Kingdom Truth Blossoms in ‘the Flowered Island’
THE island of Martinique, basking in the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea and cooled by the gentle trade winds, is as paradisaic as any place can now be. Appropriately, the native Caribs called this 425-square-mile (1,100-sq-km) island in the West Indies Madinina, ‘the flowered island.’ Here, the brilliant purples and reds of the bougainvillea mingle with the scarlet of the flame trees and the iridescent hues of the crotons. There is a veritable symphony of colors, dazzling and spectacular, all over the island.
Blossoming of Kingdom Truth
Like the colorful flowers, blooming throughout the island today are 24 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Fort-de-France, the capital city with its 100,000 inhabitants, has eight of them. All of this, however, is the result of divine blessing upon the seeds of Kingdom truth planted over the past 35 years.
In 1949 four graduates of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead sowed the first seeds of Kingdom truth. Though the local authorities allowed the missionaries to remain for only two years, they kept busy sowing and watering, all the while trusting in Jehovah’s promise: “In me the islands themselves will hope, and for my arm they will wait.”—Isaiah 51:5.
Such trust in God was rewarded, for Jehovah’s arm is never too short. In 1954 a couple from France came to Martinique. They were Xavier and Sarah Noll, full-time ministers. With hard work and Jehovah’s blessing, by 1963 the number of Kingdom proclaimers had grown to 138. By 1976 there were 1,055 individuals busily preaching the good news in this ‘flowered island.’
The year 1984 saw seven successive peaks of Kingdom proclaimers. The number of regular pioneers increased from 19 to 44, and 491 took up the auxiliary pioneer work in April. During the year, a peak of 1,635 individuals, about one out of every 200 inhabitants of the island, shared in proclaiming the good news. Truly, as the prophet Isaiah foretold, ‘Jehovah must be glorified in the islands of the sea.’—Isaiah 24:15.
Branch Dedication
The blossoming of Kingdom truth in Martinique reached a high point on August 22, 1984. Some 2,000 guests from France, Canada, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and the United States assembled for the dedication of a beautiful four-story building, the new Watch Tower branch office and Bethel home for Martinique.
A rich spiritual program was arranged for the morning. It started with Brother Noll’s recounting the small beginning of the preaching work on the island. The audience was thrilled to learn that the first missionaries were present among them that morning.
Next on the program was a report on the construction, given by Brother Faustini, a missionary. For two and a half years, 40 brothers worked full time on the project. But on weekends, 100 to 200 volunteers from the local congregations would come to help. Among the full-time workers were brothers from Canada, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and France, who for a while left jobs, homes, friends, and relatives to come and help with the work. Several of them took the opportunity to express their appreciation for the privilege of having a share in Kingdom expansion in this part of the field.
The climax of the morning was a vigorous speech on the theme “Moving Ahead With Jehovah’s Organization.” It was given by J. E. Barr, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He emphasized the need to work harmoniously in order to accomplish God’s will and to press forward to the things ahead. Clearly, the Witnesses in Martinique have done this, as attested to by the expansion and the blossoming of Kingdom truth on the island.
The news media responded enthusiastically. Coverage by television brought the event before the public. The newspaper France-Antilles observed that the high quality of workmanship seen in the structure reflected a “great love for work well done” and called the building “an architectural masterpiece” worthy of close inspection by experts in the field.
A Hospitable People
The appeal of Martinique is not limited to its reputation as ‘the flowered island.’ Among its friendly and hospitable people, it is a matter of custom to invite a visitor in and listen to him and not let him leave without offering him something. Even though people are more in a hurry nowadays, they still take time to talk and listen. All of this makes the preaching work a real pleasure. That was the experience of the Nolls on their first day of preaching in Martinique.
“Of course we were anxious to find out how the people would receive us, but what happened exceeded all our expectations,” recalled Brother Noll. “That morning my wife and I had to return home twice to refill our bags with Bible literature. Some accepted the literature as soon as they saw that it talked about God; others took it simply because we called. How stimulating to see such hospitality! Whereas in other places we have to see that we do not stay too long because people are busy, here we must avoid being detained too long in order to visit as many people as possible.”
The experience of a traveling overseer showed how hospitable and generous the islanders are. “Our brothers have never hesitated to share what they have,” he said. “One day a couple invited us to an evening meal. When we arrived in their tiny one-room home that had no running water or electricity, we were surprised by what we saw. There, set out on a tiny table, were only two plates. ‘Why only two?’ we asked. With their small income, they only had two plates, two forks, and two spoons. They told us they would eat as soon as we finished. Every time we thought about this couple, tears would come to our eyes.”
