from the churches and the brothers and sisters are getting baptized and going out in the field and making proclamation there, as all other witnesses of Jehovah are doing throughout the world. This, of course, has caused a disturbance among the churches because many of the good church workers have left.

On Monday morning, January 1, the conventioners who had come over from Puerto Rico were all assembled at the airport awaiting their chartered plane, a DC-4, and 54 persons traveled back to San Juan and they enjoyed a very pleasant flight. The municipally-owned Teatro Tapia in downtown San Juan—truly a beautiful opera house—had been engaged for a public assembly that afternoon. First, Brother Henschel talked to the publishers who had gathered at San Juan on New Year’s Day. There were 281 brothers there. Brother Knorr gave his public talk and the branch servant interpreted. There was a short intermission of fifteen minutes and then Brother Knorr spoke to the brothers again, on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. It was certainly a joy to have the opportunity to visit with the Puerto Rican brothers once more. Puerto Rico seems to be one of the junction points for traveling to South America and the islands of the Western Hemisphere. So it has been Brother Knorr’s pleasure to be with these brothers a little more often than with other branches.

Arrangements were made to fly back from Puerto Rico to the United States and this flight was effected on Wednesday, January 3, a rapid change from tropics to winter.

And so we see that the islands, through their inhabitants, cry out praise to their Creator, Jehovah God, as the theocratic expansion reaches out to affect even small portions of land that are but a speck on a map. It is a wonderful thing to see how the spirit of Jehovah has gone throughout the earth, operating in His witnesses, to draw to Him and the theocratic organization the ones who love righteousness and believe his promise of the new world. We are pleased that people of all kinds, all nationalities, are coming into line for the blessings of life and taking up the preaching of the good news. And as we see the good news stretch out to insignificant islands in these days of mighty world political powers we have good cause to rejoice, for we know that when the good news has been preached in all the world for a witness the accomplished end is sure to come.

“With Stammering Lips and Another Tongue”

Regardless of how strange a foreign land and tongue may seem to a missionary, the Lord’s blessing will be upon sincere efforts, as the following experience from Peru clearly shows: “Breaking the ground in brand-new territory with a brand-new language, I thought I’d never live through my first day trying to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. But I did, and a happy surprise was awaiting me just around the corner. While knocking at a door during our second day of work here I said a little prayer and hoped that these poor people would get something out of the testimony that I must give in very poor Spanish. At this home the mother and daughter showed a great deal of interest, especially when they were shown from the Bible the real meaning of ‘hell’, the condition of the dead, etc., and a home Bible study was arranged for the following week. Imagine my surprise when I went back and found not just two people but ten ready to study. This study has continued without interruption ever since, and at times as many as thirteen have attended at one time. After three months of study and association with this dear family five became active preachers of the gospel and some of the others will join shortly. Much to our joy, several others in this neighborhood have become active Kingdom publishers too, and now this home is a regular assembly point where groups of ministers gather for gospel-preaching activity.”