There had been Witnesses on Guam for a dozen years before an adventurous American couple took the good news to the Marshall Islands, some 2,000 miles [3,200 km] to the southeast of Guam. Powell Mikkelsen and his wife, Nyoma, had intended to go to the Bahamas to serve where there was a greater need, and with that in view, they purchased a 34-foot [10 m] yawl, which they named Integrity. Before they could set sail, however, Powell was offered a job overseeing the construction of a large electric power plant in the Marshall Islands. The Watch Tower Society urged him to take the position. At the time, because of legal restrictions on the entry of foreigners, there were no Witnesses in the Marshall Islands.

While Brother Mikkelsen cared for his responsibilities in connection with construction of the power plant, he and his wife made the most of their opportunity to help the islanders spiritually. They arrived at Kwajalein Atoll in 1960 and later dropped anchor at Majuro Atoll, where they taught themselves to speak Marshallese. When they witnessed, the amiable islanders seldom refused to listen, and by 1964 Powell and Nyoma were conducting 12 Bible studies, including one with the Iroij Lap Lap (High King) of Majuro.

To provide a place for meetings, a makeshift Kingdom Hall was erected by stretching the mainsail from Integrity over several pandanus poles that were set in the ground. “As our crowds got larger, we just added more sail,” Brother Mikkelsen said. “Next came the mizzen sail; a little later, on went the jib sail. When we had no more sails left, the time had come to build a ‘proper’ Kingdom Hall.”