ANOTHER ENERGETIC PIONEER ARRIVES

One of the early pioneers to come to Chile was Kathe Palm, and she played a dramatic role in answer to the above question. We will let her tell us something about her zealous work in the Chilean field. Sister Palm writes:

“Hilma Sjoberg sent money to the Watch Tower Society headquarters in November 1934 to pay for a trip from the United States to Colombia by ship. The Society asked me if I wanted to help Sister Sjoberg in South America. What a wonderful provision! So by December I arrived in Buenaventura, Colombia. Sister Sjoberg arrived from Ecuador. We went to Bogotá for about a year and placed cartons of books. Then Sister Sjoberg had to return to Texas. She advised me not to stay alone in Colombia and suggested that I write to a brother who had opened up the work in Chile.

“Finally, the invitation arrived to come to Chile, as Brother Traub’s home was open for a pioneer. The whole country was the territory! How to get there? The best way was by ship, so back to Buenaventura. The port captain told me of a Chilean ship that was to arrive shortly. So the door was opened.

“‘Yes, we will take you,’ said the captain of the freighter. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I will not take the only money you have ($15), although I’ll accept some of those books that you have there. Now go ashore and get your things, and I’ll show you to your cabin.’ After 17 days of a wonderful voyage with lots of witnessing to the crew and a few passengers, we arrived in Chile. Brother Traub was waiting for me at Valparaíso. That was in February of 1936.”

In Santiago Sister Palm especially enjoyed the sight of the snow-covered mountains in the background and an entire avenue of pink Japanese cherry trees in bloom. What scenery! But on with her story:

“The first territory that Brother Traub gave me was the center of Santiago. Here were the government palace, government buildings, all offices and businesses. I placed many books in this territory, often entire sets of all the current books published by the Watch Tower Society. As for the government palace, no one objected in office after office except one, the telegraph communication​—they must not be disturbed. On the last floor I found the palace library. The librarian recognized the books at once and told me the titles of all that he already had, so I left him Vindication, (Book One) in both English and Spanish, as these were the newest then, and he was very pleased to get them. One man even told me that he would like to change places with me as far as government was concerned, for he recognized the far superior value of working for the theocratic government.

“While working the business district in 1936, I met a jeweler with a German name. So I witnessed to him in German and showed him the Vindication book. When he saw Jehovah’s name in it, he turned white and shouted at me to get out of his place, otherwise he would get his revolver and kill me. Shouting, he shook his fist at me and then banged it down so hard on the showcase that he broke the glass and cut his hand! By that time I had my book bag ready and made a prompt departure. Trembling on the street, I went next door to a German art shop. ‘No,’ they said, ‘we do not wish to comment on this man, for we only know that he is a fanatic Nazi.’ Those were the days prior to World War II.”

PORTABLE PHONOGRAPH APPRECIATED

Before the war broke out, Sister Palm relates, Brother Traub was able to get one of the Society’s portable phonographs, with short recorded Bible lectures on 78-rpm discs. How delighted he was with it! “Why,” says Sister Palm, “he even managed to copy the phonograph so that quite a few of the Chilean brothers could have their own Chilean-made model.

“Years later, the second officer of the ship that had brought me to Chile went to the Watchtower headquarters on one of his visits to New York. There at 117 Adams Street he contacted Brothers Fred Peach and Harry Pinnock, who sent me the newest vertical-type phonograph with more records and newer ones too. This one could readily be used at the doorsteps, and, oh, what attention it gained, for nobody had ever seen anything like it! Also the one-hour recorded talks were used on the Santiago radio stations. A few years later they were heard on almost all the radio stations of the main towns of the provinces.”

SPREADING SEEDS OF TRUTH UP NORTH

Brother Traub thought it would be well for Sister Palm to spread the seeds of truth in the northern part of the country. “He assigned me to start working the farthest north in Arica and up the fertile valley of Azapa,” she reports. “So I worked from door to door in each town and always tried, and generally succeeded, to place the entire set of those beautiful, rainbow-colored books in the public library, school libraries and union halls.

“Every mining camp, every nitrate camp, every company town, large or small, as well as big copper- and iron-mining towns, was witnessed to from door to door. It was necessary to have cartons and cartons of books sent ahead to each new address. Almost all my witnessing work was done on foot. I found a saddlebag like one used on burros and would fill it on one side with about 30 books and on the other side with some 150 to 200 booklets. Then I would carry it on my shoulders, using another full handbag of literature for use at each call. It was also necessary to carry a blanket, a toothbrush, and so forth, as one usually found lodging each night where one stopped.

“In Copiapó I found a sulfur mine high on the slopes of the Andes Mountains. Here lived about 30 to 40 workers and the families of the administrator and his assistant. They were surprised to have a woman visit them. How did I ever get there? I happened to find a man who was driving to the mine, and he was glad to take me along. ‘Yes,’ he stated, ‘I will see to it that one of the two ladies up there will give you lodging.’

“Then everybody at the mine told me: ‘We don’t use money here; all our wages are paid to us in the town office when we get our leave.’ So the administrator authorized everyone to take what literature he wanted and just sign his name and the amount on a list. I placed all the literature I had and took orders for much more. This I delivered to the office in town. All the workers seemed anxious to read the publications, and they were ever so pleased with the ‘good news.’”

In 1939 Sister Beta Abbott, who had been serving in Cuba, sent word that she would be coming to Chile. Sister Abbott was assigned to witness to the Americans who were working high up in the copper mine of “El Teniente,” just south of Santiago. She was able to work there only a short time, as the altitude was too much for her. But the town at the base of the mountains, Rancagua, was fine.

