Estonia

WELCOME to Estonia! This “much-loved Baltic gem” will stun you with its scenic beauty: woods and meadows, picturesque coastal villages, more than 1,400 lakes, and over 1,500 islands. Almost half of Estonia is blanketed with dense trees and undergrowth​—remnants of the primeval forest that used to cover most of Europe. Estonia, not much bigger than Switzerland or Denmark, is one of the smallest countries in Europe.

You will find that the friendly but reserved inhabitants of this delightful little country have many truly admirable qualities. In general, they are well-educated, have a very high literacy rate, and love to read. Although about 30 percent of the population are Russian-speaking, Estonian is the official language. However, it is not easy to learn because it is very complex. For example, Estonian has several words for “island,” depending on the appearance, size, and age of the island.

STORMY PAST

Estonia has been dominated by one powerful neighbor after another. German knights and Danish troops invaded the land in the early 13th century, after which Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Sweden battled for control of Estonia for centuries.

Then, after more than a century of Swedish rule, Russia took over in 1721. After a short period of  independence between 1918 and 1940, the Soviet Union marched in and annexed Estonia. In 1941, Nazi Germany occupied the country but lost control to the Soviet Union in 1944. Estonia was part of the Soviet Union for almost 50 years, until 1991 when it became the first Soviet republic to declare independence.

How did those events affect Jehovah’s Witnesses in Estonia? What happened to the servants of the true God during the oppressive German occupation and the difficult Soviet era? Read the exciting story of their faith, courage, and resourcefulness in the face of brutal persecution.

THE SCARS OF FALSE RELIGION

The crusaders who invaded Estonia in the 13th century forced “Christianity” on the people by the edge of the sword. The conversions, though, were no more than skin-deep. Afterward, entire villages splashed themselves and their houses with water to wash away their forced baptism and returned to their pagan worship. The people continued practicing nature worship and pagan rites until their rituals gradually became interlaced with Catholic beliefs.

In the 17th century, Estonians were converted to the Lutheran Church, and later the Russian Orthodox Church became the State church in Estonia. In 1925, Church and State were separated. According to a survey, only 14 percent of Estonians claim that religion is an important part of their daily life.

In recent times, however, many sincere Estonians have welcomed the healing balm of God’s Word, “the healthful teaching according to the glorious good news of the happy God.” (1 Tim. 1:10, 11) As a result, since 1991 the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses proclaiming  God’s Kingdom has grown from fewer than 1,000 to over 4,000. But how did the good news reach tiny Estonia in the first place?

“YOU HAVE A MOUTH”

Early in the 20th century, Martin Kose and his brother Hugo obtained some literature published by the Bible Students (as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known) while in the United States. Excited about what he had discovered, Martin was concerned about his native country, where he knew there were no Bible Students. Locating the address of the New York headquarters from a brochure, Martin later went there and expressed his concern to J. F. Rutherford, who was overseeing the work of the Bible Students at the time.

“What should I do?” asked Martin.

“Well, you have a mouth, don’t you?” replied Brother Rutherford. “Then go back and use it.”

And so Martin did! About 1923 he went back to Estonia and started to preach, becoming the first Bible Student in the country. Martin taught his family Bible truths, and his son, Adolf, proved to be a faithful servant of God and a pillar of  stability during the difficult days that lay ahead. Martin’s brother Hugo became a Bible Student too, but he never returned permanently to his homeland.

“YOU WON’T BE LONELY”

At a London convention of Bible Students in 1926, Brother Rutherford asked for volunteers to go to the Baltic countries. Albert West, Percy Dunham, and James Williams put up their hands. Shortly thereafter, they were appointed to organize the preaching of the good news in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. William Dey, then overseer of the Northern European Office, situated in Denmark, traveled with Albert West to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. After finding a room for Albert to stay in, Brother Dey patted him on the shoulder and said: “Well, good-bye, Albert. You won’t be lonely. Soon The Watchtower will be coming!”

Colporteurs, as pioneers were then known, came from England, Germany, and other countries to help. However, they were not able to stay long because they had difficulties extending their visas. Finnish colporteurs were able to adapt quickly, since the Estonian and Finnish languages are closely related. Dozens of foreign full-time preachers planted Kingdom seeds diligently and abundantly. Foreigners, who were a novelty, were warmly welcomed and often given nicknames,  such as “Soome Miina” (Finnish Miina). If a speaker was from Britain, he would simply be introduced as a “Londonist.”

THE FIRST BRANCH

Suitable office space was scarce, and because foreigners were thought to be wealthy, higher rent was demanded of them. However, in 1926 a branch was opened in a small apartment in Tallinn at 17 Kreutzwaldi Street, with Albert West serving as branch servant. The first booklets in Estonian, including Millions Now Living Will Never Die!, were released that same year.

A young Estonian woman, Hilda Ang, heard about the truth from her friends. When she went to the branch office to get literature, a German brother asked her if she would be willing to help him with the translation of his public talk. She agreed, and in 1928 she was invited to work in the office  as a translator. She later married a British brother, Alexander Brydson, who had moved to Estonia to preach full-time. Hilda proved to be an efficient and hardworking translator, and later, when the work went underground and she and her husband had to leave the country, she secretly continued translating for several decades from abroad. Together, the Brydsons eventually served a total of more than 100 years in full-time service!

In 1928 the Bible Students published their first book in Estonian, The Harp of God. In addition, The Watchtower, seven other books, and numerous booklets were published in Estonian before World War II.

EARLY EVANGELIZERS

The colporteurs covered vast territories by bicycle and slept wherever they could find accommodations ​—whether in country houses or in haystacks. People were poor, but they loved to listen to the Kingdom message. As a result, these full-time preachers happily spent between 150 and 200 hours a month in the preaching work, one reporting 239 hours in a single month! Their service was characterized by industriousness, boldness, and perseverance. This is what it was like for one sister the first time she went out in the field service:

“Do you know how to ride a bicycle?” a zealous Finnish sister asked her.

“Yes, I do,” replied the new sister.

“Well, let’s go to Sarema,” said the Finnish sister enthusiastically, referring to the largest Estonian island, about 125 miles [200 km] away.

When they arrived at the first village on Sarema, the Finnish sister suggested: “You start from this end, and I’ll start from the other end. In the evening we’ll meet in the center of the village.” The new sister had never done any preaching before. But when she called at the first door, she felt Jehovah’s help and quickly gained enough confidence to enjoy the rest of the trip.

Hellin Aaltonen (later Grönlund) met people from the island of Vormsi and found that they spoke a strange language.

“Don’t you speak Estonian?” she asked the islanders.

“No, we speak Swedish,” they replied.

“Well, do you have Swedish books to read?” asked Hellin.

“We haven’t had Swedish books for several hundred years,” was their exaggerated reply.

 Realizing that the inhabitants of Vormsi needed Swedish literature, Hellin decided to visit the island with Fanny Hietala, who spoke Swedish.

“We took all the Swedish books that the office had and went there by boat,” recalls Hellin. “We worked the whole island in three days and placed almost all of our literature. Decades later, I heard of a brother in Sweden who learned the truth from books that he had obtained in Vormsi!” Time and again Kingdom preachers experienced the truth of Ecclesiastes 11:6: “In the morning sow your seed and until the evening do not let your hand rest; for you are not knowing where this will have success.”

CHALLENGES FACED BY COLPORTEURS

The work of colporteurs was not easy. In winter, on ski or on foot, they would travel from 12 to 24 miles [20-40 km] a day. The cold was intense, and comfortable lodgings were scarce. Only the most basic food and other necessities could be taken with them, as they also carried boxes of literature. Heavy rain often rendered roads impassable. Many nights the colporteurs were compelled to sleep outdoors. This rigorous avenue of service demanded as much physical strength and stamina as they could muster. Yet, how did these devoted preachers feel about their service?

“I never lacked anything really important,” recalls Vilho Eloranta, a zealous Finnish brother who preached full-time in isolated areas for many months. “Most of the time, I got my daily food and overnight accommodations in exchange for literature. The need  for money was minimal. When evening came, I would start asking for accommodations. Few householders refused a place for me to stay, especially if it was late in the day or far to the next farm.”

“Getting the message of the Kingdom into the hands of the people,” continues Vilho, “was so much my concern that the modest living conditions did not in any way diminish the contentment and joy I derived from doing the preaching work.”

Those hardworking brothers and sisters paved the way for future growth by placing huge amounts of literature. In 1929 a total of 53,704 books and booklets were distributed by a handful of evangelizers.

“Estonia had approximately 30 colporteurs,” remembers Adolf Kose, “and they worked the entire country before World War II.”

The impact made by those diligent early preachers is still being felt. For example, early in the 1990’s, Jehovah’s Witnesses met Ruth, an elderly lady. Their message seemed familiar to her. She recalled that over 60 years earlier, she had listened to a German Bible Student who called on her neighbor a couple of times. Now, although deaf and advanced in age, Ruth recognized the ring of truth, accepted a Bible study, and was baptized​—almost 70 years after her initial contact!

EARLY BRANCH ACTIVITY

In those early days, the tiny branch office served as a convention site. The first convention, in June 1928, was attended by 25, and 4 were baptized. The following year, 80 Finnish brothers came over to assist with the convention and to work in the field service.

 Albert West, who had been serving as branch servant in Estonia, was assigned to assist, and later to replace, William Dey as branch servant in Denmark. Who would replace Brother West as branch servant in Estonia? Wallace Baxter, from Scotland, who was a warm brother with a good sense of humor. Before finding the truth, he had fought in the British army in France during World War I. What he saw and experienced in the war was not in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“I was confused,” recalls Brother Baxter, “and began to realize that all human warfare was wrong, no matter who the enemy might be. I always believed that all men are brothers and that anyone who sought God would eventually find him. As I pondered thoughts like those, I knelt down in my dugout and solemnly vowed to God that if I was spared and was able to return home, I would serve him my whole life.”

And that he did. After he learned the truth, he zealously entered the full-time ministry in 1926. Two years later he accepted an invitation to serve in Estonia, where he showed the same zeal. He was appointed as branch servant in 1930, the year that Brother West left. The branch was relocated to 72 Suur  Tartu Road, Tallinn, in 1932, and the following year the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was officially registered in Estonia.

MULTILINGUAL BROADCASTS

As early as 1927, Brother West received permission to broadcast on a commercial radio station in Tallinn. The lecture he gave, “Blessings of the Millennium,” was translated into Estonian. The broadcast not only aroused much interest but also resulted in some controversy. Thus, further permission to broadcast was not given again until 1929. Then regular broadcasts began every Sunday. The talks were given in English, Estonian, Finnish, Russian, occasionally in Swedish and German, and at least once in Danish. Those talks too aroused much interest and could be heard as far away as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Leningrad  (now St. Petersburg), Russia. During the 1932 service year, the 200 lectures that were broadcast proved to be effective tools in making Jehovah’s name known. Not surprisingly, they also aroused clergy opposition!

Knowing how fearful officials in Estonia were of anything having to do with Communism, the clergy falsely claimed that the Witnesses had Communist links. Quick to react to anything that they felt could weaken the nation, Estonian authorities banned the lectures in 1934. However, not everyone agreed with the ban. A schoolboy wrote the following letter in English:

Dear Watch Tower and Judge Rutherford:

I am sorry that our government in Estonia has forbidden your lectures in our broadcasting. I am a schoolboy, a pupil. My parents are not rich: they earn with fatiguing work a living to their children. But the love and hope to the Lord is like a sunbeam on their faces. I was severely ill in the winter, and then were your lectures in the broadcasting the only thing that have me consoled. The tears in my eyes were then the tears of happiness. . . . Where are these lectures now? . . . I began to learn the English, and this is my first letter written in this language, all without a dictionary. . . . With best wishes and greetings to Judge Rutherford.

Brother Rutherford replied with a personal letter and sent the young boy some records of his lectures.

 A “CHARIOT OF THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM”

John North, a zealous colporteur from England, lived in a trailer with his family while preaching in Estonia. This aroused much interest all over southern Estonia. A local newspaper described the trailer this way: “The [Watch Tower] Society is building in Tartu a vehicle similar to a house, and the purpose is to travel around the country in this and hold religious services. They preach to the people out of the ‘chariot of the heavenly Kingdom’ and distribute books that explain the Bible. The personnel from this ‘chariot’ consists of five persons​—the chief missionary, his wife, their child, and two energetic young men. The latter ride swiftly on bicycles (like Jehu) in all directions round about the ‘chariot’ distributing literature.”

