From Our Readers

Hostages I am a prisoner with two more years to go on my sentence. Twice I read the article “We Were Hostages During a Prison Uprising.” (November 8, 1996) Each time, it brought tears of joy to my eyes and a lump to my throat. I always look forward to the visits of Jehovah’s Witnesses to this prison. They are so refreshing!

J. K., United States

I’ve never written to you about an article before, but the article about the hostages was very faith strengthening. It gave me renewed assurance that Jehovah does strengthen his people when they are in distress.

K. D., United States

Guidance I really enjoyed the article “The Bible’s Viewpoint: Whose Guidance Can You Trust?” (November 8, 1996) It was very comforting and encouraging to me. Like so many others, I have been sorely disappointed in the past when those I leaned on for guidance let me down. The illustration of a child holding his father’s hand just brought tears to my eyes. It is so heartwarming to know that at Isaiah 41:13, Jehovah says he will ‘hold the hand’ of his people.

M. S., United States

I am 17 years old and have been having a lot of problems lately. A friend told me to pray and read something spiritual. After reading the article “Whose Guidance Can You Trust?” I decided not to give up hope but to grasp my heavenly Father’s hand even tighter!

C. G., United States

Sign Language Many thanks for the article “To Reach My Child, I Learned Another Language.” (November 8, 1996) I am a single mother with a deaf son who is now 24 years of age. So I know from personal experience what Cindy Adams has been through, and I have great respect for what she has achieved.

H. B., Germany

The article moved me to begin learning sign language so that I can share the Bible’s message with deaf ones and also communicate with brothers in the congregation who are hearing-impaired.

B. L., Venezuela

I studied the Bible with a deaf teenage girl. We learned a lot from each other, despite the fact that both of us have only a basic knowledge of sign language. Reading of Cindy Adams’ determination to learn the language for the sake of her son encouraged me to improve my skills in this beautiful language so that I can share the Bible’s good news with deaf people in my community.

S. T., St. Martin, Netherlands Antilles

I too have a hearing-impaired child, and we chose the oral method of communication. This method focuses on speech development and lipreading. It has turned out to be a good choice for my son. In the beginning he got little benefit from the congregation meetings. But now he is able to follow along well as I and others oral interpret for him. He gives talks on the Theocratic Ministry School and is an unbaptized publisher. The many years of work have paid off. Our experience shows that either American Sign Language or the oral method can be beneficial as long as the parents and local congregation work hard to encourage the child and communicate with him.

M. T., United States