Discovering the Beauty of the Truk Islands
FARAWAY in the Western Pacific, some 3,000 miles (4,800 km) southwest of Hawaii, are the tropical Truk Islands. The center of the island group is a large lagoon, about 40 miles (65 km) in diameter, encircled by a protective coral reef. In the placid waters of the lagoon are the main islands of Truk—Moen, Dublon, Fefan, Uman, Tol and others, with a total population of about 39,000. Numerous low coral islets are scattered about in the lagoon and along the reef.
If you come to the Truk Islands by air, you will first be impressed by the crystal clear, deep blue waters of the Western Pacific. In some areas you can see to a depth of 100 feet (30 m). As you approach the main lagoon, patches of sea that are aqua and turquoise in color come into view. You will also see the frothy surf pounding over the barrier reef. Inside the lagoon are islands with their white, sandy beaches and lush, green, tropical growth. The islands are abundant in breadfruit and coconut trees, bananas, taro, and a host of other tropical vegetation, allowing many literally to live off the land.
Despite its paradiselike appearance, the Truk Lagoon earned for itself the macabre name “the graveyard” during the days of World War II. As a result of “Operation Hailstone,” an intensive air raid by American warplanes on February 17 and 18, 1944, some 50 Japanese warships and several hundred airplanes were entombed in the lagoon. The hulls of these ships are now covered with rich pastel-shaded formations of corals, coral trees, underwater flora and marine growth. They have become a unique underwater museum for divers, underwater photographers and filmmakers from all over the world.
Missionary Work Begins
World War II also left its mark on the islanders. Survivors of the war still have vivid memories of the terror of bombings, the pain of losing loved ones, the dread of mass executions, forced labor, hunger and other hardships. The generation that grew up since the war was confronted with political uncertainties, economic pressures and little hope to compete with youths in lands of greater opportunity.
Thus, in 1965, when a missionary couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses from the United States arrived at the island of Moen, they found the Trukese people very receptive, warm and friendly. They obtained housing in the Quonset hut of a local couple. Soon they were conducting up to 35 home Bible studies, even though they had no previous knowledge of the Trukese language. People on Truk still comment on how quickly this couple learned to preach in Trukese.
Another couple, graduates of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, arrived in December 1966. They obtained accommodations from a local family on the opposite end of the island. Several members of this family eventually became Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Congregations Formed
More missionaries came the following years. By 1972 there were seven dedicated, baptized Witnesses engaging in the door-to-door ministry on the island of Moen. So the first congregation in Truk was formed. The next move was to expand the preaching work to the nearby island of Dublon. One of the brothers who undertook that assignment recalls their first journey:
“It was late evening when we saw the shoreline of the island. The long dock built by the Japanese forces prior to World War II was now overgrown with shrubs and trees. Indeed, the island appeared to be a thick tropical jungle. There were no visible roads for vehicles, only pathways through heavy foliage.
“We spent two nights on the abandoned dock amid its thick overgrowth and swarms of mosquitoes and other insects. As we walked around the island, we came across giant craters, formed by heavy bombing during World War II. We saw huge oil tanks melted down by the intense heat of burning oil. Then we realized why the folks on the adjacent islands said that during the war the Dublon sky was often lighted up at night. It was from these burning oil tanks.”
The constant reminders of the devastation of war on this island helped the missionaries to appreciate fully the privilege of bringing a message of peace and comfort from the Bible to the humble people. The fine response of these Bible-loving people was reflected at their first observance of the Memorial of Christ’s death, when 90 people attended. In 1974 the nine baptized Witnesses on this island were enrolled as the Dublon Congregation.
To the Outer Islands
The other islands within the Truk lagoon also need to be reached with the Kingdom message. Two boats are being used regularly for witnessing trips to the islands of Tol and Fefan, and much interest has been found on both islands.
Missionary Glenn Tateishi built his own 16-foot (5-m) boat. After years of experience in transporting fellow missionaries and publishers, he is now an expert navigator and mechanic. He has become familiar with the hazardous shallow reefs and treacherous waves and channels of the various islands. But “when the sea is calm and the wind is warm,” reflects Glenn, “your mind is at ease. You can meditate on spiritual things, and when alone I pray, oftentimes aloud.”
When groups of publishers go on such an island witnessing trip, they make it an all-day affair. The day’s preaching activity includes long walks on dusty or muddy paths, a refreshing picnic lunch, more hours of walking in the tropical sun and a bumpy boat ride home. By the end of the day, they are exhausted. But they feel a deep satisfaction in having spent it well in Jehovah’s service.
