On July 10, 1954, Xavier and Sara Noll arrived from Marseilles, France. Both of them were full-time ministers, and Xavier had been serving as a congregation overseer in Marseilles.

They can still remember their arrival on this island at what seemed to them to be the other end of the world, 4,400 miles [7,000 km] from their homeland. They have not forgotten their first impressions of the heat and the humidity, nor have they forgotten the conviviality, hospitality, and good-natured manner of the people.

From the very first days, they learned how to live with a minimum of conveniences. After lodging for a few days with a man who was kindly disposed toward Jehovah’s Witnesses, they found a new wooden house, but that simply means that it was a structure made with wooden walls and a wooden floor. Sheets of corrugated iron constituted the roof. There was no ceiling, and there were no toilet facilities. At dusk it was Brother Noll’s chore to empty the “sanitary” pail in a ravine. His first trip with the pail was on July 14, the French national holiday. He had to cross a public square called Stalingrad, which was bubbling with activities connected with the holiday. As he walked through the square, with his pail exposed to the amused view of groups of people who had come out to relax and breathe some fresh air, they split their sides with laughter. It was a premiere! Never before had they seen a white man performing such a task!

A Surprising Welcome

Earlier that day Brother Noll had spent hours sorting out the books and booklets that the missionaries had left behind when they were expelled. Many of these had been damaged by insects, but there was a sufficient supply in suitable condition for the Nolls to use in their public witnessing when they started the next morning.

Here are a few of Brother Noll’s recollections of that first day in service: “Going out in the preaching work for the first time here, my wife and I were anxious to come in contact with the people, to know them, to know what kind of welcome we would receive. The reality was beyond our expectations. We started witnessing in the center of the town, which at the time had a population of 60,000. That morning, my wife and I met twice as we were returning home to refill our witnessing bags with the books ‘The Truth Shall Make You Free’ and ‘The Kingdom Is at Hand’ as well as with booklets such as ‘The Prince of Peace.’”

Householders would often say: “I’ll take your book as a record of your passing,” or, “If this speaks about God, I’ll take it.” During the first two weeks, almost 200 books and hundreds of booklets were placed. It was easy to start conversations because the people were curious and were willing to welcome strangers. What encouragement it was to be received so hospitably!

Brother and Sister Noll wondered whether they would be able to study with so many people! But they learned quickly that they had to differentiate between those merely showing natural hospitality and those with a real desire to know and put into practice the truth coming from God. There were some who wanted to learn. Brother Noll recalls: “The person who met us on arrival in Martinique introduced us to some workmen and apprentices in his cabinetmaking workshop. We started a study that same night and two more during the first week.”

One of those studies was with a young couple, Paul and Nicole Jacquelin. They were studying three times a week and making good progress. Soon they were sharing with the Nolls in witnessing from house to house. With these new publishers, the preaching work started to take on local color.

Xavier and Sara Noll, the year they arrived in Martinique