A “Special Territory”

MANY Christian youths have adopted the view that school is their “special territory,” and so are alert to opportunities to give a witness to both teachers and classmates. Notice the fine results that were had by Susan, a 13-year-old girl in Canada.

“In December my teacher asked the class to write a Christmas story for ‘creative writing.’ I chose as my subject ‘A Report on the Origin of Christmas.’ Using the school’s encyclopedias and Awake! articles for references, I was able to write an informative report.” What did the teacher think of it?

“At the end of my report the teacher made these comments: ‘Very well written, Susan! I admire your honesty and respect your convictions. With your thoughtfulness and your understanding, you will always be respected. I hope in the future you will retain the admirable qualities that you now possess. In conclusion, it is very refreshing and rewarding to read or speak to someone of your age who has developed and maintains the courage of her convictions.’

“After reading the report himself, he let all the teachers in the staff room read it. So they all received a witness! It gave me the courage and determination to speak about Bible truths to others in school.

“Of course, all my schoolmates know that I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and, when they found out what I wrote about, they wanted to read my report also. They seemed so interested that I mentioned I would bring each of them an issue of Awake!, which carried an article dealing with Christmas. That was the December 22, 1979, issue, and it also had an article on ‘disco.’

“When I brought the copies of that issue of Awake! to school, several others in the class saw them and also requested copies. They showed so much interest in the article on ‘disco’ that I decided to bring each of them a copy of the March 22, 1979, Awake!, which carried a series of articles on that subject. As a result, I placed 26 magazines with fellow students.

“On a later occasion, at the time our school nurse showed a film on personal development, I brought several fellow students each a copy of the book Your Youth​—Getting the Best out of It. I told them that this book really helped me to understand the changes and problems associated with growing up.

“Once again, when others in my class saw these girls reading and discussing the book, they asked me if they could have a copy also​—even as did some of the boys. So, altogether, I placed 17 Youth books on that occasion. . . .

“On another occasion a girl in school told me she attended Sunday school and read the Bible, but she didn’t understand it. I told her that I had a Bible that was easy to read and I would be happy to bring her one. Not only did I bring her a New World Translation but I also brought her a copy of My Book of Bible Stories and showed her how this book would really aid her in understanding the Bible. She was very excited about it.”

How does Susan feel about witnessing at school? “I really enjoy witnessing to my friends at school and consider it a privilege to have this special territory.”

Are you in school? Why not take advantage of your “special territory”?