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.

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.