During the political turmoil in the mid-1930’s, a former army pilot, Nikolai Tuiman, was imprisoned  because of his involvement with an Estonian Fascist movement. In the prison library, Nikolai found some books by J. F. Rutherford that made him realize that he was on the wrong track. After his release he traveled to Tallinn to the address he had found in a book that his wife had obtained, which was published by the Witnesses. With Brother Baxter’s help, Nikolai made a complete turnabout in his life, gave up his political activities, and became a peaceful and zealous Witness of Jehovah. Later, when the work was under ban, he was one of the pillars in the congregation, helping with underground printing. He remained faithful during some 15 years in exile in Siberia.

Another person who had been involved in and disappointed by politics was a medical doctor, Artur Indus. The first spark of truth was ignited when he called at Martin Kose’s home to provide needed medical treatment. Brother Kose encouraged Artur to study the Bible, and because Artur knew German, Brother Kose ordered him all the literature that was available in that language. With Martin’s help, Artur  accepted the truth, dedicated himself to Jehovah, and was baptized. He was a well-known and respected doctor, and he also became known as a zealous and respected brother.

DARK CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON

The mid-1930’s were turbulent times. Because of the pressure from Nazi Germany and the Catholic Church, the booklet Righteous Ruler was confiscated in January 1935.

In the same year, the Minister of the Interior closed down the Watch Tower Society in Estonia, confiscated the literature, and placed a lien on its property. Although much literature was already hidden, some 76,000 pieces were confiscated. This setback did not stop the work, though. Much to the brothers’ surprise and joy, the contents of two confiscated brochures were published in two leading newspapers that had a combined circulation of 100,000. Despite the loss of literature, Jehovah’s name received more publicity than it would have if the brothers had distributed the brochures.

 In the meantime, the preaching work continued, and office activities were resumed. Quite a number of books continued to be confiscated in the following years. Hellin Aaltonen was working in the branch when one of the raids took place.

“Three young policemen came primarily to confiscate the booklet Millions Now Living Will Never Die!” recalls Sister Aaltonen, “but we had none. They pulled all the books off the shelves and threw them in a heap on the floor. Brother Baxter couldn’t do a single thing, as they were watching him very closely. But I started tidying up after the police and discreetly went to Brother Baxter’s desk to check if there were any papers there that the policemen should not see. I noticed a letter with all the publishers’ names and their addresses. I dropped it into a bin in the corner. When the police started to load the books into boxes, the officer in charge arrogantly grabbed a box and jerked it away so violently that he broke his own arm! The police hastily left to take him to the hospital, allowing us time to sort through the boxes before they returned.”

“The policemen returned,” continues Brother Baxter, “and while the removal was going on, I caught sight of one of them putting a copy of the Deliverance book in the large pocket of his overcoat. I have often wondered how many more books were taken and read by those men.”

The year 1939 was an uncertain and frightening time. A number of Soviet troops were allowed to enter Estonia. “Every day the radio kept up a constant barrage of Communist propaganda,” wrote Brother Baxter. “There was much speculation, excitement, apprehension, and outright fear. The sky was filled with  droning Soviet warplanes loaded with paratroops.” Would that threat paralyze the witnessing work?

Despite all the turmoil, in 1940, Jehovah’s loyal servants placed 59,776 books and booklets​—a remarkable accomplishment by only 27 publishers and 15 pioneers! They were doing as much as they could in the remaining period of freedom.

LAST ASSEMBLY IN FREEDOM

The brothers were able to arrange for an assembly in Tallinn shortly before the Soviet rule began​—the last one to be held in freedom for the next five decades. They discussed such Watchtower articles as “The Theocracy,” “Neutrality,” “Snares,” and “Doom of Religion”​—timely spiritual food that helped prepare God’s people for what lay ahead.

World War II was about to engulf Estonia, and our brothers were not going to escape its effects. On  June 16, 1940, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics issued an ultimatum to the Estonian government to appoint a new government and allow more Soviet troops into Estonia. The Estonian Communist party, with fewer than 150 members, was legalized, and Estonia was annexed and incorporated into the Soviet Union. Within months, thousands of Estonians were exiled to Siberia, and their houses and farms were abandoned, burned, or given to invading Russians. Thousands of others tried to escape in small fishing boats, mainly to Sweden. Many succeeded, but others perished in the tempestuous seas.

LAST FOREIGNERS LEAVE

With the arrival of the Communist regime, the branch office was again closed down. Although Brother Baxter and Alexander and Hilda Brydson were determined to stick to their assignment, it was becoming increasingly dangerous for foreigners to stay. Consequently, they were advised by Brother Rutherford to leave the country. Brother Baxter and the Dunhams from Latvia were evacuated by train through Siberia and ended up in Australia. The Brydsons left about a year later, traveling to Sweden. Brother Baxter served faithfully on the Branch Committee in the Australia branch until he finished his earthly course on June 21, 1994. *

What was awaiting the small group of local brothers now that the foreign brothers had left? They were relatively new in the truth, and a cruel war was dragging them into its vortex. The war took its toll,  and the work slowed down. After their last report in 1941, nothing was heard of our brothers for about 20 years.

SEVERE TESTS OF FAITH

As World War II raged on, German troops drove out the Soviets and occupied Estonia from 1941 to 1944. However, conditions did not improve for our brothers. Jaan Pärrat, a deaf brother, was preaching in Tartu in 1942 when the Germans arrested him. He was accused of subversive activity and imprisoned. According to prison documents, the warden of his prison was ordered to “extradite for a special disposal” this prisoner, Jaan Pärrat. This was, in effect, an execution order. A group of men saw him being taken outside and then heard gunshots. He was never brought back or seen again.

Yes, it was a difficult time for the brothers. First the Soviet army and then the German army wanted to recruit young men. “We had to hide to avoid being drafted into the army,” recalls Adolf Kose. “If we were caught, we either obeyed the command to join the army or we were shot. The Kingdom work, of course, suffered because it was quite difficult to do anything.”

Again, the tide of war turned. Toward the end of 1944, the Soviet army drove the Germans out of Estonia, once again subjecting Estonia to harsh Soviet rule. The war and the following years of repression had a devastating effect on the Estonian people. At least a quarter of the population was killed or sent into exile in distant locations in the Soviet Union, or they managed to leave the country. Over the years,  hundreds of thousands of Russians moved into Estonia, and the composition of the population changed markedly. Soviet rule presented a severe test of faith for our brothers, as we shall see.

FROM FOREST BROTHER TO SPIRITUAL BROTHER

A nationalistic, anti-Soviet, partisan movement of that time became known as “Forest Brothers” because they hid in the thick forests. Among them were many who were not partisans but had to hide because the Soviet State Security Committee, the KGB, was after them. It is estimated that at times, between 15,000 and 20,000 men hid in the forests, some disappearing for years without the authorities’ finding them. In fact, the last one was not found until 1978! Would any of the Forest Brothers accept the truth and choose to become spiritual brothers?

Because of his background in Estonian State service, Erik Heinloo knew he was in danger. When the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, he and his wife, Magda, tried to escape to Sweden by boat many times. The last time they got on a boat, the motor broke down and they had to return. For seven years he managed to elude authorities by hiding in forests, until he was eventually arrested. Then he and his wife were sent to separate prison camps in the Soviet Union.

While in prison, Magda met two Witnesses who shared the Kingdom hope with her. Magda immediately realized that she had found the truth and was so delighted that she literally danced with joy! Magda was released in 1956 and was baptized in 1960. Seven years after his release, Erik also accepted the truth. At last, a Forest Brother became a spiritual brother.

 HUNTED DOWN AND ARRESTED

After the foreign brothers had to leave Estonia, a brave and zealous brother, Martin Kose, was assigned to oversee the work in northern Estonia. Southern Estonia came under the oversight of Friedrich Altpere, a tall, well-mannered Estonian who was a secondary-school English teacher. Back in the 1930’s, he had been asked to interpret a talk by one of the foreign pioneers who came to Võru. After doing so, he realized that he had found the truth. By now he had progressed to the point where he could take the lead in the preaching work in southern Estonia.

These assignments were difficult for both brothers because there was no contact with the organization and neither of them had much experience. Despite the challenges of working underground, the two brothers served faithfully from 1940 until they were arrested in late 1948.

In place of Martin Kose and Friedrich Altpere, a Service Committee was formed, made up of Albert Kruus, Karl Talberg, and Artur Indus, with Lembit Toom as an assistant. While the rest of the committee had to remain hidden, only Brother Toom could  travel freely and visit the groups. Why? He was a miller at a windmill, and on calm days when the windmill was not working, he was free to do as he pleased.

Responsible brothers in Estonia risked their lives to help their fellow worshippers. Pictures of those who were thought to be leaders were displayed at railway stations, treating them like wanted criminals. The KGB assigned up to four security agents to keep track of each of our meek, sheeplike brothers. Though the years between 1948 and 1951 were difficult, Jehovah blessed the efforts of his devoted servants in the preaching work. As a result, the number of publishers rose to more than 100.

‘CAUTIOUS AS SERPENTS, INNOCENT AS DOVES’

Increasingly, Jesus’ disciples in Estonia were experiencing the truth of their Master’s warning: “Prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men; for they will deliver you up to local courts, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. Why, you will be haled before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations.” (Matt. 10:16-18) However, some who had commendable faith did not fully grasp that Jehovah does not always provide miraculous protection against Satan’s tyranny. (Job 1:9-12; 2:3-6) Some Witnesses were not always as “cautious as serpents”​—as they should have been—​and they became easy prey for cruel persecutors.

“There was an interested man who seemed to be very zealous and bold,” recalls Adolf Kose. “He was given responsibility in the congregation and was very popular among the sisters. The brothers became  suspicious, though, and warned the sisters not to take him to all our meeting places.” Regrettably, some failed to heed the caution, and the man was able to pass on a great deal of information directly to the KGB.

“In 1950,” relates Lembit Toom, “we received some copies of The Watchtower from Germany, which we wanted to share with all our Christian brothers in Estonia.”

An assembly was planned in a hay barn out in a secluded part of the country. The KGB, though, became aware of the plans and prepared to arrest all the brothers and sisters. They set up an ambush, positioning two truckloads of soldiers at the railway station where the brothers were to disembark. Three Witnesses were waiting at a prearranged milepost on the road to the assembly site to give delegates directions. One of the brothers heard a suspicious noise in the woods and went to investigate. Suddenly he found himself looking down the barrel of a gun! The soldiers took him back to where the other two brothers were, and all three Witnesses were placed under arrest.

When Lembit Toom and Ella Kikas (later Toom) realized that the three brothers had been arrested, they reacted swiftly. They jumped on Lembit’s motorcycle and rode as fast as they could to a preceding railway station to warn the brothers who were coming on the next train. Lembit and Ella hurried to the station, rushed onto the train, and quickly got the brothers to disembark! Consequently, when the train pulled into the station where the KGB officers were waiting, they  were disappointed to find that there were no Witnesses on board.

Meanwhile, other brothers quickly located another farm on which the assembly could be held. Then they had the delegates walk along a quiet side road for more than six miles [10 km] to the new venue. All the while, soldiers were driving back and forth along the main roads searching for the delegates who had mysteriously disappeared. The assembly was held without disturbance with 111 in attendance. The atmosphere was very somber because everyone was aware that at any time they too could be arrested. The program included reports about the brothers and sisters in other countries, including faith-strengthening experiences about Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Nazi concentration camps. Even though this escape from mass arrest proved to be of short duration, that assembly provided crucial guidance and strength for the tests that lay ahead.

INTERROGATED AND SENTENCED

One by one, during the next few months, all the responsible brothers were arrested, along with more than 70 publishers and other people who had some connection with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s peace-loving servants now faced seemingly endless interrogations, while those still free knew that they could be next.

