• My Thirst for God Satisfied
    Awake!—1993 | August 22

    • A Surprising Visitor

      One day the following year, I was sitting on the patio where the landlady was baking bread in a wood-fired oven. A man arrived at the gate. I assumed that he had some business with her, so I called: “Come in!” He did, and he sat down beside me. Although he was dressed neatly, I could tell by his appearance that he was from a humble background. To my surprise he began talking to me about the Bible.

      I learned later that the man’s name was Adrian Guerra and that he was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It didn’t take me long to realize that he didn’t know how to read well. I was on my guard with him, but I didn’t feel afraid. ‘After all,’ I thought, ‘I know Latin and Greek. I have studied theology and have spent years discussing philosophy with theologians and bishops.’ I didn’t feel proud or despise him, but I simply did not expect to learn anything from him.

      He asked my opinion on the question, Why has there been such an increase in badness in the world? We talked about this, and then he asked me to show him my Bible. By this time I had bought the recently published Catholic Jerusalem Bible. He had me read Revelation 12:12, which says: “But for you, earth and sea, trouble is coming​—because the devil has gone down to you in a rage, knowing that his days are numbered.”

      “Surely that refers to when sin began,” I countered. He had me read the context, verses 7-10, which says that war in heaven began when Christ became King, and as a result Satan and his angels were hurled down to the earth. “The terrible conditions we see now are the result of the Devil’s increased anger,” explained Adrian. “But we can be pleased that Christ is now King and that the Devil’s days are numbered.”

      Learning this from my Bible fascinated me. But I was also astonished that this humble man, with such a pleasant smile, could just sit there and calmly explain the Scriptures to me.

      My Thirst for God Satisfied

      Adrian left me some literature and promised to return. I was glad when he next visited, and I began to ask him questions that had perplexed me for so long, such as: “How can God be a Trinity?” and, “Why was Jesus in hell?” He used a guide to the Bible called The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, and he had me read from my own Bible the texts cited there that answered my questions. I felt like a burro (donkey or dimwit). I learned that God’s name is Yahweh, or Jehovah, and that he is not a Trinity, that hell is the grave and Jesus was unconscious there for parts of three days.​—Psalm 16:10; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 42:8.

      I had often asked in the seminary about the afterlife and was told that heaven is like a great church where all will stand before God and pray. ‘How boring!’ I thought. But now, as the Bible’s promise of everlasting life in a paradise earth was explained to me, my faith in God’s love for mankind was rekindled.​—Psalm 37:9-11, 39; Revelation 21:3, 4.

      After a few visits, Adrian arrived one day with a foreigner, whom he introduced as a congregation overseer. “You ask so many questions,” he said, “I decided this missionary will be able to help you much better.” But I liked Adrian, and the missionary’s presence made me nervous. So I continued studying the Bible with Adrian. I started to attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall and found that the Bible talks were very instructive.

      Overcoming My Fear

      In time Adrian began encouraging me to share with others what I had learned. At their meetings Jehovah’s Witnesses are encouraged to teach from house to house. In fact, I came to realize that the Bible theme Adrian first considered with me, about the cause of increasing badness, had been the recommended topic of conversation for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Bolivia that month in 1970. I could see that the training Adrian received equipped him to serve God better than my ten years of training had equipped me! Yet, the idea of visiting people at their homes frightened me. It was so different from preaching to people who come to church.

      The next time Adrian came to study with me, I hid in the house and pretended not to be at home. He must have suspected as much because he patiently waited outside for a full half hour before leaving. But he didn’t give up on me; to my surprise he returned the following week. Gradually, my love for Jehovah grew stronger, and I overcame my fear. In 1973 my wife and I were baptized. Porfiria became a pioneer, serving full-time in the preaching work and conducting Bible studies. She continued up to and including the day of her death early in 1992.

      Adrian became a fluent reader, and for many years now, I have served as an elder in the congregation. We both continue to preach the good news of God’s Kingdom from house to house.