The first Gilead-trained missionaries arrived in Chile in 1945. They were Brothers Joseph Ferrari and Albert Mann. There were then only 65 publishers in Chile.

The Society had arranged for a convention that was to include the first visit of a president and a vice-president of the Watch Tower Society to Chile, namely, N. H. Knorr and F. W. Franz. On March 25, 1945, the public talk, “One World, One Government,” was given to an audience of 340 persons. Five persons were baptized at this convention.

During his visit Brother Knorr arranged for a branch office to be set up with Brother Joseph Ferrari as the branch overseer. Up to this time the work had been directed from the Argentine branch.

MORE MISSIONARIES ARRIVE

At the close of the year 1945, 10 more missionaries arrived: Louise and Frances Stubbs, Stella Burton, Stephania Payne, Elsa Sutton, John and Louise Baxter, Clara Giza, Lydia Walther and Lola Buntain. Everything was new to them​—the language, the customs and the habits of the people. But they found that with hard work they were able to communicate with the people, who are patient and kindly disposed to help newcomers learn their language.

This group of missionaries had the privilege of setting up the first missionary home at 3004 Lyon Street in Santiago. The branch office was also a part of this home. Since the original congregation was at the opposite side of the city, it was decided to combine the dining and living room areas and form a new congregation. So in 1946 the second congregation was formed in this metropolis of Santiago with its 1,500,000 inhabitants.

FIRST CIRCUIT OVERSEER

In July 1946 Brother Albert Mann, one of the first two missionaries to come to Chile, was assigned as the first circuit overseer in the country. There were just nine congregations, with a total of 93 publishers in such places as Chillán, Concepción, Rancagua, Melipilla, Illapel and Santiago. Brother Mann’s example of faith and devotion has been a wonderful stimulus to many young people, as well as older ones, in the truth.

When he began as a circuit overseer, accommodations were scarce in the small congregations. This meant sleeping in hotels. Sometimes it was a case of trying to sleep, as the barroom or entertainment hall would be noisy all night long. Two weeks were spent with each congregation, allowing time for teaching the brothers organization and, primarily, training them for the field service as publishers of the “good news.”

MISSIONARY WORK IN VALPARAISO

In November of 1946 nine new missionaries arrived. A missionary home was established in the port city of Valparaíso, and the witness work was begun in Chile’s second largest city, which is built on 41 hills clustered, crescent-like, around a broad, open bay. Though aided by the 16 cable cars on different hills, it was tiring work climbing those hills to talk to the people.

One of the first persons to respond to the truth in Valparaíso was Aida Guzmán. She attended the meetings held in the living room of the missionary home in 1948. She remembers that because of a shortage of chairs full cartons of literature were distributed about the room and wooden planks were placed across them to form benches.

Meanwhile, the missionaries were busy. Sister Elsa Sutton, who later married Hollis Smith, found a young man who desired to study the Bible. This young man, Alberto Muñoz, was opposed by his mother, so the study was carried on in one of the public parks. He repeated all he learned to his two younger sisters and also to a neighbor, Sergio González. The girls, in turn, repeated all of it to their mother. Due to the loving persistence of the two girls the mother finally asked for a family Bible study. The son and the two girls entered the pioneer work and later the girls, Graciela and Elena Muñoz, received invitations to attend Gilead School. The neighbor, Sergio González, accepted the truth and he became one of the early special pioneers in Chile.

The work started in Valparaíso by the missionaries has certainly prospered over the years, and now there are nine congregations here.

CONTINUED EXPANSION IN THE CAPITAL

In 1946 four missionaries were assigned to Santiago: Larry and Margaret Laing, Dorothea Smith and Dora Ward. As with all new missionaries, amusing incidents are related with regard to learning the new language. For example, off to the meat market a missionary went one day to ask for a pound of pulpa, or meat. The butcher and others in the shop had hearty laughs when the missionary asked for a pound of pulpo, or octopus!

In 1948 an 11-year-old girl took hold of the truth. This little girl, Gladys Ramírez, worked as a vacation pioneer and enjoyed being trained by the missionaries. She dreamed of the day when she too could be a missionary and so began to study English. Some 10 years later she was able to fulfill her ambition when she was invited to attend Gilead School, graduating in the year 1958. She is still faithfully serving Jehovah as a regular pioneer in the city of Valparaíso.