They Wanted the Truth

MANY people have been disappointed because the religious organizations of Christendom failed to supply the spiritual food they needed. Conscious of their great spiritual need, they prayed that God might help them to find the truth. Today they rejoice that he did indeed answer their prayers.

● It was Wednesday evening. One of Jehovah’s witnesses called on a man with whom he had conducted a Bible study in the past. Though not interested in resuming the study, he told the Witness about another man who was interested. At that time it was already after 9:00 p.m. So the Witness thought that it would be better to wait until the next day to make the call. But the thought occurred to him that the man might be working then. Also, he would be unable to call in the evening of the next day, as he would be attending meetings at the Kingdom Hall. Late as the hour was, the Witness felt impelled to visit the interested man. He had no problem locating the man’s home, as the mailbox with the name and house number was right at the sidewalk.

Before the Witness could say anything, the man spoke up, ‘You came to study the Bible with me.’ Why had he come to this conclusion? Had someone called him? No, he had been lying in bed, praying that God might send someone to help him study the Bible. ‘When I heard the knock,’ he said, ‘I knew my prayers were answered.’ Arrangements were made to study the Bible with him and his wife. About nine months later both became dedicated, baptized witnesses of Jehovah.

● One day in February of 1972 a sincere Catholic woman prayed to God for guidance. Even though attending Mass every morning, she felt empty, without spirituality.

The next morning one of Jehovah’s witnesses called at her door. The woman quickly told her that she was a good, loyal Catholic. As a common ground of interest, the Witness mentioned the Bible and was then invited into the home. This sincere woman disclosed that she had formerly been a Carmelite nun in South Africa and had a deep respect and love for the Bible. Though having left the convent for personal reasons, she remained a devout Catholic.

On calling back, the Witness asked her own mother to go along. This was because her mother had once been Catholic. The woman was very friendly but made it clear that she was a loyal Catholic and would never change. The mention of the Bible, however, again interested her and she agreed to a Bible study.

On the third call the Bible study was under way, conducted by the mother of the Witness who had made the initial call. The woman used only her Catholic translation and the Witness used the New World Translation. In the study itself only the Bibles were used. But the Witness employed the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life as a guide in selecting scriptures to be considered.

The woman was torn between a loyalty to the Catholic Church and her recognition of the truth she was learning in the Bible study. Her husband wanted her to stop the study, but she was eager to learn. The study had been in progress about two months when the woman asked for the New World Translation and accepted the publications of Jehovah’s witnesses.

As the study continued, the woman grew in knowledge of what pleases Jehovah God. At one study she said that she had destroyed her images. (1 John 5:21; Deut. 7:25) Another time she requested that the Witness throw away her rosary beads. As they had been very precious to her, she felt she could not do it herself, but she wanted to be obedient to God’s Word.​—John 4:23.

Her first visit to the Kingdom Hall was in April of 1972. The occasion was the commemoration of the Lord’s Evening Meal. The woman felt disloyal to the Catholic Church and so would not even touch the utensils containing the emblems as they were passed. But she did not stop. She kept on coming to the Kingdom Hall, rarely missing a meeting.

In the middle of May the woman severed her connections with the Catholic Church. The internal conflict had ended. She knew that she had found the truth and she had no desire to turn back. Soon she was accompanying the Witness in calling on others to share with them the precious truths of God’s Word. About nine months after praying to God for guidance, she symbolized by water baptism her dedication to do Jehovah’s will. She is grateful that he answered her sincere prayer.