There were those who had not been able to stand up to the mistreatment in the concentration camps and who had obtained a release by renouncing their faith. (Contrast Hebrews 11:35.) So, too, those who had personal ambitions that they had not been able to realize within the organization were vulnerable to apostate thinking. At the beginning of the war the Gouda Congregation was the largest in the country. Many faithful ones there were arrested. But by 1943 the majority of those who were left had come under the influence of the apostates. Nevertheless, the number of true worshipers throughout the country continued to grow.

Despite arrests, imprisonments, deportations to concentration camps, and death at the hand of the enemy, the number of Kingdom publishers increased by 115 percent in two years, reaching a new high of 1,379 in 1943. Clearly, the work had not ended. Jehovah was blessing his servants with growth even under the most trying circumstances.

By the end of the 1942 service year, there was a 51-percent increase in number of publishers, and in that one year 763 were immersed in symbol of their dedication.