In 1959 Brother and Sister Taylor, who had moved from England to Spain to serve where the need was great, were assigned as special pioneers to Vigo, a port in northwest Spain. It was thought that since this was an international port, he would not be so noticeable as a foreigner. But it did not take long for the priests to get stirred up and warn their parishioners over the radio about this couple going from door to door. They were easy to identify​—she was Spanish and did most of the talking, and he was a foreigner.

Before long the police made an appearance and arrested the Taylors. They were taken to the police station and interrogated all day long, while being deprived of food. When they were released, their passports were withheld and they were told to report to the police every Tuesday and Saturday. When Ron reported his case to the British Consul, his passport was returned and he was given fifteen days to leave the country.

The Taylors and Kirkups were assigned to Sevilla in January 1962. There already were four special pioneers there, but there were only twenty-one publishers for a population of nearly half a million. So, there was much work to do. In 1963 Ron Taylor was assigned to the circuit work in Barcelona, and some time later Ray Kirkup received a similar assignment. All through the years there had been a shortage of qualified Spanish brothers for the circuit and district work in Spain, and therefore many foreigners were used for this work.