THE FIRST MISSIONARIES ARRIVE

October 5, 1945, saw the arrival of Elmer Ihrig and Charles Heyen, graduates of the first class of Gilead. Just the day before, however, a hurricane had struck about 100 miles [160 km] south of Belize City. The ten-mile [16 km] stretch of road from the airport to the city was under water, so the two missionaries were transported in large army trucks. Thaddius Hodgeson placed cement blocks and wooden boxes in the water in front of his home so that when the two arrived, they could enter without getting their feet wet.

The brothers in Belize eagerly anticipated the arrival of the first missionaries. James Gordon, León Requeña, and Rafael Medina were willing to travel from the north of the country to Belize City to meet the new missionaries​—quite a challenge at that time! “There was no highway connecting the north of the country and Belize City,” explains Ismael Medina, Rafael’s grandson. “There were only picados, rutted trails used for mule carts. There were no houses along the way, so they slept wherever night found them, despite the snakes. When they had met the missionaries and received instructions and literature, the three brothers walked all the way back again. It took days!”

The missionaries were introduced to the public in Mule Park in a most unusual way. James Hyatt began the program with a scathing attack on the clergy for their false teachings, which provoked an outburst of profanity from some of the onlookers. At the end of his talk, he abruptly pointed to the two new missionaries and said, “I hand these two over to you!” That was about as much as the public was going to find out about the two new brothers on that occasion!

There was no doubt that those early brothers had an outstanding love for Jehovah and Bible truth, as well as an abiding hatred for false religious teachings. It was clear too that the missionaries had valuable experience to share with the eager publishers that would help them become more effective preachers.

The two missionaries started their work in Belize City, which had a population of about 26,700 at the time.

PROGRESS DESPITE RESTRICTIONS

Although there was never a ban against the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Belize, the government imposed a ban on our publications for some time during World War II. Shortly before the arrival of the missionaries, though, these restrictions had been lifted.

Nevertheless, The Watchtower of July 15, 1946, reporting on the activity of the two missionaries in Belize, stated: “In the interior a Roman Catholic priest still tries to have the ban enforced against the literature received by mail. The Roman Catholic clergy resent the presence of these two missionaries of Jehovah’s witnesses; and one Irish-American priest . . . grew indignant that the British Colonial Government should let them into the country. . . . The two [missionaries] reminded the priest that he claimed to be an American himself, and they sent him scurrying away by showing him from American prison statistics that the Roman Catholic system was no real guardian of the morals of the people of the United States.”

MUCH WORK TO DO

“There was only the one small congregation then,” wrote Elmer Ihrig, “there being no congregations in the outer districts. I used to go to these places and spend a couple of weeks at a time, sowing seed by placing books, taking subscriptions and giving talks.” During that first year, Charles Heyen traveled by truck to Orange Walk, where he worked the territory and encouraged the brothers to hold regular meetings.

The only link with the southern towns was by boat. So Elmer and Charles traveled on the Heron H to reach the coastal towns of Stann Creek (now Dangriga) and Punta Gorda, two Garifuna settlements, with the goal of opening up the preaching work there. Back then, Punta Gorda could only be reached by a 30-hour boat trip from Belize City. Elmer made the trip and then gave a public talk to about 20 people in the lobby of the hotel where he was staying.

Olga Knight remembers Elmer accompanying her family to the remote village of Crooked Tree, where her father conducted meetings along the tree-lined river. The local brothers appreciated the hard work and humble attitude of the missionaries.

[Picture on page 213]

Elmer Ihrig expanded his ministry to the outer districts