‘Over $2,000—but Well Spent!’

GOD’S Word, and the book of Proverbs in particular, stresses the superlative value of the knowledge, wisdom and fear of Jehovah. Illustrating that fact is the following experience as related by a Christian witness of Jehovah in Canada. Incidentally, it also serves to underscore the value of incidental witnessing.

“My next-door neighbor had invited his parents to sell their belongings in England and come to spend the rest of their lives with him here in Canada. Shortly after they arrived the man, upon seeing me working outside, came over and asked me if I could tell him where the nearest Anglican Church or meeting place was, as he wanted to take part in the communion.

“After I had told him he asked me if I was a Christian, and when I told him that all in my home were Christians and zealous students of the Bible his face lit up in a pleasant smile. At the time he was not able to accept an invitation to come in but did so a few weeks later. We had a long discussion on the Bible and when he left we agreed to get together again to continue our discussion.

“Due to activity in connection with a district assembly here, several weeks passed before we were able to have him and his wife in for another discussion, and in the meantime they had decided to return to England. Before he left that evening we realized that here was a sincere, humble, loving person who no longer was certain about his religion and was beginning to search for the truth.

“We gave him copies of all the various tracts we had as well as several booklets and asked him to read them with his Bible. He did and the very next day returned, asking if we had some literature on the Lord’s Evening Meal. I gave him the previous year’s issue of The Watchtower dealing with the subject. He came back that same evening and said that he had read it all and that it was so different from what he had believed for so many years that he would have to give it some real prayerful thought.

“When they came the next day to take leave I gave him three Bible-study aids to read on the boat, ‘Let God Be True’, ‘This Means Everlasting Life’ and ‘New Heavens and a New Earth’, along with certain back issues of The Watchtower and Awake! that had articles I thought would particularly interest him. He accepted them with tears in his eyes, saying that the saddest part about his leaving Canada was to leave us who appeared to love God’s Word as much as he did. He promised to write and tell us what he thought of the books. I got my first letter last Tuesday and it reads as follows:

“‘Dear Olaf, . . . After reading The Watchtower and Awake! and much of the other matter that you so kindly gave me before I left Canada, you will, I am sure, be pleased to learn that I can no longer continue to worship God in accordance with the teachings of the Church of England—the church that I have served and worshiped in so long. Coming to Canada, returning and having to buy another home will cost well over $2,000, but I shall look upon it as money well spent, for has it not put me in touch with the truth? The truth, which I may have never heard but for my visit to Richvale, and the loving words of you, dear brother, and the loving help of your very dear wife.

“‘I see now that I have been worshiping God mistakenly. However, I have served Him in accord with my knowledge, and since God is love, I feel that He will forgive my ignorance. I am thankful that it has pleased our heavenly Father—through you—to bring the truth to me; although it has come—as it were—at the eleventh hour of my life—for I think you know that I am 92. May Jehovah grant me the very great honor of serving in the ranks of His witnesses before calling me from this present life.

“‘I trust that He will, for by His help I feel that I can still do something for the advancement of truth in the Bible as taught by the faithful Jew—His witnesses. I am contacting the Society here . . . I shall be most pleased to hear from you at any time, if you have time to write; anyway I shall not forget you nor all you have done for me, for you have made me very happy. I pray that God will be pleased to bless you and yours more and more, and that we may all meet again in Jehovah’s good time, if not before, then in Christ’s kingdom here upon earth. My love to you all with the very best wishes, Yours, sincerely in The Truth, [signed].’”