• Estonia
    2011 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • EARLY EVANGELIZERS

      The colporteurs covered vast territories by bicycle and slept wherever they could find accommodations​—whether in country houses or in haystacks. People were poor, but they loved to listen to the Kingdom message. As a result, these full-time preachers happily spent between 150 and 200 hours a month in the preaching work, one reporting 239 hours in a single month! Their service was characterized by industriousness, boldness, and perseverance. This is what it was like for one sister the first time she went out in the field service:

      “Do you know how to ride a bicycle?” a zealous Finnish sister asked her.

      “Yes, I do,” replied the new sister.

      “Well, let’s go to Sarema,” said the Finnish sister enthusiastically, referring to the largest Estonian island, about 125 miles [200 km] away.

      When they arrived at the first village on Sarema, the Finnish sister suggested: “You start from this end, and I’ll start from the other end. In the evening we’ll meet in the center of the village.” The new sister had never done any preaching before. But when she called at the first door, she felt Jehovah’s help and quickly gained enough confidence to enjoy the rest of the trip.

      Hellin Aaltonen (later Grönlund) met people from the island of Vormsi and found that they spoke a strange language.

      “Don’t you speak Estonian?” she asked the islanders.

      “No, we speak Swedish,” they replied.

      “Well, do you have Swedish books to read?” asked Hellin.

      “We haven’t had Swedish books for several hundred years,” was their exaggerated reply.

      Realizing that the inhabitants of Vormsi needed Swedish literature, Hellin decided to visit the island with Fanny Hietala, who spoke Swedish.

      “We took all the Swedish books that the office had and went there by boat,” recalls Hellin. “We worked the whole island in three days and placed almost all of our literature. Decades later, I heard of a brother in Sweden who learned the truth from books that he had obtained in Vormsi!” Time and again Kingdom preachers experienced the truth of Ecclesiastes 11:6: “In the morning sow your seed and until the evening do not let your hand rest; for you are not knowing where this will have success.”

      CHALLENGES FACED BY COLPORTEURS

      The work of colporteurs was not easy. In winter, on ski or on foot, they would travel from 12 to 24 miles [20-40 km] a day. The cold was intense, and comfortable lodgings were scarce. Only the most basic food and other necessities could be taken with them, as they also carried boxes of literature. Heavy rain often rendered roads impassable. Many nights the colporteurs were compelled to sleep outdoors. This rigorous avenue of service demanded as much physical strength and stamina as they could muster. Yet, how did these devoted preachers feel about their service?

      “I never lacked anything really important,” recalls Vilho Eloranta, a zealous Finnish brother who preached full-time in isolated areas for many months. “Most of the time, I got my daily food and overnight accommodations in exchange for literature. The need for money was minimal. When evening came, I would start asking for accommodations. Few householders refused a place for me to stay, especially if it was late in the day or far to the next farm.”

      “Getting the message of the Kingdom into the hands of the people,” continues Vilho, “was so much my concern that the modest living conditions did not in any way diminish the contentment and joy I derived from doing the preaching work.”

      Those hardworking brothers and sisters paved the way for future growth by placing huge amounts of literature. In 1929 a total of 53,704 books and booklets were distributed by a handful of evangelizers.

      “Estonia had approximately 30 colporteurs,” remembers Adolf Kose, “and they worked the entire country before World War II.”

      The impact made by those diligent early preachers is still being felt. For example, early in the 1990’s, Jehovah’s Witnesses met Ruth, an elderly lady. Their message seemed familiar to her. She recalled that over 60 years earlier, she had listened to a German Bible Student who called on her neighbor a couple of times. Now, although deaf and advanced in age, Ruth recognized the ring of truth, accepted a Bible study, and was baptized​—almost 70 years after her initial contact!