Natural and Man-made Upheavals

Several weeks before the assembly at Bombay, India, the country was saturated with severe flooding that left thousands dead and millions homeless. About 100 Witnesses were preparing to come from Calcutta, 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) away from the assembly city. Eighty percent of Calcutta was under water. One brother thus described his circumstance:

“The water gradually began to recede, but we had no food, no kerosene, no cooking fuel, and, to make matters worse, there was an earthquake scare that caused panic in the wet dirt-laden streets.

“Because of arthritis my wife is not able to walk. Out of despair she said: ‘How can we think of going to the assembly under these circumstances with three children?’ After prayerful consideration, I replied, ‘If we cannot bear these pressures now, how will we stand the great tribulation?’ So we managed to get to the station to board the train to Bombay for the assembly.”

This family and others braved the dangerous traveling conditions to the train station only to discover that all trains had been canceled! Floodwaters had damaged the tracks. “Perhaps the railways will provide a special train just for you!” chided some onlookers. All appeared lost.

Several hours later the announcement was made that a test train would be sent out to Bombay to view the condition of the tracks. Soon the amazed Witnesses found themselves en route to the assembly!

Wearied after a 36-hour journey, they happily joined other delegates in Bombay and arrived at the convention hall. It was locked! They were greeted with the sour news that there might not be an assembly. This was just hours before the first scheduled session.

A man-made upheaval, a labor strike, by the maintenance workers had shut down the facility. Intense prayers and supplications ascended from the conventioners. A last-minute personal visit was made by the Witnesses to the union leader. The point was made that these were peace-loving persons who wanted to use the hall merely for religious reasons.

After a tense hour of talk, the union leader, in a rare public appearance, went to the hall and instructed his strikers to allow the Witnesses to use the building without any disturbance. It soon became the largest assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses ever held in India.

Even for a robust young man in good health, a 1,242-mile (2,000-kilometer) sleepless trip on a jostling train would be quite an ordeal. Well, one of the delegates to the Indian assembly, a 78-year-old man (see picture), traveled sitting up on a hard wood bench in a train for four days and three nights to reach the assembly! Neither his age nor failing health stopped him!

[Picture on page 24]

78-year-old delegate to Indian assembly