) Cagungao and Clara dela Cruz—​arrived. They were assigned as special pioneers to work the huge territory in the province of Thon Buri, across the Chao Phraya River from Bangkok. A year later they were brought under the missionary arrangement, even though they had not studied at Gilead. Happy developments ensued when Sister Cagungao married the branch overseer, Paul Engler, and Sister dela Cruz became the wife of Diego Elauria, another Filipino missionary in Thailand.

As it turned out, the missionaries from the Philippines mingled very well in the territory in Southeast Asia, looking very much like the local people and being able to work the territory less conspicuously than European or American missionaries. Thus, over the years, additional missionaries were sent from the Philippines not only to Thailand but also to South Vietnam, Laos, and other Asian countries. Currently, there are ten Filipinos serving as missionaries in Thailand.

Flag-Salute Problems

The work was just beginning to speed up again when in October 1966 the flag-salute issue came to the fore. Earlier, in November 1965, the son of an isolated publisher refused for conscientious reasons to participate in the flag ceremony. When his father explained the matter in a rather blunt way, the district chief and the local education official made a report to the Ministry of Education, enclosing a copy of the book “Let God Be True.” In response to a very urgent letter to the branch office on October 31, 1966, the branch overseer, Paul Engler, and his assistant, Guy Moffatt, went to the Department of Religious Affairs at the Ministry of Education.

The brothers explained to the director-general of the department that Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the flag of whatever country they live in, that they show this respect by obedience to the country’s laws, but that they ask to be excused from performing an act of worship toward an image. Such worship is contrary to the law of our God, Jehovah. (Matt. 4:10) The official, however, insisted that the nation came before religion and maintained that the flag salute had nothing to do with religious worship.

Five months later, Brother Engler was called to the CID for questioning. The matter had been passed on to the Ministry of the Interior. During eight hours, spread over three days, Brother Engler explained to the investigating police captain in detail our religious stand on the flag-salute issue. He also related that many countries are tolerant of Jehovah’s Witnesses whenever the same issue comes up.

After carefully listening to Brother Engler’s reasoning, the police captain decided that the children of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Thailand just need to stand quietly while the other students perform the flag-salute ritual. He then submitted a report to the higher authorities for consideration.

What would the decision be? In times past, government officials had always been fair and kind to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many a prayer was offered up “concerning all sorts of men, concerning kings and all those who are in high station” in order that God’s people may go on “leading a calm and quiet life,” carrying on without restrictions. (1 Tim. 2:1, 2) About a year later the answer was revealed in an indirect manner.

Only a day or two after Brother Engler had finished his interview at the CID, five new missionaries arrived from the Philippines. Their applications for immigrant status would have to be cleared by the CID. For a whole year, there was no response. Then, in April 1968, the missionaries were informed that their applications had been approved. This was also an indication of how the authorities had decided on the flag-salute incident. But there has been no official reply.

Two Publications Banned

One of the publishers in an up-country province noticed an announcement posted at a public building. It was an order by the director-general of the Police Department that the Thai editions of “Let God Be True” and “This Good News of the Kingdom” had been banned in the Kingdom of Thailand. It was a shock! The order had been published on March 29, 1968, but the Society had not been notified. However, by then the book “Let God Be True” was already out of stock. More than 13,000 copies of it had been placed during the 16 years of its use. Why should the “Good News” booklet be banned? What could possibly be considered offensive? Furthermore, because of its simplicity and straightforwardness, the brothers very much liked to use this booklet for starting Bible studies.

The official contacted was very apologetic when pointing out that the passage in question was the sentence: “It is wrong for man to try to make an image of God to worship.” He explained that since Buddhists like to make images of the Buddha, some might feel offended by this statement. When Brother Engler told him that the booklet was not talking about the Buddha at all but about Jehovah God, the Creator, the official replied, “Then you should say so.” He would not object if the word “God” was replaced by “the Creator.” “But,” he added, “you will have to change the title of the booklet too because this title is banned now.”

So, since that time, the title of the “Good News” booklet in Thai has been This Good News Has to Be Preached.

Fruitful Territory in Refugee Camps

Following the government changes in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in 1975, refugees poured into Thailand​—including many of the Laotian brothers who found it necessary to leave their home. In the Lao Refugee Center located near Nong Khai on the banks of the Mekong River, a congregation was operating for some time, with 20 and more publishers reporting. The brothers made good use of their time by witnessing to other refugees, many of whom had never heard of the good news in their home country. A good number of interested persons started publishing, and several got baptized while in the camp.

