Right away, they found much interest and even held meetings in their hotel room in the capital city, Saint-Denis. As soon as the family moved into a house, they held meetings there. About a year later, the fledgling group in Saint-Denis rented a small hall that could seat about 30. It was a wooden building with a corrugated iron roof, two shuttered openings, and one door. After obtaining permission, the brothers knocked out the internal walls, built a small platform, and installed wooden benches that had no backrests.

On a cloudless, tropical Sunday morning, the iron roof became a very effective radiator, and soon all in attendance​—especially those standing on the platform, their heads just inches from the roof—​broke out in beads of sweat. Moreover, because the hall was often filled to capacity, many stood outside, listening from the shuttered openings and the doorway, reducing the already poor ventilation.

‘WE ARE OVERWHELMED!’

Despite the discomfort, all were made to feel welcome at the meetings, and by the end of the first year, about 50 were attending regularly.

The attendance at Sunday meetings increased to 100 people, and they represented a variety of ethnic groups.