Because interrogations were usually done at night and went on for months at a time, detainees were not able to sleep properly for long periods of time. As they became more sleep deprived, the mental stress became increasingly debilitating. Brothers were sentenced without a court hearing; they  were simply told what their sentence would be​—5 to 12 years in prison or work camps. The majority received ten-year sentences. Their crime? “Anti-State propaganda and subversive activity,” according to the official records. Shortly thereafter, the law changed and Witnesses began receiving 25-year prison sentences. After being sentenced, 63-year-old August Pressraud reportedly exclaimed with irony: “Thank you to the honored Court for giving me such a long sentence. I estimated that I would live only about a dozen more years. But you have given me a quarter of a century!”

Witnesses were sentenced to notorious prisons or labor camps throughout the Soviet Union, mainly in Siberia and Russia’s Far East or Far North, where conditions were harsh. There seemed to be no hope of return, and many prisoners felt it would be easier to die.

Even false brothers who collaborated with the authorities did not escape the oppression of the persecutors. A case in point is what happened to two brothers who became spies for the KGB. Right after they had fulfilled their task, they themselves became objects of persecution by the KGB. Both of them were exiled to prison camps. The KGB did not seem to have any respect for those cowardly informants. *

FROM ESTONIA TO SIBERIA

Now that the KGB had arrested those who were considered to be the most prominent Witnesses, they were determined to root out every one of Jehovah’s Witnesses remaining. The offensive was conducted  in the early morning of April 1, 1951. In an extremely well-coordinated maneuver, all parts of the country (as well as Latvia, Lithuania, and Western Ukraine) were targeted simultaneously.

Virtually all of Jehovah’s Witnesses, many of their close relatives, and even interested ones were taken quickly from their homes, gathered together at several railway stations, and put into boxcars. They were allowed to take along some food and personal items, but the rest of their property was confiscated. On that day​—without a trial or any explanation—​nearly 300 people from Estonia were taken by rail to Siberia, mainly to the region of Tomsk, some 3,000 miles [5,000 km] away.

BRAVE YOUNG ONES

Corinna Ennika, 17 years of age, and her 13-year-old sister, Ene, had been away visiting relatives. Imagine their distress when they returned home and discovered that their house was all closed up and their mother was nowhere to be found! However, on learning that their mother had been arrested, they were somewhat relieved. Why?

“At least she was alive!” Corinna says. “Realizing that others had probably also been arrested, we thought that at least Mother must be together with Jehovah’s people. We really felt strong support and peace from Jehovah. I didn’t cry, and neither did Ene, who is somewhat sensitive and frail. On Monday we both went back to school and didn’t mention to anybody that our mother had been arrested.”

Corinna and Ene remained calm even when officials came to take them away. “In our train carriage,  everyone was calm,” continues Corinna. “One sister comforted us, saying that Jehovah will never allow tribulation beyond our strength and that we needed to trust his promise to help us.” The girls remained separated from their mother for more than six years.

Indicative of the irrational hatred of the persecutors is the exile document of a six-month-old baby. The crime for which the infant was being exiled was “enemy of the State.”

The deportation was very traumatic, and exiled ones were humiliated and disgraced in every possible way. Every morning and evening, everyone was let off the train to go to the lavatory, even though there were no lavatories. “It was below all standards of decency and humanity,” relates one sister. “It was impossible to separate the men and the women. Other people would walk past us, and the guards all stood around watching us.”

LIFE IN SIBERIA​—AND DEATH

After a grueling two-week train trip, the exiles, along with their meager belongings, were finally let out of the boxcars into the cold snow. At the nearby collective farm, foremen came to select the best workers for their farm, much like landowners buying workers at a slave market.

Many of those who lived in Siberia were exiles themselves, and they felt compassion for the newcomers. Thus, with the help of fellow believers and friendly locals, the exiled brothers soon got settled. Some were able to establish a relatively normal life. A few even experienced unexpected health benefits, such as the two Estonian sisters who had tuberculosis  but recovered when they moved to the drier Siberian climate.

But not everyone was so fortunate. At least one child died on the train, and one elderly Witness died as a result of the difficult conditions or emotional trauma. Some brothers became disabled because of lack of proper medications or because of the overly demanding work. Others were affected by the harsh living conditions, poor nutrition, sickness, accidents, and extreme cold. In addition, many endured the emotional pain of being torn away from their families for many years and never receiving the letters written by their loved ones.

“Since our family consisted only of children and very young women,” explains Tiina Kruuse, “we were taken to a rather poor collective farm. The members of the commune didn’t have sufficient food even for themselves, not to mention us. Newcomers chewed on pine bark and edible roots and often had nettle soup.”

The winters in Siberia are long and bitterly cold, a severe climate to which the Estonian exiles were not accustomed. Even the most normal activity, such as growing potatoes, was seldom successful. For most,  the first year in exile was grueling and was accompanied by persistent pangs of hunger.

“It was minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit [-50°C],” recalls Hiisi Lember. “Because of the cold, we kept the hen’s cage under our bed to prevent the hen from freezing to death. Some even had a calf with them in their house if it happened to be born in the winter.”

OFF TO NEW TERRITORY​—AT THE STATE’S EXPENSE!

Years earlier, William Dey had said that if the Soviet Union ever took over the Baltic countries, the brothers would have vast new territories in which to preach. How true those words proved to be! The Soviet government really helped Jehovah’s Witnesses extend their preaching work to Siberia and other faraway places by sending them into exile. Although Jehovah allowed his Witnesses to be tested, many who had never even heard the divine name thus had the opportunity to learn the truth.

Lembit Trell, for example, had been arrested for antigovernment activities. He heard about the truth in 1948 in an unusual way​—in a prison cell in Tartu. A Russian army officer, who was also being detained, told him about the Witnesses he had met in another prison cell. The officer gave Lembit a short summary of their teachings. He explained that God’s government is the only solution and that God will soon start to rule over the earth. That aroused Lembit’s interest.

Lembit was eventually sent to a prison camp in Vorkuta, in the far north of Siberia, close to the Arctic Ocean. There he overheard a group of Witnesses talking about the Bible. When he got closer, he discerned that they were discussing the same things he  had heard about from the officer, so he joined their conversation.

“Why are you in prison?” the brothers asked Lembit.

“I was fighting for justice,” he replied.

“Did you succeed?” one of the Witnesses inquired.

The answer was obvious, but Lembit replied, “No, I did not.”

“Look! You fought on the wrong side,” a brother pointed out to Lembit. “Wouldn’t you rather fight on the right side?” Then they started explaining what the Bible says about spiritual warfare. The more he heard, the more Lembit realized that he had found the truth and the more he saw the need to join Jehovah’s side of the spiritual warfare.

After his release, Lembit returned to Estonia and started his spiritual warfare. He now serves as a regular pioneer. His wife, Maimu, found the truth in a similar way; her interest was kindled in prison by a non-Witness.

The preaching work was difficult for the brothers who did not speak much Russian. But even with their limited vocabulary, it was always easy for them to start a conversation by talking about the reason for their exile in Siberia. This approach helped the brothers to master informal witnessing. Furthermore, they had ample opportunity to witness to Estonian exiles in their mother tongue. One survivor estimates that between 15 and 20 Estonians learned the truth in the camps, as did a number of Russians and Lithuanians.

 HOW TO GET SPIRITUAL FOOD

Many methods were used to smuggle Bibles and spiritual food into prisons and to exiled Witnesses living in isolated areas. “We received pages of literature in jars of pork or other animal fat,” explains one brother. “Because the fat turned white in the cold, the paper could not easily be seen. Although the officials inserted a knife into the jars, they hardly ever detected the thin paper, which was pressed close to the sides of the jar.” The officials seldom found the precious spiritual food hidden in the jars of literal food.

Little pieces of literature could also be sewn into a handbag or clothing, hidden in a soapbox, or pressed into a hollowed-out bar of soap. “I could fit four Watchtowers into the soap in a soapbox,” says Ella Toom.

Although letters were censored, the Witnesses learned how to camouflage Bible truths and theocratic language with everyday words. For example, one sister wrote: “We are richly taken care of by the Father, also having a rope that reaches the well.” She indicated that “the Father,” Jehovah, was providing for them spiritually; that they had contact with “the well,” Jehovah’s organization; and that they had access to life-giving waters of truth, Bible literature.

Though much literature was simply copied by hand, some was reproduced using elementary printing methods. When they were copying literature by hand, Witnesses were grateful if they were put into isolation as punishment for preaching. Why? “It was good when I was put in isolation,” says one sister. “I was better able to translate The Watchtower there, as I was not disturbed so often.” This is one of many ways in which persecutors’ tactics were  unsuccessful and often resulted in the advancement of Kingdom interests!​—Isa. 54:17.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MEETINGS

Opportunities to get together with other Witnesses at meetings were rare and highly valued. Corinna Ennika describes how she and another sister plucked up the courage to leave their work for a couple of days without permission in order to attend a meeting. “We left our work area in the evening,” Corinna explains, “and walked to a railway station 15 miles [25 km] away. The train departed at two o’clock in the morning, and we rode for six hours before disembarking and walking six miles [10 km] to the meeting place. We found the right house and were trying to decide who would say the password when a brother came out, recognized us as sisters, and said cheerfully: ‘You are at the right place. Come in!’ We studied The Watchtower and sang Kingdom songs. It was a very upbuilding and faith-strengthening experience for us.” When they returned to work three days later, they were relieved to learn that the farm manager had not even noticed that they were missing. Attending clandestine meetings did much to fortify the faith and courage of Jehovah’s faithful servants.

In another instance, a group of brothers were having a meeting in a prison when the guards arrived suddenly to search for literature. One brother, who had some pages of literature in his hands, quickly grabbed a broom and started sweeping the area. The guards searched, found nothing, and departed. Meanwhile the literature was wrapped securely around the broom handle in the firm grip of the brother who was diligently sweeping the floor!

 THE POWER OF TRUE CHRISTIAN LOVE

“For five years I worked underground in the coal mines,” recalls Adolf Kose. “We were north of the Arctic Circle, where there is no daylight in the wintertime. It was dark by the time we came above ground at the end of our shift. So we didn’t see daylight for months. We also did not get adequate food rations. This affected my memory and my sense of time. Because of the hard work, scarcity of food, and sheer exhaustion, we had only enough strength for casual conversation for a few minutes at a time. However, when discussing Kingdom truths, we never felt tired. We could go on for hours.”

Through all the hardships, Jehovah’s people learned to show self-sacrificing love for one another. “Anything we had,” explains Brother Kose, “or anything any of us received was distributed evenly among the brothers. Every one of us was in need, so we learned to share whatever we had with one another.”​—1 John 4:21.

Even the guards got to know that the Witnesses always helped one another. When Aino Ehtmaa was transferred from one camp to another, she didn’t have a spoon or a bowl​—the very basics for camp life.

“Well, that’s OK,” responded the camp supervisor, “your sisters will give you what you need.” And so they did. Time and again, displays of Christian love like this brought honor to Jehovah’s name.

Even so, tests of loyalty never ceased. For example, although Sister Ehtmaa had been in the prison camp for some time, the guards constantly asked her, “Are you still refusing to cooperate with us?” Of  course, the type of cooperation they wanted was confidential information about Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“You detain me in prison camps, and my father and mother died because of you,” Sister Ehtmaa always replied. “How could I ever cooperate with you?”

Even in their “prison bonds,” the exiled Witnesses continued to show Christlike love by sharing the good news of the Kingdom whenever they could. But to whom would they preach? The Soviet policy of relocating elite, non-Communist citizens actually ‘opened a door of utterance’ for them. Many brothers and sisters enjoyed productive conversations with those well-educated exiles, who otherwise might not have easily heard or responded to the Kingdom message.​—Col. 4:2-4.

“Later we were taken to different camps,” explains Brother Kose. “There was a great witness work going on in every cell. I was able to do more witnessing then than I had ever been able to do before or have been able to do since.”

Through all the years of exile, the attack on Jehovah’s Witnesses was relentless. They were robbed of their property and freedom, and they were humiliated in every possible way. But morally and spiritually, they were never defeated by their persecutors.

BACK TO ESTONIA

When Joseph Stalin died in 1953, many of his devoted supporters were grief-stricken. At the time, Ella Toom was in a prison cell with six other sisters. The guard came in crying and ordered them to stand up and salute Stalin. They courageously refused.

 As a result of Stalin’s death, the political atmosphere began to change. From 1956 to 1957, hundreds of petitions on behalf of the exiled brothers were sent from the worldwide brotherhood of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the Soviet government. One by one, exiled Witnesses were granted amnesty. Those in prison were released, and those in exile were allowed to move back home. Some Witnesses were released soon after Stalin’s death, but others had to wait for some time. For example, the Tuiman family was exiled in 1951 but was only permitted to return in 1965. And although our brothers were able to return to Estonia, they still had to find a place to live, for all their property had been confiscated when they were sent into exile.

LOOKING BACK

How did the intimidation, cruelty, hard labor, and appalling prison conditions affect the Witnesses? The great majority remained spiritually strong and faithful, even in the face of death. At least 27 Estonian Witnesses died in prison or in exile, including Artur Indus, who had served on the Service Committee in Estonia before being deported. Friedrich Altpere died soon after his release, evidently from the consequences of hard labor. Jehovah’s servants had been subjected to severe tests of faith in Siberia; but they had learned many lessons, and their integrity remained unbroken. Indeed, they emerged from the onslaught with stronger faith and greater endurance.​—Jas. 1:2-4.

“The responsible brothers were all in prison camps,” explains Viljard Kaarna, “and we remained  in contact with them. As a result, in Siberia we always had literature and did well spiritually. Back in Estonia, it was much more difficult to get a regular supply of spiritual food. We don’t think we would have done as well spiritually if we had remained in Estonia.”

Many non-Witnesses in exile became bitter as a result of what they suffered. Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the other hand, viewed their exile as a spiritually strengthening experience.

“We learned obedience from the things we suffered,” says Corinna Ennika. “We put our hope in Jehovah and never regretted it. We saw how little we needed to have to survive. My sister, Ene, and I had only a small suitcase and a box under the bed. Now if we ever feel we need something more, we reflect on that experience. The best years of our youth​—ages 17 to 23—​were spent in Siberia. I have often wondered if we would have been as spiritually strong if we hadn’t been in exile. I feel that Siberia was the best place for us at the time.”

“Those five years in Siberia were soon forgotten,” explains another sister. “It was as if I had merely been watching a movie for a couple of hours.”

 Aino Ehtmaa reminisces: “I will never forget the merry dance of the northern lights, frosty days when the colorful clouds of condensation rose from the sea or rivers, polar days when the sun did not set for two weeks, and polar nights when the sunrise was not visible for two weeks. I recall the green strawberries that ripened during the short summer and the arctic wildfowl that fed off the tiny branches of the slender trees. Despite all the hardships, I felt as though I were on tour in Siberia. I realized that, even there, with Jehovah it is possible to be happy.”

NEW TIMES, OLD TACTICS

After the brothers returned to Estonia from Siberia, the persecution did not end. The secret police used both direct and indirect tactics to get information about the organization and slander it.

Jüri Schönberg, who had been arrested for refusing to do military service, was taken from the labor camp for intensive interrogation. A special KGB agent had traveled from Kiev, Ukraine, to Estonia to persuade Jüri to work for the KGB. The officer tried to show him that the literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses was antigovernment and full of mistakes. He gave Jüri some copies of The Watchtower to read, but although the magazines appeared to be genuine, Jüri refused to accept them. He was afraid that they might be some of the counterfeit Watchtowers that the KGB sometimes prepared to cause confusion among the Witnesses. For an entire week, the agent pressured Jüri from morning until evening to collaborate with the KGB, but our brother remained steadfast and refused to compromise.

 RENEWED CONTACT WITH “MOTHER”

Even though the Iron Curtain was tightly closed, it could not completely prevent the light of Bible truth from shining through. For years the brothers had to subsist on literature from previous years. However, while in exile in Siberia, the Estonian Witnesses were able to meet with brothers from other parts of the Soviet Union. Once they were back in Estonia, they bravely maintained these contacts with brothers in the Soviet Union and were able to obtain fresh spiritual food from time to time. For example, starting in 1956, they had contact with Ivan Dziabko and others from Ukraine and were able to obtain literature from them. But those contacts were rare, and the amount of literature was limited. Something more was needed, and soon Jehovah blessed our brothers’ bold efforts.

Under the direction of the Governing Body, the Finland branch made plans to help the brothers in Estonia more systematically. Vilho Eloranta, who had worked as a pioneer in Estonia in the 1930’s, was assigned to make contact with them. In the early 1960’s, on his first trip to Estonia, he managed to contact Fanny Hietala. After that, many Finnish brothers, posing as tourists, served as couriers and helped maintain a constant channel of communication. At last, the brothers in Estonia were in contact with “Mother,” as the brothers called Jehovah’s organization. They could send field service reports and correspondence and could receive literature on microfilm. However, because the arrangement had to be carried out in complete secrecy and with the greatest discretion, contact was limited to two or three times a year.

 Adolf Kose’s cousin, Hugo Kose, Jr., who lives in the United States, traveled to Estonia 15 times as a courier. On one of his trips, the border guards searched him thoroughly but found nothing. Things got tense, though, when the guards asked him outright to which religion he belonged. Noticing that the officials did not speak fluent English, Hugo started to chatter away rapidly in English. The officials did not want to betray their ignorance by asking him to speak slowly, so when the phone rang, they told him to hurry along because the ship was ready to sail. Of course, he carried out this instruction without delay!

Those who served as couriers knew how important their assignment was, and they took it very seriously. They were always cautious and were constantly aware of the danger of becoming overly confident. Field service reports were encoded in case they ended up in the wrong hands. The couriers realized that they could put their own life and the lives of others in danger by being careless. At times, they saw KGB agents following them. While waiting to receive a package from two brothers, Viljard Kaarna saw an agent photograph and then follow them. No doubt he was gathering evidence to use against the Witnesses. Yet, over all those years, the brothers never lost a single shipment of literature or any correspondence or reports.

IMPROVED ORGANIZATION

For some time the preaching work in the Soviet Union had come under the oversight of a Country Committee based in Ukraine. In addition, several brothers served as district overseers throughout the vast land. But now the growing organization in Estonia  called for someone to take oversight of the work locally. Quiet in nature and tempered by various trials of faith, Adolf Kose was assigned to help organize this work in 1967. Later, responsibility was increased to include processing correspondence and reports for Latvia, Lithuania, Karelia, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and Murmansk. Brother Kose also helped organize the printing work in various locations.

How did Brother Kose manage to care for all those responsibilities and also work full-time with his wife, Koidula, on a pig farm near the town of Tapa? Brother Kose invented some machinery that made his secular work somewhat easier. This, in turn, allowed him more time to care for his theocratic assignments.

Later, brothers such as Viljard Kaarna, Lembit Toom, and Silver Silliksaar helped with visiting congregations in Estonia and neighboring republics of the Soviet Union. As the Russian field in Estonia grew, Alexandr Yevdokimov served in a similar way. In time, the printing work was divided, and the Russian-speaking brothers in Estonia did their own printing. When their publications arrived on microfilm, they were already in Russian and could be duplicated directly onto photographic paper. Eventually, though, as congregations grew, this laborious photoduplicating method was replaced, as it could not keep pace and required a large number of brothers to help with the printing in several locations. Despite their limited resources, the brothers had printed hundreds of copies of more than 20 different books underground. Over five million pages of Estonian and Russian literature were produced by hand between 1966 and 1989.

 CAUTION ESSENTIAL

Policemen once searched a brother’s home under the pretext of looking for a stolen motorcycle. However, they went straight to a bookshelf, clearly an unlikely place to hide a motorcycle! Obviously, they were really looking for banned literature. How disappointed they were to find none!

How did the brothers camouflage the literature and keep it hidden? When they produced the literature, they often bound it with covers from old secular books or journals. Thus, when homes were subjected to unexpected searches, such “old” publications usually went unnoticed.

 The Witnesses used special occasions, such as weddings, as a cover for meetings and assemblies. For example, Heimar and Elvi Tuiman’s wedding lasted for two days. Sometimes such gatherings lasted three or four days. The Estonian elders encouraged couples to arrange weddings that were not too large. Smaller groups were not so visible, attracted less attention, and were less likely to cause difficulties.

RUSSIAN BROTHERS MOVE IN

In 1970, longtime Witnesses from Ukraine, Belarus, and other parts of the Soviet Union began moving into Estonia. For many of those brothers, life in Estonia was much easier than it was in their native country, where they had endured brutal persecution.

With the help of brothers such as Nikolai Dubovinski, a longtime elder from Ukraine, the first Russian-speaking congregation was formed in Tartu in 1972 with about 50 publishers. The Russian field was fertile, and by 2010, there were 27 Russian-language congregations and 4 Russian-language groups​—comprising more than half the publishers in Estonia.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF INFORMAL WITNESSING

The Russian-speaking brothers were bold and zealous preachers and did not hesitate to talk to people in informal settings. For example, they would start conversations with tourists who were visiting churches in Tallinn and witness to them. Often tourists thought that a person who talked about the Bible was a tour guide, so they paid rapt attention to what the brothers said.

Some sisters preached on trains. They would buy a round-trip train ticket between Tartu and Tallinn.  The eight-hour journey gave them plenty of time to start conversations and share the good news with passengers.

“I prayed for a Bible study,” recounts Maria Pasechnick, who had moved to Estonia from Kazakhstan. After some thought, she decided to preach to the people who, with her, waited for hours in long lines to buy food at the local shops.

“One day, while standing in line,” continues Maria, “I began a discussion with a woman and gradually directed the conversation toward the Bible. The woman herself did not happen to be very interested, but she took me to her acquaintances, introduced me to them, and then left me to continue the discussion with them. As a result, I was able to start four Bible studies. One of the women became a baptized Witness and is still serving Jehovah faithfully.”

As is true everywhere, many of Jehovah’s servants stood out as exemplary at their places of employment. For example, the Communist Party organizer at a power station suggested that Leonhard Nilsk was not needed at the company any longer because of being a religious person. However, the head of the electrical laboratory spoke up and said, “Do we need the Communists who drink and don’t fulfill their tasks more than we need a religious person who is known to be trustworthy?” Leonhard’s other workmates also defended him because of his good reputation, and the matter was dropped. Apparently the party organizer was trying to curry favor with superior party officials, and when Communist rule came to an end in Estonia, the party organizer herself lost her job.

 GIVING A WITNESS UNDER BAN

“When I was at school,” recalls Lembit Reile, who now serves on the Estonia Branch Committee, “I spoke cautiously to many of my classmates. I used to invite one of the boys to my place, and I would discreetly preach to him. After I finished school, I didn’t see him for about 20 years. Recently, I was delivering a public talk at the congregation in my hometown, and guess who was in the audience? It was my schoolmate! He had been studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and shortly after my visit, he was baptized! What a joy that was for me!”

Because our work was banned, the brothers needed to be alert when witnessing. One elder explains how they did it: “We had to take the time to observe what kind of people were around us and with whom we could safely start a conversation. We had to be very discreet when speaking to strangers. After a while, we could often discern when someone was a KGB informant. Also, if someone was very talkative or loud, we would be suspicious. On the other hand, it might be safe to speak to someone who was reserved. We often started conversations with those who did not support the Communist government​—the so-called dissidents—​who tended to be more open-minded.”

AN ENCOURAGING VISIT IN A PARK

The Governing Body arranged for one of its members, Lloyd Barry, along with Viv Mouritz, from the Finland branch, to meet Adolf Kose, who was organizing the work in Estonia. They met in a park in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

 “At first, Brother Kose was hesitant to speak,” says Brother Mouritz about their clandestine meeting, “and he cautiously remained behind his newspaper. But as the discussion progressed, the newspaper came down, and Adolf started to open up.”

“He declined an invitation to have a meal with us,” recalled Brother Barry. “He said it was better just to attend to necessary matters and leave it at that.”

When Brother Kose expressed concern about the heavy yoke of persecution and the restrictions on the Witnesses in the Soviet Union, Brothers Mouritz and Barry shared many encouraging thoughts with him. “In other countries we have tests too,” they pointed out. “Those tests seem easier, but they are more dangerous! We have many temptations that you do not have, and we are losing more people in the West than you are here.”

This visit was most timely and spiritually strengthening for Brother Kose. Only later did he learn that he had been talking to a member of the Governing Body, and he gladly conveyed the encouragement from Jehovah’s organization to all those who were maintaining integrity under tyrannical oppression.

“Our hearts go out to our brothers in the Soviet Union,” wrote Brother Barry afterward. “It was a delight to meet Brother Kose, and the handshake and bear hug that he gave us as we parted were a fitting conclusion to a most delightful meeting.”

YOUTHS TAKE A COURAGEOUS STAND AT SCHOOL

Young servants of Jehovah, in particular, came under pressure to support political organizations. They were also urged to engage in other activities that went against their Bible-trained conscience.

 “One day when I was a little girl at school,” remembers Ester Tamm, “everyone in the class was told to stand up, step forward, and sign a letter sending birthday greetings to the dictator, Joseph Stalin.”

Ester stood up but refused to go forward. Instead, she politely said that she was not going to sign the letter. The teacher was angry, but surprisingly, some of the other students supported Ester and courageously said that they too were not going to sign the letter. As a result, the matter was dropped.

Another issue involved wearing a red kerchief in support of Communism. Those who refused to do so were threatened with lower grades or other forms of punishment. Our young brothers and sisters refused to compromise, manifesting the same loyal spirit as Daniel and his three Hebrew companions displayed in ancient Babylon.​—Dan. 1:8.

A WHOLE NEW ERA

The fact that only 7 percent of the people belonged to the Communist Party indicates that the Estonian people in general did not support the Soviet system. Estonian officials were not always eager to follow directions from Moscow, and some of them even helped the Witnesses. For example, in 1985 a local official came to Lembit Toom and advised: “I know you are a kind of foreman among the Witnesses. When you get together for your meetings, do not do it on State holidays.”

“Well, I’ll pass that information along,” said Lembit. It evidently offended the KGB that the Witnesses used State holidays for their meetings. Apparently the brothers had been gathering too openly, so they made some adjustments in response to the friendly advice.

 A whole new era began in 1986 when the Soviet Union introduced its policy of perestroika, or restructuring. The Governing Body encouraged the brothers to use the new openness and freedom to arrange conventions in Eastern Europe. For our brothers in the Soviet Union, it was hard to believe that freedom could come before Armageddon. All that they had suffered was still fresh in their minds, and home searches continued to be a regular threat.

INVITED TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC

With increased freedom, a growing number of people were showing an interest in religion and the Bible. Members of the public were curious about the stand taken by Jehovah’s Witnesses, and various institutions invited brothers to give public discourses on our beliefs.

One such occasion came as quite a surprise. Lembit Reile agreed to give a discourse to a group of people. When the day arrived, Ainar Ojarand, who had made the arrangements, was listening to the radio as he was shaving, when he heard the announcement: “Today in Sakala Center there will be a speech entitled ‘What Does the Bible Teach?’” Sakala Center was the main conference center in Tallinn, where the Communist Party usually held their meetings! Ainar almost dropped his shaver! But he had no way of letting Lembit know that this was going to be a far bigger meeting than they had thought​—not until they met at the bus stop.

“The hall was packed,” recalls Lembit. “I had never spoken to such a big audience. I had never used a microphone, nor had I spoken from a rostrum. After a short prayer, I thought about Paul at the Areopagus  and thought of an introduction. As most in the audience were vegetarians, I began my talk by explaining that God gave the first humans only fruit and vegetables to eat. Only after the Deluge were they allowed to eat meat.”

That introduction seemed to have a good effect on the audience, and a number of people lined up afterward to leave their name and address so that they could receive literature when it was available. Over the years many brothers gave talks to large audiences in libraries, schools, and cultural centers. As a result, many righteously disposed people recognized and accepted the truth.

STAYING SPIRITUALLY AWAKE

In 1989, Jehovah’s servants in the Soviet Union started to experience greater religious freedom, allowing some brothers to travel to a convention in Poland. What did it feel like to assemble in freedom after years of tyrannical repression?

“We were so happy!” recalls Ella Toom. “We cried so much! To us this convention was really a spiritual paradise.”

“We arrived in Poland early, so we were taken to a meeting in a Kingdom Hall,” recounts another sister. “When I saw the brothers and sisters going into the hall, I started to cry. That was the first time I had ever been in a Kingdom Hall.”

That year, Theodore Jaracz and Milton Henschel, of the Governing Body, along with Willi Pohl, from the Germany branch, traveled throughout the Soviet Union. They were interested in meeting with the brothers to encourage them and to get acquainted  with the situation. The scene of the world was changing quickly, and no time was to be lost in making use of the Soviet Union’s policy of perestroika. This was a time for spiritual reorganizing, giving attention first to the translation work.

Since 1983, Toomas (Tom) Edur, an energetic former hockey-league player with an Estonian background, had been doing some translation into Estonian at the Canada branch. * At that time, those publications were made available primarily to Estonians living abroad. But in 1990, with the work beginning to open up in Estonia, Toomas and his wife, Elizabeth, were assigned to the Finland branch to help translate our literature into Estonian. Soon after that, they were transferred to Estonia.

Prior to this, individual translators had been working at separate locations. It was now evident that a translation team would benefit from working together at one location. Consequently, a number of translators began working at Lembit Toom’s home in Tartu. However, because it was virtually impossible to obtain computers in the Soviet Union, the translators lacked equipment to do the work efficiently. The  situation improved, though, when a local brother visited the United States branch and brought back two computers​—a good start for an efficient translation department. Only a few of the translators had experience with computers and the organization’s Multilanguage Electronic Phototypesetting System (MEPS), so the task was challenging. But they were eager to learn and were soon doing excellent work.

ANOTHER JOYFUL CONVENTION ABROAD

As Soviet control of Eastern Europe diminished, people began to enjoy an increasing amount of freedom. In fact, about 200 Estonian brothers and sisters were granted visas to attend the “Pure Language” District Convention in Helsinki, Finland, in June 1990.

When the Estonian delegates stepped off the boats that had brought them to Finland, the Finnish brothers at the port burst into thunderous applause, which lasted about half an hour! Non-Witnesses were curious about what was going on and wanted to know who the celebrities were. What a turnabout! Our humble brothers, who had been mistreated by the Soviet authorities for decades, were being welcomed like Olympic champions!

How thrilled the Estonian brothers were to listen to part of the program in Estonian and to receive some new releases in their mother tongue! “When we held an Estonian brochure in our hands for the first time,” said one old-timer, “it was like holding a precious jewel.”

The Estonian delegates were even more thrilled by a stirring announcement made during the final  talk. The speaker said that the Governing Body had given approval for a semimonthly four-color Estonian Watchtower to be published simultaneously with the English edition, starting in January 1991! The ecstatic audience stood up and broke into prolonged applause. Then, as silence fell after the applause, someone in the audience asked: “Will there be just one magazine for each study group as there was before? Or will each individual receive a personal copy?” The answer that everyone would get a personal copy was too good to be true and triggered another round of appreciative applause.

The Finland branch got busy printing the Estonian literature and also made the back issues from 1990 available. In addition to receiving spiritual help, the Estonian Witnesses received and in turn distributed many shipments of humanitarian aid from their brothers in various countries​—help that was badly needed in view of the state of the economy.

THE FIRST CONVENTION IN FREEDOM

Jehovah’s organization was quick to make use of the increasing religious freedom to arrange large district conventions throughout the Soviet Union. How excited the Estonian brothers were to host the first of the “Lovers of [Godly] Freedom” conventions on July 13-14, 1991, in Tallinn!

This convention was particularly joyous for some of the older delegates. Why? Because the last time they had attended a convention in Estonia in freedom was in 1940. How thrilled they were now, over 50 years later, to assemble freely once again!

 The Russian-speaking brothers from the northwest of the Soviet Union, the Baltic countries, and Kaliningrad assembled in the Tallinn Linnahall (City Concert Hall). The adjacent Jäähall (Ice Hall) seated almost a thousand for the Estonian sessions, with a combined peak of 4,808 for both halls. With 447 baptized, it was certainly a time of great jubilation!

Conventions such as this one did much to help new ones learn the truth. For example, Leonhard Nilsk’s grandmother Amalie was attending the Adventist church but had doubts about their teachings. Leonhard encouraged her to determine the truth from the Bible. The turning point came for Amalie, though, when she attended the convention in Tallinn in 1991. After the first day, Amalie announced that she would never go back to her church again. What Leonhard had said had not been enough for Amalie​—she simply had to see Jehovah’s people for herself. She agreed to a Bible study and was later baptized.

DREAMS COME TRUE

Now that dark clouds of persecution and oppression no longer threatened Jehovah’s servants, it was hard for some to believe that there truly was freedom of worship. One longtime elder, for example, had dreamed of the day when the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth would be available in Estonian. In 1991, this became the first of our books printed in Estonian in the new era of increased freedom.

“Now that this book was in my hand,” says the elder, “I could not believe it was true. When I introduced it at the meeting, it was hard to hold back the tears. For a moment, everyone was silent, as they could not  believe their ears. Then came the cries of joy! Brothers were rejoicing and crying, all at the same time. It was the kind of moment that is impossible to forget. Every time I think of it, I get tears in my eyes.”

Time and again, brothers felt “like those who were dreaming.” (Ps. 126:1-6) After decades of hardship, many were personally able to experience the happy outcome promised in God’s Word: “In due season we shall reap if we do not tire out.”​—Gal. 6:9.

A JOYFUL THEOCRATIC MILESTONE

October 31, 1991, is a date our brothers and sisters in Estonia will long remember. That was the date on which the first congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses was officially registered in Estonia.

A time of great spiritual rebuilding was now at hand. There was so much interest in the good news, and people were openly expressing their interest in the Bible and religion. There were Bible studies to be conducted, as well as congregation meetings, circuit assemblies, and conventions to be organized. The translators needed adequate facilities to care for their growing workload.

In the meantime, Gilead missionaries were starting to arrive, and suitable missionary homes had to be found. They needed help to solve visa problems and to obtain residence permits. The neutrality issue had to be resolved with government officials. Building permits were needed to build Kingdom Halls.

“Those years,” recalls Reino Kesk, who served as a circuit overseer at the time, “flew by as if they were only a few short months because of all the theocratic groundwork that had to be laid. It was also an  extremely emotional time. People loved the truth and accepted it quickly. In every congregation there were many who wanted to get baptized. Some interested ones who came to the convention not knowing much about Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoyed the talks and immediately wanted to get baptized. There was so much to do to help them!”

When Estonia was under Soviet rule, the preaching work was supervised by the branch office in Germany. One of the secret channels of communication between Germany and Estonia was through the Finland branch. But with borders now open and free communication possible, in 1992 the oversight of the work in Estonia was assigned to the Finland branch.

VERY ZEALOUS AND VERY EAGER!

Because so many were making rapid progress, it was a challenge to keep track of the new ones who wanted to qualify as unbaptized publishers. For example, Tom Edur visited a new little group on the morning of the Memorial of Christ’s death and was amazed at the large number that arrived to go out in the field service.

“Do you know everybody here?” Tom asked the local brother.

“Well, some aren’t publishers,” was the reply.

So Tom went ahead with the meeting for field service and then announced: “Maybe afterward I can speak separately to any who are not yet publishers.”

About ten Bible students presented themselves, explaining that they wanted to qualify to go out and preach. After Tom had discussed the basic qualifications for unbaptized publishers, three of the young  women admitted that they had not yet resigned from their church. Tom explained that if they wanted to be identified with Jehovah’s Witnesses, they needed to terminate their church membership. So they did! They immediately went to their former church, had their names removed from the registry, and then joined the others in the preaching work.

One man present at the meeting for field service was still a smoker. It would take him some time to clean up his life, so he went home with the prospect of becoming a publisher at a later time.

Now that the brothers could share in the preaching work without government restrictions, they were eager to use every opportunity to share the good news with as many people as possible. Some were so eager that they needed help to maintain a healthy spiritual balance. For example, when reviewing the baptism questions with a young candidate, Tom Edur asked him if the elders had ever given him any counsel.

“Yes,” said the young man, “the elders advised me to be a little more balanced in my use of time.”

“Oh, what was the problem?” asked Tom.

“Well, as a result of spending 150 hours in field service every month,” explained the young man, “I was neglecting other Scriptural responsibilities. The elders suggested that if I put in 100 hours in the ministry, I could make time for personal study and preparation for the meetings.”

A JOYFUL CONVENTION IN RUSSIA

Another important milestone in theocratic history was the international convention held in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June 1992. For many of the  1,000 delegates who attended from Estonia, it was a happy reunion with former prison mates and with other Witnesses they had met during their exile in Siberia.

“The timing of the convention was excellent for us,” says one of the delegates. “We chartered a special train for quite a low price with Russian rubles. Then, just one week before the convention, Estonia changed its currency from rubles to Estonian krooni. If we had been away that specific week of the conversion, we would not have been in Estonia to change any of our money. However, even though we were there to change our money, we were permitted to convert only a limited sum of money. What should we do with the extra rubles that we had been unable to convert? Because rubles were still being used in Russia,  brothers took the rubles with them to the convention and put them in the contribution boxes. In addition, if the convention had been a week later, when new border regulations were implemented, we would have had to obtain expensive visas to cross the border. The convention was at precisely the right time for the brothers!”

One of the many whose hearts were touched by this historic convention was an interested woman who had arranged to travel from Estonia with the Witnesses. “Somehow I misunderstood the departure time,” she relates. “When I arrived at the station, the train had already departed. But I had paid for the trip. What could I do now? I prayed to Jehovah, asking him to please help me and telling him that I would do whatever I could to get there.

“The stationmaster said that I would have to buy a ticket for another train, but I didn’t have enough money for another ticket! Suddenly, I saw a group of people arriving at the station. They were all so happy and well-dressed! They were Witnesses from the island of Sarema. Their train had not arrived yet, and my ticket enabled me to travel with them. What a relief!

“While traveling, the Witnesses sang Kingdom songs, which had a special impact on me. I felt as though I had been adopted as part of their spiritual family. I stayed with them for the entire convention and saw how sincere and loving they were. This melted away all my doubts. It was now clear to me that I had found God’s earthly organization.” This former interested person now serves as a regular pioneer together with her husband.

 WILLING WORKERS WELCOME

The preaching work and the organization were progressing rapidly, and there was a need for more brothers with theocratic experience. Who could fill this growing need? Like Isaiah, many responded and said: “Here I am! Send me.”​—Isa. 6:8.

The first four Gilead-trained missionaries, Vesa and Leena-Maria Edvik as well as Esa and Jaael Nissinen, arrived in 1992. Reino and Lesli Kesk, who had been in the traveling work in Canada for 17 years, were also among those assigned to Estonia. Then, in the spring of 1993, 20 pioneers from Finland were assigned to serve in the Estonian- and the Russian-language fields as special pioneers, and four more missionaries arrived.

Thereafter, missionaries were sent to Estonia from several consecutive Gilead classes, bringing with them much joy and enthusiasm. Some missionaries without Gilead training were also assigned here. The energetic missionaries and eager special pioneers continued to fortify the solid foundation that had been laid by loyal Estonian brothers and sisters over the course of many decades.

In addition, some two hundred foreign brothers and sisters have come to serve where the need is greater. Their spiritual maturity has helped to strengthen and stabilize the congregations. Many new congregations were established, and these brothers from other lands were the only elders in some of the congregations until the local brothers made enough progress to take on more responsibility.

Lembit Välja is one who came to help. He was born in Estonia, survived World War II, and moved  to Australia, where he became a Witness. When he was about to retire, he decided to move back to Estonia in 1990 to help quench the spiritual thirst of the many interested ones. He recalls that at one point, he studied with 18 groups scattered over half of Estonia with about 80 people attending. He traveled to those groups by bus, often spending the night at bus stations in his sleeping bag. More than 50 of his Bible students have been baptized, and at the age of 84, he is still conducting four Bible studies. His hard work and sacrifices have borne excellent fruit​—there are now thriving congregations and Kingdom Halls in most of the towns he used to visit.

In return, those willing brothers who came here to help have benefited. Many have described what an enriching experience it has been for them to get to know the local people and their way of life. “It widens your view,” explains Reino Kesk, “and helps you to see things a little more the way Jehovah must as he looks at the whole world.”

FIRST CIRCUIT OVERSEERS’ VISITS

At that time of rapid growth, the encouraging visits of traveling overseers did much to fortify the congregations. The circuit overseers poured themselves  into their assignments, often putting in 15-hour days​—sharing in field service, attending and conducting meetings, and answering the many questions that the brothers asked.

The first circuit to be formed covered Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Kaliningrad. Within that territory, there were 46 congregations and 12 groups, in four languages! The circuit overseer also had additional time-consuming assignments, such as handling registration procedures in Latvia and Lithuania. Now, in Estonia alone, there are four circuits.

“The publishers appreciated the circuit overseer’s visits so much,” remembers Lauri Nordling, a local brother who served as a circuit overseer in 1995. “Often when we met for field service, the room was full of people. Once a tiny one-room apartment was jammed with about 70 brothers and sisters. If you had thrown an apple in the air, there would not have been anywhere for it to land on the floor.”

CHALLENGES OF LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE

It is a challenge for most people to learn a new language, and Estonian is a particularly difficult one to master. For example, Markku Kettula, a new missionary, was talking to a man about Jesus Christ. Instead of saying that Jesus is the Rahuvürst, the Prince of Peace, he stressed a few times that Jesus is the rahuvorst​—the sausage of peace. Only when Markku opened the Bible to Isaiah 9:6 did the puzzled man grasp that the true source of peace is not something that can be eaten!

A pioneer sister was learning Russian after she moved to Estonia. While engaging in the preaching work, she inadvertently knocked on the door of a local  elder, whom she did not recognize. Dictionary in hand, she began her presentation. The brother tried to explain that he was an elder in the congregation. She quickly looked up the word “elder” and found the word “old.”

“Oh,” said the sister, “you’re not that old! Besides, in the Paradise you can grow young again.” Only after he showed her the theocratic publications in his apartment did she understand that he was not so old but was actually an elder.

AN ATHEIST JUDGE LEARNS THE TRUTH

During the Soviet era, Viktor Sen was sentenced to prison for two years because he refused to do military service. After serving a year in prison, he petitioned to be voluntarily exiled to Siberia as a free settler, an option that would give him more freedom. At the parole hearing, the judges vented their indignation on him, one judge even saying that people like him should be hung or shot.

A few years later, at a convention, a brother introduced Viktor to a group of interested people and asked him, “Do you recognize anyone?”

“No,” responded Viktor.

“Really?” asked the brother. Then, pointing to  one of the men in the group, who was clearly very embarrassed, he asked, “What about this man?”

Viktor still did not recognize the man. How surprised Viktor was to find out that the man was Yuri, one of the associate judges at his parole hearing. Now he was studying the Bible and was at the convention with Viktor. What had changed Yuri’s mind about Jehovah’s Witnesses?

“I was raised in a family of aggressive atheists,” explains Yuri. “During my schooling, I often gave speeches about the danger of religion. Then, years later, I sat in on a few of my friends’ Bible studies with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I realized that while I had a good knowledge of religious lies, I really didn’t know anything about the Bible. I thus became interested in learning more about the Bible.”

 After Yuri was baptized, he said to Viktor: “When we were last in court together, we sat on different benches. But if we ever end up at a similar trial again, we’ll be sitting on the same bench! I will never be the one to sentence you.” Yuri and Viktor now both serve as elders in Tallinn.

A MEMORABLE MEMORIAL

A brother who had just moved to Estonia approached Pavel and Margarita and in broken Estonian managed to say, “If you want everlasting life, you must come to the Memorial of Christ’s death tonight.” Intrigued, the couple decided to attend.

Pavel and Margarita were warmly welcomed at the Memorial. But as the program proceeded, they were somewhat alarmed when they saw a man walking up and down the aisle looking at people and making notes. They did not realize that he was only counting how many were in attendance. Pavel and Margarita began to doubt whether they should have come, but they were afraid to leave because it looked to them as if two big men were guarding the doors. Not realizing that the brothers were simply attendants, Pavel  and Margarita decided that it would be better not to try to leave.

At the end of the Memorial talk, though, Pavel and Margarita were interested when they heard the speaker offer a free home Bible study to anyone who wanted one. Their fears were allayed when the brothers warmly introduced themselves afterward, so the couple asked for a Bible study. Because they planned to move away in two weeks, they asked if they could have a study each day. When they did move into their new home, they eagerly phoned the brothers nearby, introduced themselves, and resumed their Bible study.

‘EYEWITNESSES OF YOUR FINE WORKS’

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Estonia express love for one another, as do their brothers and sisters earth wide. (John 13:35) Others observe such expressions and are drawn to true worship.​—1 Pet. 2:12.

Toivo received the book Mankind’s Search for God from a sister who had cut his hair at a barbershop. When he finished reading it, he wanted to attend a meeting at the Kingdom Hall, but he was hesitant because he had been warned about the Witnesses. So he decided to observe the Witnesses at the Kingdom Hall from the safety of his car. He wanted to see what kind of people went into the hall before the meeting and what they looked like when they came out of the hall after the meeting.

He was most impressed when he saw the sisters warmly embracing each other; he could readily see that these people truly cared for one another. He eagerly started attending meetings and began to study the Bible. He made rapid progress and was soon zealously  preaching to others. He is now a baptized Witness.

“JEHOVAH HAS ANSWERED MY PRAYER!”

In 1997 a copy of Kingdom News No. 35 was handed to Maria in the tiny village of Tootsi. She read the tract and wrote to the branch office asking for a Bible study. Shortly thereafter, Markku and Sirpa Kettula, missionaries living in Pärnu, started to study the Bible with Maria. It was not long before Maria began to talk about the truth with others, and soon her daughter-in-law, Ingrid, and Ingrid’s neighbor Malle both joined the study. When Maria wanted to participate in the ministry, the elders recommended that she first attend congregation meetings regularly. However, the nearest congregation was in Pärnu, 25 miles [40 km] away, and she didn’t have much money to travel. So at the encouragement of the missionaries, Maria prayed for Jehovah’s help.

“Jehovah has answered my prayer!” said Maria happily the next time the missionaries visited her.

“How did he answer your prayer?” Markku and Sirpa inquired.

“I will gather some people together at my house,” she explained enthusiastically, “and you can arrange meetings and establish a congregation here. Then I can attend the meetings and also start in the field service.”

The missionaries did not want to stifle her eagerness, but they tactfully explained that forming a new congregation was not that simple. They encouraged her to try to get to the meetings in Pärnu, at least on Sundays for a start.

 Again Maria made her meeting attendance a matter of prayer. In addition, Maria decided to save money by canceling her newspaper. Soon she had enough money to attend meetings four times a month and was delighted to begin sharing in the preaching work. But Maria was to enjoy even greater blessings.

In view of the growing interest in Tootsi, the elders arranged to have a book study there, which Maria, Ingrid, Malle, and other interested ones could attend. Just a few months later, both Maria and Malle were baptized, and Ingrid was baptized the following summer. Malle’s husband was baptized not long afterward, and Malle’s sister was baptized the following winter. The thriving little group in Tootsi is grateful that Kingdom News No. 35 introduced the truth to their small village and that they have experienced Jehovah’s blessing in response to their many prayers.

The last two decades have been full of fruitful Kingdom activity and much joy as many honesthearted people have flocked to Jehovah’s organization. Where, though, would all those righteously disposed people gather to worship the true God and be taught by him?

KINGDOM HALLS URGENTLY NEEDED!

The first meeting place to be constructed was in Räpina, in southern Estonia, and it served the brothers well for many years. But it was clear that local building efforts would not be able to keep pace with the rapid growth in the number of publishers. The Engineering Office in the Finland branch came to the rescue and started to design Kingdom Halls and office facilities for the Baltic countries. What a delight it was, in 1993, to see the first Kingdom Hall go up in Maardu, to be followed rapidly by many others.

 Presently, in Estonia, there are 33 Kingdom Halls for the 53 congregations. The brothers are happy that they also have two Assembly Halls, one in Tallinn and the other in Tartu, both of which were completed in 1998.

Longtime Witness, Alexandra Olesyuk, recalls: “We had dreamed of building a Kingdom Hall in Tartu. So when we were asked to go and clear the land where the Kingdom Hall was to be built, I was the first one there to help, although I was 79! I cleaned and carried things. Every time I rode by the Kingdom Hall  site on the bus, I cried for joy. And I cried when the hall was completed too.”

NEW TRANSLATION OFFICE

As the number of publishers continued to soar, larger facilities were needed to meet the needs of the country and particularly those of the translation team. An unfinished apartment building that seemed suitable was found in Tallinn at 77 Herzeni (now Puhangu) Street. However, it needed thorough remodeling.

The Finland branch provided architectural plans, materials, money, and a workforce to carry out the project. Without their help, it would have been almost impossible. For example, local building materials were of poor quality or were simply not available at the time. Additionally, only a few Estonian brothers initially had the construction skills needed to do the work. However, local brothers were progressively trained and helped to gain more experience. By February 1994, the first part of the office complex was complete. That year, a Country Committee (Toomas Edur, Reino Kesk, and Lembit Reile) was appointed to serve the three Baltic countries under the supervision of the Finland branch. Because more room was needed, additions were made to the complex in 1997 and 1999.

The water company, which occupied the adjacent building at the time, expressed interest in the design of the Bethel garden. Consequently, in exchange for reduced water rates, the brothers helped them design their garden, fence, and lighting systems. As a result, their building actually ended up looking very much like Bethel. Later, they sold their building to the  brothers at a very reasonable price. The extra space is being put to good use as a recording studio for producing convention dramas and DVDs, including sign-language DVDs. The Ministerial Training School too has been accommodated in a remodeled part of the building.

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS IN TALLINN

How thrilled the Estonian brothers and sisters were to be informed that they would host “Messengers of Godly Peace” International Conventions in 1996. Two conventions held in Tallinn served Estonian- and Russian-speaking delegates as well as brothers from Latvia and Lithuania. Delegates were also invited from 15 other countries. The two 3-day programs took place in August. Five members of the Governing Body​—Brothers Barber, Henschel, Jaracz, Schroeder, and Sydlik—​were present to strengthen the brothers with their encouraging talks. A peak of 11,311 attended the conventions, and 501 newly dedicated ones were baptized.

The conventions gave a wonderful witness and generated a great deal of publicity. Reports included a ten-minute interview on a TV talk show. The owner of a radio station broadcast a program that praised the Witnesses for being such “good people.”

The warm brotherly love of the delegates was readily apparent when each convention ended and it was time to say good-bye. The sea of waving arms and handkerchiefs and the tears of joy expressed the deep-seated emotions of Jehovah’s true worshippers. The sustained applause of the entire audience after the concluding prayer expressed their deep gratitude to our most generous and loving heavenly Father,  Jehovah. Those conventions remain a milestone in the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Estonia.

A BRANCH ONCE AGAIN

Between 1926 and 1940, an office operated in Tallinn. Then, beginning in 1994, a Country Office functioned in Estonia, under the oversight of the Finland branch. Much was accomplished, and many wondered if Estonia would again have its own branch. The answer came on March 1, 1999, when the Governing Body appointed Toomas Edur, Reino Kesk (now serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo), Lembit Reile, and Tommi Kauko to serve on the Estonia Branch Committee. Presently, there are about 50 individuals serving at the branch, caring for the needs of 4,300 hardworking and loyal servants of Jehovah in Estonia.

FACING THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE

What does the future hold for Jehovah’s people in Estonia? Jehovah has never failed to guide and strengthen his loyal servants. Indeed, the brothers and sisters who maintained integrity during Nazi and Soviet persecution in Estonia have experienced Jehovah’s strength in unique and unforgettable ways. Along with their brothers and sisters worldwide, they rejoice that Jehovah’s great name has been made known and sanctified in the farthest reaches of the republics of the former Soviet Union.​—Mal. 1:11.

At the same time, there are still many humble and sincere people in Estonia who want to learn about the true God. The present climate of religious freedom permits Jehovah’s Witnesses to proclaim as never before the good news of Jehovah’s Kingdom.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 172]

“I never lacked anything really important”

[Blurb on page 204]

“It was good when I was put in isolation”

 [Box on page 168]

An Overview of Estonia

Land

An unspoiled, sparsely populated country, Estonia is characterized by tall, thick forests, more than 1,400 lakes, about 7,000 streams and rivers, and uninhabitable swamps. Over 1,500 islands make up one tenth of Estonia. Most of the country is flat and lies less than 160 feet [50 m] above sea level. The southeast has a beautiful, undulating landscape.

People

Ethnically, 68 percent of the inhabitants are Estonian, and 26 percent are Russian, with the remainder being mostly Ukrainian, Belarusan, and Finnish. Religiously, they are Lutherans, Orthodox, and other nominal Christians, as well as Muslims and Jews. Much of the population is unaffiliated or is attached to unspecified religions.

Language

The official language, Estonian, is in the same language group as Finnish and Hungarian. The Russian-speaking population makes up over a quarter of the nation.

Food

Leib (black bread) and potatoes are popular, as are pickled pumpkin, beet salad, and sauerkraut. Other specialties include sült (jellied veal), rosolje (herring and beets), wild mushroom soup, pork, fish, and smoked meats. Desserts include kringel​—a sweet knotted bread sprinkled with raisins and nuts—​and pancakes.

Climate

Summers are cool, and winters moderate. The longest day in summer has over 19 hours of daylight, and the shortest day in winter has only 6. While the southwestern coast can enjoy balmy Mediterranean temperatures in summer, winter temperatures can drop to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit [-20°C].

 [Box/​Pictures on pages 183, 184]

“We Were Like One Family”

ADOLF KOSE

BORN 1920

BAPTIZED 1944

DIED 2004

PROFILE In a Siberian prison camp from 1951 to 1956. Helped organize the preaching work in the Baltic countries and the northwestern part of the Soviet Union.

▪ “I WAS arrested in 1950,” recalls Adolf, “and sent to a hard-labor camp in Inta, Siberia. For the first year and a half, I didn’t know anything about my wife and two small daughters, who had been exiled to another part of Siberia.

“There was a special kind of unity among the brothers. We were like one family. We shared both spiritual and physical food.

“After returning to Estonia, we had many challenges. How do we get in contact with our ‘Mother’ organization? How do we maintain unity among the brothers? How do we continue the preaching work?

“In order to communicate better with the couriers, I wanted to learn Finnish. That was easier said than done because there were no grammar books or dictionaries for sale.

“As for printing, it was a crime to be in possession of an unregistered typewriter, let alone printing equipment. Anyone who produced forbidden literature could be imprisoned for seven years. It was also difficult because there  was a shortage of everything that was needed for printing. After many trial-and-error attempts using available materials, I finally succeeded in developing a printing technique. First of all, I made a printing machine (below). Then I typed the text on waxed cloth that we made ourselves. This left holes on the surface of the wax. We printed the first publications with ink made from a mixture of soot and tar. While printing, the homemade ink would trickle through the holes in the wax cloth and leave an impression on the paper underneath. The job was complicated, time consuming, and harmful to one’s health because the fumes from the ink and other chemicals were dangerous. Proper ventilation of the rooms was impossible, as the windows were tightly covered to keep the work secret.”

In the midst of difficulties, Adolf fearlessly followed direction from the organization, always with the conviction that Jehovah would provide answers at the right time. He served Jehovah with the same unfaltering attitude and faith until his death in 2004.

 [Box/​Picture on page 186]

A Letter to Stalin

In June 1949, the responsible brothers in Estonia courageously sent letters to officials in Moscow. One was sent to Joseph Stalin, and another to Nikolay Shvernik, the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.

In the letters, the brothers demanded that Jehovah’s Witnesses who had been arrested be released immediately and that the persecution against the Witnesses be stopped. The letters also contained a strong warning, drawing a parallel to the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt who refused to allow the Israelites to serve Jehovah freely. (Ex. 5:1-4) The brothers boldly stated: “Jehovah God’s organization . . . should be permitted to preach unhindered the good news of Jehovah’s Kingdom to all the inhabitants of the Soviet Union; otherwise, Jehovah will utterly destroy the Soviet Union and the Communist Party.”

“We realized that it was quite a daring message,” recalls Adolf Kose. “We didn’t want to risk mailing the letters from Tallinn, since they could be traced to us. So we traveled to Leningrad (St. Petersburg) to mail them from there.”

It is not known whether Stalin personally read the letter or not, but it surely got attention. While being interrogated, brothers were shown a copy of the letter, on which was written: “This organization must be eliminated!” Soon more brothers were arrested and the persecution intensified. The letter sent to Shvernik has been found in the national archives with a government stamp on it.

 [Box/​Picture on page 189]

The KGB and Our Organization

At the end of the 1940’s, the secret police made concerted efforts to discover how the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses was organized. In order to obtain information for the KGB, some individuals pretended to be interested in the truth. The accompanying chart, found in government archives in Tallinn, shows that the KGB were quite well informed. It includes the names of the brothers on the Service Committee, those overseeing the work in the major cities of Estonia, and those involved in the printing work.

 [Box/​Picture on page 191]

She Was Never Silenced by Opposers

ELLA TOOM

BORN 1926

BAPTIZED 1946

PROFILE Sentenced to a total of 13 years imprisonment but released after serving 5 years and 6 months.

▪ “THE authorities put me in solitary confinement for three days to get me to renounce my faith,” says Ella, “so that I would no longer talk to anybody about God’s government or believe in it myself. The officials shouted: ‘We are going to make it so that even the name Jehovah will not be remembered in Estonia! You are going to a camp, and the others are going to Siberia!’ Tauntingly, they added, ‘Where is your Jehovah?’ I refused to be a traitor. It is better to be in the camp with God than to be at home without God. Even in the prison camp, I never considered myself confined. I always felt that Jehovah had allowed me to be taken there to preach in my new territory.

“In one camp I used to go for a walk every day with an interested person. Then one day we decided not to go. Later I learned that on that day some religious fanatics had planned to drown me in the river because of my preaching activity.” Ella was never silenced by opposers and still serves Jehovah faithfully as a regular pioneer. *

[Footnote]

 [Box/​Pictures on pages 193, 194]

“Jehovah, Let Your Will Take Place”

LEMBIT TOOM

BORN 1924

BAPTIZED 1944

PROFILE In Estonia during the German occupation and then in a Siberian work camp from 1951 to 1956.

▪ LEMBIT was one of many young Jehovah’s Witnesses who refused to be recruited by the German army and had to go into hiding. One night police officers raided the home where Lembit was staying. They had received a complaint that a suspicious-looking man was hiding on that farm. Lembit quickly hid his bed and crawled half dressed under the floor. He could hear the sound of the officers’ boots reverberating just above his head.

The policeman pointed a pistol at the farmer’s head and shouted: “Someone is hiding in this house. How can we get under the floor?” The farmer remained silent.

“If the one hiding there does not come out, we will throw a grenade under the floor!” screamed the policeman.

Then Lembit saw the beam of their flashlight as they tried to see him. All Lembit could do now was pray, “Jehovah, let your will take place.”

“The mental stress I was under,” recalls Lembit, “was almost unbearable, and I crawled to another place under the floor, almost ready to come out.”

Then he calmly lay down, and after an extremely stressful few minutes, the police left. Lembit waited where he  was for about another hour to be sure that the officers did not return. Then, before daybreak, he left the house to find another hiding place.

When the Soviets took over, Lembit faced other tests. “I was sentenced to ten years in a camp in Noril’sk, Siberia, a 5,000-mile [8,000 km] trip from Estonia. That meant hard work in an open-pit nickel mine. Living conditions in the camp were substandard, and the work was extremely exhausting. In the northern part of the Soviet Union above the Arctic Circle, winters are hard. The temperature can drop to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit [-30°C] and sometimes much lower. For two months in the winter, the sun does not rise above the horizon.”