An old Lao woman, a Buddhist, was invited by one of Christendom’s missionaries to attend church in the camp. She was addicted to betel nut and tried hard, but unsuccessfully, to quit the habit. She mentioned her problem to the missionary, who replied, “Never mind. You can chew betel nut or smoke and still be a Christian. Just take your spittoon with you to church.” Since the old woman felt that chewing betel nut was morally wrong, she thought to herself, “If they allow you to chew betel nut or smoke, they probably allow you to tell lies or to steal too.” So she did not go to their church. Not long after this, one of our sisters contacted her in the field service. Almost immediately the old woman asked: “Can you chew betel nut in this religion?” When the answer was no, she realized that the Witnesses are different, and she started to study the Bible.

She told her 65-year-old friend about what she was learning. That lady, also addicted to betel nut, could not read. So our sister and the old woman taught her how to read and write. Both interested ladies began attending meetings regularly. However, they had great difficulty in overcoming their problem of chewing betel nut. It was not until they studied the chapter on the use of drugs in the book True Peace and Security that they found the strength to quit the habit. When the circuit overseer visited the congregation in the camp, they told him how clean they felt now, and they proudly opened their mouths in broad smiles to show him their teeth, which were not black anymore. Both of them got baptized in the camp.

Since the three brothers serving as elder and ministerial servants of this congregation could not leave the camp to attend the Kingdom Ministry School, the school came into the camp. The circuit overseer visited them and went through the whole course with them.

Eventually, all the brothers in the camp were resettled in other countries. In some places, Laotian-speaking groups and congregations have developed from that stalwart little group of refugee Witnesses.

Integrity Tested by the Blood Issue

Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions for religious reasons based on the Bible. (Acts 15:28, 29) Since the use of blood for medical treatment is still a common practice, and in Thailand the doctor’s opinion is generally accepted by the patient without question, many brothers have faced severe tests of integrity.

For example, Araya Tanchakun, a special pioneer who was pregnant, suddenly began to hemorrhage. Rushed to the hospital, she was diagnosed as having placenta previa​—a condition in which the placenta has descended and blocked the birth canal. She was given a saline solution, but the doctors told her that blood would have to be administered in case of further hemorrhaging.

She explained her stand to every doctor who came on duty. One of them, who said he knew Jehovah’s Witnesses from the United States, suggested that blood be administered secretly, ‘without telling the organization.’ Sister Araya emphasized that her decision was a matter between her and Jehovah, not men. Another doctor cited the case of Buddhist monks, who normally may not be touched by a woman. But if sick in a hospital, they can be attended to by female nurses. “Are there not similar exceptions in your religion?” he questioned. When the answer regarding blood transfusions was no, he expressed regret that in Thailand doctors could not get a court order to administer blood. He did not give her much hope, especially in view of her approaching delivery. When she left the hospital a few days later, the hospital staff made it clear that they would accept her back only if she consented to accept blood. Well, her test was not over yet.

Phonthipa Teeraphinyo, a sister from another congregation, put Araya in contact with a doctor who had once helped her in connection with the blood issue. About a week later, Araya went into labor and began to hemorrhage again. When this doctor at the second hospital noticed her very weak condition, he got worried and changed his mind. He told Araya and her husband that just giving her an anesthetic in that condition might kill her. They remained firm, however. Her husband asked him to proceed without blood and told him he would thank him for his efforts even if his wife were to die. When the doctor also noticed that there were some 30 Witnesses anxiously waiting at the hospital, he was impressed and agreed to perform a cesarean section without blood.

Everybody was happy and relieved when Araya gave birth to a healthy girl, her eighth child, and she herself was all right. Knowing that the couple had been full-time preachers for many years, and being impressed by this demonstration of faith, the doctor even refused to accept any payment.

‘If I Die, Don’t Cry’

A few weeks after Araya left the hospital, Phonthipa, the sister who had introduced her to the helpful doctor, made a visit to thank him for respecting our religious conviction and performing the operation without blood. The doctor noticed that Phonthipa’s nine-year-old son, Seri, was very pale. A subsequent blood check revealed that he had leukemia. The only known treatment for this illness, the doctor said, was blood transfusions.

What was Seri’s reaction? “Even if I have to die today or tomorrow, I won’t accept any blood, not even a drop,” he told the doctor. He not only knew God’s law on blood but was also ready to uphold it under all circumstances. When he overheard several doctors saying that his mother’s belief on blood was unreasonable, Seri defended her, saying: “Don’t scold my mother! You doctors only blame her because you haven’t studied God’s Word.”

