On Sunday, April 1, 1945, Gilead graduates Lennart and Virginia Johnson arrived in Ciudad Trujillo (now Santo Domingo), the capital of the Dominican Republic. As the first Witnesses in the country, they were entering a land whose history was riddled with conflict and struggle.a “This is a real pioneering territory,” reported the 1946 Yearbook, “and these Gileadites had to start from scratch.” Just imagine: There was no branch office, there were no Kingdom Halls, and there were no congregations. The missionaries knew no one in the country, they knew very little Spanish, and they had neither a home nor any furniture.

Soon Moses became the first local Kingdom publisher.”

Four more missionaries arrived early in June 1945, and soon they had placed a considerable amount of literature and had started many Bible studies. By October it became apparent that a meeting place was needed. So, the missionaries modified the living and dining rooms of their missionary home to make an improvised Kingdom Hall. As many as 40 people were attending the meetings.

More missionaries arrived, and by the end of the 1946 service year, there were 28 publishers in the country. Since the good news was just getting established in this land, the missionaries spent many evenings meticulously mapping out the territory to ensure an organized and thorough preaching campaign.

The Work Expands

In 1947, there were over 59 publishers participating in the preaching work. That same year, some missionaries who had served in Cuba were reassigned to the Dominican Republic. Among them were Roy and Juanita Brandt. Brother Brandt was appointed as branch servant and continued as such for the next ten years.

By the end of the 1948 service year, there were about 110 publishers preaching the good news alongside the hardworking missionaries.