Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Jehovah’s Witnesses Preach Informally With Good Results

MANY people were first introduced to Bible truth when one of Jehovah’s Witnesses preached to them informally. In this the Witnesses follow the example of Jesus Christ, who preached informally to a Samaritan woman at a well when she came to draw water. (John, chapter 4) In East Africa, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses preached informally to a Catholic nun. The Watch Tower Society’s branch office relates what resulted:

◻ Early one morning on her way to town, the Witness met a Catholic nun. She took the opportunity to ask the nun: “Where are you going at this time of the day?” The answer was: “I am going to pray to my God.” She then asked the nun: “Do you know the name of your God?” “Is not his name God?” the nun replied. The Witness offered to come to her home that afternoon to discuss God’s name. After the conversation the nun went to her church and asked one of the priests if he knew what “Jehovah” stood for. The answer was, “It is God’s name.” The nun was very surprised to hear that the priest knew this but had never taught it to her.

The Witness visited the woman for nine consecutive days and taught her the truth about the Trinity, the soul, hellfire, and the hope for the dead. The woman absorbed everything and then asked the Witness to give her some time to reflect on all these new teachings. After two weeks she contacted the Witness again and asked to have further discussions. By this time the nun had made up her mind to leave the church and had already destroyed her images, rosaries, and cross. The priest tried to persuade her to come back, but she was determined to pursue the truth. She was later baptized and has served as a regular auxiliary pioneer for many months in spite of her poor health and advanced age.

Since her house is large, she offered the congregation its use as a Kingdom Hall. The brothers replaced the old roof, tore down the inner walls, and made a large part of the building into an attractive meeting place. This former Catholic nun lives in a room behind the hall. She is very happy to have been able to make this contribution to Jehovah’s worship.

◻ Another experience that shows the wisdom of informal witnessing comes from Kampala, Uganda. On the way to a government office, a Witness missionary spoke informally to those with him in the elevator. One man, Mr. L​——​——, expressed a desire to accept the literature offered but could not take it at that moment. So he gave the missionary his name and the address of his office. Later the missionary went there and asked for Mr. L​——​——. He was called but to the missionary’s surprise, a different man appeared. There were two men with the same name working in that office. A brief witness was given to the second Mr. L​——​——, and he showed extraordinary interest. Whereas the first Mr. L​——​——​ lost interest, a Bible study was started with the second Mr. L​——​——. He is now a baptized Witness, and his wife and son are making good progress toward baptism.

Jesus Christ is the Fine Shepherd and knows the sheeplike ones whose hearts are righteously inclined. These experiences illustrate that he directs his followers to such ones. Informal preaching can be productive!​—John 10:14.