About six weeks after Seri’s condition had been diagnosed, he was admitted to the hospital. He adamantly refused blood despite persuasive pressure from the doctors. He progressively weakened and was given morphine to relieve his pain. Throughout his ordeal, however, Seri displayed remarkable faith. Without ceasing, he talked about the hope of living in the coming earthly Paradise. At one point he told his mother: “Mother, if I should die, tell Father not to cry, and you, Mother, don’t cry either, but be cheerful because we were able to pass Satan’s test.” Seri died faithful, leaving a good example for other young ones in maintaining integrity under test.​—Prov. 22:6.

Youths Take a Stand for the Truth

In Thailand the readiness with which many young people accept the truth and become publishers contrasts sharply with the indifference of most older people, who are strongly attached to tradition. The greater open-mindedness of the younger generation has helped some of them to take up studying the Bible and become Witnesses for Jehovah. Many have to put up a fight for the truth, as their parents and other relatives are opposed. This perseverance usually helps them to become spiritually stronger.

Many young publishers are giving a good witness in school by their fine conduct and uncompromising stand for true worship. Once a year, on wai khru day, all schools arrange for a special program, accompanied by religious ceremonies, in which the students pay homage to their teachers. At one school, three young brothers explained to the headmaster ahead of time the reasons why they could not take part in the program and asked to be excused. Nevertheless, they were required to be present but were given opportunity to express their respect to the teachers without participating in the religious ritual.

On wai khru day, the three were called in after the ceremony was finished. About 70 to 80 teachers were seated on the stage in front of more than a thousand students. In a short talk, our brothers pointed out that Jehovah’s Witnesses keep the matter of giving due respect to the teachers separate from worship. They can and should show respect everywhere and at all times, even outside the school premises. Their worship, however, is given exclusively to the Creator, Jehovah God. The teachers and fellow students liked what they heard. When the brothers finished, the hall echoed with thunderous applause.

Efforts to Get Official Recognition

Until the early 1970’s, most of the missionaries assigned to Thailand were granted permanent residence. In other respects also, the authorities were broad-minded and accommodating. Nonetheless, when the brothers tried to have the Society registered or incorporated so as to ‘legally establish the good news,’ the officials replied that there was no need for it. (Phil. 1:7) The director-general of the Department of Religious Affairs stated in a letter in 1974: “Since this association has the main purpose of preaching and teaching Christian religion, it is not necessary to form an association. You may carry on with the activities according to that purpose; so, refrain from forming an association for the time being.”

A year later, when two new missionaries applied for immigrant visas, the Immigration Division required a letter from the Department of Religious Affairs certifying that the applicants were missionaries. However, the Department of Religious Affairs refused to issue such a letter on the grounds that the Watch Tower Society was not registered with the department. The reply to another application for registration was identical with the previous one.

With no letter from the Department of Religious Affairs, the missionaries were given only nonimmigrant visas, necessitating frequent trips out of the country at intervals of 90 days. The under secretary of education proved very helpful when approached about this awkward situation. In 1980 he issued a letter to the chief of immigration, stating: “The Ministry of Education has considered the matter and decided that since Thailand has a policy of granting freedom of religion, . . . it is appropriate to grant the missionaries an extension of stay for one year.”

The missionaries received a second one-year extension through the assistance of the under secretary’s successor, who recommended that Jehovah’s Witnesses form a foundation under the local law. Thus, in 1982 the Foundation for Furtherance of Bible Study was established and registered, with a number of experienced local brothers as committee members.

This foundation, a cultural organization, is able to own title to property, including Kingdom Halls. However, the Department of Religious Affairs has so far refused to recognize the foundation as a religious organization. Such recognition would make it possible for new missionaries to enter the country. The reason for this refusal? The department has a policy of consulting with the heads of the already recognized organizations of Christendom in Thailand on matters pertaining to the Christian religion. When a meeting was called to discuss the application of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the representatives of those organizations (including Roman Catholic, Church of Christ in Thailand, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Baptist, and Seventh-Day Adventist) were unanimous that they ‘could not approve of the Christian Witnesses of Jehovah’ because the teachings and activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses do not agree with theirs. This impasse still remains.

Special Convention Stimulates Activity

The 1985 “Integrity Keepers” Convention in Bangkok was special in that it was the first convention with really international character since the 1963 around-the-world convention. Some 400 foreign delegates from 18 countries came to Thailand. Brother Lyman A. Swingle represented the Governing Body.

