diff --git a/packages/react-chat-example/.eslintrc.json b/packages/react-chat-example/.eslintrc.json
index 0e42b7d9..b8a87ffa 100644
--- a/packages/react-chat-example/.eslintrc.json
+++ b/packages/react-chat-example/.eslintrc.json
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
   ],
   "globals": { "BigInt": true, "console": true, "WebAssembly": true },
   "rules": {
-    "@typescript-eslint/explicit-function-return-type": ["warn"],
     "@typescript-eslint/explicit-module-boundary-types": "off",
     "eslint-comments/disable-enable-pair": [
       "error",
diff --git a/packages/react-chat/.eslintrc.json b/packages/react-chat/.eslintrc.json
index 0e42b7d9..b8a87ffa 100644
--- a/packages/react-chat/.eslintrc.json
+++ b/packages/react-chat/.eslintrc.json
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
   ],
   "globals": { "BigInt": true, "console": true, "WebAssembly": true },
   "rules": {
-    "@typescript-eslint/explicit-function-return-type": ["warn"],
     "@typescript-eslint/explicit-module-boundary-types": "off",
     "eslint-comments/disable-enable-pair": [
       "error",
diff --git a/packages/react-chat/src/hooks/useMessenger.ts b/packages/react-chat/src/hooks/useMessenger.ts
index f68d8464..71fc93c9 100644
--- a/packages/react-chat/src/hooks/useMessenger.ts
+++ b/packages/react-chat/src/hooks/useMessenger.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 // import { StoreCodec } from "js-waku";
+import { getBootstrapNodes, StoreCodec } from "js-waku";
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import { Identity, Messenger } from "status-communities/dist/cjs";
+import {
+  ChatMessage as ApiChatMessage,
+  ApplicationMetadataMessage,
+  Identity,
+  Messenger,
+} from "status-communities/dist/cjs";
 
 import { ChatMessage } from "../models/ChatMessage";
 
@@ -46,14 +52,12 @@ export function useMessenger(chatId: string, chatIdList: string[]) {
           };
         }
       });
-      if (chatId != id) {
-        setNotifications((prevNotifications) => {
-          return {
-            ...prevNotifications,
-            [id]: prevNotifications[id] + 1,
-          };
-        });
-      }
+      setNotifications((prevNotifications) => {
+        return {
+          ...prevNotifications,
+          [id]: prevNotifications[id] + 1,
+        };
+      });
     },
     []
   );
@@ -61,15 +65,63 @@ export function useMessenger(chatId: string, chatIdList: string[]) {
   useEffect(() => {
     const createMessenger = async () => {
       const identity = Identity.generate();
-      const messenger = await Messenger.create(identity);
-      await new Promise((resolve) =>
-        messenger.waku.libp2p.pubsub.once("pubsub:subscription-change", () =>
-          resolve(null)
-        )
-      );
+
+      const messenger = await Messenger.create(identity, {
+        bootstrap: getBootstrapNodes.bind({}, [
+          "fleets",
+          "wakuv2.prod",
+          "waku-websocket",
+        ]),
+      });
+      await new Promise((resolve) => {
+        messenger.waku.libp2p.peerStore.on(
+          "change:protocols",
+          ({ protocols }) => {
+            if (protocols.includes(StoreCodec)) {
+              resolve("");
+            }
+          }
+        );
+      });
+
       await Promise.all(
         chatIdList.map(async (id) => {
           await messenger.joinChat(id);
+          const chat = messenger.chatsById.get(id);
+          if (chat) {
+            const messages = await messenger.waku.store.queryHistory(
+              [chat.contentTopic],
+              { decryptionKeys: [chat.symKey] }
+            );
+            messages.sort((a, b) =>
+              (a?.timestamp?.getTime() ?? 0) > (b?.timestamp?.getTime() ?? 0)
+                ? 1
+                : -1
+            );
+            messages.forEach((message) => {
+              if (message.payload) {
+                const metadata = ApplicationMetadataMessage.decode(
+                  message.payload
+                );
+                if (metadata.payload) {
+                  const chatMessage = ApiChatMessage.decode(metadata.payload);
+                  if (
+                    metadata.signer &&
+                    chatMessage.text &&
+                    chatMessage.proto.timestamp
+                  ) {
+                    addNewMessage(
+                      metadata.signer,
+                      chatMessage.text,
+                      new Date(chatMessage.proto.timestamp ?? 0),
+                      id
+                    );
+                  }
+                }
+              }
+              return undefined;
+            });
+          }
           clearNotifications(id);
           messenger.addObserver((message) => {
             addNewMessage(
diff --git a/packages/status-communities/src/index.ts b/packages/status-communities/src/index.ts
index 9607dd41..7e9747af 100644
--- a/packages/status-communities/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/status-communities/src/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
+import { ApplicationMetadataMessage } from "./application_metadata_message";
+import { ChatMessage } from "./chat_message";
 import { Identity } from "./identity";
 import { Messenger } from "./messenger";
-
-export { Messenger, Identity };
+export { Messenger, Identity, ApplicationMetadataMessage, ChatMessage };