Haiti

ON A reef off the Caribbean island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, the flagship of Christopher Columbus was lost during his 1492 voyage of exploration. Nevertheless, that journey laid a foundation for the colonizing of a New World for Europe. He found peaceful Amerindians, the Arawaks. From their language came the name Haiti, meaning “Land of Mountains.” Since 1492 this “Land of Mountains” has undergone many changes.

Columbus claimed the land in the name of Isabella, queen of Spain, and named it Española (Spanish Island). Spanish conquistadores subjected the Arawaks to harsh slave labor. Soon there were few Arawaks. Then Africans were brought in to replace them.

In course of time, French adventurers settled on the western part of the island, which France claimed as Saint-Domingue in 1697. The land was  fertile, large plantations developed with the help of slave labor, and Saint-Domingue became a prosperous territory.

Some 100 years later, Toussaint Louverture, a man of royal African descent but born a slave, won military and diplomatic victories to free the slaves. He became ruler of Saint-Domingue in 1801. Jean-Jacques Dessalines, also born a slave, later drove out the French and changed the name of the territory back to what the Arawaks had called it. Thus the first independent black nation of the Americas came into existence in 1804: the then wealthy country of Haiti.

After the death of Dessalines in 1806, Henry Christophe took control of the northern part of the country. Some of his accomplishments helped to make the nation one that, for a time, ranked among the strongest in the New World. He built the imposing Sans-Souci palace and the fabulous Citadelle Laferrière​—a fortress on a mountain peak. In time, however, leadership struggles, revolutions, and misuse of public funds impoverished the country.

Nevertheless, Haiti still has a unique character in language, culture, and people. Many speak French, but the language of the people in general is Creole​—an expressive patois that combines French words with the grammar of West African languages. The population blends African and European traits in a colorful, beautiful people. Picturesque mountains continue to dominate the land. But most have become stark​—stripped of trees—​and once-fertile plains have grown dry.

This is a land that glories in its past, bemoans the present, and hopes for a better future​—a new world. Fittingly, good news of a truly new world under God’s Kingdom is reaching these people, even in remote villages behind the mountains.

 Good News Comes to Aquin

Recollections as to how the good news of God’s Kingdom first reached Haiti are hazy. As early as February 1887, Zion’s Watch Tower lists Hayti (or, Haiti) among the places from which letters written by interested persons had come. However, it was not until decades later, during the winter of 1929/30, that a Witness, a pioneer, who devoted her full time to witnessing to others about God’s purpose, spent several months here. Then, in 1938, a lawyer named Démosthène Lhérisson somehow obtained in Port-au-Prince the books Creation and Prophecy and the booklet Cause of Death. He took these home to Aquin, on the south coast. What was the result? From what he read, he became convinced that these publications pointed the way to true Christianity. He rejected the Catholic Church and began sharing Bible truth with others, including his nephew.

After the lawyer died, this nephew invited friends to study the books with him, and they did so regularly. One of them said: “We realized we were living in the last days of this world, that the Kingdom of Jehovah was established in the heavens since 1914, and that the religions would be destroyed because of being part of this world.” They were beginning to put their hope in a new world.

About 1943, in Cayes, a large town to the west of Aquin, a traveler who had returned from Cuba had several Watch Tower publications in his possession. That literature got into the hands of Solomon Sévère, who lived in Vieux-bourg, about six miles [10 km] from Aquin.

In time the interested ones in Aquin and those in Vieux-bourg got together. But some of them adhered to the teachings of a minority religion known as Christianism, or Solomonites, and certain ones of its practices, such as plurality of wives, definitely were not Christian. Those  sincerely seeking the truth came to realize that they needed to break their ties with Christendom and to quit sharing in its practices.

By 1944, seven individuals in Haiti were having a part in preaching the good news to others, and they reported a total of 1,500 hours devoted to that activity during the year. The following year, five more joined in the field ministry, and the total number of hours they devoted to publicly preaching the Kingdom message soared to 6,164. Near the end of the service year, two well-trained missionaries became part of this group.

The First Watch Tower Missionaries

Two young Watch Tower missionaries, Roland Fredette and Harold Wright, from North America, arrived in Port-au-Prince in August 1945. They had studied French at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, but as they soon discovered, they now had to learn Creole. They became a  familiar sight as they moved around, preaching with the aid of testimony cards and phonographs.

Keen on seeing the preaching of the good news become well organized in Haiti, N. H. Knorr and F. W. Franz, respectively president and vice president of the Watch Tower Society at that time, also came to Port-au-Prince, arriving on March 19, 1946. Eleven attended a meeting held in the missionary home that evening for just the Witnesses. After a talk by Brother Franz, Brother Knorr spoke about organizing the preaching work in Haiti. He announced the establishment of the Haiti branch of the Watch Tower Society, with Brother Fredette as branch overseer. Then, at seven o’clock the next evening, a group of 74 assembled in the missionary home to hear Brother Knorr speak on the subject “Be Glad, Ye Nations.”

The branch office was opened on April 1, 1946. Soon after, government recognition was given the Watch Tower Society. Five new missionaries arrived, and the preaching of the good news spread out to towns near Port-au-Prince and as far north as Cap-Haïtien, on the north coast.

Vieux-bourg Meets the Missionaries

During this time, members of the Vieux-bourg group often talked to a man named Cassindo. When visiting Port-au-Prince in 1948, he listened to one of the missionaries giving a talk at Place Jérémie and afterward told the missionary that people who spoke like him were at Vieux-bourg. Cassindo returned home with the news, “Genyen moun kom sa yo nan Port-au-Prince” (There are people like these in Port-au-Prince). Excitement ran high among the Vieux-bourg group.

They contacted the missionaries, who then went down to visit them. What joy this brought to the group in Vieux-bourg! They were so happy, they spent the entire first day  with their visitors in the field service. That evening a Bible talk was given in the public square under the light of an oil lamp.

On a follow-up trip, those who qualified were baptized, and the group was organized into a congregation, one of the first in Haiti. But there were problems. Solomon Sévère tended to lord it over the others. So a brother who showed more humility was appointed to be congregation overseer. At that, Sévère rebelled and influenced some to follow him in withdrawing from the congregation.​—Acts 20:29, 30.

The 12 who remained recognized Jesus Christ as their Leader and loyally continued in Jehovah’s service. (Matt. 23:10) This brought rich blessings. By 1949, Vieux-bourg, with a population of about 400, reported 21 publishers​—more than there were in Port-au-Prince.

A Pastor Learns About the New World

During this time, a few of Christendom’s clergy unwittingly helped to bring the truth to their own church members.  Let Diego Scotland, a native of Dominica, tell us what happened in his own case:

“While I was pastor in a Pentecostal church, the chief pastor of the church brought several Watch Tower publications from the United States for his own use. When I started to study them, he warned me against losing my sanity. I ignored this because I saw that they contained the truth. But when I began refusing to conduct church services, tension grew between us. A final break came after we had a debate on the doctrine of immortality of the soul.”

Defeated, the senior pastor declared that he would not allow Jehovah’s Witnesses to take root in Haiti. Quoting Gamaliel, Diego, a slim man with a calm personality, replied that if Jehovah’s Witnesses had the true religion, no one could stop them. (Acts 5:39) He started studying with the Witnesses, progressed quickly, and soon became a baptized publisher.

Others Learn and Quickly Begin to Share

Four more Gilead graduates came to Haiti in 1948​—Alexander Brodie and Harvey Drinkle in April and Fred and Peter Lukuc in the summer. All of them were Canadians. Working from their missionary home at 32 Rue Capois, they did much to intensify the preaching of the good news in Port-au-Prince.

Fred Lukuc was 23 years old that year and had been a pioneer since 1943. After arriving in Haiti, he placed the book “The Truth Shall Make You Free” with the owner of a shop that made leather products, and he promised to return that Sunday. But much happened before Sunday came. This man’s son-in-law, Maurice Sanon, saw the book and started to read it. Every afternoon this former schoolmaster sat studying the Bible with the help of his father-in-law’s book. Within a few days, he began pointing out to his friends the  false doctrines that the Catholic Church had been teaching them. He was impatient to meet Fred Lukuc.

“Maurice asked many questions,” Brother Lukuc stated some years later, “and we started a Bible study. He progressed rapidly, sharing the newfound truth with relatives and others. But when I invited him to go with me in the service, he objected: ‘I don’t know enough.’ I replied, ‘You know  more of the Bible than the people out there. Anyway, I will do the talking.’ He agreed. But from the first call, this energetic man did most of the talking.” In time, his wife and four children joined the study, and this whole family, with some nephews and nieces, became dedicated Witnesses.