An outstanding feature was the field service on Friday afternoon, when practically all the visitors, a great percentage of whom were pioneers, went out with their Thai brothers and sisters and almost outnumbered them. This, together with the timely convention program, greatly impressed the brothers and proved to be a stimulus to increased activity throughout the country.

During the months following the convention, new peaks in publishers were reached. In April 1986, the number of 157 auxiliary pioneers represented an increase of 80 percent over the previous peak. One congregation with 91 publishers had 48 auxiliary pioneers, including 6 of the 7 elders. The remaining 43 publishers reported an average of 20.9 hours for that month.

“The Little One” Becomes a Thousand

Uninterrupted Kingdom activity began in Thailand in 1936, when Frank Dewar arrived in Bangkok as a lone pioneer. It took him and the other foreign pioneers that joined him four years of hard work before the first local publishers were baptized. Until 1960, the number of publishers increased steadily to 382, in most years at a rate of over 10 percent. During the 1960’s, there were decreases for several years, but by the end of the decade, the number of publishers was just back at the 1960 level. Then came years with increases of up to 20 percent, before the rate leveled off at between 3 and 5 percent per year.

Year by year, the brothers were waiting for the long-hoped-for event​—passing the 1,000 mark in publishers. This became a reality in April 1988, when a total of 1,021 reported. The 1990 service year concluded with a 6-percent increase and an all-time peak of 1,148. With 1,169 Bible studies being conducted each month and a Memorial attendance of 2,692 in 1990, there is good potential for further growth. As promised, Jehovah is ‘speeding it up.’​—Isa. 60:22.

The circuit work has played an important role in strengthening the brothers in the 34 congregations and various isolated groups in all parts of the country. The branch has met the need for qualified traveling overseers in part by assigning Gilead-trained brothers to the circuit and district work. But young and energetic local brothers, such as Phisek Thongsuk, have served for several years now and are a great help to the brothers. Emilio Batul, who was a circuit overseer for about 10 years in the Philippines before going to Thailand, has been in the traveling work there for 22 years.

Getting Ready for Expansion

When the branch office was moved to the Society’s own property at 69/1 Soi Phasuk, Sukhumwit Road, back in 1962, the facilities were more than adequate. Since then, the staff of 3 Bethel workers has increased to 16. An adjoining property with a residential building and a lush garden was rented in 1985 to provide accommodations so that the office area in the branch building could be expanded. But this additional space also soon proved to be inadequate. After extensive searching, the brothers located and purchased a piece of land in a newly developed suburb of Bangkok. Construction of the new facilities, which will be five times as large as the present ones, began February 1990.

As is true of all other branches of the Society, Thailand has had a Branch Committee since 1976. At first the committee was composed of Paul Engler as the coordinator, Elon Harteva, and Guy Moffatt. Elon Harteva has since returned to Finland. Brother Moffatt died in 1981 after 45 years of full-time service, 30 of which he had spent as a missionary and in Bethel service in Thailand. Having served also in the capacity of circuit overseer and district overseer, he was well-known to the brothers throughout the country, and he was loved and respected for his sincere interest in the brothers and his zeal for true worship. After returning from Gilead School in 1980, Asawin Urairat became the first local member of the Branch Committee. The present committee also includes Ernst Fischer, who graduated from Gilead in 1972, and Kaarle Harteva.

Looking Ahead With Confidence

Though Thailand has been steeped in tradition for centuries, the true worship of Jehovah God has liberated many people from bondage to Babylonish religion. The first ones to become Witnesses of the God of truth in that country previously were nominal Christians. Now, however, the majority are people with a Buddhist background. At the “Living Hope” District Convention in 1980, for example, 26 of the 36 baptized were former Buddhists. Only one was a former Catholic, and nine had parents in the truth. Through the good news of God’s Kingdom, many people, including former Buddhists, have prospects of entering into a kind of liberty that no man or human government, not even of the “Land of the Free,” could ever bring about​—freedom from imperfection, sickness, and death.​—Compare John 8:32.

Jehovah’s Witnesses will keep on preaching this good news everywhere. True, there is still much work to be done in Thailand. More than half of the 73 provinces are as yet unassigned territory. But we are confident that the work will be carried out to the extent purposed by Jehovah. And it will be completed. Until then, we will continue to “say among the nations: ‘Jehovah himself has become king,’” and endeavor to help as many people as possible to become truly free.​—Ps. 96:10.

