In the nearby city of Sitía, a group of enthusiastic Witnesses was organized. This bothered the local bishop, who​—having lived in the United States—​knew firsthand how effective Jehovah’s Witnesses could be as preachers. He was determined to stamp out this “heresy” in his domain. At his instigation, the police regularly dragged the Witnesses to jail and before the courts on a variety of false allegations.

In February 1945 my brother Demosthenes, who was convinced that Jehovah’s Witnesses taught the truth, gave me the booklet Comfort All That Mourn.d Its contents impressed me. We immediately stopped attending the Orthodox Church, joined the small group at Sitía, and witnessed to our siblings about our newfound faith. All of them accepted the Bible’s truth. As expected, my decision to abandon false religion brought ostracism and hostility from my wife and her family. For a time my father-in-law refused even to speak to me. At home, there were disagreements and continuous tension. Despite this, on May 21, 1945, Demosthenes and I were baptized by Brother Minos Kokkinakis.e

At last I was able to realize my dream and serve as a genuine minister of God! I still remember my first day in the house-to-house ministry. With 35 booklets in my bag, I went alone by bus to a village. Timidly, I started going from house to house. The farther I went, the more courageous I became. When an irate priest arrived, I was able to stand up to him courageously, ignoring his persistent demand that I accompany him to the police station. I told him that I would leave only when I had visited the whole village, and that was exactly what I did. I was so happy that I did not even wait for the bus to come but walked the ten miles [15 kilometers] back home.

In the Hands of Ruthless Thugs

In September 1945, I was given added responsibilities in our newly formed congregation in Sitía.