Unusual Customs

In many of the inaccessible regions of Malaita, especially in the mountains, as well as on the other islands, there are tribes who have had little contact with either Christendom or true Christianity. In the main they are ancestor worshipers, but some are animists.

Elson Site, formerly a circuit overseer and now a special pioneer with a family of eight children, explains what conditions are like in some of these areas: “It is the custom among the tribes to wear little clothing or none at all, and anyone wearing clothing who visits such a village is viewed with suspicion and often barred from entering the village.”

How would they tackle this sensitive situation? Elson continues: “On one occasion a group from a small congregation arrived at a village to preach, and the chief objected to the wearing of any clothing by either brothers or sisters while in the village. The brothers explained that it was not a Christian custom to go naked. Since they had traveled all this distance to share some important information from God’s Word, they would very much like to solve this small problem that was preventing his people from hearing some good news. The chief conferred with the older men of the village for quite a long time and finally decided that it would not be possible for the brothers to preach to the villagers on that day. But arrangements were made to make future visits more successful. The villagers promised to build a leaf house just outside the village boundary so that the brothers and sisters, fully clothed, could use the house to meet with any of the village people who wished to come to the house to hear what the Bible teaches. This system worked quite well, as the villagers enjoy talking about spiritual things.”

Besides having to respect the restriction regarding clothing in some villages, the brothers must observe other restrictions that are in force among these people because of their beliefs. Arturo Villasin, now a circuit overseer, reports: “The brothers leading any group for witnessing are very careful to respect the fact that the villagers do have very strong feelings about doing anything that will offend the spirits. In some villages it is absolutely forbidden to mention certain words or names, such as saying the personal name of a dead ancestor who is believed to have power over the village. Some trees are also viewed as sacred, and only males may sit down in their shade. In one particular seaside village, the wearing of certain colors is offensive; red or black cannot be worn. So, discreetly, a book or Bible with a red or a black cover will not be used while witnessing.

“A woman is strictly forbidden to enter some areas in a village. A man may not sit down on the same seat with a woman who is not his wife. If any of these customs are broken, compensation must be paid immediately. So it is vital that the brothers and sisters have a detailed knowledge of the rules, laws, and restrictions of each particular village if a successful witness is to be given. Thus, before entering a village, the brother leading the group will discuss in detail exactly what those in the group, especially the sisters, who are more likely to break unknowingly the male-oriented customs, should and should not do while in the village. Adjustments that do not compromise Jehovah’s righteous principles are gladly made so that the villagers get a fair opportunity to hear the good news. Many villagers have responded and have gladly shed practices that displease the true God.”

Surrounded by Demons

In the mountainous district of Kwaio on Malaita lies the village of Aiolo. This village consists mostly of families of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Aiolo is like a haven for Jehovah’s people, surrounded as it is by demon worship. As you look out of the village, you see many areas that are sacred grounds, dense bush on the top of hills, with the sides of the hill trimmed to distinguish between the sacred ground and neutral territory. There the priest sacrifices pigs to the gods. Part of the sacrifices are eaten by the priest and, at times, by other men. However, no woman is allowed to eat any of the sacrifice nor share in the actual offering of the sacrifice on penalty of death, although she has a major part in the raising of the pigs. After the sacrifice, the priest or others who offer the sacrifice must stay in a holy house within the confines of the village for a set number of days before returning to their family.

A ‘quick build’ house made from bamboo and other bush materials was erected in Aiolo. A Witness provided this new house for the so-called runaways. These are interested persons, even families, who have run away from demon worship. They have fled their demon-worshiping village to find refuge in Aiolo. At one time, a runaway family, a husband, his wife, and some of his brothers and sisters, arrived because the villagers were seeking to kill them for having offended their demon by not sacrificing a pig to him. The penalty​—death!

Several days later a traveling overseer visited Aiolo. Listen to what he has to say: “My wife and I were invited for a meal at the home of one of the brothers. In their midst sat this runaway family. We fell in love with them straight away, but they were frightened and had their backs toward us. However, by the time the meal was over, they had full smiles and sat facing us. They had come to realize that we were just the same as all the other brothers and sisters who love Jehovah and who are loved by him in return!”