[Footnotes]

[Chart on page 252]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Thailand 1,500

1950 89

1960 382

1970 380

1980 735

1990 1,148

Peak Publishers

300

1950 14

1960 41

1970 69

1980 114

1990 195

Av. Pioneers

[Box/​Map on page 186]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

MYANMAR (Burma)

Andaman Sea

THAILAND

Chiang Rai

Chiang Mai

Nan

Lampang

Nong Khai

Udon Thani

Khon Kaen

Nakhon Ratchasima

Bangkok

Nakhon Si Thammarat

Songkhla

Gulf of Thailand

MALAYSIA

LAOS

Vientiane

Savannakhet

CAMBODIA (Kampuchea)

Phnom Penh

VIETNAM

[Box]

THAILAND

Capital: Bangkok

Official Language: Thai

Major Religion: Buddhism

Population: 55,888,393

Branch Office: Bangkok

[Pictures on page 188]

Frank Dewar sailed the South Pacific on the 52-foot [16 m] ketch “Lightbearer.” He arrived in Bangkok in July 1936

[Pictures on page 191]

Thailand’s contrasting scenery from Phangnga Bay, in the south, surrounded by mountain caves and coastal scenery, to the temple area of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok with its three-tiered head of a mystical giant

[Pictures on page 193]

Willy Unglaube, top, and Kurt Gruber preached in the northern part of the country in the late 1930’s

[Picture on page 197]

Chomchai Inthaphan became a translator in 1941 and was in Bethel service from 1947 until her death in 1981

[Picture on page 199]

Buakhieo Nantha, one of the country’s first native Witnesses, was a Gilead graduate, in the 31st class

[Picture on page 202]

George Powell, first branch overseer, and his wife, Dona

[Picture on page 207]

Thailand became a branch on September 1, 1947. First branch office was at 122 Soi Decho, Bangkok

[Picture on page 209]

Ready for magazine witnessing at first circuit assembly in Chiang Mai, April 1948. Back row on right is Hans Thomas, pioneer in Thailand from 1941 to 1954

[Picture on page 210]

Missionaries from the 12th class of Gilead. Joseph E. (Bob) Babinski, Gerald (Jerry) Ross, Darrow Stallard, Donald Burkhart

[Picture on page 214]

Karun Chuthiangtrong. How was her thirst for truth quenched?

[Picture on page 220]

Seng Buawichai had doubts about the Trinity doctrine

[Picture on page 224]

George and Carolyn Crawford have served as missionaries since 1963, in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand

[Picture on page 227]

Suyi Chinesia, early publisher in Laos; Bunhoeng Lao, brother of Siphanh; and Siphanh Lao, first Laotian Buddhist in Vientiane to become a Witness

[Picture on page 229]

Missionaries preach by boat on the many klongs (canals) of Bangkok, 1956

[Picture on page 230]

Bantoeng Chantraboon, graduate of 31st class of Gilead, in 1958, served as circuit overseer

[Picture on page 231]

Somsri Darawan, one of the first Thai special pioneers, graduated from Gilead in 1953

[Picture on page 232]

The original branch office was a familiar site not only for these missionaries but for residents of Bangkok as well

[Picture on page 233]

Branch office, 69/1 Soi Phasuk, Sukhumwit Rd., Bangkok. New Bethel is scheduled for completion in 1991

[Picture on page 235]

At the “Everlasting Good News” Assembly in 1963 at Lumpini Park, Bangkok, twice as many foreign delegates were present as there were publishers in the country

[Pictures on page 237]

Rosaura Engler (Cagungao) and Clara Elauria (dela Cruz), the first two Filipinos sent to Thailand to serve as missionaries. Why were Filipinos assigned to Thailand?

[Picture on page 238]

Guy Moffatt served for 30 years as missionary and in Bethel service in Thailand

[Picture on page 241]

Lao Witnesses on way to preach in refugee camp. There were 20,000 refugees to call on

[Picture on page 249]

Lyman Swingle of the Governing Body with translator Paul Engler at convention in Bangkok in 1985

[Picture on page 251]

Branch Committee have served a combined total of 99 years in full-time service. From left to right, Paul Engler, Asawin Urairat, Ernst Fischer, and Kaarle Harteva

Doing Jehovah’s Work in Jehovah’s Way

Our 1990 field service report truly gives us much cause for rejoicing. As we consider the progress made, the new peaks in publishers in country after country, the great number of people baptized, and the opening up of the preaching work in countries where the brothers previously worked under ban, we are impelled to sing praises to Jehovah God for the way he has made things grow. Indeed, our spiritual paradise is flourishing! And we commend you brothers for your diligent and faithful service.

