A Study Every Night

“FOUR years ago one of Jehovah’s witnesses called at my door. I took out a subscription for the Awake! and Watchtower magazines, but soon afterward I moved to a new address. When he called again, the Witness must have wondered where I had gone.

“Although I didn’t see another Witness until six months ago—three and a half years after I took out the subscriptions—as each year went by I regularly renewed the subscriptions for my precious Watchtower and Awake! magazines.

“Meanwhile I started a study with my wife and two young children. For three years I studied with them every night of the week except when we had visitors, which was very seldom, and then we would witness to the visitors.

“The Watchtower of May 15, 1960, had a great effect on my life. The article ‘What Prevents Me from Getting Baptized?’ made me ask myself that question. I decided that there was nothing except that there was not a dedicated Witness to baptize me, and I thought perhaps I needed as much knowledge as Jesus Christ had when he got baptized. I decided though that if I could find a Witness I would ask him to teach me more and then when I knew enough I would ask to get baptized.

“It was nine more months after that Watchtower on baptism came out that a Witness called and found me home one afternoon. I was so happy, and he must have been very surprised when I asked him to come in at once and to teach me more about the Bible. Since then we have had a regular home Bible study, every week. I soon realized that it was not necessary and, in fact, was impossible to have as much knowledge as Jesus did before I could get baptized. The Witness who was studying with me mentioned that there would be an assembly in Salisbury and that there would be a baptism service there. I decided to wait until then—it was only a few months away—to get baptized.

“At last the day came to which I had looked forward so long. How great was my joy to be baptized at last, to symbolize the dedication I had made in my heart when I read that wonderful magazine on baptism last year! Imagine how happy I was, though, to see my loving wife get baptized alongside me in the pool. Truly Jehovah blessed the study I had with her, because here she was as a recommendation of my ministry to her of the wonderful truths in the Bible as revealed to me by the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and Jehovah’s loving witnesses. We still study regularly every night as a family, and we both look forward to the time when our children become dedicated Witnesses also.

“Now it is our intention soon to go and serve where the need is great in other territory where we can use our knowledge of Portuguese.”—Brother F., Southern Rhodesia.