In January 1955 two special pioneers, Kristen Lauritsen and Arne Hjelm, arrived by boat in the capital, Godthåb (Nuuk). The task that awaited them was enormous. With the capital as starting point, they worked their way along a thousand miles [1,600 km] of the western coast, where most of the then 25,000 inhabitants lived, scattered in 200 towns, villages, and settlements.

They began with the main town. Many willingly listened at first. Then the reaction changed. What had happened? The dean of Greenland (the ranking clergyman of the country) had printed a pamphlet against the Witnesses and distributed it among the Greenlanders. He sought to arouse strong feelings against the work of the Witnesses in hopes of smothering it right from the start.

Up and Down Along the Coast

The brothers continued preaching unperturbed. After celebrating the Memorial, they started preparations for a long summer preaching tour. By late April the first coastal boat arrived for its continuing trip northward. The pioneers bought a tent and hopped on board.

More Help for Greenland

A fine help in illustrating the work of the Witnesses was the film The New World Society in Action. During the winter it was shown three times in Godthåb, always to a full house. Then in 1957 came the film The Happiness of the New World Society, with Greenlandic comments recorded on a tape that was played with the film.