The True Riches of Puerto Rico
PUERTO RICO means “Rich Port,” and truly there are many riches on this small island in the Caribbean. Pleasant temperatures prevail the year around, and the tropical beauty can be breathtaking. Flaming flamboyant trees make delightful ‘tunnels’ out of some country roads over which they arch. Different shades and hues of bougainvillea adorn walls and roadsides. Inland, mountains reach about 3,900 feet (1,200 meters) into the blue sky. And down by the lovely white-sand beaches palm trees sway in the tropical breeze.
The island, although only some 35 miles wide by 100 miles long (56 by 160 kilometers), is rich in many agricultural products. Here coffee, sugarcane, oranges, grapefruit and bananas grow, as well as a great variety of trees, flowers and shrubs. All over the island, on every hill and in every valley, are people, yes, over 3,000,000 inhabitants. They are a happy, friendly people, with good-looking features.
Due to many industrial incentives and tax benefits in Puerto Rico many industries have come here. Thus many people are more prosperous now, and the standard of living has been raised. However, into this “rich port” have come riches of far greater value, riches that do not fade—spiritual riches!
RICHES TRICKLE IN
Lillian E. Carr and Marie Hawkins came to Puerto Rico in 1935. Their purpose was to bring to the Puerto Rican people the good news regarding God’s kingdom, and how it soon will bring blessings to those who put their trust in it. (Matt. 24:14) They divided the island more or less in two and went from town to town distributing Bibles and Bible helps. They were not the first Jehovah’s Witnesses to preach in Puerto Rico, but their activity produced lasting fruitage.
In the town of Arecibo, on the island’s northern shore, a man accepted the booklet Universal War Near. Because he could not read, he gave it to his friend, Ambrosio Rosa, whom he thought would be interested since he practiced spiritism. Ambrosio liked what he read, and wrote to the Watch Tower Society in Brooklyn, New York, asking for four books that he saw advertised. Soon he was taking in true riches, the kind that result in a good relationship with Jehovah God and that can bring one everlasting life.—John 17:3.
On seeing his enthusiasm over the things that he was learning, Ambrosio’s wife told him: “Now that you have a new religion, get me a Bible. But I don’t want those books.” However, when she saw the book entitled “Riches,” she changed her mind. Soon she was using it in helping herself to search out the priceless riches found in the Bible.
Although there were, at the time, no Kingdom proclaimers among the Puerto Ricans themselves, Ambrosio recognized his responsibility to share with others the good things that he had learned. So one day he began calling on his neighbors with booklets and magazines. A man named Santiago Rodriguez accepted The Watchtower and Consolation (now called Awake!), and subscribed to them. Soon he, too, realized that he should take these spiritual riches to others. Therefore one day he started out from his house with a bag full of magazines, and placed 25 right there among his friends and neighbors.
So, by about 1938, these two faithful Christians had begun to provide spiritual riches for others. There were no congregation meetings to encourage them, no one to train them, but their faith was strong and their love for their Creator impelled them to proclaim the “good news” that they had learned. Soon a little group began studying the Bible together, and others joined them in the preaching work.
These Bible students came to understand that water baptism is a Christian requirement. But who in Puerto Rico could baptize them? One day the group went down to the river, and first Ambrosio baptized Santiago. Then Santiago baptized Ambrosio. Afterward they both baptized some of the others. At last Puerto Rico had true riches in earthen vessels in the form of dedicated, baptized Christians serving the true God, Jehovah.
FAITH SOON TESTED
Ambrosio saw an announcement in The Watchtower for phonographs, which, at the time, were used extensively by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the preaching work. So he ordered one from Brooklyn, where they were produced at the Watchtower Society’s factory. As soon as it was received he decided to play the recorded Bible talks in public places. The place he selected was in front of the bank in the town square.
Soon a small crowd gathered to listen. It was not long before the local priest also came along. He was extremely displeased with what he heard, and began shouting, “Fifth Column,” and other names, raising his voice higher and louder all the time. Finally a policeman came to see what was going on.
He ordered Ambrosio to leave the area, and to stop playing the records. Ambrosio answered: “I am preaching the good news of the Kingdom. If you want to arrest me, OK, but I will not stop unless you do, and you will have to tell me why I am being arrested.”
At this the policeman and the priest left. So Ambrosio opened his large bag and began to distribute all the books and magazines that he had. In a few minutes his bag was empty. He remembers: “This indeed served to strengthen me, because I could see that even though I was the only proclaimer of the ‘good news’ there, I was not really alone. I could feel Jehovah’s power backing me up.”
Ambrosio Rosa is now 81 years old and serves as an elder in a local congregation. He sets a fine Christian example, as does his wife as well. Many of his family have also become Witnesses. Santiago Rodriguez, too, was still active in Jehovah’s service until his death at the age of 83 years. He had been privileged to spend almost 27 of those years in the full-time preaching work.
MISSIONARIES SPREAD TRUE RICHES
In March 1944 the first missionaries arrived from the Watchtower School of Gilead in New York. How different they found the preaching here! The struggle to learn the language was a particular challenge.
