“God Makes It Grow” (1 Cor. 3:6)

SHE DID NOT KNOCK. Miriam, who lives in Bolivia, prayed to God for a week. Her prayer went something like this: “Please help me to know you, but I do not want help from Jehovah’s Witnesses. I do not want them knocking on my door.”

Later that week the phone rang. It was Candy, a special pioneer, who offered to take Miriam our magazines in one hour. She accepted. Within an hour Candy was at her door. Miriam abruptly opened it and ordered Candy to come in and sit down. Miriam then began to pace and shake her head, obviously upset. Candy asked her what was wrong. “I am in shock!” Miriam said. “For over a week, I have been praying to God for direction and guidance, but I was very clear in my prayers that I didn’t want the help to come from Jehovah’s Witnesses who are always knocking on my door! And then you phoned me instead of knocking! Since your call an hour ago, I have been praying to God that you would not come to visit me. And you came! I am in shock! It is very obvious that he wants you people, Jehovah’s Witnesses, to help me.” A study was started immediately.

While pioneering in Hula, Don and Shirley Fielder started a Bible study with Alogi and Renagi Pala. “Alogi was a thief and was always fighting with others,” writes Don. “He suffered from a tropical disease that gave his skin an unsightly appearance, and part of his mouth had been eaten away by a tropical ulcer. Both he and his wife also chewed betel nut, so the gaps between their blackened teeth were often blood red. Alogi was the last person one would expect to be drawn to the truth. Yet, he and his wife became interested in the truth and attended our meetings, sitting quietly at the back.

“Over a six-month period,” recalls Don, “we saw a stunning transformation in Alogi. He stopped stealing, fighting, and arguing, and he and Renagi cleaned themselves up physically and started to participate in the meetings. They also began to share the good news with others. In fact, they and a handful of others became the first publishers in the Hula area.”