Samoa: Elena, a pioneer sister, conducted a Bible study with a Methodist woman whose house was opposite the local pastor’s house. The study was conducted in an open-sided part of the house, in full view of the pastor. One day while they were having the study, the pastor came to visit. The Bible student asked him what he wanted. The pastor replied: “I am looking for my piglet. I haven’t seen her for almost a month.” He then turned to Elena and asked, “Do you know why my piglet ran away from me?” Thinking that he was talking about a literal piglet, Elena suggested that the piglet might have run away because he was feeding her the same sort of food all the time. She suggested that he try feeding her something else. To Elena’s surprise, the pastor pointed to the Bible student and said, “She is my piglet!” He then added: “You have stolen her from me. You have to stop this study immediately and never ever do it again.” (Church pastors have enormous power in the villages of Samoa.) The woman cried. Elena tried to calm her down and explained that the Bible foretold that this sort of thing would happen to those who study the Bible.

Elena began to make adjustments in their schedule by changing the day, the time, and the place of the study. She explains: “Instead of having the study out front in the open Samoan house, we moved it to a tiny room at the back of the woman’s house. This was a very hot place, but at least the study could continue. We did this for two months. Then one day, after the opening prayer, the pastor came, catching us by surprise. I thought that he came to stop the study, but he had changed.”

He sat in on the study and even asked questions. After the study, he turned to the woman and said: “I want to tell you something. Last night we went to town, but on our way home, our car broke down near one of the other villages. A young couple and another young man came to help fix the car. The car would not go, so they offered to drive us home after I left the car at their house. When I got into their car, I noticed Watchtowers and other publications. I began to think that maybe these people are from the same church as the woman who comes to visit you.”

Now the woman answered him: “Of course, you are right. They are Elena’s children.” He apologized and then said: “Keep doing what you are doing. Now I know that Jehovah’s Witnesses are very good and loving people. Forgive me for what I said. This kind of program would help people of my church change their attitudes.” From that day on, rather than having the study in the tiny, hot room at the back of the house, they have it in the cooler, open-sided front of the house, in full view of the pastor, who has not bothered them since.

[Picture on page 58]

Elena, Samoa