KINGDOM HALL CONSTRUCTION

At first, congregations and groups usually met in modified houses and private homes. Because of frequent cyclones, however, sturdier structures were needed. But buildings made out of masonry are expensive, and they take a lot longer to construct. Still, Jehovah’s hand is not short, and in time, such Kingdom Halls began to appear in Réunion.​—Isa. 59:1.

In the town of Saint-Louis, for example, a young brother was taking a course in masonry when the congregation received the plans for their new Kingdom Hall. The brother witnessed to his instructor, told him about the hall, and explained that it would be built by volunteers. How did the teacher respond? He brought the class to the site for some practical training! The class helped dig the footings, and the teacher later donated steel for the foundation.

The brothers arranged to pour the 2,000-square-foot [190 sq m] slab of concrete on a public holiday, and over a hundred eager volunteers arrived early for the work. For some reason, however, the town had turned off the water supply! Not short on initiative, a brother who knew the chief of the fire department explained the predicament to this kind man, who promptly sent a fire truck with enough water for the job.

When the Kingdom Hall was completed, a newly interested man, impressed by the brothers and their work, pulled out his checkbook and donated nearly enough for a new sound system. While visiting Mauritius in December 1988, Carey Barber of the Governing Body came to Réunion to deliver the dedication talk. The first quickly built Kingdom Hall was completed in 1996 in St.-Gilles-les Bains. Today, the island has 17 Kingdom Halls serving 34 congregations.

[Picture on page 248]

The finished Kingdom Hall in Saint-Louis, 1988