The following year, 1949, Fred met a sincere 40-year-old Protestant at Carrefour, near Port-au-Prince. This man too was thirsting for the truth. “Dumoine Vallon asked many doctrinal questions,” Fred related. “I returned the next week, as agreed, but he was not at home. I was disappointed, as I had come a long way by bicycle.” What had happened? Fred says: “He soon came in and explained that he had been out preaching to people in the vicinity. ‘They know nothing about God,’ he said.” With the help of a home Bible study, he made rapid progress and got baptized in June 1950. He has remained a loyal minister of the good news.

Our First District Convention

Our first district convention was held in 1950. Brother Knorr attended and shared with the publishers in wearing “sandwich signs” to advertise the public talk. At this unusual spectacle, people gathered around them along the roads, and some made fun of them. But how happy they were when 474 attended the talk in an outdoor theater beside the harbor! Earlier that day 13 had been baptized at the Club Thorland beach.

Brother Knorr gave instructions on improving congregation organization, training publishers, and correcting those who were attending meetings but who had wrong motives. People had to learn that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not like the Protestants, who were gaining converts from the Catholic Church by offering material advantages.

Noting that after five years of missionary activity, only 86 publishers were reporting, Brother Knorr advised that the  ministry could possibly be more productive if Creole instead of French was used for meetings and field service. When the change was made, good results came quickly.

Brother Knorr also announced that the booklet Can You Live Forever in Happiness on Earth? would be translated into Creole. However, the translator used a phonetic system prepared by a German named Laubach. This system made  Creole easy for English-speaking people to pronounce, but it was not what the Catholic population had been accustomed to, so the booklet’s circulation was limited.

More Fruitage in the South

The Vieux-bourg Congregation had been reaching southward to Saint-Louis du Sud, home of Benoît Sterlin, a well-known businessman who had been studying with the Witnesses since 1946. He was also preaching. In 1950, the group of seven publishers there in Saint-Louis du Sud became the second congregation in the south. Benoît was baptized the following March, and he and his wife became very active publishers.

Up to then, only a few missionaries were licensed to perform marriages. When Haitian brothers also began to be appointed as marriage officers, Benoît was one of those sworn in by a judge in Port-au-Prince.

The Truth Won Out

Alex Brodie was witnessing in a business district on Rue des Miracles in the capital one day in 1951 when he stopped at a shop called The Elegant Tailor. He met 32-year-old Rodrigue Médor and placed with him the book “Let God Be True.” This well-groomed master tailor agreed to a Bible study; but Alex rarely found him on subsequent visits. Rodrigue himself admits: “I took the book to get rid of him. My wife and I were ardent Catholics. When Alex offered a study, I told him he could come. But then, I dodged each time.”

However, the truth won out. He recalls: “I tried to defeat him with a question about the Virgin; but he answered it satisfactorily, and then I started to study seriously. My wife opposed this, even having a priest say prayers for nine days to make me stop. So we studied elsewhere.”

 After Rodrigue learned what the Bible said about use of images, he took decisive action, removing the image of the Virgin from the sitting room and smashing it. His wife was furious. But eventually his changed focus of interest impressed her. For example, Rodrigue was spending nights reading Bible literature instead of going out with his friends. Observing this, his wife also started to study. He was baptized in February 1952, and she was baptized three years later.

Another missionary, David Homer, was calling on Albert Jérome in his little grocery shop. At first this man tended to belittle the truth. But feeling there was “something genuine” in the man, David continued calling. A Bible study was finally started with Albert, and he progressed rapidly. After he was baptized, they continued to study together, using material in the books “Equipped for Every Good Work” and Qualified to Be Ministers. This contributed to Albert’s becoming a valuable minister in the congregation.

Spreading the Good News in Creole

Conducting Bible studies presented unusual challenges to the missionaries. The books were in French, but explanations had to be in Creole for most people. In some areas the only light available in the evening was from a small oil lamp made from a Carnation milk can. “The light was dim,” Alex Brodie recalls, “but the desire to learn shown by the student made up for this inconvenience.”

At public talks in Creole given in a park on the edge of Port-au-Prince, and sometimes by the seashore, attendance was always good. The missionaries brought their portable sound system by bicycle and mounted the loudspeakers in palm trees. People brought their own chairs or sat on the grass.

Much interest was being found in the Carrefour area, where Dumoine Vallon lived. So a Congregation Book Study  was established in his home. And what was taking place in Vieux-bourg? The publishers were zealously preaching in the surrounding countryside, giving public talks as they went. They traveled by horse, donkey, or mule and slept right under the stars if night overtook them on the road. Then, abruptly, serious problems arose in Haiti.

A Sudden Ban!

In a letter dated April 19, 1951, the Ministry of Religious Affairs informed the branch office that all activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Haiti must cease. The letter accused the Witnesses of being “antinational” and of using Awake! to propagate communist ideas. Why the change?

The clergy were behind it. For months they had been drawing the government’s attention to the issue of flag salute. Catholics were denouncing the brothers as communists. “Down with the communists!” was what they often shouted against the Witnesses.

It took over three months and many letters to convince the authorities that they had been fed false information and that Jehovah’s Witnesses had no political connections. Finally the ban was lifted in August.

How had all of this affected the work? The police had closed the Kingdom Halls. But meetings had continued in homes where Congregation Book Study groups met. During July, while the ban was on, the ten publishers at Carrefour had been formed into a congregation, with Peter Lukuc as overseer. Also, five more Gilead graduates had arrived. Then, after the ban was lifted, they quickly received residence permits. When the brothers in a town in the south went to the police station to request the return of Kingdom Hall equipment that had been seized, the captain handed it over and said: “Go, work for Jehovah until the end!”

 An Encounter With Voodoo

Victor Winterburn was one of the newly arrived missionaries. A Canadian, he was 23, was baptized in 1940 at the age of 12, and had been pioneering since 1946. Soon after Victor became branch overseer in September 1951, the life of one of the Witnesses, Frank Paul, was endangered by voodoo superstitions. Victor Winterburn and Alex Brodie went to Frank’s aid. Let them relate what happened:

“In 1952, following up on reports from brothers, we found Frank semiconscious on a cot in a voodoo temple. His hands were tied to a post behind him. His feet were also tied. A gag prevented his mouth from closing. His lips were cracked. His emaciated face was covered with blisters. We tried to talk to the mambo (priestess), but she ignored us. We could not communicate with Frank. And we could not remove him. Even the police said that they could not touch him, since he had been taken there by his parents.

“We visited his parents and pieced the story together. His wife had left him, and he was raising his child by himself, doing tailoring at home. He fell ill and became delirious, so he was hospitalized. Believing he was possessed by a bad spirit, his parents transferred him to the temple. We were later told that the sick are beaten and hot pepper is put in their eyes to drive out the evil spirits.

“Growing afraid because his condition worsened, his parents called one of the brothers, who tried to return him to the hospital. But knowing where he had been, the hospital did not want him. He was admitted only after a sister with nursing experience offered to buy the required drugs and take care of him. The congregation provided his meals​—a service normally rendered by the patient’s family.

“The doctors said he had typhoid and malaria. We  wondered if he would recover. Yet, he regained his health, resumed his ministry, and eventually remarried. He greatly appreciated the assistance the brothers gave and the warm, supportive spirit of his congregation.”

Eventful Circuit Trips

The branch overseer, usually accompanied by another missionary, used to visit the congregations as circuit overseer, preaching all along the route.

On one such trip in November 1951, Victor Winterburn and his companion bicycled 320 miles [520 km], reaching Les Anglais in the south. They averaged nearly ten hours a day in the service on that journey and placed over 500 pieces of literature.

When Fred Lukuc was visiting these congregations in the spring of 1952, he had to cut short his visit because he came down with malaria. He later wrote: “I started homeward from Cavaillon, my bicycle loaded with personal effects and literature, for this ride of 108 miles [174 km]. I passed the first night at Vieux-bourg-d’Aquin and took the last of my medicine. The next day’s ride, as I pedaled through the hills to Grand-Goâve, was exhausting. That night I lodged with an elderly interested man. I slept little. The fever and perspiring left me weak. So the humble old man arranged for me to go by truck to Port-au-Prince. Back in Bethel, my condition became critical, and my doctor recommended that I return to Canada to recuperate.”

Because of this, Fred Lukuc left Haiti in 1952. But he had an indomitable missionary spirit, and three years later he returned to continue the fine work he had been doing. Peter Lukuc too eventually had to return to Canada to be treated for severe amebiasis. But with the same tenacious spirit, he also came back to continue serving in Haiti.

