Before they returned to New Zealand, the Paxtons arranged for a special meeting on an uninhabited atoll. A baptism talk was given that day, and five Gilbertese symbolized their dedication to Jehovah by water immersion in the lagoon.

“We found one older couple and another man and his children, but there were no organized meetings, and none of the Society’s literature was available in the Gilbertese language,” he says. “We began to meet each Sunday. We would pray, read from the Bible, and since I was the only one who could read English, I would explain something from the Society’s publications.”

Meetings were held at the missionary home and later were moved to a schoolroom