Kingdom Proclaimers Report
Preaching the Good News in “the Most Distant part of the Earth”
“THIS good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” So said Jesus to his disciples shortly before his death. Soon after his resurrection, he further said: “You will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth.” (Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8) Today, these prophecies are being fulfilled in more than 200 lands, including the South American country of Peru.
More than 32,000 Witnesses are preaching the good news in that beautiful land, and their territory certainly includes some of the most distant parts of the earth: the high Andes, reaching elevations between 14,000 and 15,000 feet [4,000 and 4,500 m], and also the hot Amazon jungle, where people can only be reached by riverboats. The Peru branch reports:
◻ “In the jungle area, we have eight special pioneers assigned to two small riverboats called lanchas. These small boats draw only one foot [0.3 m] of water, so it has been possible to extend the preaching of the good news into many new areas on the smaller rivers. So far, the brothers using these boats have placed hundreds of thousands of magazines, books, and Bibles all over the Peruvian Amazon Valley. As a direct result, four new congregations have been established, along with five isolated groups that report activity and hold meetings. It is hoped that these groups will soon become congregations.”
◻ One jungle town grew up around a pumping station for the Trans-Andean oil pipeline, which carries oil from the jungle over the high Andes as far as the west coast. Because of the presence of the oil pipeline workers, this town had some 20 bars and became known as a place for getting drunk and having a good time. However, after the special pioneers gave a thorough witness, many responded to the Kingdom message, and now only four bars are left in town! During a recent visit of the circuit overseer, 189 people came to the public talk. There is now a group of 7 publishers in the town, and more than 45 persons attend all the meetings. Soon, with Jehovah’s blessing, it should become a congregation.
◻ In one of the 221 congregations in Peru’s capital city, Lima, a 29-year-old man tells how he got the truth. Having left school at age 13, he joined a gang of rowdies and began a career of fighting, taking drugs, and practicing immorality. After two years of compulsory military service, he started to have mental problems. Then, in 1983, a humble, unassuming sister contacted him in her house-to-house ministry. For the first time, he heard about the new world of love and peace. A Bible study was started, and with loving help from the congregation and in Jehovah’s strength, he was able to overcome his vices. In 1986 he was baptized and now serves as a ministerial servant in the congregation.
Truly, Jesus’ words that the Kingdom will be preached to the “most distant part of the earth” are being fulfilled in Peru with wonderful results, to the benefit of the many in that land who hunger and thirst for the truth.