As the number of people who responded appreciatively to God’s Word grew, other building work was also required. The number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Martinique was growing—from 1,000 in 1975 to 1,500 in 1984, and then to 2,000 by 1986. Attendance at congregation meetings is frequently double the number of publishers, and more than that for the annual Memorial.

Did all the effort that was being directed toward construction detract from the public preaching of the good news in Martinique at that time? On the contrary, there was notable increase. In March 1982, there were 1,267 publishers active in the field ministry, 19 of whom were regular pioneers, and an additional 190 were auxiliary pioneers. As the project drew to a close, in 1984, the number of publishers had risen to 1,635, with 491 auxiliary pioneers in April. It was evident that Jehovah was blessing our efforts.