God Does Not Forget “the Love You Showed for His Name”
“GOD is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name, in that you have ministered to the holy ones and continue ministering.” (Hebrews 6:10) These words of the apostle Paul ring true for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Eastern Europe. Faithfully serving in the interests of God’s name, for decades they have labored long and hard under restrictions imposed by the former Soviet-controlled governments. Jehovah remembers their good deeds and showers them with Kingdom blessings. For example, let us look at the past service year report from just three of those areas.
Territories of the Former Soviet Union
Territories of the former Soviet Union report that during the 1992 service year, the peak number of Kingdom publishers increased by 35 percent—from 49,171 to 66,211! But that is not all, since those publishers have been very active, as seen by the fine increases in placements of Bible literature, including magazines. They have made good use of brochures and booklets too, placing 1,654,559. That is more than triple last year’s figure of 477,235! What has been the response to all these placements? A doubling of the number of home Bible studies. Now 38,484 Bible studies are being conducted.
Also, participation in the auxiliary pioneer service rose by 94 percent. This obviously contributed to the outstanding tally of newly baptized disciples, 26,986, as compared to last year’s number of 6,570, an amazing 311-percent increase!
How did some of the newly baptized ones first become interested in the good news? At times the deep concern of the Witness conducting the study was a factor. A presiding overseer from Moldova relates:
“My wife and I visited a woman who had previously shown interest in Bible truth. A Bible study was started with her. However, her husband did not show any interest at all. One day when we were on our way to visit her to continue the study, the weather was bitter cold and snowy. Hardly anyone was on the streets, but we made it to her house right at the appointed time. She told her husband: ‘You see how much these people care about us? They are punctual despite the snow.’ This incident caused her husband to think. He changed his mind and joined the study, and now he and his wife are baptized Witnesses.”
At other times the politeness of the Witness may stir up interest in the good news. An elder, also from Moldova, had this experience:
“A man I visited in my preaching territory was not interested in Jehovah’s Witnesses. He said he was Orthodox, the same as his father and grandfather. So he asked me to leave the premises. However, before I left, he gave me the opportunity to tell him the reason for my visit. I pointed to Matthew 28:19, which states: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.’ I then gave him the address of our meeting place and left. To my surprise, one week later this man came to our meeting! He stayed until the program was over. He explained that throughout the week, he had felt remorse because of having been so unfriendly to me. A Bible study was started right on the spot, and now he is one of our brothers.”
Another outstanding feature of the service year has been the overwhelming response to the needs of our brothers in that area. In the course of the winter of 1991/92, some 400 tons of foodstuffs and a large amount of clothing for men, women, and children were sent to those in need. These provisions were distributed to practically all parts of the former Soviet Union’s territory, even as far as Irkutsk in Siberia and Khabarovsk, near Japan. Truly an impressive indication that Jehovah has not forgotten the love our brothers have shown for his name! This evidence of brotherly love stirred up by Jehovah’s spirit has also had the result of uniting them with their worldwide family. For example, one sister in Ukraine wrote the branch office:
“The help you gave us touched us to the bottom of our hearts. We were moved to tears and thanked Jehovah God for not forgetting us. True, we have material hardships right now, but thanks to the help that arrived from our brothers in the West, we got back on our feet in a material way. Now, because of your help, our family will be able to devote more time to Jehovah’s service. If Jehovah wills, my daughter and I will auxiliary pioneer in the summer months.”
In addition, the relief effort provided a witness to outsiders because onlookers could see that the Witnesses display love by their actions. A family from another congregation wrote: “We received the material help consisting of food and clothing. It is so much! Your support and encouragement are a lesson for us that we too should do good to others. This act of love did not go unnoticed by unbelievers, as well as interested persons and their families; it has been a great witness about the true brotherhood.”
The five district conventions and one international convention held this past June and July, with the theme “Light Bearers,” were another evidence of Jehovah’s blessing on the hard work of his Witnesses and the love they have shown for making his name known. The conventions were attended by 91,673 persons, and 8,562 were baptized. The largest attendance was at St. Petersburg, the site of the international convention, where 46,214—including delegates from about 30 countries around the world—gathered at Kirov Stadium.
In Siberia one man about 60 years of age came to the convention grounds in Irkutsk just to have a look. He said: “All attenders are well dressed, with smiling faces, and are kind to one another. These people are like one united family. One can feel that they are friends not only at the stadium but also in life. I received excellent Bible literature and learned much better what kind of organization this is. I want to keep in touch with Jehovah’s Witnesses and to study the Bible with them.”
At the same convention in Irkutsk, where 5,051 attended, an interested woman from the Yakut Republic, Siberia, commented: “I look at the people, and I want to cry out for joy. I am very thankful to Jehovah that he helped me to know such people. Here at the convention, I have received literature, and I want to talk with others about it. I very much want to be a worshiper of Jehovah.”
The director of the Central Stadium in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, where 6,605 attended the convention, said the following: “I am thrilled with your attitude. Now I am convinced that all of you, the young and the old, are respectable people. I cannot say that I believe in God, but I do believe in the sacred things conveyed by your brotherhood, in your attitude toward spiritual and material values.”
One police officer at the Alma Ata convention observed: “I have come in contact with you people twice, each time at a convention. It is extremely pleasant to work with Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Romania
Jehovah has not forgotten the love that the brothers in Romania have shown for his name either. This past service year saw many happy events for the Witnesses. First, a branch office was once again established in Bucharest. The last legal activity ceased in 1949. The office has about 20 brothers and sisters working in the new facilities. The branch office serves 24,752 publishers—an all-time peak that represents a 21-percent increase over last year’s average.