No Long Pants

But let us go back to Brother Villasin and ask him why he now wears shorts instead of long pants. He says: “In one village our group of publishers had witnessed to everyone in the village. However, one brother had been talking at length to the village chief. Finally, the brother came out of the chief’s house. A worried look was on his face. The chief told him that he wanted my long trousers! Now I looked worried! I did not have a spare pair of trousers, and it was not proper for a circuit overseer to walk around without trousers. I begged the brother to go back quickly and convince the chief that while he and his people may feel perfectly comfortable wearing nothing at all, I was a man from a different country with completely different customs, and one of them was that we did not under any circumstances appear naked in public. The chief, though, coveted my trousers. However, after a long discussion, the brother convinced the chief to leave my trousers with me. I was relieved! From that time on, I have not worn long trousers to any village. I wear shorts just like the rest of my brothers do!”

Another foreign traveling overseer went through a hair-raising experience. In one village, a person may not use the banned English words “wicked” and “war.” Those two words are the names of two of their demons. To utter these names is an offense and a high compensation must be paid by the offender. When the local Witnesses went preaching there, the new traveling overseer told the brothers that he would rather listen at each door. The brothers disagreed; they insisted that the traveling overseer speak at a door, since he had been well drilled in the local customs. The visiting brother finally agreed. As he walked up and down the mountains along the bush track, he kept muttering to himself: “Don’t say WAR, don’t say WICKED.”

When they eventually reached the territory, a man invited the traveling overseer and two other brothers into his house. The two brothers began the conversation and then introduced the nervous traveling overseer. He gave a short Scriptural presentation, and everything went well. The householder seemed pleased by what he heard. The traveling overseer felt quite pleased with himself too and opened the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth and started to show pictures about Paradise. But then, to his horror, he added: “And God shall wipe out war.”

The man’s eyes widened, and so did the eyes of the traveling overseer. He quickly looked at the two brothers for help and took a deep breath, but they looked at the householder as if to say, “He didn’t say ‘war,’ did he?” The householder looked back at them as if to say: “No, I guess he didn’t.” And so the conversation ended without any compensation having to be paid. But as for the traveling overseer, he could not wait to get back to Aiolo.

Not only are customs and clothing styles of the Solomons different from Western ones but also construction methods are different. Nonetheless, two major construction projects have helped many local people see that Jehovah God’s spirit is upon his worshipers. In 1989 the people of Auki on Malaita were amazed as they watched a congregation of 60 publishers build an Assembly Hall that could seat over a thousand conventioners. Then, in June 1991, the people of Honiara stared wide-eyed as a 1,200-seat Assembly Hall seemed to spring up from its foundations in just two weeks, the first quickly built hall of this size in the Pacific region. The first stop on our construction site tour is the island of Malaita.

“The Hall That Jehovah Built”

Start with two hammers and two chisels as tools. Add scores of willing workers and all the timber you can cut from a surrounding swampy forest. You now have the makings of a 1,500-seat Assembly Hall, Solomon Islands-style. Such a miracle of construction has fueled a great shout of praise to Jehovah’s name on Malaita. So many apparently insurmountable problems had to be overcome in the construction of the 10,000-square-foot [930 sq m] facility that it has become known as “the hall that Jehovah built.”

In June 1982 the missionaries assigned to Malaita held a meeting in the main provincial town of Auki and reached this conclusion: A new Kingdom Hall for the local congregation of 65 publishers was urgently needed. At the meeting were Roger Allan and two Filipino missionaries, Pepito Pagal and Arturo Villasin.

The old Kingdom Hall was infested with termites. It had become so rickety that even the slightest gust of wind threatened to knock it down. Originally built to provide temporary shelter from the sun and rain for the 400 people who had attended a convention in Auki 15 years earlier, it was now in its last days.

The Auki Congregation had only two fully employed brothers, and their income amounted to about $50 per month each. So the congregation members all agreed to concentrate first on raising money to start the project. Brothers Pagal and Villasin were assigned to organize a congregation “union”​—a group of volunteers from the congregation who would work to obtain the needed funds.

