His arrival here had been an adventure. The Argentine ship that he had boarded in Los Angeles had burned and sank in Acapulco while he was ashore and he lost all his personal belongings. The shipping company sent him to Mexico City where they returned the cost of his ticket and left him stranded. Travel was difficult during the War years. After 5 days of travel via DC-3, stopping every night, he reached Santiago where, after a delay, he secured a passage to Punta Arenas that took another 5 days.

On the 4th of April, 1945, he got a telegram from the Guardian, advising him that he expected an Assembly would be formed at Ridván. At this time there were only two declared Bahá'ís in Punta Arenas with 8 contacts who were assisting them with their weekly radio program production. Artemus and Esteban met with the contacts and explained the situation. To their delight all agreed to enroll. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]