Farther east, near Kainantu, Norm Sharein studied the Bible with over 50 villagers who came to his hut each day. Pioneers Berndt and Erna Andersson later looked after this group for two and a half years. “The people rarely washed, wore few clothes, were totally illiterate, and were steeped in demonism,” relates Erna. “Yet, with patient and loving help, some of them could soon recite and explain 150 scriptures from memory.”

Berndt and Erna developed a close bond with their group. “When we were assigned to Kavieng, the women gathered around me and cried, yes, wailed!” says Erna. “They took turns stroking my arms and face as their tears flowed freely. Time and again, I retreated to my hut to weep while Berndt tried to comfort them, but they were inconsolable. When we finally set off, a large crowd ran down the mountain behind our vehicle, the women wailing all the way. I still struggle to describe the heart-wrenching emotions that I felt that day. How we long to see those dear ones in the new world!” Other pioneers built on Berndt and Erna’s work, and a fine congregation was established at Kainantu.

SOWING KINGDOM SEED BEARS FRUIT

By the early 1970’s, a small group of Witnesses had established themselves at Mount Hagen, about 80 miles [130 km] west of Goroka. This town was famous for its large weekly market, which drew thousands of villagers from miles around. “We placed hundreds of pieces of literature at this market,” says Dorothy Wright, a fearless pioneer. When the people returned to their villages, the Kingdom message went with them, penetrating remote areas that the publishers could not then reach.

Later, Dorothy’s son, Jim Wright, and his pioneer partner, Kerry Kay-Smith, were assigned to Banz, a tea- and coffee-growing district in the picturesque Wahgi Valley east of Mount Hagen. Here they encountered stiff opposition from the church missions, who incited children to hurl rocks at them and drive them from their villages. When Kerry moved to another assignment, Jim stayed on at Banz, pioneering alone. He recalls: “I often lay awake at night in my little grass hut praying, ‘Jehovah, why am I here?’ Only many years later did I get an answer to that question.

“In 2007, I traveled from Australia to Banz to attend a district convention,” Jim continues. “Near the site of my old grass hut stood a fine new Kingdom Hall that could be extended temporarily to form a 1,000-seat Assembly Hall. As I entered the grounds, a brother rushed up to me, grabbed me, and began weeping on my shoulder. When he finally composed himself, the brother, Paul Tai, explained that I had studied with his father 36 years earlier. Paul later read his father’s study books and accepted the truth. He told me that he was serving as an elder.

“During the convention, I was interviewed on the platform and described the persecution we had endured in the early days at Banz,” says Jim. “There was hardly a dry eye in the audience. After the program several brothers came and embraced me and tearfully apologized. As young boys, they had chased me from their village while throwing stones and yelling abuse. Moreover, one of them, Mange Samgar​—now an elder—​was the former Lutheran pastor who had spurred them on! What a wonderful reunion that convention proved to be!”