Bible Truth Shows the Way to Security
—Report from the Dominican Republic
SOME 600 miles (960 km) east of Florida, between the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, lies the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The eastern two thirds of this island is occupied by the Dominican Republic. Its land is well watered, which makes for good agriculture. Products include sugarcane, coffee and cocoa, as well as fruits like papayas, bananas, mangoes and pineapples.
People of the Dominican Republic are friendly and enjoy getting into lively conversations. They gesture with hands, face, and even the whole body. Many Dominicans are Protestants, but most are Roman Catholics, as were the European settlers who came to Hispaniola island from Spain during the 15th century.
How would the cordial and humble people of this Caribbean country respond to Bible truth? On April 1, 1945, missionaries from the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead began finding out. They checked into a hotel in the heart of Santo Domingo and the very same day they set out to locate a doctor who had expressed interest in Bible study and whose address had been given to them while they lived in New York. The doctor was located and began studying the Scriptures. A neighbor joined in in these discussions. As a result, Juan Pedro Green and Moisés Rollins were the first Dominicans to become Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The work of sharing Bible truth with Dominicans was not confined to Santo Domingo but soon spread into the interior. The missionaries worked north to Santiago, the second-largest city in the republic. Then they pushed farther north to Puerto Plata on the seacoast. In these places many enjoyed listening to Bible truths that they had never heard at church.
Soon after their preaching activities began, Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Dominican Republic enjoyed a visit by N. H. Knorr and F. W. Franz, then president and vice-president of the Watch Tower Society. As a result of that visit more missionaries were sent to the country. Eventually missionary homes were established in Santiago, Puerto Plata, San Francisco de Macorís, La Romana, and San Pedro de Macorís.
At the close of 1946, there were 28 Witnesses in the republic. Since the majority of people here were unfamiliar with even basic Bible teachings, the message proclaimed by this small group sounded strange. The number of Witnesses grew slowly at first. In fact, their work met with serious opposition shortly after getting under way. But ‘in times of distress, Jehovah became their secure height,’ even as the psalmist David said.—Ps. 9:9.
Followers of Jesus Christ take a neutral position with regard to human political affairs and conflicts. For this, they expect to encounter persecution in some places. (John 15:18-20) Opposition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Dominican Republic began in 1948. At that time the country was ruled by dictator Rafael Trujillo. During 1948, a noted member of Trujillo’s Partido Dominicano (Dominican Party) accepted the Biblical message proclaimed by Jehovah’s Witnesses and made important changes in his life. He started boldly sharing the Bible’s message with others in his hometown of San Cristobal. Government officials there were displeased with the fine response that people were giving to that message. A Catholic priest and local writers raised their voices in opposition to the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In June 1950, the Witnesses were placed under official ban. The ban was removed in 1956, but imposed once again a year later. It was not removed until 1960.
Serving Under Ban
Did the ban succeed in stamping out the proclamation of Bible truth by Jehovah’s Witnesses? On the contrary, this work prospered. As noted above, there were 28 Witnesses in the Dominican Republic in 1946. When the ban was lifted in 1960, this number had grown to 460.
The years 1961 and 1962 were a period of reorganization. The Watch Tower Society arranged for traveling representatives to visit and strengthen the congregations. In 1961, 17 full-time evangelizers were sent into areas of the republic previously untouched. These efforts proved to be fruitful, and by 1963 more than 1,000 Dominicans were showing active appreciation of the psalmist’s words: “You yourself alone, O Jehovah, make me dwell in security.”—Ps. 4:8.
Reaching Out into the Rurals
Bible-educational activity was going on in all the cities and towns of this country by 1973. In December of that year, the Society made arrangements to care for the spiritual needs of people living in remote rural areas. Congregations received letters inviting persons to spend two months preaching in such rural areas. Nineteen “regular pioneers” (full-time preachers) volunteered for this special service. Between December 1973 and January 1977, six groups were organized and sent to places where previously there had been little or no activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses. How did these volunteers go about their work? One of them relates:
“First we moved to a central place in the area where we were to preach. We rented an old ‘kitchen’ (a little thatched-roof hut built outside of houses). There we settled down with a small bed, a little table stove, a pressure cooker and other such items. Every day we got up early, had a good breakfast and equipped ourselves with an abundance of literature that explains basic Bible teachings. At the start of the day we would be loaded down with literature. But this would not last long. People were delighted to hear about the Word of God. As we continued preaching, the cartons of publications became lighter.
“After a day of introducing the Bible’s message and leaving literature with people, we would spend a second day making return visits on those who showed interest. As the country folk had little money, we exchanged Bible publications for chickens, eggs and fruits. Thanks to Jehovah, we never went hungry.”
Response by residents of these outlying areas was remarkable. Many heard the Bible read to them for the very first time in their life. In some cases religious leaders had told people that Jehovah is the Devil. How surprised they were to read Bible texts such as these: “You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” “Jah Jehovah is my strength and my might, and he came to be the salvation of me”! (Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2) In some places the interest was so great that public meetings were organized. One of these gatherings was attended by 68 persons. They were so desirous of learning about the Word of God that they offered to rent a house to “set up a church.” They really wanted spiritual security. “Some wept at our departure,” relates one of the pioneers. Plans are under way for campaigns of preaching in these places.
On one occasion Jesus told his listeners: “Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you.” (Matt. 11:28) Many persons in the Dominican Republic are finding that refreshment, along with spiritual security, as Jehovah’s Witnesses continue the preaching of the “good news” in this land.—Matt. 24:14.