 Reaching Into New Territories

There were now congregations in Port-au-Prince and along the southern route to Cayes. Efforts were also being made to develop groups in other regions. Alex Brodie and Harvey Drinkle were making trips northward through the swamps and rice fields of the Artibonite plains to Saint-Marc and on to Gonaïves in cactus-filled country. Harvey was a quietly courageous person. Much later he underwent surgery in Canada, during which his right eye was removed because of cancer. But he returned to Haiti to continue in his assignment.

He and Alex traveled unpaved roads on bicycles loaded with literature while they visited the homes and villages along the way. People rise early in rural Haiti. These missionaries would make their first call by six o’clock in the morning and continue preaching until after dark. Then they would stay the night in the small thatched houses of the hospitable rural folk. In Saint-Marc and Gonaïves there were hotels in which they could stay. Warmly, Alex later said: “This was an enjoyable time, visiting these vivacious people.”

Other missionaries were pushing far into the southwest.  Marigo Lolos, who later became Alex’s wife, tells of her trip to Jérémie with three other single missionary sisters​—Naomi Adams, Virnette Curry, and Frances Bailey:

“In January 1952 we took passage on the Clarion​—a sailboat with an auxiliary motor. The sea was rough, the boat rocked and rolled, and we became thoroughly seasick; but we reached Jérémie, where we enjoyed preaching and placed much literature.

“We went by camion (a truck used as a bus) as far as Anse-d’Hainault. Men passengers stayed atop the load of produce on the truck. On the way back, we had a collision with another truck, and Frances was injured. Naomi had a first-aid kit and was able to dress the wound; but we were stranded in the mountains. Praying in our hearts, we settled down by the roadside, with Frances wrapped in a blanket on a camp cot.

“A boy had heard the crash from the valley below and came up with an iron kettle, some cassava, and plantains. He built a fire and cooked us a meal​—an act of kindness that touched our hearts.

“Night fell, cold and dark. At 10:00 p.m. we heard a vehicle approaching and knew it could not pass. The road was narrow, with a sheer drop on one side. So Naomi went toward it with a flashlight and signaled the driver to stop. To our astonishment, he managed to turn his truck around; and to our relief, he took us to Jérémie. We returned to Port-au-Prince the next day, happy to have shared in spreading the good news in that outlying territory.”

Many people still remember and talk about those courageous missionary sisters. One Haitian sister, who was baptized in 1990 at 72 years of age, recalls that her first contact with the truth was through one of them over 30 years ago. She says: “I wish now that I had studied with her and become  a Witness at that time. Then I would not have lost all those years that I could have been serving Jehovah.”

A Pastor Makes a Poor Showing

When witnessing to the clergy, our brothers were bold, confident in God’s Word. In 1954 a publisher had such a discussion with a Protestant pastor and three of his church members. The topic was immortality of the soul. When shown in his own Bible that Ezekiel 18:4 says: “L’âme qui pèche est celle qui mourra” (The soul that sins, it is it that will die), the pastor bluntly said he could not believe it. (La Sainte Bible, translated by L. Segond) The brother narrates some of the further developments:

“I asked him: ‘What is the destiny of the wicked and of the righteous?’ He replied that the wicked suffer eternal fire, while the souls of the just, including Adam, are resurrected to rejoice with God in his Kingdom. He said that God pardoned Adam’s sin when he covered him with animal skins. He could not explain how a soul that does not die could be resurrected. By reasoning on several Scripture texts, I showed him that Adam had sinned willfully, knowing what he was doing; and that if God had pardoned him, then his descendants would have been born perfect, not under condemnation of sin.

“Some days later one of the church members told me that his pastor wanted to know where Jehovah’s Witnesses learned the Bible so well. This member and others started to study with us, and before long, one of them started in the preaching work.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses in the News

Up to the early 1950’s, there had hardly ever been anything in the local papers about Jehovah’s Witnesses. But things changed at the time of the New World Society  Assembly at Yankee Stadium, New York, in July 1953. Six papers gave free coverage to news about the Haitian delegates. Le National published a picture of the first day at the stadium and later reported about plans to have a convention with a similar program in Haiti.

Radio stations in two cities also gave us free broadcasting time. After seeing the script for the Watch Tower’s public service program “Things People Are Thinking About,” one manager revised his broadcasting schedule to make time for it. Another station asked that the program be increased to 30 minutes.

Haitian Brothers Take On Greater Responsibility

Two directors of the Watch Tower Society visited Haiti in 1954. Milton Henschel’s visit to serve a convention coincided with the Memorial on April 17, and the brothers enjoyed having him give the discourse. During his visit, Brother Henschel recommended that local brothers be given greater responsibility. So adjustments were made, and Congregation Service Committees were soon composed entirely of Haitians. This left the missionaries freer to carry on the field ministry. Brother Henschel also left a set of reels of the film The New World Society in Action. This film was shown to large audiences all over the country.

In August, when Fred Franz visited Haiti, he recommended locating the branch office and Kingdom Halls in better areas of town. The lease on the building that housed the branch office and the missionary home, as well as a Kingdom Hall, was now expiring. To stimulate the brothers to action, the congregation overseer, Maurice Sanon, repeatedly told them: “If we do not find our own hall, we will be holding meetings under the stars.”

The new location for the branch office, at 39 Rue Lafleur Duchène, did provide a temporary hall “under the stars” in  its large paved yard. Meetings were held there for some months into 1955, until the brothers leased a bungalow on Grande Rue. Then, with the owner’s permission, they removed the interior walls of the house to create an area more than double the size of the area that had been used as a Kingdom Hall in the house on Rue Capois.

Realizing they would soon be parents, the Brodies returned to Canada just before the move to the house on Lafleur Duchène. They now live in Toronto, where Alex serves as an elder.

Fred Lukuc Returns

During the 1955 district convention in Dallas, Texas, Fred Lukuc, who was trying to regain his health, unexpectedly met Roland Fredette, who urged him: “Fred, come back to Haiti. You will do better there.” Fred was then serving at the Watchtower Farm at Norval, Canada. But his health was poor, and he had relapses from time to time. What should he do?

“In September 1955, weighing only 119 pounds [54 kg], I returned to Cap-Haïtien with Roland Fredette,” Fred later wrote. “The Society and all the brothers were very kind. A few months later, the Society invited me to do circuit work in northern Haiti. What a privilege! But could I do it? I did not feel strong enough. I prayed. Then I wrote to the Society: ‘I will try it.’ So I resumed circuit work in June 1956. During the next six years, I was richly blessed by Jehovah. I actually gained 40 pounds [18 kg] and recovered my health completely.”

A Man Can Do It!

The ranks of the Gilead graduates in Haiti were again reinforced in 1956. These included Max Danyleyko, who had been a missionary in Quebec and so already spoke French. He arrived in February and was assigned to work with Grady  Rains, who had been in Haiti since 1952. With reference to his early experiences, Brother Danyleyko says:

“The home we rented in Petit-Goâve had no running water. So, pail in hand, we headed for the public fountain; but women came running, grabbed the pail, and carried it for us. They said: ‘Yon nonm pa kapab fè sa!’ (A man cannot do that!) That was the woman’s job. The same thing happened at the market. It was some time before we made them understand that a man can do it. Later we began seeing other men following our example.”

The markets are partially under enormous sheds. But they also spill into the open air. The endless displays of wares, if not arranged on long tables under the roofs, are right out on the paved road outside. Let us visit one of these markets.

We squeeze through the crowds, stepping gingerly around the traders or over their goods. Spotting some nice limes, we approach the woman squatting near them, and this exchange follows: ‘How much for four piles?’ ‘Eighty cents.’ ‘I will give you 50 cents.’ ‘No, 70 cents, last price.’ We say, ‘Sixty cents,’ and we walk away. Then she makes a hissing sound to call us back. We pay 60 cents, gather up the limes, and ask: ‘Wa ban m’ degi?’ (How about a gift?) She smiles and hands us a free lime. Everybody is happy.

Missionaries for Saint-Marc

When missionaries George and Thelma Corwin arrived in Haiti in April 1956, George was plunged right into the field ministry. He says: “We got to Bethel from the airport and had lunch, then Peter Lukuc invited me into the service. We visited a few homes together, then he asked me to go to one while he did another. My first day in Haiti! And a strange language! But Haitians are considerate, and I was able to cope.”