The congregation grew its own crops of sweet potatoes and cabbage. The produce was then packed in coconut-leaf baskets and sent by boat to Honiara. There, an elderly pioneer sister, Cleopass Laubina, sold the vegetables for the best price she could get and sent the money back to the congregation in Auki. Also, on Mondays, 40 to 50 brothers and sisters toiled in the sweat of their brows to earn funds, by digging ditches, clearing coconut plantations of undergrowth, and mixing concrete by hand. Thus, by 1985, after working for 3 1/2 years, the congregation had accumulated a building fund of $2,000.

Expand the Project

Meanwhile, it was decided to expand the building project significantly to benefit all 23 congregations on Malaita. “Instead of building a Kingdom Hall for up to 70 publishers, why not build an Assembly Hall for up to 1,500 people?” reasoned the local Witnesses. So a large structure was planned that could seat 1,500 people and provide shelter not only from the intense equatorial sun but also from the frequent downpours that are characteristic of the Solomon Islands.

A roughly sketched plan was drawn up, depicting a hall 98 feet [30 m] long by 105 feet [32 m] wide, with a roof sloping gradually upward to allow rising warm air to escape along the ceiling. The hall was designed without any center posts so that the view of the audience would not be obstructed. It would be situated on the congregation’s five-acre [2 ha] lot.

In 1985 the congregation building committee obtained a low-interest loan. A short time later, Witnesses in Sweden made a sizable donation, thus giving the Assembly Hall fund a total of $13,500 to commence the building work.

The manager of a timber mill in Honiara also promised to supply all the 300 milled logs required for the main support pillars and the veranda and porch posts as well as the roof trusses along with purlins and rafters. The trusses would be constructed in Honiara and then dismantled and shipped by barge to Auki, where they would be reassembled and erected on top of the main support pillars.

The construction work crew was eager and ready to start! However, the only equipment they had was two claw hammers and two chisels. Of course, there were a lot of willing helpers ready to lend their hands to the task. But none of the Witnesses on Malaita had any commercial building experience. “The brothers and sisters were looking to me to oversee the construction work, but I had never even built a chicken coop!” said Brother Allan.

How were the Witnesses going to get the roof trusses​—each consisting of eight large logs bolted together and weighing from two to five tons—​off the ground and onto the top of the 20-foot-high [6 m] support pillars? And, besides, how could they lift the roof apex some 40 feet [12 m] into the air without the use of heavy construction cranes?

“I don’t know,” confessed Brother Allan at the time. “We’ll just have to rely on Jehovah to help us.”

Assistance Welcomed

Skilled assistance came from far across the sea in October 1986. Jon and Margaret Clarke, who had shared in the construction of the New Zealand branch office, heard of the plight of the Auki Congregation and were able to get a three-month visa to visit Malaita.

With a concrete mixer received as a gift, the congregation proceeded with building a large stage and a concrete-block wall with side wings behind the stage. Using their bare hands as shovels, they dug deep holes and filled them with concrete, into which they set the 18 main support pillars for the wall, roof, and veranda.

Having received training from Brother Clarke, the native brothers themselves reassembled the auditorium roof trusses and the three porch roof trusses. But they still had the problem of setting these heavy trusses in place. It was quite an engineering feat, since the trusses were made by bolting eight logs together into a huge triangle. The brothers’ determination and ingenuity defies description.

A Log Ballet

The only equipment available for such a mammoth lifting job was a block and tackle on a makeshift crane. The crane itself was made from eight logs. The first truss, weighing two tons, had to be lifted over the newly constructed concrete-block wall and mounted on two support pillars behind it. When the crane lifted the truss by its peak into an upright position, the brothers realized, to their dismay, that the crane could not lift the truss high enough to clear the wall. It was three feet [1 m] too short! For two days the truss was left dangling from the crane​—supported with logs underneath—​while the brothers lamented and pondered over the problem.

People would pass by and ridicule, saying: “Can’t Jehovah lift the truss for you?”

