Keeping in Touch with Persons Who Move
● When persons move from place to place it may be hard for Jehovah’s witnesses to keep in touch with them, but that it is well worth the effort is the feeling of a Witness in Manitoba, Canada. She writes:
“Last spring a young couple were contacted by a Witness in Winnipeg. They showed interest and several discussions were held, but then they moved. The publisher did not forget about them, though, and she sent the information to the congregation where they had moved. They were visited by the congregation servant, and then, as I already held a study nearby, it was arranged that I call on them. After just a few calls a regular study was arranged in the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained. This study has been held regularly. Each week they have had many questions to ask. They have shown a keen desire to do what is pleasing to Jehovah. They are attending many of the congregation studies and are having a study with their six children. In less than a year they have both begun sharing the good news of the Kingdom with others. We can certainly see the benefits of striving to keep in contact with those who show an interest in God’s Word.”
BIBLE STUDY BY MAIL
● “A study was being conducted with a young Air Force man and his wife here in Canada,” reports one of Jehovah’s witnesses. “The study progressed well, to the point that they started attending meetings. But then the Air Force was going to transfer him to a remote part of northern Quebec. Of course, there would be no congregation there; in fact, there was not one brother within two hundred miles. Nothing could be done to change his assignment, so arrangements were made at least to continue the study by mail, and this arrangement went along all right. Then we received this letter:
“‘Guess what! Bob came home the other night with our Awake! and tied to it was one of our neighbor’s Awake! magazines. So I went over to see her. She went to the meetings occasionally in Ottawa and also had a study in her home. She has four children but her husband is opposed. I’m going to see if she’d like to study with us, so you just never know. It seems as if we were just meant to get her Awake!’
“That was very encouraging, but they were still restricted to receiving their spiritual nourishment through the mail and we did not believe they would make marked spiritual progress until they moved to a place where they could be associated with Witnesses. Then the brother of this lady moved there. What did they do but start studying the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained with him. According to their letters he is progressing quite well. Not satisfied with these things, the couple then started studying together the book ‘Equipped for Every Good Work.’ Now things really began moving. With their next letter they requested another Paradise book and three new subscriptions. In the letter they explained why:
“‘We received your book. I’m sending it to my husband’s sister. We’re going to start working on his family. I’ve been reading “This Means Everlasting Life.” This book is very clear. I find “Your Will Be Done on Earth” very interesting and it is starting to sink in. I had a very interesting talk about the truth to an old friend who was stationed at Cranberry Portage with us. She is coming to my house soon to look at some of the books.’
“Thinking over their letters, I am reminded that they have now placed two books, a number of subscriptions and other literature, which this young man has been placing with his friends. All this has helped to disprove the thought that nothing could really be accomplished through a study by mail.”