The first seeds of truth were planted by Brother Olga Laaland, a zealous minister from Guadeloupe. In December 1945 he made a trip to visit his mother and his fleshly brothers, who lived near the Mana River in the interior of French Guiana. Reaching his mother’s village required traveling several days by river canoe. Along the way, he took advantage of overnight stops—at small open sheds covered with leaves of palm trees—to preach and distribute Bible literature. When he arrived at his mother’s village, Haut Souvenir, he joyfully shared with his family the good news of the Kingdom. To his surprise and chagrin, they called him a demon. In this hostile atmosphere, in 1946 he commemorated the Memorial of Jesus’ death with only his young brothers in the audience. Soon his mother, influenced by the local priest, chased him away, shouting: “Demons cannot live here in my house!” Her negative reaction did not dampen his zeal.

On the return trip, he preached when stops were made at gold mines and degrads, or trading posts. One night he and the other passengers were sleeping in a hut on the riverbank. A tropical downpour caused a huge tree to fall with a terrifying crash. In panic, Olga dived into the river, not knowing that the waters were infested with piranhas. When he was unharmed, the men there were persuaded that he must have godlike powers, so they viewed him with deep respect. This made them more open to the message he was bearing.

Brother Laaland eventually reached Mana, a village of 800 inhabitants on the Atlantic Coast. During his initial six-month stay there, he organized meetings and regularly taught ten persons the Bible truths that bring true freedom. (John 8:32) The people nicknamed him Père Paletot (Father Jacket) because he used to wear a jacket, in contrast to the local priest, whom they called Father Dress. Though Brother Laaland ran out of literature, he delivered public talks and zealously preached to all who would listen. He developed a reputation as an energetic speaker, not averse to lively discussions with the local clergy.

Nearly two years after visiting his mother, Brother Laaland returned to Guadeloupe. No one had been baptized as a result of his preaching, but he had planted many seeds. The fruitage would come later.

[Picture on page 228]

Olga Laaland