Brother R. R. Hollister of the United States was assigned to work in India and arrived in 1912. Together, he and Joseph formulated a plan for the translation of the Society’s publications into Malayalam for distribution throughout the coconut-palm-decorated state of Travancore.

Their first output was “The Signs of the Times,” taken from The Bible Students Monthly. Hollister assigned Joseph to supply a quantity of these tracts to a Brother Devasahayam at Neyyattinkara, a rice-producing town about ten miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Trivandrum. Devasahayam was also representing the Society in Travancore.

Travancore and its neighboring state of Madras being a fruitful field for the spread of Bible truths, our work moved forward. But Joseph was not satisfied; he requested more help, as Brother Hollister was not permanently settled in India.