A Vacation Devoted to the Ministry

The following is a letter from a member of the Brooklyn Bethel family now in his eighty-third year:

Dear Brothers:

I would like to share with you a very encouraging experience that I recently enjoyed. It came about at a time when I had suffered from one illness after another. From time to time I received encouraging visits from the Society’s president, Brother Knorr. On one of his visits I mentioned to him that what grieved me most was my inability to be active in the ministry. “Well, why not write letters?” Brother Knorr suggested. ‘What letters could I write?” was my thought.

Thinking over Brother Knorr’s suggestion, I said to myself: “Well, I have had contacts with many businessmen and executives, in connection with my more than forty years of work in the Society’s purchasing department.” This led me to contemplate writing them, to give these former business associates a witness concerning the Kingdom and to offer them subscriptions during the recent magazine campaign.

So I took two weeks of my vacation, using the time to write these letters with my portable typewriter. I wrote about a hundred letters to former business associates, telling them of the Society’s subscription campaign for The Watchtower and that my friends came to mind as my responsibility to inform them of this. I enclosed a copy of both The Watchtower and Awake! special issues and stated that their friends and employees might also be interested in receiving these outstanding magazines. Many businessmen responded favorably. Following are some excerpts from a few of their letters.

The manager of one company wrote: “Enclosed please find a check for $2.00 to cover my personal subscription to The Watchtower as well as Awake! It will indeed be a pleasure to receive these remarkable and enlightening magazines through the mail. This convenience will now make it unnecessary to purchase them from one of your most dedicated people.”

Another businessman wrote: “Am enclosing my check for an annual subscription to The Watchtower and Awake! Was very pleased to note from your letter the tremendous circulation you now have, and also that you are operating in 179 lands. My heartiest congratulations.”

Another wrote: “I am pleased to learn of your campaign for a wider circulation of your two splendid magazines. Enclosed is my check to cover five subscriptions of friends of mine who will be delighted to receive the message.”

The vice-president of a paper company wrote: “Enclosed is my check for $6 and I would appreciate it if you would put Mr. L—— and me on the list to receive these two booklets.”

An executive of a lumber company wrote: “We are pleased to enclose our check for $6.00 for three subscriptions of your magazines, Watchtower and Awake! We have read the sample magazines and find them very enlightening and instructive.”

The treasurer of a machinery company wrote: “We want to go along with your special subscription campaign and are pleased to enclose check in amount of $10.00, covering five subscriptions each of the Watchtower and Awake! issues.”

Another letter: “Thank you for your letter regarding the campaign for new subscriptions to Watchtower and Awake! We have pleasure in enclosing check for $10.00 to cover the following new subscribers.”

The president of one company wrote: “I have rounded up ten people that would be interested in receiving your magazines and enclosed herewith $10 for the ten subscriptions.” Among the names listed were those of the president and his son.

The vice-president of a chemical corporation responded, writing: “I am enclosing a check for $12.00 for six one-year subscriptions to each of the publications you enclosed. I have spoken to several of my colleagues here.”

To these many favorable responses I wrote another letter in reply, telling them I was pleased with their response and giving them a further witness.

From the letters I wrote during those two weeks, I have received a response of a hundred subscriptions. How thankful I am for the encouragement given me by the Society’s president, when I was roomfast! It has been a blessing to vacation pioneer by writing letters.

Your fellow witness of Jehovah, H. H. Riemer