The Lightbearer

On July 15, 1935, the Watch Tower Society’s 52-foot (16 m) ketch Lightbearer arrived in Jakarta after a six-month voyage from Sydney, Australia. Aboard were seven zealous pioneers who were determined to spread the good news throughout Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

For more than two years, the pioneers on the Lightbearer visited large and small ports throughout Indonesia, distributing vast quantities of Bible literature. As the vessel entered each small port, “the crew would turn on the transcription machine and play one of the lectures of J. F. Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society,” related Jean Deschamp. “Imagine the surprise of isolated Malay villagers on seeing a large yacht arriving in their port and hearing such a loud, powerful voice coming through the air. A flying saucer could hardly have aroused more interest.”

Enraged by the brothers’ bold witnessing, the clergy eventually pressured the authorities to ban the Lightbearer from entering many Indonesian ports. In December 1937, the Lightbearer returned to Australia, leaving behind an outstanding record of missionary activity in Indonesia.