They Answered the “Macedonian” Call to Guam
THE Pacific island of Guam is magnificently lush in greenery and has a very warm, humid climate. Breathtaking indeed are the sheer cliffs that drop sharply to the sapphire-green waters! Hundreds of varieties of tropical fish swarm within its reefs. Farmers grow such crops as corn, rice, bananas, pineapples, coffee, citrus fruits, yams, sugarcane and papayas.
ANSWERING A CALL TO SERVICE
Seeds of Bible truth were planted on Guam by Filipino Christians who preached here while carrying out work contracts. Later, missionaries and zealous Christian families came here to serve where the need was great. This may well bring to mind the apostle Paul’s prompt response to a vision entreating him to “step over into Macedonia and help us.”—Acts 16:8-12.
In 1948, a Filipino Witness heard a Kingdom song being whistled by a man on the roof of a government building on Guam. He recalls: “I asked him, . . . ‘Are you a Jehovah’s Witness, too?’ After a joyful, ‘Yes,’ this carpenter scooted down the ladder and we clasped each other, laughing like long-lost brothers.”
Military authorities did not then permit house-to-house witnessing on Guam. Nevertheless, Filipino brothers doing reconstruction work had a share in spreading the “good news” here, though in a limited way. During that time, a Bible study was conducted with a professional boxer. Due to opposition in his home, he studied along the beach. The boxer accepted the truth. This young man, who had married a Guamanian girl, was the first Filipino to become a permanent resident of Guam. He gave up boxing and was baptized in 1954.—1 Tim. 4:8.
MORE HELP ARRIVES
The years 1954 to 1964 saw much activity, with the influx of many missionaries and others who came to serve where the need was great. The highlight of 1964 was the two-day visit (in September) of Brother N. H. Knorr, then the Watch Tower Society’s president. At that time six of Guam’s 12 missionaries were reassigned to service elsewhere in Micronesia.
However, by 1965 only 30 percent of the territory on Guam was receiving a witness once in six months, and the population was approximately 100,000. With the expansion of the Kingdom Hall and missionary home in 1969, it was possible to house four more missionaries. Hence, in that year, a married couple and two single sisters were sent to Guam from Hawaii. Publishers reached 50 in 1969, when Guam and other Micronesian islands were placed under the supervision of the Society’s branch office in Hawaii. As time passed, Jehovah blessed their efforts. In 1971, for example, 336 persons gathered here to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. Also, that year saw a new peak of 124 publishers and pioneers (full-time Kingdom proclaimers), representing a 58-percent increase over the 1970 service year!
During the five-year period from 1971 to 1976, Kingdom publishers grew to the number of 136, and a steady witness was being given. During that time, families from the United States mainland moved in and out, responding to the opportunity to serve where the need was great. All of them contributed toward covering Guam with the Kingdom message.
On May 13, 1976, Guam was hit by super-typhoon Pamela. It sustained winds of some 140 miles (225 km) per hour, with greater gusts, making it one of the worst typhoons ever to strike the island. Eighty percent of the buildings were damaged, at least half of them beyond repair. The Kingdom Hall and the adjacent missionary home were totally destroyed. Happily, though, none of Jehovah’s servants lost their lives.
GROUNDWORK FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
In the wake of this tragedy, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses approved plans for a new branch office on Guam. It was to oversee the Kingdom-preaching work here 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. Construction began in January 1978, and from among the Witnesses in Hawaii and the continental United States came carpenters, plumbers, painters, architects, electricians, and a civil engineer. All volunteered their talents free of charge. The new facility, located amid palms and flowers just six miles (10 km) from Agana, is scheduled for completion by the fall of 1979.
Looking back, one of the early Filipino brothers on Guam reminisces: “It thrilled us to see new faces turning up at our meetings in the Kingdom Hall. Each new face represented a milestone in our discipling work—added proof that Jehovah recognized us as his true servants on Guam. Americans and Guamanians joined us in the work of making disciples, spurring us on to greater efforts.”
Disciple-making efforts on Guam have indeed been blessed by Jehovah. As a result, there are now 146 Kingdom proclaimers on this island. Faithful native witnesses of Jehovah have served side by side with fellow believers from other lands. And the history of Christian developments on Guam is reminiscent of the apostle Paul’s action when entreated: “Step over into Macedonia and help us.” (Acts 16:9) Jehovah blessed Paul in sowing seeds of truth among the Macedonians. Likewise, God has blessed local Witnesses, as well as missionaries and the various families that have come here to meet a great need for ‘harvesters.’ (Matt. 9:37, 38) As a dedicated Christian, can you answer a similar “Macedonian” call to serve where the need is great in some part of the earth?