Field Experience

PREACHING ABOARD SHIP

“On December 11, 1947, we left Denmark on a Danish vessel. We were on our way to the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead located in the state of New York. We hoped to arrange for a public meeting while en route on the ship and found the captain to be very friendly. On December 19 I had the privilege of standing in front of the audience speaking to them on the subject ‘Swords Beaten into Plowshares’. The ship was rocking badly, but in spite of that the audience stayed for the entire meeting, and after the talk we had a study with one of the passengers. More than a year later, in January, 1949, we were on our way back to Denmark on a Swedish ship, and as we had had good results on our way to America in 1947 with the public meetings on shipboard, we desired to once again give a witness to the passengers to the honor of Jehovah’s name. The captain was not sure that the passengers were interested in listening to a Bible talk, but I pressed the opposite view and he finally gave permission for the talk to be given on the ship. This time the subject was ‘From Scarcity to Plenty’. In 1947 we had 23 persons in attendance, and this time we had 17 out of 26 Danish-speaking passengers. After the talk and during the remainder of the trip we had a wonderful opportunity to explain God’s Word to the people. We gained many friends. Now we are back in Denmark, where most likely I will have to go to jail for one and a half years because I have refused to do military service instead of preaching the gospel. Whether in jail or on the bosom of the Atlantic we can still sing the praises of Jehovah, and that I will do ‘more and more’.”