Presenting the Good News—Caring for “Not-at-Homes”
1 In order to help honest-hearted people to benefit from the Kingdom message it is necessary to talk to them. However, finding people at home is becoming increasingly difficult. Often we find that most people are not at home when calls are made during the daytime, and particularly is this true on weekdays.
2 Therefore when working the territory we need to keep a record of the “not-at-homes.” Possibly you have found it helpful to leave more than one line on the house-to-house record so that there will be sufficient room to enter additional information as future efforts are made. Keeping the record neat and legible can be helpful to you as well as make it easier for others who may use the record for calling at times when you are not able to do so.
3 When notations are made that a person is not at home, in addition to the date, indicate any literature you left under the door. If you leave a tract it would be helpful to show the number of the tract. In this way if the person is not at home when you call again, a different tract can be left. Then when the person is finally contacted, you will know what the individual has already received and this might provide a basis for a friendly discussion.
4 Usually it is best to try a different day or hour each time you call where someone was not at home previously. More people may be found at home in the evenings. If you cannot set aside an entire evening for calling on “not-at-homes,” have you tried leaving early for the congregation meetings, making calls along the way? If you have been working territory near where you live, then little or no additional time or expense for extra travel would be involved. Of course, others in the group also may be able to make calls using the information on your house-to-house records, or they may have their own not-at-home calls in that same territory.
5 In determining if literature should be left at “not-at-homes,” have in mind not leaving anything that would be visible to would-be intruders. We would not want to do anything that would make problems for the householder, or reflect unfavorably on the Kingdom message.
6 Where persons cannot be contacted, after several calls have been made at different times, why not try to contact the householder by telephone? When calling you may find it effective to mention your name first and state that you are calling because of not having been able to contact the individual when you called personally at his home. Also, you can refer to whatever tract or other literature was left as indicated on the house-to-house record, briefly mentioning its contents. Depending on the response of the householder, you may then be able to proceed with your presentation of the “good news.”
7 As we endeavor to contact all people in our territory, putting forth a diligent effort actually to talk with each one, we can be confident that Jehovah’s rich blessing will attend our efforts.