Soon I was joined by Michael Triantafilopoulos, who baptized me in the summer of 1935—more than one year after I had started in the full-time ministry! No public transportation was available, so we walked everywhere. Our greatest problem was the opposition of the clergy, who would do anything to stop us. As a result, we encountered much prejudice. Yet, despite the obstacles, witnessing was done, and Jehovah’s name was advertised far and wide.

One day Brother Triantafilopoulos and I were preaching in the village of Mouríki, in the district of Boeotia. We divided the village into two sections, and I began working the steep slopes, since I was the younger. Suddenly I heard cries from below. As I ran down, I thought to myself, ‘Brother Triantafilopoulos is being beaten up.’ Villagers had gathered in the local coffeehouse, and a priest was stomping up and down like an angry bull. “These people call us ‘the seed of the Serpent,’” he was shouting.

The priest had already broken a walking stick on Brother Triantafilopoulos’ head, and blood was streaming down his face. After I cleaned off the blood, we were able to get away. We walked three hours until we reached the city of Thebes. There, in a clinic, the wound was attended. We reported the episode to the police, and a lawsuit was filed. However, the priest had connections and was finally acquitted.

While we were working the town of Leukas, the followers of one of the political leaders of the area “arrested” us and brought us to the village coffeehouse, where we found ourselves being accused in a makeshift people’s court. The political leader and his men took turns hovering over us and making a speech—ranting on and on—and threatening us with their clenched fists. They were all drunk. Their tirades against us continued from noon until sunset, but we remained unperturbed and kept smiling as we professed our innocence and silently prayed to Jehovah God for help.

At dusk two policemen rescued us. They took us to the police station and treated us well. To justify his actions, the political leader came the following day and accused us of spreading propaganda against the King of Greece. So the police sent us, escorted by two men, to the town of Lamia for further examination. We were kept in custody for seven days and then taken handcuffed to the town of Larissa for trial.

Our Christian brothers in Larissa, who had been notified in advance, awaited our arrival. The great affection they showed us was a fine witness to the guards. Our attorney, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and a former lieutenant colonel, was well-known in town. When he appeared in court and argued our case, the charges against us were exposed as false, and we were set free.

The general success of the preaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses led to an intensification of the opposition. Laws were passed in 1938 and 1939 forbidding proselytism, and Michael and I were involved in dozens of court cases on this issue. Afterward, the branch office advised us to work separately so as to draw less attention to our activity.