“Good!” exclaimed the brothers. “Now Jehovah will help us for sure!”

A sudden spurt of creativity inspired the workers. A jack from a pickup truck was slipped under one end of the truss and lifted it a few inches higher. That end of the truss was then further supported. The jack was then moved to the other end of the truss to lift that end, and it too was raised higher and supported. This procedure was repeated until, after a four-day juggling act, the first truss had been inched up and over the concrete wall and put onto its designated support pillars. This tremendous accomplishment prompted the brothers to dance around the site in a large circle, clapping their hands and singing happy tunes.

It was only after the project was completed and the jack had been used successfully to lift three trusses​—one weighing as much as five tons—​that the brothers realized that the blurred words stamped on the side of the jack indicating lifting capacity did not say “15 tons,” as they had believed, but in fact, only “1.5 tons”!

“On reflection, what the brothers and sisters did defies logic,” says Brother Allan. “Watching those enormous trusses rise in the air was like watching a log ballet!”

“Can’t Jehovah Build a Hall?”

In January 1987 two native brothers in the building trade visited Auki from Honiara and after inspecting the trusses said that the mill had unknowingly shipped unsuitable fruit-tree logs and that these logs tended to rot deceptively from the inside out. They believed that decay had started in the cores and that all the logs would have to be replaced. Four months later the devastating diagnosis was confirmed​—most of the logs supplied were rotting, and the greater part of the heavy construction work that had been accomplished would have to be redone.

Brother and Sister Clarke arrived back in Auki in July, accompanied by Steven and Allan Brown of Auckland. They brought with them equipment donated from the completed New Zealand branch construction site. The New Zealanders planned their visit with the intention of finishing off the roof structure of the hall, but instead, their work centered around demolishing much of the previous year’s structure.

However, the greatest difficulty for the brothers to bear was the constant taunts shouted by passengers speeding by the site in open trucks, as well as humiliating remarks made by people in the market or on the streets of Auki.

“Can’t Jehovah build a hall?” they jeered. “This proves you worship a false religion,” they scoffed. “Only crazy people build a hall then pull it down again.” As people of other religions passed the building site, they danced and sang in front of the dejected workers​—rejoicing at their misfortune. The local brothers were so downhearted that they told the four missionaries that they “would walk away from this hall right now if Jehovah’s name wasn’t on it.”

Mockery Short-Lived

The mockery of the ridiculers was short-lived at times. For example, a group of carolers heading for a special church event ten miles [16 km] away shouted insults and laughed at the construction workers as they passed the site in a truck. A mile beyond the construction site, their truck broke down, and stranded, they were unable to reach their destination.

When news of the breakdown reached the building site, counsel was given against ‘returning evil for evil.’ (Rom. 12:17) But as some of the brothers riding in the back of the construction truck passed the immobile carolers a little later, they could not resist quietly dancing a little jig!

Kona Village to the Rescue

Only 38 logs from the mill were free of rot, so the balance of the required 300 logs would have to come from somewhere else. But from where? The Witnesses from Kona village, located three miles [5 km] from the building site, approached the construction workers to offer to donate special hardwood trees from their own land. The timber would replace the main support pillars, the veranda and porch posts, and the auditorium roof trusses. This was a large sacrifice by those Witnesses from Kona village, since Malaita had been devastated by Cyclone Namu, and these trees had been specially set aside to rebuild their ruined homes.

To obtain the logs, the sisters of the Auki Congregation built a 20-foot-wide [6 m] road, cutting a half-mile-long [0.8 km] swath through thick jungle from the logging site to the main road. They mustered all their strength to cut down trees, build bridges over ditches, and remove obstacles from the new roadway. Then the selected trees could be felled, trimmed of their branches, and milled square with chain saws.

“We Are Like Ants”

The new timbers had been cut 14 inches [36 cm] square and 21 feet [6.4 m] long. But how would these huge logs reach the main road half a mile away?