 The Corwins were sent to Saint-Marc along with Peter Lukuc. As a start, they were given some subscription-expiration slips. While looking for a woman named on one of the slips, the Corwins met her sister, a retired schoolteacher named Adèle Canel. Together they studied “Let God Be True”​—her book in French, theirs in English. Her husband eventually joined in. Soon this couple screened off part of their room for their quarters and set aside the larger part for the meetings. Both became Witnesses, and so the Saint-Marc Congregation got its start in 1956.

Among those with whom the Corwins studied was Marc-Aurel Jean, in his tailor shop. His father, Emmanuel, listened and learned, even though he could not read. Soon both were attending meetings and sharing in preaching​—the older man reciting his sermon by heart. In time, he started a Bible study with a fisherman. He would first go over a few paragraphs with his son and absorb the information; then with Bible, booklet, and songbook, he would be off to conduct the study, opening and closing with song and prayer​—just as at the meetings.

On the Circuit With the Society’s Film

As circuit overseer, Fred Lukuc visited many parts of the country. From 1956 on, he was showing the film The New World Society in Action in the towns he visited. In the inland town of Hinche, he chose a location in a park facing the Catholic Church. As the church services ended, he showed a few of the opening scenes of the first reel to attract the attention of people leaving the church. Then he rewound the reel, gave his introduction, and ran the entire film. Though there were only two special pioneers and two other publishers in Hinche at that time, the audience numbered about a thousand.

 Electricity was not available at Mirebalais, south of Hinche. So how could the film be shown there? Fred witnessed to an army sergeant and mentioned this problem. The sergeant arranged for it to be shown in the military barracks, using their generator. The townspeople could not be invited, but he did permit the few brothers to attend. The audience of 75 also included the soldiers’ wives and friends.

Many years later, in 1988, after Fred Lukuc gave a talk in the French congregation in Delray Beach, Florida, the presiding overseer, Brother Fabien, introduced himself and said: “You called on me in 1957 when I was sergeant in Mirebalais. I left the army in 1971. Now I am your brother. My daughter is a regular pioneer.” What a pleasant reunion that was after some 30 years!

It was also in Mirebalais that a 20-year-old youth became a courageous example for the brothers. Both his legs were  paralyzed, but he came to town on his donkey for Fred’s circuit visit. He had to be carried piggyback into and out of the Kingdom Hall for the meetings. Mounted on his donkey, he also engaged in field service in his village, 11 miles [18 km] from town. He was among the 54 who were baptized during the district convention in Port-au-Prince in 1957.

Over 30 years later, Fred also clearly remembered some of the publishers in the Ouanaminthe Congregation on the Dominican Republic border. He recalled that three of these faithful Witnesses who lived 12 miles [19 km] from the Kingdom Hall came on foot for Sunday-morning field service. They spent all day in the service, attended the meetings in the evening, then walked the 12 miles [19 km] home by moonlight.

Productive Pioneers

As Fred traveled, he saw some picturesque landscapes. Even more beautiful, however, was the fact that the brothers were finding truth seekers.

At Petite-Rivière-de-l’Artibonite, Fred visited two special pioneers. What results were they having? After just 14 months there, they had been joined in the field service by several Bible students. These included Gaston Antoine (a pharmacist) and his wife, also his sister and her husband, a former Church of God pastor. Eleven shared in the field service that week, six for the first time. And many, many more were showing interest. About 800 came to the showing of the Society’s film in a park, and the other meetings were also well attended.

Through Storm and Flood

Peter Lukuc made a circuit trip in the south in 1957. He went by motorboat from Anse-à-Veau to Baradères, a town subject to flooding. After he gave a public talk to an audience of 30, he saw ominous clouds gathering. He left by boat the next morning, but a furious storm broke out while he was  on the boat; driving rain soaked the passengers. So the boat pulled in to Petit-Trou de Nippes.

The weather did not stop Peter. Thinking this to be the first time the town would receive a witness, he went out preaching in the rain that afternoon. But a publisher whom he had met in Miragoâne was already there. This brother was thrilled to see Peter again. Next morning, as the boat headed back toward Anse-à-Veau, there was another storm. However, they managed to reach the already flooded town safely.

En route from there by land, Peter still had Grande-Rivière (Great River) to cross. From two miles [3 km] away he could hear it roaring down from the mountains. It was impassable. People on both sides waited all day and all night. Meanwhile, Peter waded barefoot through the mud to witness and place magazines at a few homes. By the next morning, the river had receded to just below shoulder level, so Peter waded across.

Brothers were also witnessing in Miragoâne, a quaint seaport northeast of Vieux-bourg, and sheeplike people were responding. One day the son of a Baptist preacher sat in on a Bible study in which the future new world was being discussed. He was impressed by proof from the Bible that the earth will be a paradise free from suffering, death, and badness. He saw the reasonable conclusion that not all good people would go to heaven. (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 7:9; 21:4, 5) Immediately he returned to his village in the mountains, assembled the members of the church, along with his father, and showed them what the Bible says about earth’s real future. The next day they sent a delegation to Miragoâne to ask the Witnesses to come and teach them the Bible. Most of that church group, including the preacher, began to study, and some 30 became Witnesses.

 They Were Pillars of the Church

In the north too, people who were deeply involved in church activities were gratefully embracing Bible truth. For example, after seven months in Port-de-Paix, on the north coast, François Doccy and Jean Sénat rejoiced to have found a number of people who were eager to serve Jehovah. During the visit of the circuit overseer, nine persons shared in field service. A conversation between Fred Lukuc and a Catholic girl reveals who some of these were. Here is how he recalls it:

“She asked: ‘Did you go out alone today?’ I replied: ‘No, Rock St.-Gérard was with me.’ ‘Rock St.-Gérard?’ she asked, stunned. ‘He is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses now,’ I said. ‘But,’ she exclaimed, ‘he was president of the association of Légionnaires! A pillar of the Catholic Church!’ Then I added, ‘His wife is also a Witness.’ She asked, ‘Is it true that Irlande Sarette is studying with you Witnesses?’ I said, ‘Yes. She attends our meetings and goes out preaching with us.’ She said: ‘My! My! She was president of the Croisée organization!’ I said: ‘Then there is Lucianne Lublin . . .’ She interrupted me: ‘That makes four pillars of the church!’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘you should study too.’ ‘I will,’ she replied.”

Those mentioned above and others got baptized at the district convention in December that year​—1957. Don Adams of the Brooklyn headquarters was present as zone overseer.

Progress Despite Opposition

The penetration of the good news into new areas brought false accusations from church leaders. When Roland Fredette, Fred Lukuc, and Hiram Rupp, a missionary from the fourth class of Gilead, began visiting the people in Mont-Organisé, 22 miles [35 km] south of Ouanaminthe, in 1957, the clergy reacted with warnings. “The false prophets have arrived!” they said. “American spies are in the village.” “Beware of the communists!”

 The brothers tactfully refuted the accusations. A prominent man in the town, François Codio, engaged in a three-hour discussion with the brothers. Impressed by their explanations, he took a copy of each publication they had. Other people began listening, instead of arguing, and many accepted literature.

The work was continuing to expand in Port-au-Prince too, and this contributed to the need for a larger branch office. Furthermore, during political unrest in 1957, the vicinity of the branch building at Lafleur Duchène became a hotbed of violence. So when the lease on that house expired, the Bethel Home and office were moved to 3 Pont-Pradel in Bois-Verna, a better section of town. A new congregation that could meet in this home and hold meetings in French was formed.

The political unrest, with six changes of government in ten months, continued into 1958. But the brothers kept preaching God’s Kingdom as the real answer to problems of  government, while remaining neutral, as they had always done.

Fruits of Good Work

By 1958 the small group of publishers in Saint-Marc had been molded into a mature congregation. This was seen in August when they were left on their own while the missionaries attended the international convention in New York. The field service of the local publishers was better than in any previous month, and two new ones started preaching. Indeed, a fine example of spiritual stability and zeal for the service!

George Corwin and his wife were happy to have had a share in building this congregation. But then, with the onset of family responsibilities, they left Saint-Marc in May 1960 and returned to Canada.

More Missionaries to Help

Four more missionaries​—Roland Sicard, Stanley Boggus, Steve Simmons, and Maceo Davis—​arrived in 1958. When Daniel Eyssallenne brought them home from the airport, they found Peter Lukuc waiting for them in the room where they would be taught French. A month later they began trying out their new language on people near the missionary home. Stanley Boggus says: “We were amazed that people did all they could to help us express ourselves.”

