Later, Glenn Finlay, another young Australian pioneer, took over from Jim and Lionel and preached alone in Kerema for 18 months. “It was a testing time for me,” says Glenn, “and I sometimes wondered if my work was accomplishing anything. But then a humbling experience changed my view.

“One of my Bible students was an elderly village baker named Hevoko. He was totally illiterate and after some months had managed to retain only a few basic truths. I wondered if it was worthwhile teaching him. Then one morning, as I approached his home, I heard a voice and stopped to listen. It was Hevoko praying aloud to Jehovah, thanking Him in earnest tones for teaching him the truth about His name and the Kingdom. His sincere prayer reminded me that Jehovah looks at people’s hearts, not their intellect. He well knows those who love him.”​—John 6:44.

[Picture on page 96]

Jim Smith and Glenn Finlay