First Missionaries Arrive and Open a Branch Office

As we have seen, repeated efforts to send representatives of Jehovah’s Witnesses into Congo had been unsuccessful. However, things were changing politically, opening the way for the arrival of Ernest Heuse, Jr.

Brother Heuse was a tall, well-built Belgian with black, wavy hair. Though he was fearless, he knew that life in Congo would not be easy for him; his wife, Hélène; or his 11-year-old daughter, Danielle. Ernest’s background provided fitting experience for what lay ahead. He had entered Bethel service in Brussels in 1947. A year later he married and transferred to pioneer service with his wife. After that, Ernest was assigned to contact lawyers and officials with a specially prepared brochure that discussed the differences between the Kitawala and Jehovah’s Witnesses. In time, he served as a circuit overseer.

Ernest made several attempts to obtain papers to enter Congo, even addressing a personal request to the king of Belgium. Permission was denied. Instead, Ernest’s name was added to the list of those considered “undesirable” for entry into Congo.

Ernest persisted. He traveled to Africa and tried to enter Congo from neighboring countries. All attempts failed. Finally, he obtained a visa to travel to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. He then took a ferry across the river to Léopoldville. His arrival triggered an animated discussion among the officials on duty. Some said that he should not be granted a visa, since his name was on their list of undesirables. Finally, one of the officials, Cyrille Adoula, who later became prime minister, said that he was familiar with the attempts that Ernest had made to enter Congo. He reasoned that if the former colonialists did not like Heuse, he must be a friend of Congo. Ernest was granted a temporary visa and later a residency visa. Thus, in May 1961, Jehovah’s Witnesses had a representative in Congo to supervise the disciple-making work.

Ernest sent for Hélène and Danielle, and by September, Danielle was attending school in Léopoldville. The first branch office was established in the capital on June 8, 1962. The office and living quarters were in a third-floor apartment on Avenue van Eetvelde (now Avenue du Marché). Since space was limited, literature was kept separately in a depot. While this situation was not ideal, it was the best solution because there was an acute housing shortage.

Brother Heuse went straight to work. He borrowed a projector and a film from the Brazzaville branch office. He then showed the film entitled The Happiness of the New World Society to the congregations in Léopoldville and to some government officials. It was a revelation both to the brothers and to interested people to see that there existed an international brotherhood of Witnesses all living in peace and happiness. They were astounded to see a black brother immersing Europeans. The mayor of Léopoldville enjoyed the film so much that he said: “This work [of Jehovah’s Witnesses] should be encouraged as much as possible.” Some 1,294 attended the first four showings.

It was a great joy for the brothers finally to have someone to help them, after having waited for many years. Previously, the European brothers had been only names to them. Some had wondered whether they really existed, since the Belgian authorities had asserted that there were no Jehovah’s Witnesses in Belgium. The brothers were thrilled to have Brother Heuse in their midst.

[Picture on page 185]

Hélène, Ernest, and Danielle Heuse in Kinshasa in the 1960’s