Part 2—Visiting Jehovah’s Witnesses in Central America
IN British Honduras for weeks and months Jehovah’s witnesses had been looking forward to the announced visit of N. H. Knorr, the Society’s president. They had arranged for a three-day assembly, December 3, 4 and 5, to be held in the Memorial Park in Belize.
December begins the rainy season, with uncertain weather; so a temporary assembly structure was put up. The president had not been here for five years. Local witnesses of Jehovah did considerable advertising, putting signs in stores, on buildings, cinemas, trucks, boats, etc. There were newspaper announcements, letters of invitation and thousands of handbills. Also, a large banner was stretched across the main street of the capital city, and announcements were broadcast regularly on the radio. Jehovah’s witnesses were planning a big assembly and wanted every willing one to attend.
The Memorial Park is certainly situated at a pleasant spot. You look out onto the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. The octagon-shaped bandstand served as a fine speakers’ platform, and the brothers had beautifully decorated the grounds immediately in front of it with flowers and plants. It was a surprise when 241 persons gathered at the opening session to hear N. H. Knorr speak on “Not Forsaking the Gathering of Ourselves Together.” This was most unusual, for there were only 90 publishers reporting in the month of November; so there must be many other persons interested in the convention and in the message of the Kingdom.
On Saturday nineteen symbolized their dedication to Jehovah God by being baptized in the Caribbean. After this immersion a bicycle parade covered the city advertising Sunday’s lecture, “God’s Love to the Rescue in Man’s Crisis.” The local brothers, all descendants from their ancestors in Africa, certainly enjoyed riding with Brother Knorr in this bicycle parade that wound in and out of the streets of the city for ten miles. They had a motorcycle-police escort. This final reminder helped along with all the other advertising, because at eight o’clock Sunday evening 689 persons gathered in the park. That surely stimulated this country’s 90 regular witnesses to see that still many others are desirous of hearing the good news, and it is going to keep them busy helping such.
After the assembly was over, a gentleman who had complained about Jehovah’s witnesses’ getting the use of the park changed his mind about their actions, for he stated that they did not beg for money but simply gave plain and pointed instruction from the Bible. They were nothing like those revivalists who used the park a year ago. A policeman also told one of the witnesses that he enjoyed the assembly very much and wished other people would follow the example of Jehovah’s witnesses, for it would make his work much easier. Another interested person said, “I have heard dozens of evangelists and preachers, but that is the first man to visit here that really convinced me we are in the last days.” She wanted to get the magazines, The Watchtower and Awake! regularly.
The brothers saw results from the assembly, because their January report showed 104 engaging in preaching this good news of the Kingdom throughout all of British Honduras.
HONDURAS
Two days before President Knorr’s arrival in Honduras the constitutional government had fallen. The political situation was tense. Also, a very grave situation had developed within the congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses itself. Brother Knorr would have to appoint a new branch servant because the one formerly in charge had disqualified himself and he was therefore disfellowshiped. Here for Jehovah’s people there was tension within and without. For the past four years Jehovah’s witnesses had been blessed and many were being gathered into the New World society. In 1950 there were 208 publishers in the country and by the time the service year of 1954 had closed there was an average of 410. The missionaries along with the local publishers had done well, but when corruption was found within the organization it disturbed some of the weaker ones, as they were looking to man rather than to Jehovah God. In checking the February, 1955, report it is found that there are now only 392 publishers, a decrease from the 1954 average and far below the peak of 460 publishers in April, 1954. It will take hard work on the part of the missionaries and other mature brothers in the congregation to aid, strengthen and bring on to maturity those who once had taken a stand for the Kingdom. Those who corrupt Jehovah’s organization by immoral living have something to answer for before Jehovah God.
A little sister reported the misconduct of the branch servant to one of the missionaries. It was this information that led to the uncovering of the scandal that had corrupted the local organization. This girl had told how she had seen the branch servant, a married man, making regular calls at the one-room house of a prostitute. It was hard for the missionary to believe the report. So then she wanted to see with her own eyes. She did, and she reported the matter to some brothers, missionaries, and for several days the branch servant was watched and his conduct checked. Some days he made as many as three calls to see this girl of ill fame. Sometimes he would take her to the theater. The matter was then reported to the president’s office and instructions were sent out to make a very thorough check and to have a sufficient number of witnesses watch this man’s actions. Even the branch servant’s wife was invited to go along on a back-call near the harlot’s home so she too could see exactly what her husband was doing before the charges were presented to him and disfellowshiping would take place.
The Society’s president had given instructions for the man to have a fair hearing, but from the very start he tried to lie his way out. He even said he had not gone to the place. But there were a sufficient number of witnesses who were wholly devoted to Jehovah God observing daily what had taken place and in the face of all of his lies the man was disfellowshiped.
If a person wants to live as the world lives, then let him stay in the world. When we find men in the organization like those Jude described—“ungodly men, turning the undeserved kindness of our God into an excuse for loose conduct and proving false to our only Owner and Lord, Jesus Christ”—then they should be removed from the organization, and quickly.—Jude 4, NW.
