The Leaves Cry Out

One of the problems David and Ben experienced was caused in part by the enmity that exists between some Reef Islanders and Malaitans. This hostile attitude developed after a fight between rival Anglican factions in Honiara broke out around the time of the pioneers’ arrival. Thus it became difficult for these Malaitan special pioneers to go anywhere on their own to preach. To compound their problem, the people live in fear of their bishop and priests. The clergy would often visit the people to see if any of the Society’s literature was in their homes. If any was found, the homeowner was sure to receive a stiff dressing down and would be forced to hand over the literature so the priest could have it destroyed. Hence, it became extremely difficult to preach to anyone; people would run away as soon as they spotted the Witness coming.

The pioneers realized that they would have to use another way to preach. “We decided to use leaves,” they said. “We would go to a place where the bush tracks crossed and pull a large leaf off a nearby tree and write a scripture on it in big print and, in smaller print, an explanation of that scripture. Then in really small script, we would write: ‘Suppose you like for savvy more long this-fella scripture, please write go long all’gether Jehovah’s Witness long Solomon Islands, or askim any Witness where stop close up long you.’”b

David and Ben tell us another example of their leaf witnessing: “We would write a theme, ‘Kingdom belong God’ [The Kingdom of God], and then underneath, the first scripture, Matthew 24:14, with the words ‘Me-fella must preach about this-fella something.’ [We must preach about this one.] And then, underneath, a question, ‘Wanem now Kingdom belong God by-by doim?’ [What is this Kingdom of God going to do?] And then, the final scripture, Revelation 21:4.”

If the pioneers were witnessing in an area where people were strongly set against the truth, they would use Psalm 37:9 as the final scripture on the leaf: “Every bad-fella people by-by finish, but everyone where hope long Jehovah by-by stop long earth.”c They would then put the leaf in the middle of the most-traveled bush tracks and walk away. Did this method of preaching produce good results?

One day one of the pioneers wrote a sermon on a leaf with a ballpoint pen and carefully placed it right in the middle of a well-traveled roadway. He walked a short distance away and stood concealed among the trees. He waited, curious to see who would pick up the leaf. To his surprise a dog came wandering along the road and paused to sniff at the leaf. “I think the dog could read,” said the pioneer humorously, “because he started barking at the leaf. The dog became excited and made so much noise that a hunter in the bush nearby thought the dog had a possum or a lizard trapped up a tree. The hunter ran to the scene only to discover the dog barking and pawing at the leaf. He pushed the dog aside and carefully picked up the leaf. He spent a few moments reading the sermon on the leaf and then just as carefully replaced the leaf-message in the middle of the road.

The pioneer concludes the story: “Later as I passed this hunter’s house, he called out to me, ‘Did you put something on the road?’ We started a Scriptural discussion that soon became a regular Bible study. Now that man and his entire family are publishers of the good news.”

[Picture on page 227]

Taro leaves are used as umbrellas. Messages can also be written on the leaves