As we rejoice in all this prosperity, does that give us grounds for becoming complacent? By no means! Not only must we continue to walk in a way that pleases Jehovah but we also need to be ever mindful of the apostle Paul’s counsel to “keep on doing it more fully.” (1 Thess. 4:1) How can we ‘do it more fully’? By making sure that we are doing Jehovah’s work in Jehovah’s way.

Jehovah is displeased if his work is not done in his way. The results will not be for the good. For a striking example of this, consider when King David was having the sacred Ark transported to Jerusalem. Bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem was Jehovah’s work, but the way David first tried to do it​—on a wagon instead of on the shoulders of the Levites—​was not Jehovah’s way. The results were disastrous! In time David saw his mistake and then proceeded to have the Ark carried Jehovah’s way. Then, the time came for truly great rejoicing.​—1 Chron. 13:6-11; 15:12-29; 16:1-36.

Today, Jehovah’s work for us is twofold. It consists of preaching this good news of the Kingdom and of making disciples of those who respond favorably. In this regard, we must say to you concerning the past service year: “Well done!” When we think of you, these words by the apostle Paul come to mind: “I thank my God always upon every remembrance of you . . . because of the contribution you have made to the good news.” (Phil. 1:3-5) How, though, can we more fully do this work in Jehovah’s way? By continuing to serve shoulder to shoulder with “the faithful and discreet slave” as represented by the Governing Body. This slave is Jehovah’s instrument for getting this work done; by cooperating with it, we will have His continued blessings.​—Matt. 24:45-47.

But in order for us to cooperate fully with the visible channel Jehovah God is using, we must also work along with the ones that the theocratic organization has placed in positions of oversight in our own congregations. Remember Paul’s advice: “Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be submissive, for they are keeping watch over your souls.” (Heb. 13:17) Yes, to do Jehovah’s work in his way means for us to cooperate wholeheartedly with the elders in our congregations, who are taking the lead.

To do Jehovah’s work in Jehovah’s way also means doing it “whole-souled as to Jehovah, and not to men.” (Col. 3:23) It also calls for unselfish deeds on our part. That is why we are admonished: “[Do] nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with lowliness of mind considering that the others are superior to you.”​—Phil. 2:3.

To do Jehovah’s work in Jehovah’s way also means to do it joyfully, not reluctantly, not begrudgingly. You no doubt remember that time and again Jehovah God stressed the importance of this to his ancient nation of Israel. Jehovah wanted them to rejoice in him in every undertaking of theirs.​—Deut. 28:45-47.

For us as Christians, the same rule applies. We are repeatedly encouraged to “rejoice in the Lord,” as the apostle said. “Once more I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4) That is why we are also told: “Let each one do just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly nor under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7) Undoubtedly, to do Jehovah’s work in Jehovah’s way means we will do it with joy, yes, with eagerness, with zeal.

Important also is the manner of our speaking. The apostle Paul asked others to pray for him that he might give the witness “with freeness of speech.” (Eph. 6:19) So resist being timid or diffident in speaking the truth; continue to preach with boldness. At the same time, we want to give a reason for our hope to everyone that demands it of us, but with “deep respect.”​—1 Pet. 3:15.

Then again, for us to do Jehovah’s work in Jehovah’s way means not to neglect details but to remember that “the person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” (Luke 16:10) Thus, in the Pentateuch we read more than 30 times that Moses did “just as Jehovah had commanded” him.​—Ex. 39:21.

What does that require of us today? That we be conscientious in keeping house-to-house records and making return visits where interest has been manifested and that we be dependable and faithful in caring for our home Bible studies. It also means giving thought to our dress and grooming so that we always look presentable.

Our yeartext for 1991 is: “Let anyone hearing say: ‘Come!’” (Rev. 22:17) That is a command that we should keep ever in mind. To the extent that we do, we will also bring praise to Jehovah God and waters of truth to thirsty ones, and we ourselves will also be refreshed.​—Prov. 11:25.

Certainly, Jehovah has richly blessed us this past service year. We here at world headquarters are happy to be fellow workers with you, and our earnest prayer is that all of us may continue faithfully doing our Father’s work his way.

Your brothers,

GOVERNING BODY OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES