Organizing for Increase in Liberia
Continuing the report on the African tour of the Watch Tower president, N. H. Knorr, and his secretary, M. G. Henschel
MILTON HENSCHEL had gotten off the Pan American plane that we boarded at New York to make connections for his visit with Jehovah’s witnesses in Sierra Leone. Since I planned to visit those in Monrovia, Liberia, I remained on the plane and flew on to Roberts Field, an airport 55 miles out of that capital city. After leaving Dakar our plane came through a storm and the most beautiful display of fireworks I ever witnessed took place below us. Great sheets of lightning jumped from cloud to cloud and bolts of fire would zigzag down through the clouds to the ground. It was a magnificent spectacle, lasting for half an hour. The steward said that the lightning often struck the ship, but as we happened to be 18,000 feet above sea level we were missed this time.
The plane arrived after midnight and there were ten brothers on hand to meet me, having come by means of a pickup truck that they had hired. As we drove through a Firestone rubber plantation, by means of the headlights of the truck we could see little cups hanging from tree trunks, collecting latex, the sap of the rubber tree. Discussions with the brothers made the trip to Monrovia interesting and we arrived tired and sleepy at two o’clock in the morning.
The convention began the next morning at nine o’clock at the Kingdom Hall, which is the front porch of the missionary home, with 36 present. After these had left for preaching activity in the field, I met with the missionaries to discuss their problems with them. A tremendous work needs to be done in Liberia and these missionaries want to keep at it.
Liberia is the only Negro republic in Africa, and all of its politicians from the president down are descendants of American Negroes who returned to Liberia, after the slaves were freed in the United States, to set up their own government. In this they have been successful.
Due to missionary activity in educating the aborigines, religion plays a strong part in governmental affairs. The president is a minister who still preaches to his congregation. Many of the officials were ministers before taking on their present responsibilities.
In the last ten years considerable progress has been made in the city of Monrovia. Some streets have been paved, a water system is being installed, and much building is being done. One of the latest structures to be built by the government is the Centennial Pavilion, a beautiful building that would be an asset to any community.
About six years ago the Watch Tower Society sent colored missionaries into Liberia, and since then the work has grown steadily. At present there are two good congregations, one in Monrovia, the other in Cape Palmas, which together have a peak of 67 ministers actively engaged in preaching the good news. During 1952 two more missionaries were sent to help carry on the work in Liberia; and while I was there a branch office for the Society was organized.
Good work has been done in the cities of Monrovia and Cape Palmas, but now the time has come to branch out into the small towns, villages and the “bush” with the Kingdom message. Arrangements were made so that this might be developed during the coming year and thereafter. This will require learning the native dialects of the aborigines, and to this end the missionaries were urged to put forth strenuous efforts to learn at least one of the principal dialects. Some of the native full-time ministers know these dialects, but they will require another six months of training with the missionaries before they will be matured as to the knowledge of Jehovah’s purposes and sufficiently skilled in preaching to be able to carry on the work in the “bush” among the tribes. All the native brothers are anxious to do this.
By Wednesday evening our assembly had grown from 36 to 76, making it necessary that we use the yard of the missionary home for our meetings. At intervals the convention program was interrupted by small groups of professed Christians going through the streets serenading and taking collections. The chanting, the beating on kettles and on drums and the weird music, however, sounded much more like jungle paganism than Christianity.
PREACHING PUBLICLY
Getting the Liberian branch organized, together with assembly activities, made Thursday, November 20, a busy day. For the afternoon and evening meetings we used the beautiful centennial Pavilion. It was a pleasure to hear many of the Liberian brothers speak on the programs, and their demonstrations were interesting, entertaining and instructive.
The public lecture, held in the evening at 7:30, was on the subject “It Is Time to Consider God’s Way”. All the brothers were very well pleased to learn that 403 persons had come to hear the lecture, among whom were a number of government officials. Forty-five of these, however, listened to loud-speakers on the outside, even though the hall was not packed out. They were too timid to come into such a beautiful auditorium. Incidentally, this also happens at times at Kingdom Hall meetings. After the lecture many questions were asked and a number gave their addresses so that they could receive further information. Doubtless many Bible studies will be started as a result.
Arrangements had also been made for the station announcer to have an interview with me Friday evening over the government radio station. He asked a number of questions, such as regarding my purpose in coming to Monrovia and the extent and the progress of our work. His last question regarding the nature of my remarks at the Centennial Pavilion provided a good opportunity to summarize the talk and to point the people to God’s kingdom as man’s only hope. This station reaches points all along the coast and is said to have a large audience. Afterward I had the opportunity of speaking with the station manager for quite a while about the work and the message we preach.
It was now time to start for Roberts Field. I was to catch the plane that came through at midnight in order to go on to Johannesburg. The newly appointed branch servant, Brother Klinck, and I went to the airport in a station wagon. After we arrived we discussed many details regarding the missionary work in Liberia until nearly midnight, when we were informed that our plane would be three hours late. We made use of the delay to catch some sleep and then were told that the plane would still be an hour and a half getting there.
At 4:30 a.m. we heard the big DC-6 droning overhead. We went out and, seeing the bright stars in a clear sky, I fully expected within the next hour to be on my way. But all of a sudden an announcement was made over the loud-speaker system that the plane would not land but was going right on to Accra. Later we learned that a fifteen-foot fog lying over the airfield made landing impossible. The next plane out would be four days later.
Not only was my disappointment shared with six others who had also wanted to board the plane but by seventeen on the plane who had wanted to get off at Roberts Field. They were taken to Accra and could not get back until two days later.
Having completed the work I came to Monrovia to do, I saw no good reason to ride back 55 miles, especially since there were no hotel accommodations available in Monrovia and no room in the missionary home to do my work. So I accepted the invitation of Pan American to stay at the air base at their expense. It was quiet there, and although quite hot, having a bed, a table and a chair, I was able to finish up a great deal of work I had with me and mail it home.
Tuesday afternoon a number of brothers came out to see me off. This furnished an opportunity to spend several hours discussing construction of a new missionary home and Kingdom Hall. In the past four days the brothers had been busy looking around, checking on land, getting costs and drawing up plans. All this was discussed and arrangements were finally made for the housing of the missionaries and the branch office. We had dinner together and at nine in the evening they left. I anticipated leaving at midnight. This time the plane landed and we got away just thirty minutes behind schedule.
I was looking forward with real joy to seeing the brothers at Accra even though the authorities would not allow me to stay upon arrival, they denying all Watchtower representatives entrance into the country. While the brothers had expected me four days earlier, when I arrived at 3 a.m. the branch servant and several others from the office were there. For forty-five minutes I keenly enjoyed discussing the situation in Accra with them.
The newspapers were full of the story of Mr. Knorr’s not being allowed to enter the country and the newspapers wanted to know why. The thing that gave me so much joy was to learn that they had a wonderful convention just the same. Eight thousand brothers had come from all parts of the country to Accra and a tremendous witness was given. At the public meeting 15,000 people turned out and the branch servant spoke on the same subject I would have used, so they heard that the Kingdom is the only hope of the world. The full story of the Gold Coast as reported by the branch servant will appear in a succeeding issue of this magazine.