After five years of slave labor, Lembit was released, and in 1957 he married Ella Kikas. Through the years, Lembit also helped in translating and printing literature. He is known as an empathetic, warm elder, always ready with a scripture to strengthen his fellow servants. *

[Footnote]

[Picture]

Lembit and Ella Toom

 [Box/​Picture on page 199]

“It’s Your Mother”

KARIN REILE

BORN 1950

BAPTIZED 1965

PROFILE Born in prison and taken from her mother to be raised by her grandmother.

▪ “I WAS born when my mother, Maimu, was in prison because of her political activity,” says Karin. “I was a weak baby, and on account of the coldness of the prison cell, I contracted double pneumonia. But I survived, thanks to another prisoner, Laine Prööm, who later learned the truth.

“At that time, many of the prisoners’ babies were sent to orphanages throughout the Soviet Union so that they would forget their parents. Fortunately, I was given to my grandmother. My mother was sent to a prison camp in Mordvinia, where she met Ella Toom, a courageous sister. Mother accepted the truth and was baptized there.

“For the next five years, my grandma raised me. Unexpectedly, one day a strange lady appeared at our house. ‘It’s your mother,’ Grandma said. It was a very confusing experience, and it took me several years to get over it.” Happily, Karin and her grandmother also accepted the truth.

Later Karin learned English and began helping with the translation of our publications. She married Lembit Reile, and they now serve together in the Estonia branch.

 [Box/​Pictures on page 201]

The Divine Name in the Estonian Bible

The Greek Scriptures were translated into a southern Estonian dialect as early as 1686 and into the northern dialect in 1715. The complete Bible, Piibli Ramat, published in 1739, was readily accessible to the common people. It was remarkable in that it used the divine name, Jehovah, wherever it appeared in the Hebrew Scriptures, a practice that continued throughout the following centuries. A 1988 edition of the Bible in Estonian uses the divine name 6,867 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. As a result, many Estonians know that God’s name is Jehovah.

A milestone was reached on July 3, 2009, at the district convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tartu, Estonia, when Guy Pierce, a member of the Governing Body, released the Estonian-language edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures.

 [Box/​Pictures on page 202]

Handmade Books

HELMI LEEK

BORN 1908

BAPTIZED 1945

DIED 1998

PROFILE Imprisoned and sent to Siberia.

▪ HELMI was arrested as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and sent to Siberia, where she made a small purse for her notebook. She stitched a comforting scripture on it​—Romans 8:35: “Who will separate us from the love of the Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword?”

Helmi found some pieces of brown paper and used them to make a book. In it were some encouraging Biblical thoughts. Many brothers copied entire books by hand, as there were not many printed publications available.

After returning from Siberia, Helmi told the officials: “I am thankful to you that you sent me to see the beautiful mountains of Siberia​—I would never have had money to travel that far!”

 [Box/​Pictures on pages 209, 210]

A Self-Sacrificing Spirit

FANNY HIETALA

BORN 1900

BAPTIZED 1925

DIED 1995

PROFILE Moved to Estonia in 1930, pioneered, and adopted a Witness orphan.

▪ FANNY was baptized in Finland in 1925 and entered full-time service two years later. At a convention in Helsinki, she met William Dey, the overseer of the Northern European Office. Although they did not speak the same language, Brother Dey kept repeating the word “Estonia.” Deducing that he was encouraging her to move to a place where the need was greater, Fanny, as well as some other pioneers, moved to Estonia in 1930. During the following years, she made good use of her bicycle to preach the good news in several counties across Estonia, including the island of Sarema.

Fanny never got married, but she adopted an orphan girl named Ester, whose mother and Witness father had both died by the time she was eight. With Fanny’s loving care, Ester grew up to embrace the truth.

When the Communist regime arrived and the persecution started, Fanny could have moved back to Finland. However, she demonstrated a self-sacrificing spirit by staying with a small group of local publishers. As a result of her decision to stay, she endured many difficulties and poor living conditions, but because of her Finnish citizenship, she was not exiled to Siberia.

  Fanny served as a courier, carrying microfilms and correspondence from Finland to Estonia during the 1950’s. She was known for her courage and discretion, and although there were some very tense situations, she was never caught. For example, once she traveled to Leningrad (St. Petersburg) to pick up a package of microfilms from a Finnish courier brother in a certain park. She, in turn, was to hand the package on to two Estonian brothers as quickly as possible. However, the Estonian brothers had noticed that they were being followed by the secret police and tried to slip away unnoticed by Fanny. Alas! Fanny and the Finnish brother walked straight in the direction of the Estonian brothers. If she had greeted them or tried to give them the package, the secret police would have uncovered their connection. Amazingly, Fanny walked right past them as if she did not know them. Actually, it turned out that she simply did not see them, even though she knew them both very well! As a result, the secret police never found out who the couriers were and the package was safely handed over afterward. Fanny’s help as a contact allowed for a steady flow of spiritual food, and thankfully none of the microfilm shipments were ever discovered.

This warmhearted sister served Jehovah faithfully for 70 years until her death at the age of 95 while still residing in Estonia.

[Picture]

On a courier mission in Leningrad, 1966

 [Box/​Picture on page 213]

Objects of Slander

“Happy are you,” Jesus told his disciples, “when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake.” (Matt. 5:11) True to their Master’s words, Jehovah’s Witnesses are frequently the objects of malicious slander. The Witnesses were falsely accused of being a political organization involved in subversion and espionage. Especially in the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s, newspapers claimed that our work was led by the U.S. government and that we were exploited by wealthy American capitalists.

After refusing to do military service in 1964, Silver Silliksaar was accused of being a betrayer of the fatherland and sentenced to prison. Also, a short movie of his trial, laced with pompous Communist propaganda, was shown in every movie theater across Estonia. Most brothers who refused to do military service were imprisoned for two to three years. Jüri Schönberg, Taavi Kuusk, and Artur Mikit were each imprisoned twice​—Brother Mikit for a total of five and a half years.

[Picture]

Silver Silliksaar on trial for his faith

 [Box on page 226]

An Underground Theocratic Ministry School

Under the ban, the brothers could never be sure how long they would have literature or even the Bible. Therefore, in addition to having a variety of different hiding places for literature, they tried to memorize as many Bible verses as possible.

Most informal get-togethers were used to discuss and memorize Bible verses. For those gatherings, some made little cards that served as memory aids. On one side of the card was a Bible chapter and verse citation, such as Matthew 24:14, or a question or a Bible name. On the other side, they wrote out the Bible text or the answer to the question.

Brothers used whatever spiritual publications were on hand to conduct meetings. The Theocratic Ministry School, for example, consisted of weekly classes, homework assignments, oral tests, and even examinations. There were reviews every three months and a final exam in the spring.

“One of the weekly homework assignments,” recalls one of the students, “was to memorize five Bible texts, which we had to recite at the next class. I remember the final exam in 1988. There was one examination card that simply said: ‘Recite 100 scriptures from memory.’ Strange as it may seem, everyone hoped to draw that card. Those assignments helped us the most in our preaching work, since we could rarely use the Bible openly.” In 1990, the Estonian congregations were delighted when at last they were able to hold the Theocratic Ministry School the way the rest of the worldwide brotherhood did.

 [Box/​Pictures on pages 236, 237]

“The Field Ministry Was Wonderful”

Some missionaries share their observations about their assignment in Estonia:

Markku and Sirpa Kettula: “The territory to which we were assigned was virtually untouched. The field service was amazing because people were very interested in the Bible. When we arrived in Pärnu, there were some 30 publishers. Now there are three congregations.”

Vesa and Leena-Maria Edvik: “There was hardly anything to buy in the stores. So rather than shopping, people had the time to talk about the Bible. When we did street work, people often lined up to get the literature!”

Esa and Jaael Nissinen: “There’s a lot you can learn from other people. It has been a privilege to get to know many of those who remained faithful under the most severe tests.”

Anne and Ilkka Leinonen: “Day after day, week after week, territory after territory, we met people who had  never heard the Bible’s message. We worked from early morning until late in the evening and really enjoyed seeing the rapid increase. It was hard to believe that at the end of the 20th century, we would be privileged to see such an increase. We will never forget those early years.”

Richard and Rachel Irgens: “The people were very hospitable, and the field ministry was wonderful. We went preaching in the villages along Lake Peipus. Never did we have to take along anything to eat, because the householders would invite us in and feed us. We saw that Jesus’ instructions found at Matthew 10:9, 10 could be applied even in our day. Being in Estonia taught us the need to focus on the more important things and not to get distracted by side issues.”

[Pictures]

Markku and Sirpa Kettula

Vesa and Leena-Maria Edvik

Anne and Ilkka Leinonen

Esa and Jaael Nissinen

Richard and Rachel Irgens

 [Chart/​Pictures on pages 244, 245]

TIME LINE​—Estonia

 1920

1923 Martin Kose returns to Estonia to preach.

1926 A branch office is opened in Tallinn.

Foreign colporteurs arrive to help preach.

1928 The first convention is held in the branch office.

1930

1933 The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is registered.

1940

1940 The Estonian brothers enjoyed the last assembly to be held in freedom for five decades.

1948 Some Witnesses are sent to prisons and prison camps in the Soviet Union.

1949 Witnesses write letters of protest to Stalin.

1950

1951 Nearly 300 Witnesses and many of their relatives are exiled to Siberia.

1953 Stalin dies; Witnesses begin to be released.

1960

1970

1972 The first Russian-speaking congregation is formed.

1980

1990

1991 A translation office is opened in Tartu.

Religious freedom is granted to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The first convention ever held in the Soviet Union takes place in Tallinn.

1992 The first Gilead missionaries arrive.

1993 Estonia’s first Kingdom Hall is built.

1994 A translation office is opened in Tallinn.

1998 Assembly Halls are built in Tallinn and Tartu.

1999 Estonia again becomes a branch.

2000

2000 The first Ministerial Training School class is conducted.

2009 The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures is released in Estonian.

2010

[Graph/​Picture on page 246]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Total Publishers

Total Pioneers

4,000

2,000

1990 2000 2010

 [Maps on page 169]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

FINLAND

HELSINKI

Gulf of Finland

RUSSIA

St. Petersburg

LATVIA

RIGA

ESTONIA

TALLINN

Narva

Maardu

Tapa

Vormsi

Pärnu

Lake Võrtsjärv

Tartu

Räpina

Võru

Hiiumaa

Sarema

Gulf of Riga

Lake Peipus

Lake Pskov

 [Full-page picture on page 162]

[Picture on page 165]

Hugo and Martin Kose

[Picture on page 166]

Albert West

[Picture on page 167]

Alexander and Hilda Brydson, in the 1930’s

[Picture on page 167]

The first branch office was located in this apartment building

[Picture on page 170]

The first pioneers from Finland, Jenny Felt and Irja Mäkelä

[Picture on page 174]

In 1932, the branch was moved to 72 Suur Tartu Road, Tallinn

[Picture on page 175]

Kaarlo Harteva giving a radio lecture

[Pictures on page 177]

John North and his “chariot”

[Picture on page 178]

Nikolai Tuiman

[Picture on page 179]

The police confiscated great quantities of literature

[Picture on page 181]

1940: The last assembly held in freedom before Soviet rule

[Pictures on page 188]

Brothers Kruus, Talberg, Indus, and Toom constituted the Service Committee

[Picture on page 200]

Maimu and Lembit Trell, 1957

[Picture on page 212]

Ene and her sister, Corinna

[Picture on page 218]

Heimar and Elvi Tuiman’s wedding​—an assembly that lasted for two days

[Picture on page 227]

Toomas and Elizabeth Edur

 [Pictures on pages 228, 229]

Notable Conventions

Welcoming delegates to the “Pure Language” District Convention, Helsinki, Finland, 1990

 The “Lovers of Freedom” District Convention, Tallinn, Estonia, 1991

[Picture on page 238]

International convention in St. Petersburg, Russia, 1992

[Picture on page 241]

Lauri and Jelena Nordling

[Picture on page 243]

Reino and Lesli Kesk

[Picture on page 247]

Yuri and Viktor

[Pictures on page 251]

Maardu Kingdom Hall, and Tartu Assembly Hall

 [Pictures on page 254]

Estonia Branch

Branch Committee, from left to right: Tommi Kauko, Toomas Edur, and Lembit Reile