Love for God’s Word
Most people in Martinique have a deep reverence for the Holy Scriptures. Often the Bible, opened to the book of Psalms, is prominently displayed on a table. They believe that the Bible protects the house when they are out. Of course, when individuals learn the truth, they no longer look upon the Bible as a charm but as God’s message to mankind.
This was the case with the headmistress of a local school. When she learned what the Bible says about image worship, she destroyed all her religious idols. (Psalm 115:4-8; 1 Corinthians 10:14) When the neighbors learned what she did with her “saints,” the news got around the small town quickly. An uproar followed, fanned by the angry remarks of the local priest from the pulpit. But that did not deter her from embracing the truth. Today, this 75-year-old Witness is zealously making true worship blossom out in her part of the island.
A young man living in an isolated area started studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses by correspondence. Shortly thereafter, he attended a circuit assembly and was so impressed by what he heard that he told all his friends about it upon returning to his town, where he was the bell ringer at the local church. Astonished at the Bible knowledge he had acquired in such a short time, one of his friends went to see the priest to ask his opinion of the Witnesses. “Just between you and me,” the priest told him, “Jehovah’s Witnesses teach the truth.” Soon, the Witness conducting the study received this message from the young man: “I have decided to stop smoking and stop ringing the bells.” Today, he is busy helping people hear the sound of the truth and serves as an elder in one of the congregations in Fort-de-France.
Even the children show remarkable interest in God’s Word. To illustrate: A Witness schoolteacher showed her class the book Your Youth—Getting the Best out of It, and four pupils wanted a copy. When the Witness brought four copies of the book to school the next day, she was flooded with so many requests from the other students that she had to arrange for them to come to her house for the book. “A few days later, a woman approached me and asked me for two copies of the book,” the sister related. The woman so appreciated the book her daughter had obtained that she wanted to study it with her children. “With her I placed the 105th copy of this book meant for the youths,” said the sister.
Bible Truth Changes Lives
As in many parts of the world, drug abuse is taking its toll in Martinique. However, one young man, who was once bearded, long-haired, and heavily involved with drugs, was so impressed by the love and warmth of the Witnesses and the clear Bible message they offered that he gave up his drug habit, changed his life-style, and dedicated his life to Jehovah God.
One day a car pulled up when he was offering the Watchtower and Awake! magazines to passersby on the street. The driver, a police officer, called out: “But it’s G—! What did you do to change so much?” He recognized the young man because in the past he had arrested him at the same spot for possession of illegal drugs. The young Witness, taking the Bible and the magazines out of his book bag, answered: “Here is what changed me!” Pleasantly surprised, the police officer encouraged him to continue. But he was not able to leave without the young man placing two magazines with him.
Marital problems have been an obstacle for some in making spiritual progress. However, God’s Word can help those who truly love their Creator to break free from even the most difficult situations. One woman with six children by three different men and cohabiting with the third man started to study the Bible with the Witnesses. Soon she realized that her life was out of harmony with God’s requirements. Her love for God and her desire to serve him gave her courage to tell the man she was living with to leave, in spite of the heavy responsibility of supporting six children by herself. Other women in similar situations have acted in faith and have been richly blessed for doing so.
Assemblies Give a Witness
The circuit assemblies and district conventions have contributed much toward the blossoming of Kingdom truth in Martinique. The first circuit assembly was held in 1955 at the home of Brother and Sister Noll. The five local Witnesses were supported by 27 others from Guadeloupe, the neighboring island. Though the total attendance was under 40, that assembly was a most upbuilding experience for the brothers.
Today, the Witnesses can no longer find facilities large enough for them to come together for a large assembly. Instead, they have built several sectional metal structures that can be assembled on football fields. This has made it possible to hold assemblies in the smaller towns on the island. The local people are always impressed by the orderly throng of Witnesses coming to the assembly and by the efficient way in which they put up and take down the assembly facilities. More than 4,000 people attended the two district conventions in 1984, and a fine witness was given.
What About the Future?
The building of the branch and Bethel home has strengthened the love, that “perfect bond of union,” among all the brothers in Martinique. (Colossians 3:14) It was also an opportunity for all to cultivate the spirit of generosity. Many brought meals or gifts of fruits, vegetables, timber, machines, furniture, and so on. Others donated money and expensive jewelry. What a demonstration of unselfish love!
No doubt, the new branch facility will play an important role in the further blossoming of Kingdom truth in this ‘flowered island.’ Much work of cultivation remains to be done, because on April 4, 1985, there were 4,848 individuals in attendance at the Memorial of the death of Jesus Christ. All the Witnesses in Martinique are looking forward to the time when the entire earth will become a flowered garden—a paradise—under the righteous rule of God’s Messianic Kingdom.—Luke 23:43.
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MARTINIQUE
Fort-de-France
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SOUTH AMERICA
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Young ones, too, are joyfully responding to Kingdom truth