• Malaysia
    1993 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • Penang Again in the Spotlight

      Word was received at the Singapore branch office that two young schoolgirls in Penang were showing unusual interest in the work of Jehovah’s people. They had obtained the book “The Truth Shall Make You Free” from the missionaries who had served there for one month. The circuit overseer, Les Franks from Singapore, was scheduled to visit Penang to assess the degree of interest of these two young girls. He was amazed at their depth of understanding and zeal. One of them had already laboriously typed out much of the book so that they could share the Kingdom message with others. They did not know how to obtain more copies, as their correspondence to the prewar Singapore address had been returned marked “Unknown.” They had even begun to go from door to door but had poor response and some rude rebuffs, mainly because of their lack of tact and training in how to approach householders and how to present the good news in an appealing way.

      So it was arranged for Alfred and Thelma Wicke to move up from Singapore and establish a missionary home in Penang. This home would also serve as a depot to supply literature throughout Malaya. Soon a small congregation was organized. The two schoolgirls, Lee Siew Chan and Ng Yoon Chin, were delighted to have Brother and Sister Wicke with them and continued to make good progress. They attended a convention in Singapore in 1956, on the occasion of Brother Knorr’s third visit, and were both baptized there. When they finished their schooling, they both joined the pioneer ranks. Then they were thrilled to receive an invitation to attend the 31st class of Gilead, along with another pioneer from Singapore, Grace Sinnapillai. In 1958 they graduated from Gilead at the Divine Will International Assembly at Yankee Stadium, New York, and were then assigned back to Malaya to share in expanding the work there.