Three months later Stanley and Steve were assigned to Cayes, and they quickly found that learning French was not enough. One day Stanley, accompanied by Max Danyleyko as circuit overseer, was talking to a woman who kept saying, ‘M’pa sou sa.’ Thinking she meant, ‘I did not know that,’ Stanley told her he was there to tell her about it. Later on, Max told him that she was saying, ‘I am not interested in that.’ So Stanley settled down to learn Creole.

 A Husband’s Change of Heart

Stanley Boggus married Bertha Jean, a Haitian pioneer, in October 1960, and they remained in Cayes as special pioneers. Two months later they met Edèle Antoine, who said: ‘I believe God is with you people. Will you teach me how to worship him?’ She made fine progress in spite of violent opposition from her husband and neighbors, and she got baptized at the next circuit assembly. When she returned from the assembly, to her great surprise, her husband kissed her and the three children and said: ‘Welcome home. I heard you got baptized.’ He started attending meetings, became a Witness, and remained faithful until his death many years later.

Some 25 years after he left Haiti, Stanley Boggus added this footnote to his experience: “In 1987 I was asked to help teach the Pioneer Service School for the French circuit in New York City. As I reviewed the enrollment list, I came across the name Edèle Antoine. Yes, she was the same person I had helped into the truth 27 years earlier. It was encouraging to see her there among the pioneers.”

Not to Be Outside With False Religions

Shortly after arriving in Mont-Organisé in May 1960 to work as health inspector, Sénèque Raphaël accepted François Codio’s invitation to meetings he held in his home. An eager young man of 24, he expressed a desire to know more about the Bible. So François lent him the book “Let God Be True,” and Sénèque studied it from cover to cover. In August, as Sénèque was leaving for Ouanaminthe to see his parents and be baptized by the Baptists, François encouraged him to visit the Kingdom Hall there and contact a pioneer named Mercius Vincent.

Mercius questioned Sénèque about his beliefs and saw that he understood that church doctrines are quite different  from what the Bible teaches. So, looking closely at this stocky, dark-skinned young man, he said: “Now, officer, the Bible says here in Revelation 22:15 that anyone who loves and practices a lie is outside. That includes those who teach falsehoods. So you will be ‘outside’ with them if you belong to that religion.”

After a pause, Sénèque asked, “What shall I do?” Mercius gave him the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom” and promised to study it with him the next morning. Sénèque read it, learning much of it by heart. After his first study, he attended the meeting that evening and then joined in the field service the next morning. He got baptized in January 1961. But François Codio, who had introduced him to the truth, never did become a Witness, although his wife did.

Preparing for More Growth

The Carrefour Congregation had increased to 54 publishers, and they began to build a hall that would be large enough. When they poured the concrete roof, 67 volunteers worked hard all day on the construction, while the sisters prepared meals for them. On December 17, 1960, Fred Lukuc gave the dedication talk in this new hall to a large, appreciative audience. Dumoine Vallon served as presiding overseer here for a number of years. He became a special pioneer in 1978 and in 1993, at 84 years of age, he was still serving as such in the Thorland-Carrefour Congregation.

By mid-1960, there were over 800 publishers in 23 congregations in Haiti, compared with 99 publishers in 1950. Max Danyleyko was now called to Bethel as branch overseer. Victor Winterburn was planning to get married, and about a year later, he returned to Canada with his wife to care for oncoming family responsibilities.

 In 1961, Fred Lukuc was called to work part-time in the branch office and to serve as instructor for the Kingdom Ministry School from May through August. The training of 40 overseers and special pioneers in this two-week course was very timely, as it helped to equip and fortify them for tests that the brothers were soon to face.

The district convention in January 1962 also prepared the local brothers to carry on an expanded field ministry. Speaking on pioneering, the branch overseer encouraged qualified brothers who were free of family responsibilities to enroll as special pioneers. Sénèque Raphaël, who submitted an application, makes this comment:

“I was serving in Artibonite as a regular pioneer with Emile Cinéus and was eager to be a special pioneer. So I left my employment with the Health Department. I had $40, barber’s shears, and a pair of scissors with which I hoped to  provide for my needs​—but these have always been provided for, thanks to Jehovah.” Sénèque had no idea that government action against Jehovah’s Witnesses would begin a few days after he had submitted that application.

Arrested!

On January 23, 1962, Max Danyleyko and Andrew D’Amico were arrested at the branch office, and the stock of Awake! of January 8, 1962 (in French), was confiscated. Andrew and Helen D’Amico, missionaries from Canada, were living in Bethel. Helen escaped arrest because Andrew had told her to conceal herself in the bathroom. They hoped that she would remain free to tell the others what had happened.

She says: “I stood behind the locked door and prayed.” She heard men searching the room. They came to the bathroom door. But one made some comment about another closet door, and they went to search the rest of the house. When they left, a guard remained outside until nightfall. He left just before Donald Rachwal, another missionary who lived in the home, came in from the service. Told what had happened, he sent Helen to stay with the sisters in the other missionary home, and then he began contacting other qualified brothers.

Meanwhile, the arrested brothers were confined with 17 other men in a tiny cell at the police station. They slept as best they could, sitting on the floor when not standing, since there was no room to lie down. They were interrogated throughout Wednesday but were not told the charges. Next morning they were brought before a high-ranking official who referred to an item about Haiti in the January 8 Awake! and lectured them on the equality of the races. (The news item was a quotation from articles in the magazines Le Monde and Le Soir that mentioned the practice of voodoo.) He  dismissed them without allowing them to reply, and they were released.

Three weeks later, on February 14, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Religion said: “We will have to expel the children of Jehovah’s Witnesses from our State schools.” This occurred in connection with the expulsion of a young sister who had written to the principal of her school explaining why she could not salute the flag. The principal​—a Roman Catholic nun—​had sent the letter to the government authorities. Another sister was also expelled at that time. Both girls were in their last year of school and were excellent publishers.

Deported!

Four weeks later, on March 17, Max, Donald, Andrew, and Helen were personally notified by the chief of police that all the missionaries had 24 hours to leave the country. No explanation was given. They were then taken home to collect their passports. There they saw Albert Jérome, who was now the city servant, and in a brief exchange, told him what was happening.

Back at the police station, they were kept under guard. However, Rodrigue Médor was studying with a sergeant who was on duty, so Max sent him with a note telling the brothers to contact the Canadian embassy. Through the sergeant, Rodrigue was able to visit the imprisoned missionaries at night and receive the key to the Society’s post office box from them. This officer ran errands to buy them food, contact the brothers, and check for mail.

On Sunday, March 18, the three Canadians were taken under guard to the airport for departure to Kingston, Jamaica. But since they did not have onward tickets to Canada, the airline refused them passage. A number of  brothers were at the airport, and Max Danyleyko was able to speak briefly to Albert Jérome and a few others. The next day they were taken under guard right into the plane and sent off to Kingston, where they remained for a few weeks before going on to Canada. Donald Rachwal, who was from the United States, flew out separately.

Stanley Boggus, who was traveling in the circuit work, was deported along with the remaining missionaries on April 3. He later served in Zaire. Returning to the United States in 1971, he has continued to serve with the French congregations in New York. After a few months in Canada, Max Danyleyko went on to serve in Congo-Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, and now Côte d’Ivoire. Fred Lukuc served in Congo-Brazzaville and Côte d’Ivoire. For health reasons he and his wife were transferred to the Canada Bethel in 1985. Peter is presently serving with Spanish congregations in the United States. The rest of the missionaries still serve Jehovah loyally or have died faithful.

Religious Leaders Gloat

Religious leaders had been busy telling government officials that Jehovah’s Witnesses were communists who do not support the government. The clergy had also told the Witnesses that they were only awaiting a government order to get rid of them.

So they joyfully welcomed the missionaries’ expulsion. One evangelical radio station on the south coast gloatingly broadcast the news in this fashion: “Christ and the State have expelled the false prophets from the country.” The clergy expected the Kingdom work to end. But it should be noted that Jehovah’s Witnesses had not been banned.

Haitians Carry On

André René, one of the first Haitians to receive Gilead training, became branch overseer, and the local brothers  carried on as best they could. Renan Sanon (who had served briefly as circuit overseer), Emile Cinéus, and Don Delva were chosen to care for the three circuits. To the chagrin of opposers, the work continued to grow remarkably.

Even some from the ranks of the clergy accepted the truth. For example, Sénèque Raphaël had a long discussion about the new world with Augustin Josémond, a Protestant pastor at Liancourt. This man accepted a Bible study, resigned from his church, and got baptized. He and his family of ten children are very active Witnesses.

