SAMOA OPENS ITS DOORS

Up until 1974, the work in Samoa was hampered by government restrictions that prevented Witness missionaries from entering the country. In that year local responsible brothers approached the prime minister directly to discuss the matter. One of these brothers, Mufaulu Galuvao, writes: “During the discussion, we discovered that a government official had set up an unauthorized committee to review all missionary applications. This committee, made up of our religious enemies, simply rejected our visa applications outright without even informing the prime minister.

“The prime minister had been unaware of this scheming; hence, he immediately ordered the chief immigration officer to bring him the file on Jehovah’s Witnesses. In our presence, he dissolved the bogus committee and granted Paul and Frances Evans three-year missionary visas with the opportunity to obtain an extension after that time.” Thrilling news indeed! After 19 years of persistent efforts, they finally entered Samoa as fully accredited missionaries!

Paul and Frances first lived with Mufaulu Galuvao and his family, but when John and Helen Rhodes arrived in 1977, both couples moved into a newly rented missionary home in Vaiala, Apia. Other missionaries included Robert and Betty Boies in 1978, David and Susan Yoshikawa in 1979, and Russell and Leilani Earnshaw in 1980.

ADAPTING TO ISLAND LIFE

Foreign Witnesses who moved to Samoa over the years soon discovered that even in this paradise, life has its challenges. One such challenge is transportation. “During our first two years of missionary service in Apia,” writes John Rhodes, “we often walked long distances to attend meetings and go witnessing. We also used the popular and colorful island buses to get around.”

These highly decorated vehicles usually have a wooden cabin mounted on the back of a small-to-medium-size truck. Crammed inside, passengers carry everything from farm tools to fresh produce. Loud music and merry singing complete the festive atmosphere on board. Bus stops, timetables, and bus routes tend to be quite flexible. “The bus to Vava‘u,” points out one travel guide, “is always punctual: it arrives when it gets there.”

“If we wanted to buy something along the way,” says John, “we simply asked the driver to stop. After making our purchase, we reboarded the bus and continued our journey. Even so, nobody worried about the delay.”

If the bus was full, new passengers would sit on the lap of those already seated. So missionary husbands quickly learned to have their wife on their lap. At journey’s end, children and adults often paid their fare by extracting a small coin from their ear​—a convenient coin pocket!

To travel between islands, missionaries and publishers used planes and small boats. Journeys could be perilous; delays inevitable. “We had to learn to be patient and cultivate a sense of humor,” says Elizabeth Illingworth, who for many years served with her husband, Peter, in circuit work throughout the South Pacific.

On land, heavy rains can make travel difficult​—especially during the cyclone season. Attempting to cross a flooded stream on his way to a Congregation Book Study, missionary Geoffrey Jackson slipped and tumbled into the raging torrent. Emerging wet and bedraggled, he continued to the meeting, where the host family dried him off and dressed him in a long black lavalava (a Polynesian wraparound kilt or skirt). His companions had difficulty restraining their laughter when a newly interested person at the meeting mistook him for a Catholic priest! Brother Jackson now serves as a member of the Governing Body.

Other challenges confronting new arrivals involved mastering a new language, adjusting to the constant tropical heat, coping with unfamiliar health problems, having few modern conveniences, and evading a host of biting insects. “The missionaries really expended themselves in our behalf,” writes Mufaulu Galuvao, “and as a result, many grateful parents named their children after these dear ones, who had lovingly assisted us.”

Six years later, two missionary sisters​—Tia Aluni, the first Samoan to attend Gilead, and Ivy Kawhe, her partner—​were invited to move from American Samoa to Savaii. Arriving in 1961, the two sisters found accommodations with an elderly couple living in Fogapoa, a village located on the eastern side of the island. Later, they were joined for a while by a special pioneer sister, who had once lived on Savaii. To encourage and support the new group of between six and eight persons, brothers from Apia visited once a month and gave public talks. These meetings were held in a small fale in Fogapoa.

Tia and Ivy remained on Savaii until 1964, when they were assigned to another island.

Beginning in 1979, more missionary couples were assigned to Savaii to assist the local publishers. These included Robert and Betty Boies, John and Helen Rhodes, Leva and Tenisia Faai‘u, Fred and Tami Holmes, Brian and Sue Mulcahy, Matthew and Debbie Kurtz, and Jack and Mary Jane Weiser. With the missionaries setting a fine lead, the work in Savaii moved forward steadily.