Occasionally, missionaries and publishers get to travel on government supply ships to islands outside the lagoon. A local sister who utilized her vacation to go on one of these island-hopping trips with the missionaries relates:
“We were able to get on the ship Truk Islander. Once outside the lagoon the waves were very big. There were strong winds, and it was raining. There was room for only a few passengers, and we were not able to stretch out or lie down on deck but had to remain in a sitting position. One of the government workers felt sorry for us and offered us his cabin. We happily looked forward to meeting the outer islanders and sharing with them the good news of the Kingdom.”
On one island the people were mostly Catholics and asked if the missionaries came in the name of the pope. On another, the island chief invited them to preach to his people, and all listened with interest. The people on some islands were hospitable, offering food, shelter and a bath. On others, the people were prejudiced and did not even allow the Witnesses ashore. “The inconveniences we experienced,” said the sister, “were more than offset by the joy of meeting newly interested ones and sharing with them the Kingdom message.”
Overcoming Obstacles
Among the first to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Truk was Kyomi Shirai. She and her husband opened their home for the first missionary couple. At the time she was a deaconess in the Protestant Church, the president of the YWCA and on the committee that translated the Bible into Trukese. How did she become interested in Jehovah’s Witnesses? “It was their Bible-based teachings,” she said. She had never been taught that God’s name is Jehovah. (Psalm 83:18) “I thought the name Jehovah was another name for Jesus,” she explained.
“When I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” recalls Kyomi, “my friends and relatives ridiculed me. Many of my relatives disowned me. But I found happiness and peace of mind in association with my spiritual brothers and sisters.” Since the Watch Tower Society had published no Bible literature in Trukese at that time, she would write down key texts on various Bible topics in a little notebook and use the texts in preaching to others. Till this day, she has this 1966 notebook.
One of the relatives Kyomi helped was her sister, also a former Protestant deaconess, who recalls: “When my sister Kyomi showed me from the Bible the hope of everlasting life on earth, and the unscripturalness of the teachings of my church, this opened my eyes spiritually.” She and other deaconesses used to visit members of their church who were elderly, sick or in mourning. “We tried to comfort them mainly by singing songs, bringing them food and other material things. But our visit would put a burden on the family as they would feel obligated to prepare food for about 12 visitors.” All of that has changed. “Now, I feel like a qualified woman minister when helping people learn the truly comforting message of the Bible,” she says. One of her daughters and two granddaughters now share actively in the preaching work.
Like many others in the islands, Amiko formerly lived in constant fear of wicked spirits. To appease them, the Trukese engage in many forms of superstitious practices. Pieces of thread are tied around the wrists or ankles of newborn infants to bring them good luck. A man who cannot win the love of a maiden will turn to magic by giving her a charmed lei or other gifts to cause her to fall in love with him. Some islanders say they have been physically disabled or have contracted incurable diseases from spells cast upon them by their enemies through black magic.
Amiko had a book on the use of herb “medicine” with rituals, chants and certain signs to cure sicknesses. Upon learning the Bible truth that the dead “are conscious of nothing at all” and that such demonistic practices are “detestable to Jehovah,” she burned her books on magical arts, as did the early Christians in Ephesus. (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Acts 19:19, 20) Many other Trukese have also broken free from the fear and bondage of such spiritistic practices upon coming to an accurate knowledge of the Bible. They, in turn, find much joy in taking the Bible truth to others so that they too can be set free.—John 8:32.
Recent Developments
Over the years, Jehovah God has indeed blessed the efforts of the missionaries. Their fine spirit has rubbed off on the local brothers. There are now about 35 Kingdom proclaimers in the two congregations in Moen and Dublon. Through their continued efforts, the name of Jehovah and Jehovah’s Witnesses have become well known in these remote islands, and a fine Kingdom witness has been given. The attendance of 366 persons at the Memorial of Christ’s death in 1983 is a clear indication that “the harvest is great” in these islands of the sea.—Matthew 9:37.
The brothers in Truk have enjoyed many visits from their fellow Christians elsewhere. Visiting brothers, like other tourists, enjoy the tropical scenery, the dazzling ocean waters with their many hues of blue and green, the stately palm trees silhouetted against colorful sunsets, and the historical sites. But they feel most enriched when they get to know the Trukese brothers, seeing their fine missionary spirit and their eagerness in witnessing to their relatives. Yes, by becoming acquainted with their faithful, isolated brothers, they feel they have discovered the real beauty of the Truk Islands.
[Maps on page 21]
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TRUK ISLANDS
Moen
Dublon
Uman
Fefan
Tol
[Map]
Pacific Ocean
[Picture on page 22]
Preaching in the Truk Islands is a delightful experience
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Boats are used to spread the Kingdom message