Growing numbers were taking up the pioneer service. These included some who had learned to read and write in the congregation literacy classes. The brothers encouraged and helped these pioneers. Those with businesses even gave them “pioneer rates”​—reduced prices for goods and services.

The congregations kept on growing so well that in 1963 the thousand-publisher mark was passed, with a total of 1,036. A new circuit was formed during the year, and Sénèque Raphaël, now an ebullient speaker, was assigned as circuit overseer in the north. His small circuit could be covered in four months. So he used the “free months” to visit towns where there were no Witnesses.

Two More Promising Young Men

Among those who became Witnesses during this time were some who became zealous promoters of pure worship.

Back in 1961, Fulgens Gaspard, a 22-year-old, had seen an Adventist man tear a page from his own Bible when he could not refute the texts with which a Witness confronted him. Though a loyal Catholic, Fulgens admitted that Jehovah’s Witnesses knew the Bible well. He had found that he could not understand what he read in the Bible he used to  borrow, so he asked this Witness to help him. They studied every Sunday. Soon he started to attend meetings, stopped going to church, and began to share in field service. When he got baptized in March 1965, his next goal was to be a pioneer.

In 1962 Wilner Emmanuel, at 15 years of age, was studying Marxism with other youths. But he believed that God existed and was responsible for the order in the universe. Another student, son of Diego Scotland, used to lend him The Watchtower, Awake!, and other literature. And Alphonse Hector, a 35-year-old neighbor who was not yet a Witness, gave him the book “Let God Be True” and advised him to study the Bible.

Wilner now says: “I read the entire book that night and began to view myself as dedicated to Jehovah. Some days later, Alphonse arranged for Sister Derenoncourt to study with me. She was astonished at how well I understood what I had read.” Wilner made quick progress and got baptized in August 1965. He too developed into a hard worker for Jehovah’s Kingdom and the new world.

Meanwhile, in 1966, the one then serving as branch overseer proved unfaithful to his Christian trust and was disfellowshipped. Prophète Painson, a mild-natured and cautious man of 29, became branch overseer and served for the next six years. He had been baptized in 1960 and had begun pioneering in 1962. The office was now situated at the corner of Ruelle Waag and Avenue Christophe in Port-au-Prince.

In 1967, Fulgens Gaspard, baptized just two years earlier, was working as a schoolteacher. Since he planned to pioneer, he applied to be allowed to teach part-time. This was refused, so he resigned from his job in the hope that he could earn  a living by means of his hobby as an artist. But before he could submit his application to be a regular pioneer, he was appointed to be a special pioneer. Three months later he was called to work at Bethel and then, in January 1969, he began serving as circuit overseer. A man with a quiet disposition, he had already become a fluent public speaker, pleasant to hear.

Facing Down Opposition

In 1969 the clergy again started the rumor that Jehovah’s Witnesses were communists. The government ordered a search for subversive literature that the Witnesses were allegedly using. This led to the rumor that they were being arrested in Port-au-Prince. Many people hurried to destroy the magazines they had obtained and would no longer receive the brothers favorably.

In isolated cases, local officers took action against our brothers, though they had no directive from the central government to do so. Two special pioneer sisters, Furcina Charles and Yolande Fièvre, received a note from the prefect at Limbé, saying: “You have been denounced by public outcry as undesirables in Limbé. I am informing you that you are no longer welcome among us.” The mayor told them he could not allow them to preach and hold meetings unless they had permits from the authorities in Port-au-Prince. He had the Kingdom Hall closed. But these sisters and the few other publishers there continued to preach and to hold meetings in private homes​—varying the locations and meeting days.

A few months later, Furcina married Jacques François, a special pioneer. She was 39, had been baptized in 1959, and was pioneering since 1961. Jacques was 29. On arrival in Limbé, he resumed holding meetings in the Kingdom  Hall. He said: “Jehovah’s Witnesses are a recognized religion, and I know of no decree banning them.”

Now he and Furcina were arrested and taken to the prefecture. The prefect told them that he had no charges against them but that the mayor was responsible for the action. The next day the mayor told them that the militia chief was responsible. In turn, the militia chief said he had nothing against them. So they continued holding the meetings with no further problems. Jacques died in 1993, while faithfully serving as an elder in Port-au-Prince.

The Mayor’s Daughters Were the Sheep

At Bassin-Bleu a special pioneer began conducting a Bible study with the priest in 1970, and the priest attended the Memorial. However, the town mayor sought to discourage him, saying: “Father, you have done your studies. It is not proper for you to sit before this little Jehovah’s Witness to be taught by him.” Finally the priest stopped the study.

However, the mayor’s oldest daughter, Josette, then began studying. Her father opposed this, but she took a firm stand for the truth and was baptized. In time her sisters followed her example. The mayor did not; but he became friendly toward the Witnesses. As for Josette, she is now a regular pioneer and the wife of an elder.

The false rumors made it hard for our brothers to rent halls for assemblies. So they built a simple one at Mariani, Port-au-Prince. They began using it in 1970 and added to it as attendance grew each year. It was hot under the corrugated iron roof; but this was better than nothing for the 2,049 publishers reporting in 1970.

A Haitian Abroad Returns to Help

By this time the exodus of Haitians to North America was gathering momentum. From a trickle in the 1960’s, it  became a flood of people leaving in flimsy boats by the late 1970’s. There were already enough Haitians in New York in the early 1960’s to make up a French-speaking missionary territory there. The first French-speaking congregation was formed in 1969, and it is out of this that Michel Mentor came.

A Haitian resident in the United States, he began studying with the Witnesses in 1966. He progressed quickly and got baptized in 1967. He was trained in Gilead School in 1971 and assigned to Haiti as branch overseer. Then a stocky unmarried man of 34, he was friendly and showed good leadership ability. His coming was particularly welcome, since efforts to get missionaries into the country were not successful.

Other Witnesses were coming on their own to serve as pioneers where the need is greater. Then, in 1972, the Society decided to test the situation further by sending four new Gilead graduates for missionary work. However, with the support of the Minister for Internal Affairs, a senior official told them they would be prosecuted if they were still in the country after their visitor’s visas expired. So they went to Puerto Rico to await a new assignment. Shortly after they left, the senior official died. Three months later, the minister fell into disgrace, was dismissed from office, and went into exile.

An Unexpected Defender

Acts of opposition were mostly by officials who were incited or embarrassed into action by clergy propaganda. Some had their own prejudices. Their action was not an official government stand. The then recently deceased president of Haiti had studied with the Witnesses as a youth. Though he chose a different way of life, he still had respect  for the brothers. What is more, the Witnesses’ honesty, political neutrality, and respect for law earned them the admiration of other highly placed persons. For example, a pioneer relates this experience:

“As I offered magazines to two men in Port-au-Prince, one of them said: ‘If I had the authority, I would put all of you Jehovah’s Witnesses in prison.’ The other, a government minister, intervened before I could reply. He told the man that, from what he had seen in his travels and at religious ceremonies, all religions except Jehovah’s Witnesses mixed spiritism into their worship. Then he added: ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses are the ones practicing true Christianity.’”

Seeking Better Branch Facilities

However, since there was no branch office owned by the Society, the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Haiti lacked dignity and identity in the eyes of some. In 1971 a lawyer had rented a house situated on Rue St.-Gérard to the Society. But when he learned that it was for Jehovah’s Witnesses, he refused to renew the rent contract.

After considerable effort to find another place, the branch office moved to a house on Rue Chérièz at Canapé-Vert. It remained there for four years before being moved to Delmas in 1975, but that house was too small for our needs. Michel Mentor recalls: “We had to stock literature supplies in bedrooms, the drawing room, and on the stairs. So the zone overseer advised us to look for another place, and the idea of finding land on which to build began to develop.”

Praised by Some of the Clergy; Condemned by Others

In 1968 the brothers received the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. They were enthusiastic about using it. This publication helped to win the hearts of young ones over  to the Bible. Certain clergymen even used material from it in their sermons, only omitting the name Jehovah.

In 1972 a Catholic priest even displayed it in the cathedral in Port-au-Prince and said: “If Jehovah’s Witnesses offer you this little blue book, accept it. It is the truth.” One woman stared at him in astonishment. Her son was a Witness, and she had been opposing him. She returned home and asked him if Jehovah’s Witnesses had a little blue book. “Yes,” he replied. She then told him what the priest had said, and she accepted her son’s offer to study with her. She became a baptized Witness.

However, the clergy in general were enraged on seeing church members quitting their flocks. They began criticizing the Truth book from the pulpit. Protestant pastors​—Evane Antoine, Louis Désiré, and others—​began making anti-Witness radio broadcasts. Antoine took evil pleasure in criticizing the book sentence by sentence in a program on MBC radio in Port-au-Prince every Sunday afternoon and made malicious comments about the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. His purpose was to turn people against the Truth book.

