In the late 1960’s, Berndt Andersson was serving on New Ireland, a beautiful island some 400 miles [650 km] northeast of the mainland. Berndt writes: “People came from the small islands nearby, asking us to visit them. In order to do so, however, we needed a boat, which seemed an impossible dream in view of our small monthly reimbursement. We did have a few planks stored in a shed, but not nearly enough to build a boat. So we took the matter to Jehovah in prayer. Then, out of the blue, a brother in Lae sent us $200 to help us visit the outer islands. Thus, we were able to build a boat, which we named Pioneer. However, it lacked an engine. Once again, that dear brother provided the funds we needed, this time to purchase a small outboard motor. Now we could answer the call to visit those picturesque islands!”

[Picture on page 128]

The boat Pioneer, built by Berndt Andersson