In Catholic countries, like those of Central and South America, common-law marriage and having a mistress is not an uncommon thing. So, many of the Catholic people look upon this course of action as a usual practice of all men everywhere. The Catholic Church does nothing to correct these immoral practices but allows such men to remain in the Catholic organization. Not so with Jehovah’s witnesses. Many newly associated with Jehovah’s witnesses were not surprised when announcement of the disfellowshiping was made in the congregation, because many of the world already knew of the unclean conduct of the offender and were talking about it. However, with Jehovah’s organization it makes no difference whether one guilty of brazen immorality is in high or low place, for he will be disfellowshiped as any other baptized person would be. The organization, the New World society, must remain clean. The native brothers and missionaries in Honduras are of heavy heart because Jehovah’s name and his organization have been brought low in Honduras. Our faithful brothers in Honduras pray that ‘Jehovah will show undeserved kindness toward them.’ Further they stated that ‘they hoped the reproach brought upon Jehovah’s name from this land will be removed by their own proper conduct in the future, and they pray that in the future they will with faithfulness await the time when he again will prosper them.’
Undoubtedly Jehovah’s witnesses everywhere will pray to Jehovah that he will bless our faithful brothers in Honduras, to give them strength to feed properly and bring on to maturity those of good will, and that this blot of immorality will not stand in the way of those loving righteousness.
So with this sense of distress and sorrow Jehovah’s witnesses went ahead with their three assemblies. The first assembly opened on Sunday, December 5, in the San Pedro Sula football stadium. Not far distant there was another assembly under way in La Lima.
But something else was going on in Honduras. The political situation was a bundle of nerves around the capital building in Tegucigalpa, and the army was on guard with rifles and machine guns. The government had fallen; the president desired to keep peace and to preserve it at all costs. Therefore announcement was made that all public gatherings were to be banned. Curfews went into effect in troublesome areas. While the brothers in the stadium were having their evening meal in a well-arranged cafeteria, soldiers arrived with orders from the government that there were to be no further meetings and that they had to vacate the stadium. However, permission was granted for them to retire to their local Kingdom Halls and to have their customary study of The Watchtower. So both conventions came to a close as far as a central assembly was concerned. In La Lima a curfew went into effect at 6 p.m. and at San Pedro, at 9 p.m.
It was in the middle of all this that the president of the Society, Brother Knorr, arrived at San Pedro Sula. Because of the tension throughout the land only a few of the missionaries and the acting branch servant met him at the airport. After passing customs, the Society’s president went to the American consul to get the latest information on the existing emergency. He learned the facts; so meetings continued on in the Kingdom Hall. They were joyful, enthusiastic and thrilling.
Necessary admonition to the brothers was given as to keeping the organization clean, and going on faithfully in serving Jehovah. Also there were admonitions to use the spirit of a sound mind in preaching the good news in the present political emergency, to avoid doing anything rash or out of line with orderly authority. On that first evening in Honduras, at San Pedro Sula, all of those who were attending the convention crowded into the back yard of the missionary home and there a delightful assembly was carried on. The Kingdom Hall that was in the home was too small to hold all, so they gathered in the back yard or patio. The spirit on the part of the brothers was high and they were anxious to go ahead regardless of internal or external trouble. Many in the city wanted to know where they now could hear the lecture “God’s Love to the Rescue in Man’s Crisis,” and 265 came to the missionary home. The next day the president of the Society went over to La Lima and there also all convention activities had been transferred to the Kingdom Hall, but a joyful time was had by everyone, 108 being present. However, before 6 p.m. the travelers had to leave town because of the curfew, so all meetings were held during the afternoon. The big convention was to be held in Tegucigalpa, but everyone was advised not to travel because of prevailing difficulties.
Thursday Brother Knorr flew to Tegucigalpa by plane along with some missionaries, including Brother Muscariello, newly graduated from the 23d Gilead class, who was now to be appointed as the branch servant. In Tegucigalpa, too, it was impossible to use the large city stadium. So all meetings were confined to the Kingdom Hall, but this proved to be much too small. Some 198 persons packed out the hall and crowded into the streets outside. Windows and doors were opened so that everyone could hear. The meeting was very orderly and there was no disturbance whatever, even though it was in the heart of town. Busy days were these, with much to do, and the responsibilities of carrying on the witness work in the entire country had to be turned over to the new appointee. We have full confidence in Jehovah God and in His organization that our brothers in Honduras will work together in unity, and even though now there are fewer publishers, a drop to 392, we trustingly look to Jehovah God to pour his spirit upon these and make them strong, so that they will use the spirit of a sound mind and keep on preaching the good news regardless of the failure of one. It strengthens us to see that we are not following man, and while a man may stumble some, still the corrupted one will be removed, to keep the New World society clean in every country of earth, for they are one society under the holy Sovereign Ruler of the universe, Jehovah God. It behooves everyone to be careful and, with his brothers, to walk circumspectly before Jehovah. It makes one determine anew to seek not his own pleasure, because everything rightfully should be done for the good of Jehovah’s organization. “Do not be loving either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”—1 John 2:15-17, NW.
(To be continued)