There at Rancagua Sister Lucila Reyes offered her lodging in her hotel. She stayed there several years. Sister Reyes and her husband had found the truth a few years before, when Brother Traub explained the “good news” to them. Before this, an evangelical pastor often visited the Reyes family. This clergyman insisted that if they wanted to obey God they had to get rid of all the hotel’s supply of wine (which provided quite a good business). Well, poor Mr. Reyes poured all his chuicos (10-liter jugs) of wine into the sewer! Then Brother Traub came and explained Bible truths. “What!” Mr. Reyes said, “wine is not forbidden?” Oh, that was music to his ears, as Brother Traub proved it with their own family Bible. The Reyes home and hotel were always open for any and all Witnesses.

In 1949 we had a national convention in Rancagua, and Sister Reyes, now a widow, emptied her hotel to have it ready for as many assembly delegates as she could. A “sandwich parade” (a parade of brothers with big placards on front and back advertising the main lecture) was held in the center of Rancagua. There were problems, though, when the school director refused to allow the brothers to use the school’s hall, even though the Ministry of Education had authorized its use for our convention. When Mr. Daniel González, a judge of the appellate court, heard about this, he took a trip to see this director and asked him why some weeks earlier he had authorized a Catholic function in his school’s hall. Being confronted with this fact, he could hardly continue to refuse. A marvelous assembly was held in Rancagua.

Years later Sister Abbott moved to Santiago. Since she had always maintained herself with her excellent sewing, she found it easy to get work from ambassadors’ wives and others in prominent positions. This gave her the opportunity to witness to these people. She often remarked that it must be the hand of Jehovah, because when Witnesses called at these elegant homes, the maids would never let them in to speak with the owners. After many years of faithful service, Sister Abbott died in 1975 at the age of 93.

COVERING THE SOUTHERN REGION

Since the southernmost province of Chile, Magallanes, can best be worked in the summer months, Brother Traub had Sister Palm travel by boat to Punta Arenas. Ten cartons of books were sent there for her use.

In contrast to the dry north Sister Palm now found herself among greenery, rowboats, sailboats, launches, small steamers, islands and more islands. How enjoyable! Finally, after several days of travel through fjord and glacier country, the town of Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan was reached. Sister Palm continues:

“Of all the Chilean towns, I always liked it the best. It has no flies, no fleas, no bedbugs and no beggars, and one sleeps more soundly and wakes more refreshed than in any other place I have visited.”

Witnessing in Punta Arenas required having literature in more than the Spanish language. There are many people of Yugoslav descent, and one could find many estancias (large sheep ranches) administrated by Englishmen. The estancias can have as many as 80,000 sheep on 250,000 acres. Till this day it makes for a picturesque scene to see the sheepherders riding their horses, accompanied by their well-trained dogs, against a backdrop of majestic mountains covered with glaciers that come down to the edge of beautiful lakes.

The people in this isolated region of Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales are well known for their friendliness and hospitality. Upon coming to an estancia, one is immediately invited into a large kitchen where a pot of coffee or of a mate (herb drink) is ready along with some bread. At mealtimes there is always a cordero asado (roast lamb) with as much as you want to eat. Much interest was found, and the response to the preaching work was good.

From Punta Arenas one can travel to Tierra del Fuego​—Land of Fire—​the name Ferdinand Magellan gave this island in 1520 while passing through the strait named after him. Sister Palm reached the small town of Porvenir on this island and had the privilege of spreading the seeds of truth in this distant part of the earth. A kind Estonian family gave her lodging for several weeks so that she could visit all the estancias in that region.

BACK NORTH

Winter was approaching, so it was time to head north by steamer. Sister Palm’s return trip took her to Chiloé Island. She writes: “As I went on to smaller ports on the island I found kind people. They always listened and had many questions and wondered how it could be possible to have been lied to for so many years about purgatory and hellfire. They nearly always took some literature.

“Near one small port the priest had managed to spy on my work. So when I did not watch closely enough, one of his dupes stole my saddlebag filled with books, also my handwoven, bright-colored Bolivian blanket. On reporting it to the police, they just shrugged their shoulders. But as I went on that day with what I had in my handbag a man came along the road. He had already heard of the theft and he wanted me to know that he and his wife and others were sorry. ‘Please come with me to my home,’ he said, ‘for my wife has a new blanket for you [handmade, of course] and please spend the night with us.’ So I went. It was an even better blanket; a larger poncho. I bought it at once; it was quite reasonable. I stayed the night with them, answering many of their Bible questions.” (After more than 35 years of use Sister Palm still has her Chiloé poncho.)

Moving north as instructed by Brother Traub, Sister Palm visited Osorno. The governor of this province was pleased to receive her. He showed her the book Government, which he had read and enjoyed. Then he promised that in Osorno no one would hinder our work, and that proved to be true.

On to the province of Valdivia. Here Sister Palm went to the seaport of Corral. She relates: “I found a union hall to play our one-hour lecture ‘Face the Facts’ and the hall was filled with the people I had invited. They even brought some of that beautiful national flower, the copihue, along with fern leaves to decorate the hall. So as to banish the smell of stale cigarette smoke in the hall I got some eucalyptus leaves to burn and it helped scent the air. A young girl went up to the gallery to look down on our decorations and said: ‘Hum, just like Atkinson’s perfume.’ (A famous English perfume in Chile.) Did I laugh! After the discourse the visitors took along their gifts of booklets and magazines and asked when would they hear more of those good things.”

[Picture on page 49]

Kathe Palm, who arrived in Chile in 1936, energetically spread the seeds of truth from one end of the country to the other