For example, it was embarrassing to learn that one had mistakenly asked the householder if he was “alive” instead of asking whether he lived in that house. (“Está Ud. vivo?” instead of “vive Ud. aquí?”) Or, there was the missionary who asked a young girl if her young bullock (novillo) was coming to the Bible study, when he meant her fiancé (novio). But the local inhabitants would usually be very patient and helpful as the missionaries staggered and stuttered through their Spanish.
How could all the people in Puerto Rico be reached with the Kingdom message? In 1947 there were only 71 Witnesses and four congregations. Public meetings were the answer. In 1947, 61 were held in 12 towns, usually in the public plaza or town square. At times the local priest became infuriated and tried to stop the meetings.
In one town the priest had little signs distributed to be tacked on the doors of homes. They read: “Don’t bother yourself—we are Catholics.” However, a missionary called at the home of a young man who had attended a public meeting, and was pleased to find a sign printed neatly on wood: “Welcome to this house, all of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
In 1948, 82 public meetings were held. In the mountain town of Aibonito the local Catholic hierarchy was not at all pleased, and published a pamphlet in an effort to discourage attendance. But it just aroused curiosity and more than 100 persons came. So these public meetings served effectively to spread true riches.
Thus in 1949, 253 publishers of the “good news” were busy in seven congregations, and that year 136 public meetings were held.
Over the years more missionaries kept coming to Puerto Rico. A missionary home was opened in the town of San Germán in 1952, and four young girls were sent to work there. How could all the people in this large territory be reached? Well, the local priest helped.
He mounted his jeep, and headed for the houses on the hills and in the valleys where these young Witnesses were preaching. He went from house to house telling the people that if they had obtained any of the books or Bibles they must burn them. Also, he circulated a leaflet warning the people about the girls’ work. As a result, the girls suddenly found great interest being shown, as one noted: “We realized now why so many heads would pop out of the windows as we passed by. It was not because we had our clothes on wrong side out or something, but because of the publicity the priest had given us.”
Despite the priest’s efforts, many persons listened and found what the message was really about. Today there are two congregations of over 100 Kingdom publishers in the center of town, and at least four other congregations have been established in nearby towns that were once served by the San Germán Congregation.
BUILDINGS TO SPREAD TRUE RICHES
Today many beautiful Kingdom Halls built by Jehovah’s Witnesses adorn the towns and countryside in Puerto Rico. Along with experienced craftsmen, accountants have served as bricklayers; salesmen as plumbers; schoolteachers as carpenters; bank tellers as plasterers. Women have mixed concrete by hand, as well as prepared meals for the other workers. This has all resulted in an even greater bond of union among the Witnesses.
The largest construction has been of a handsome, two-story branch office, completed in 1969. By that time the number of Witnesses in Puerto Rico had increased to 5,500. All the actual construction was done by the Witnesses themselves. This branch building, as well as the fine Kingdom Halls, have contributed toward the spreading of spiritual riches throughout the island.
SPREAD OF TRUE RICHES CONTINUES
As the number of Kingdom publishers has grown, so too has the problem of finding large enough facilities to hold Christian assemblies. Usually the government has been kind enough to provide the use of baseball parks, but in recent times even these have often proved to be too small. Before using the parks, the Witnesses have repaired doors, plumbing, light fixtures, and even painted certain areas. This has made a fine impression.
In January 1967 an international assembly was held in San Juan, and a total of 8,604 was in attendance. Then, in September 1973, there was a second international assembly in Puerto Rico. This time some 5,000 visitors came from other countries. By then the Witnesses on the island had increased to 9,000, and there was real cooperation to care for their visitors.
One activity, for example, was to provide transportation for the visitors to the assembly site. About 200 cars, owned and operated by Puerto Rican Witnesses ran from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. to and from the hotels and the stadium, taking the visitors to the assembly. Then these same Witnesses hurried home to pick up their families and friends to take them to the assembly in time for the first session at 10 a.m. In the evening the same service was provided to take the visitors back to their hotels. What a grand success that assembly proved to be, with a peak attendance of 31,000, and with 1,007 baptized!
Late in 1976 and in January 1977 vandalism was committed against the Roman Catholic Church—in certain places images were burned and other damage was done by fire. A high official of the Church tried to implicate the Witnesses, even using their name in public in connection with this trouble. The situation became very tense. But it is interesting that neither the police, public officials or even the Roman Catholic populace gave any credence to the false statements against Jehovah’s Witnesses by this Catholic dignitary.
From those days when spiritual riches were just a trickle, Puerto Rico has truly become a Rich Port. Spiritual treasures abound as the nearly 17,000 Witnesses in 227 congregations visit the people in every corner of the island. This past spring 41,991 attended the memorial of Christ’s death. Truly a fine record of faithfulness, of integrity and of a desire to keep on peaceably talking to others about God’s kingdom has been built up by Jehovah’s Christian witnesses in Puerto Rico.
[Picture on page 13]
Santiago Rodriguez and Ambrosio Rosa sharing together in spiritual riches