The opposite happened. People became curious, and the book saw wide distribution from 1972 to 1975. People often stopped the publishers on the streets and asked for “ti liv po ble a” (the little blue-covered book). Many of these became Witnesses.

The radio programs also aroused the sympathy of high government officials for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Regarding this, Rodrigue Médor says:

“Michel Mentor and I were summoned by the Minister of Religious Affairs on the question of flag salute. He recognized me as his tailor and said, ‘Are you the one giving us so much trouble?’ Then he spoke about the pastor on the  radio. ‘Why not reply?’ he asked. I explained that we were not seeking public debates, which would only compromise the dignity of our message.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses on the Air

However, in April 1973, the Society began presenting its own 30-minute program, “Your Word Is Truth,” on Radio Haiti every Wednesday evening. Its goal was to promote better knowledge about Jehovah’s Witnesses and to counteract prejudice that the anti-Witness broadcasts created. The program did not enter into controversy with the pastors’ statements but dealt with subjects such as earth’s future, God’s purposes, and family interests. Material was taken from the Society’s publications, such as Is the Bible Really the Word of God? and Awake! Thus, the program was lifted to a higher level than those of the pastors, and this earned people’s admiration and respect.

Once its goal had been achieved, and since it had to be paid for, the program was discontinued in November 1974. By then, people had seen that Jehovah’s Witnesses defended themselves well. And the Truth book continued to have phenomenal distribution.

However, religious leaders and people under their influence renewed the attack by again publicizing the issue of flag salute in the schools. Some newspapers carried anti-Witness articles. So the authorities again became concerned about the question. Government ministers summoned Rodrigue Médor and informed him, in effect, that they were being embarrassed by this problem. But they knew him well and respected him; so they left it at that.

Problem of Inadequate Halls

A few officials, some of whom were influenced by church loyalties, imposed restraints on Jehovah’s Witnesses. To hinder the granting of permits to build Kingdom Halls, such  officials took advantage of the fact that the Witnesses did not have a locally incorporated society. However, the hall problem was mainly financial. Most congregations could not afford to build, so they rented small buildings, most of which lacked basic facilities. Some people hesitated to attend meetings in such humble places. Yet, attendance would soar on certain occasions. One congregation of 100 publishers had over 400 at the Memorial in 1975. More were outside the hall than were inside. Some way had to be found to build Kingdom Halls.

Some congregations succeeded by obtaining loans from brothers who could afford to provide such, and later the Governing Body put in place an arrangement to help finance Kingdom Hall construction. Many fine halls have been built since this was done in 1978.

Branch Committee

The Branch Committee arrangement began operating in 1976. The original members were Michel Mentor, Sénèque Raphaël, and Défense Joseph, who had begun to serve as a special pioneer within 11 months of his baptism in 1962. Rodrigue Médor was made a member of the committee in 1977. In 1980, to care for his family obligations, Défense Joseph took up residence in the United States.

When the booklet Blood, Medicine and the Law of God (in French) was received in 1978, the Branch Committee asked Wilner Emmanuel to contact the medical faculty of the University of Haiti. The dean assembled the medical students and requested that Wilner explain the viewpoint of Jehovah’s Witnesses on the matter of blood. After the talk, they were happy to receive complimentary copies of the booklet. Since then, as professional doctors, many of them have shown respect for the stand of Jehovah’s Witnesses against blood transfusions.

 New Missionaries at Last!

At last, in May 1981, a missionary couple was again able to enter the country and obtain residence visas. John and Inez Norman had been in circuit work in Canada, where they had been very effective in the ministry. Commenting on John’s way of preaching, a district overseer once said: “It is interesting to go out with him because one never knows what he will do from one door to the other. He has originality.”

John was born in Montserrat in the West Indies in 1940 and grew up in Canada. His parents had served where the need was greater in Liberia. John got baptized in 1954 and started pioneering in 1958. His wife, a Canadian, had started to pioneer in 1968.

After coming to Haiti, they were assigned to pioneer for a while. Then they were called into Bethel in January 1983, and John was appointed coordinator of the Branch Committee. Michel Mentor had supervised the branch office well for eleven years. He now entered the traveling work as district overseer, while also serving as a special pioneer during the months when there were no assemblies.

Other missionaries from Canada, the United States, Belgium, France, Nigeria, and other parts of the Caribbean are also contributing to the progress of the Kingdom work here. They love the people. They enjoy working among the masses of the poor in their dwellings huddled together on the edges of gullies, as well as the rich in their palatial homes. People of both classes​—judges, doctors, engineers, businessmen, tradesmen, traders, and laborers—​have joined them in preaching to others about the coming new world.

To Serve Where the Need Is Greater

In addition to the missionaries, there are many who have personally taken the initiative to come to Haiti to serve where the need is greater. Among these are Maxine Stump and  Betty Wooten, who have done productive work in Pétion-ville and Thomassin. Maxine was located in Thomassin, a community many thought would not produce any Witnesses.

At 55, she was beginning to feel her years. Her husband had forsaken her and Jehovah’s organization. Yet, she endured 23 years in that mountain territory, in the face of local opposition. Her limited French and Creole sounded more like English. Maybe people had to listen more carefully to understand her; but her warm interest and sincerity attracted them. Many studied with her and became Witnesses. She served as a regular pioneer in Thomassin until 1992 when, at the age of 75, she could no longer cope with the mountains. She returned to the United States for medical attention, and now she serves as a pioneer in Florida.

Betty Wooten started “pioneering” the day she got baptized in 1962. She did not realize that she should submit an  application! She was actually appointed in 1967. Since coming to Haiti, she has served in Pétion-ville as a special pioneer. She is black, exuberant, and looks much younger than her 57 years. Sometimes in the intensity of explaining the Scriptures, she slips out of her imperfect Creole into English. But her sincere presentation of the truth and her forceful reasoning make people listen and respond.

While John and Inez Norman were visiting the Canada branch office in 1982, someone in the subscription department asked them, “Who is Betty Wooten?” The department was processing dozens of magazine subscriptions that she had obtained. Why this success? She is always preaching. Her formal field service is an extension of her informal witnessing. In shops, when she goes to a restaurant, at gas stations​—anywhere, anytime is an opportunity to offer magazines, books, subscriptions, and Bible studies. She can now look back over her 22 years in Haiti, satisfied that she has shared in helping more than 70 people to take up Jehovah’s service!

There are now four congregations in Pétion-ville, two in Thomassin, and another in Kenscoff​—seven congregations  with a total approaching 700 publishers in 1993, in territory formerly cared for by one congregation.

A Houngan Finds the Truth

Among those who have become Jehovah’s Witnesses in Haiti is a former voodoo priest​—a houngan—​at Labiche. Irilien Désir began to wonder about God and felt a desire to quit voodoo. He expressed this openly to the Catholic priest and brought him his ceremonial materials. However, he received no spiritual help, so he returned to voodoo.

Then his sons in Port-au-Prince and overseas wrote telling him they were studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses and they advised him to do the same. As a result, he rode his horse 30 miles [50 km] to L’Azile to find the Witnesses. He kept on riding there twice a week to study with them and attend the meetings. The spirits, or loas, he served began to harass him and even announced his death. He had a coffin made, but he said: “I do not fear death anymore. I know there will be a resurrection.” However, since he did not die at that time, he used the coffin to store foodstuffs that he harvested.

He joined in preaching with pioneers who were now assigned to Labiche, and he got baptized. Then he donated a piece of his land on which to build a Kingdom Hall. In 1989 he died faithful to Jehovah.

A Revolution but Not a New World

The crowded, narrow streets of Port-au-Prince are usually a moving patchwork of gaudy, colorfully painted vehicles, packed with passengers. But both vehicles and streets were more jam-packed than usual December 5-8, 1985. Haiti was host to hundreds of Witnesses from other lands. They were attending the “Integrity Keepers” Convention in the Centre Sportif de Carrefour. The 4,048 publishers were amazed at the attendance of 16,260 at the public talk “God’s Times and Seasons​—To What Do They Point?”

 Two months after this, a revolution ended the 28-year Duvalier rule on February 7, 1986. The nation rejoiced, hoping for better conditions. But the ruined economy and the quality of life continued to worsen as political instability brought six changes of government in six years, up to 1992!