The congregation members responded: “We are like ants! With enough hands we can move anything!” (Compare Proverbs 6:6.) When additional brothers and sisters were needed to carry the logs, the cry would resonate in the logging area: “Ants! Ants! Ants!” Brothers and sisters would come streaming from all directions to lend a hand. Forty brothers and sisters would lift a half-ton log by hand and carry it down the road to the main highway, to be carted to the building site by truck.

Setting the pillars and posts in place was a risky operation. Once again, the native way of doing things proved to be most successful. On arrival at the site, each pillar was placed about three yards [3 m] away from the deep hole into which it was to be lowered and then set in concrete.

Thirty brothers and sisters lifted the top end of a pillar onto a crisscross frame. They then pushed the pillar rapidly across the ground, with the bottom end skidding toward its designated hole. Two of the most courageous brothers stood holding thick pieces of board on the opposite side of the hole, and when the skidding log hit those boards, it would come to an abrupt stop, so that the forward momentum propelled the pillar into an upright position, whereupon it dropped into the foundation hole.

A Mistake Turns Into a Blessing

Next, the roof was scheduled to be put on the hall. However, by this time the building fund was completely depleted, and the congregation could not afford the steel roofing for the building. Thankfully, when the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses was notified of the plight of the brothers, a gift of $10,000 was made available, enough not only to purchase the roofing but to complete the Assembly Hall auditorium.

A deposit of $6,000 was paid to a sheet-metal company for some steel roofing that was painted light gray. Although this was an undesirable color and was not the thickness or quality the building committee wanted, it was all they could afford. However, to the horror of the construction crew, the needed steel roofing had already been sold to another religious group in Honiara for the construction of their new church. The supply company was apologetic about the mix-up, but it had no more roofing material of that type in stock.

A week later, the company informed the Witnesses that a stock of higher quality, heavy gauge roofing material had arrived. But because of the firm’s mistake, it would let the congregation purchase it at a greatly reduced rate​—which was well within the budget of the building fund. Even more remarkable, the new steel roofing was prepainted a more attractive dark-green color, which the brothers had originally wanted but could not afford.

In December 1987, Brother Henry Donaldson, a roofing contractor from New Zealand, arrived. The project was crowned with a beautiful 12,000-square-foot [1,100 sq m] roof. Now, as passenger trucks carrying their tormentors passed the construction site, the brothers and sisters at last could sing and dance​—pointing excitedly to the nearly completed structure!

Imagine their joy when, a few days later, the hall was used for the first time. Viv Mouritz from the Australia branch, serving as zone overseer, addressed an audience of 593. He commended all the volunteers who had worked so hard on this massive project for their spirit of self-sacrifice and endurance.

Making Do

This Assembly Hall on Malaita serves as an example of how great things can be accomplished without modern construction equipment and commercial materials. It stands as evidence of how Jehovah blesses the efforts of those who put full trust in him. Frequently the work went ahead without even the most basic tools, such as spades or shovels, which would be regarded as an absolute necessity in more affluent countries.

When it was necessary to have coral-based dirt excavated and loaded into sacks for transportation to the building site, sisters dug the coral gravel from a quarry with sharp sticks and then scooped the sharp, jagged gravel into bags with their bare hands. In just one day, the sisters dug and loaded 13 three-ton truckloads of coral fill!

Another example of making do with what is on hand occurred when the wheel on the only wheelbarrow on the site was damaged beyond repair and a replacement could not be found anywhere in the Solomon Islands. This did not deter the Witnesses one bit. After filling the wheelbarrow with concrete, they simply lifted it up and carried it to the location until a replacement wheel arrived from New Zealand five weeks later.

Finally, after much additional work was done, the Assembly Hall was used for the “Divine Justice” District Convention during October 1988.

[Pictures on page 243]

Logs carried from swamplands and cut square with chain saws are loaded onto a truck. Squared-off log (wall post) is put in foundation hole for Assembly Hall at Auki

[Pictures on page 244]

Huge roof trusses weighing up to five tons are made by bolting eight logs together. The trusses are positioned on top of 20-foot-high [6 m] support pillars without the aid of heavy construction equipment

[Picture on page 245]

The completed 1,500-seat Assembly Hall at Auki, Malaita