• Hawaii
    1991 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • Expanding the Work in Micronesia

      Just prior to Brother Knorr’s zone visit in April 1968, a major airline announced in the Honolulu Star Bulletin its initiation of air service between Hawaii, Micronesia, and Guam. Since the Marshall Islands district (in the eastern reaches of Micronesia) had recently been assigned to the Hawaii branch, the brothers at the branch office eagerly showed Brother Knorr the newspaper article. Brother Kawasaki relates: “I could see his eyes light up as he began visualizing in his mind the possibilities this new air route would provide to expand the work in the seven districts of Micronesia and Guam.” After a moment of silence and meditation, he turned to Brother Kawasaki and said: “Brother [Nathaniel] Miller could serve these islands as circuit overseer, and you could go also, taking turns.”

      Micronesia embraces 2,000 islands, 97 of which are inhabited, scattered over three million square miles [7,800,000 sq km] of ocean to the west of Hawaii. Each island district has its own language, though it must be remembered that Japan occupied most of this area after it was mandated to them by the League of Nations following the first world war. Therefore, for some 25 years, Japanese was taught in the schools, and many in the territory became fluent in that language. Since Brother Miller studied Japanese while a missionary in Japan, he was well suited to travel through these islands.

      These events were actually preliminary to the eventual assignment of Guam and the rest of the territories of Micronesia to the oversight of the Hawaii branch on January 1, 1969. Because of its proximity to these islands, it appeared that the Hawaii branch would be in a position to render better service and keep in closer touch with those few publishers on this spiritual frontier. While Brother Miller served the area as circuit overseer, Brother Kawasaki, Sr., visited the nine missionary homes once a year. Even after some of the missionaries were appointed to serve as circuit overseers, the two brothers made annual visits to the missionary homes and served as district overseers throughout Guam and Micronesia.