Building a New Bethel

Meanwhile, Jehovah’s Witnesses were anticipating a different historic event. Since November 1984, skilled international volunteers, from North America and other places, had been helping them to build new branch facilities on 11 acres [4.5 ha] of land at Santo, near Port-au-Prince. Haitian Witnesses with building skills were hired, and hundreds of others volunteered for the work. The U-shaped Bethel complex comprises offices, literature depot, and two-story residential quarters. An Assembly Hall was built at the same time.

These facilities were dedicated on January 25, 1987. Charles Molohan from the Brooklyn headquarters gave the dedication talk. It was a stimulating and joyful occasion. The brothers are proud of these branch facilities. But what do they think of the Assembly Hall? Summing up their feelings, Betty Wooten says: “The grounds are beautifully landscaped and adorned with trees and flowers. The hall​—with modern conveniences—​is designed for Haiti’s tropical climate. It is an honor to Jehovah’s people.” Fulgens Gaspard, who became a Branch Committee member in 1987, expresses appreciation for the fact that “it is well ventilated, making it possible to listen to the program in comfort.”

Highly Appreciated Literature

The brochure Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! was published in Creole in 1987. The brothers welcomed it as a fine tool for helping people to visualize the new world, and they have been placing large numbers of it. It is a useful textbook in congregation literacy classes, which classes have contributed  to the high literacy level among Jehovah’s Witnesses. From 1987 to 1992, these classes, which are also open to non-Witnesses, helped 1,343 people learn to read and write.

The book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (in French) has helped thousands of people understand the Bible, and it is still in great demand. But in 1989 the booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom” was published in Creole, and of course, this is especially useful in Haiti.

Since 1989 the book Questions Young People Ask​—Answers That Work has captured the interest of youths both inside and outside the congregations. Young people frequently stop Witnesses on the streets to ask for it. Many books are being placed in schools by students or teachers.

In Canapé-Vert, Nelly Saladin, a lively young schoolteacher, placed over a hundred copies of the Young People Ask book with students in her school in one month. In Jacmel a teacher ordered several cartons of it to give to students as prizes. A number of schools use it as a textbook for social and cultural classes.

In 1990 the owner and director of a vocational school for girls in Port-au-Prince asked her niece if she had any ideas as to what she could give the girls as prizes. This niece was then studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses, so she suggested the books Questions Young People Ask​—Answers That Work, Making Your Family Life Happy, and Your Youth—​Getting the Best Out Of It. The director was delighted and ordered 40 books right away and more later​—a total of 301. Some of the students who received this literature have become Witnesses, and others are now unbaptized publishers.

Official and Legal Recognition

Legal recognition of an association to represent Jehovah’s Witnesses was once again granted in 1989. Since 1962 the  Watch Tower Society had not been considered accredited in Haiti. But Jehovah’s Witnesses remained a recognized religion because the constitution guarantees freedom of worship. Over the years Rodrigue Médor had repeatedly met with government ministers, trying to obtain legal status for the Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But it was the government change in 1986 that brought a favorable climate for success. So the branch office’s Legal Committee applied to the new government for recognition. This was approved and, after some months, L’Association Chrétienne les Témoins de Jéhovah d’Haiti (Christian Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses of Haiti) became a legal corporate body.

Concerning this, Haiti’s official journal, on February 20, 1989, stated that “considering that l’Association Chrétienne ‘LES TÉMOINS DE JÉHOVAH D’HAITI’ has been contributing for many years to the education of the masses in rural and urban areas of the country by literacy classes,” it is recognized as a “public service organization” with “the rights and prerogatives connected with a corporate person.”

This is important because such an organization can own property. Previously, property for Kingdom Halls and the branch property had to be acquired in the names of brothers. Now ownership could be placed in the name of the association.

Good Citizenship Recognized

Jehovah’s Witnesses desire to help people understand why Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place . . . upon earth.” (Matt. 6:10) They show their kindhearted and patient fellow Haitians that it is not God’s will for people to suffer hunger, sickness, and violence or to grow old and die. They explain that God’s will is for earth to become home to the new world​—with a paradise that includes Haiti. And they are teaching people  to be law-abiding and to lead good, honest lives so that they can qualify for everlasting life in that new world.

Many recognize the benefits the Witnesses bring to the nation by this work. When a murder was committed in Saint-Georges in 1984, people began hiding because the police started arresting them for questioning. However, Jehovah’s Witnesses continued preaching, and the police allowed them to circulate freely. Said one policeman: “Jehovah’s Witnesses preach about the end of wicked people. They are not the ones who committed this crime.”

During riots and demonstrations in 1991, people started looting in Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince, while two young sisters were witnessing in the same area. Two soldiers arrived and stood one at each end of a narrow lane, forcing the looters to pass them and receive strokes from a whip. And the sisters? Each holding a Watchtower, they walked toward one of the soldiers. Recognizing them as Witnesses, he let them pass unscathed, then resumed the whipping. It is as a military officer in Thomassique declared in 1991: ‘I know that the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ youths would not be involved in such riots and demonstrations and looting.’

 The First Quickly Built Hall

A congregation of 14 publishers in the southern village of Bidouze holds the distinction of being the first to have a quickly built Kingdom Hall. It was built in four days. After much preparatory work, construction began in pouring rain on Thursday, November 1, 1990. The 18 brothers from Port-au-Prince and the local brothers worked hard through each day, and some continued until long after sundown with the help of moonlight and a gas lamp. The building was not prefabricated, so the 1,500 concrete blocks had to be mortared into place one by one. Yet, by 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, the hall was painted, ready for the first meeting there​—an abbreviated Watchtower Study and the dedication talk, with 81 present.

The branch’s building committee had now shown that modest halls could be built for rural congregations, using quick-construction methods, for less than $5,000. This is an important consideration in view of the very limited financial means of the brothers.

The need for halls is growing. The number of Witnesses grew by over 1,900 between 1990 and 1993. There was a new peak of 8,392 in 174 congregations in June 1993. The  attendance at the six “Divine Teaching” District Conventions (1993) was 19,433. There were 44,476 at the Memorial in April 1993. And Jehovah’s Witnesses are now the largest religious group in Carrefour, where the first Port-au-Prince congregation was formed.

Looking to the New World

Yes, an increasing number of people are realizing that God’s Kingdom is the only hope for removing mankind’s ills and that efforts to patch up this old world are only temporary. So they gladly receive the “good news of the kingdom”​—the good news of a better world.​—Matt. 24:14.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Haiti are happy to help such people live a better life now by teaching them to apply God’s Word and by imparting to them the sure hope of everlasting life in Jehovah’s righteous new world.

[Chart on page 168]

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Publishers

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

1950 1960 1970 1980 1993

Memorial Attendance

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

1950 1960 1970 1980 1993

 [Map on page 116]

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Port-au-Prince

St.-Marc

Cavaillon

Cap-Haïtien

Port-de-Paix

Gonaïves

Vieux-bourg-d’Aquin

Hinche

Cayes

[Picture on page 120]

Roland Fredette, who arrived in Haiti as a missionary in 1945, became the first branch overseer there

[Picture on page 122]

Congregation at Vieux-bourg-d’Aquin, in mid-1950’s

[Pictures on page 124]

Some of the early missionaries in Haiti: (1) David and Celia Homer, (2) Alex and Marigo Brodie, (3) Victor and Sandra Winterburn, (4) Peter Lukuc, (5) Fred Lukuc

[Pictures on page 126]

A few who were already zealous Witnesses in Haiti by the early 1950’s: (1) Rodrigue Médor, (2) Albert Jérome, (3) Dumoine Vallon, (4) Benoît Sterlin, (5) Diego Scotland

[Picture on page 132]

Gloria Hill, Naomi Adams, Helen D’Amico, and Frances Bailey made valuable contributions to the preaching activity in Haiti

[Picture on page 139]

Like some other early missionaries here, George and Thelma Corwin covered their territory on a motorcycle

[Picture on page 143]

Some early Kingdom proclaimers in Port-de-Paix: Special pioneers François Doccy and Jean Sénat in the rear; Rock St.-Gérard, his wife, and Lucianne Lublin in front

[Pictures on page 147]

In 1962 Max Danyleyko (above) and Andrew D’Amico (left) were arrested and deported

[Pictures on page 161]

Maxine Stump and Betty Wooten have each contributed more than 20 years to serving here where the need is great

[Picture on page 162]

This Assembly Hall at Santo serves most circuits in Haiti

[Picture on page 167]

Happy missionaries serving Kingdom interests in Haiti

[Picture on page 169]

Branch Committee (from left to right): Fulgens Gaspard, John Norman, Rodrigue Médor, Sénèque Raphaël