After years of preaching secretly, the publishers are getting better adjusted to the public door-to-door witnessing work. An experience from Mureş County shows how some Witnesses make good use of any opportunity to preach to others, even when they are traveling. The branch office writes:
“A publisher decided to preach from one railway compartment to the other. The reaction of the people was generally favorable, but in the last compartment, some difficulties arose. None of the travelers wanted to accept a copy of our magazines. Finally, one man, quite upset, stood up and shouted: ‘I am going to throw all your magazines out the window! Why are you bothering us so much with your religion?’ The publisher kindly replied that even if he did throw out the magazines, someone else could benefit from his action—those who would pick up the magazines. Noticing the calmness of the publisher, the man was so impressed that he took the magazines and started distributing them himself to the other travelers in the compartment. Surprisingly, all of them took a magazine. After distributing them, the man had no copies for himself. Therefore, the publisher asked him: ‘Sir, do you not want any copies for yourself?’ At that the man grabbed one of the magazines from a traveler who had two copies and said: ‘Now one copy has also reached me!’”
In many countries the preaching work of Jehovah’s Witnesses has at times stirred up the opposition of Christendom’s clergy. In Romania, the priests of the Orthodox Church often become furious with the Witnesses. But this cannot stop Jehovah from blessing his people for the love they have shown for his name. One circuit overseer writes:
“Together with the local congregation, we went out for service in the rurals. There were a hundred brothers. We rented a bus that took us about 35 miles [50 km] into the countryside, to a small town. We invited many to the public talk that was to be held in the Cultural Home. As soon as the meeting began, the Orthodox priest arrived to disturb our meeting. The police officials tried to stop the priest. Nevertheless, he refused to calm down. He succeeded in stopping the meeting when he broke the glass in the main entrance door. However, many of the local inhabitants did not agree at all with the priest’s conduct. A thorough witness could then be given to all in attendance, and a large amount of literature was distributed.”
Unfortunately, in some parts of the country, there are very few Witnesses. When a regular pioneer first arrived in the county of Olt, he found only nine brothers in the whole county and a large territory in which to preach. After a year the number of Witnesses grew to 27, of whom five were reactivated publishers. The pioneer established his quarters in the city of Corabia, where there were no Witnesses at all. After the Witnesses had been there only 45 days, the local rector protested on Craiova radio against their work. He said that they had “invaded” the city of Corabia with their teachings, trying to make people change their religion. The attacks continued, with the intent to stop the work and destroy the reputation of the Witnesses in that area. It all climaxed when the brothers were in Bucharest for the district convention. The Orthodox rector of Corabia made a strong announcement after his church service: “We should all hold a street demonstration in order to stir up the police to take measures against the Witnesses, who have infected the whole area with their publications and have poisoned the people.” But the very night before the meeting was supposed to take place, something unusual happened. A group of vandals destroyed the cathedral and the City Cultural Home. Therefore, the protest meeting never did take place!
Territories of the Former Yugoslavia
The 1992 service year has been a most difficult year for the brothers in the area of Yugoslavia. At the same time, however, they have had some joyful experiences. Thankfully, Jehovah does not forget their work and the love they showed for his name.
War started first in Slovenia, then in Croatia, and later in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within a year, out of one republic, five new States were endeavoring to establish their own borders, laws, and currencies. Hundreds of Witnesses had to flee their homes and find refuge with their brothers in other places. Similar to other countries in Eastern Europe, emergency committees were appointed in larger cities, taking care of accommodations, food, and clothing for our needy brothers. During the service year, about 55 tons of food were distributed to brothers in congregations within the troubled areas. Many letters of appreciation have been received.
The brothers in Dubrovnik related how thankful they were for the assistance given. As one sister went home with her parcel of food, a neighbor asked where she had bought the eggs. The sister told her that her spiritual brothers in another sector had sent them. The neighbor was astonished. In another case an unknown man from Slovenia called an elder and said: “I have heard that Jehovah’s Witnesses are distributing the food received from their brothers in a just way. I have sent several parcels to people; however, they never arrived. Could I send such relief goods to you, and you could distribute them?” Also, newspapers and radio reported favorably about our relief work.
A brother who was baptized at the international convention in Zagreb in 1991 was aware of the rising difficulties and bought an entire food store. He took the food to his house close to the war area. As the food shortage became more severe, this supply proved to be a real blessing to the brothers.
It was possible to obtain a permit for a large truck to take staple food items for the besieged brothers in Sarajevo. We are happy to say that the delivery was carried out successfully.
The fighting has taken its toll on civilians. Sadly, by the end of the service year, six of our brothers and sisters and two interested persons had lost their lives, and some had been injured.
However, many experiences show that in the main, it is a protection to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In one case the brothers were traveling to a district convention in Belgrade when the bus was stopped by soldiers, asking whether there were members of a certain religion among them. The brothers replied that there were none. They had to show their identification cards, and some of them had names that indicated they could be of that religion. The soldiers accused them of lying, but the brothers had their notice of withdrawal from the church with them; even though they were born into that religion, they stated, they were now Jehovah’s Witnesses, traveling to their convention. With this the soldiers let them travel on.
The pioneers continue their service with unabated zeal, and this has proved to be a real stimulus to the work. The Watchtower, with its cheerful covers in full color, is being translated simultaneously in all the principal languages of the region. It is regularly providing lovers of truth and righteousness with their spiritual “measure of food supplies at the proper time.” (Luke 12:42) During the 1992 service year, 674 new brothers and sisters were baptized.
For a certainty, God has not forgotten the work of the brothers in Eastern Europe and the love they have shown for his name. Further, he desires that all his worshipers, no matter where they live, follow the fine counsel Paul next gave, at Hebrews 6:11, which states: “We desire each one of you to show the same industriousness so as to have the full assurance of the hope down to the end.”