Witnessing at School

LANGUAGE LESSON

The parents of a young girl who is in the fourth year of school in New York write this experience: “The class had been studying languages and how the different languages began. The class was assigned to write reports on the subject of how languages began. The rest of the children in the class exhausted the material found in the encyclopedia, but our daughter, from her study of the Bible, knew where to get the true facts. She wrote a composition explaining what happened at the time of the building of the tower of Babel. Also, she procured from the literature servant the booklet ‘This Good News of the Kingdom’ in fifty languages, and she took these into class as an illustration. The teacher was so impressed with the composition and the different languages as illustrated by the booklets that she made a display board and put all the booklets on it. Thus for several weeks, the Good News booklet, in all its languages, was in plain view in the classroom. The teacher told her that she was giving her the highest mark possible—A plus—for sharing what she had learned with others. As a result, later she was able to place the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures with the teacher.”

SERMON IN THE CLASSROOM

A young Witness in Georgia relates this experience: “One day when we did not have to change class, I decided I would go over my sermon. I searched for my friends, who are also Jehovah’s witnesses. As I was going through the sermon, ‘Who Are Jehovah’s Witnesses?’ the teacher stopped me and said, ‘That is interesting. I like that. Will you give it to the whole class?’ So we gave that sermon to the whole class. The students listened very attentively. The teacher enjoyed it very much, also the students. I obtained one subscription, from one of my classmates.”

CONTEST

The following experience was related at the United Worshipers Assembly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: “Every year at most schools they hold an oratorical contest. From each English class one to three enter the semifinals. Five are then picked for the finals. I was one to go into the semifinals. We were told to give our talk on the subject ‘Things We Would Like to See Changed.’ I chose ‘Hatred to Love.’ Two years previously I had not gone past the semifinals, but to the surprise and joy of another brother and myself, we found ourselves in the finals.” And they came out on top, placing first and second and using the opportunity to give a good witness. What helped them most, says the one who placed first, was the ministry school.

THE VOCATION ESSAY

A fourteen year-old Witness gave this experience at the Milwaukee United Worshipers Assembly: “My weekend homework assignment was to write on ‘My Vocation for Life After High School Graduation.’ I immediately saw the opportunity to give a witness. In my essay I explained who Jehovah’s witnesses are, the work they do and that it is my desire to become a member of the headquarters family of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in Brooklyn, New York. Thus my first step after graduation will be to submit my application for this service. I turned the essay in to my teacher. Later he returned it, and under a red S plus he had written, ‘I enjoyed your essay very much, and now I can appreciate the work of Jehovah’s witnesses. It was written sincerely and earnestly, and I am pleased to have you, a young man with his vocation for life, God’s ministry, in my class.’”

TEACHER GETS QUESTIONS ANSWERED

A girl tells of her school in Alabama in which there are some twenty young witnesses of Jehovah: “A teacher became interested in Jehovah’s witnesses. A special issue of The Watchtower was placed with him. He read the entire special article to the class. When this teacher has a question concerning the Bible, he asks one of the Witnesses. For, as he says, ‘Jehovah’s witnesses know and understand the Bible.’ The principal of the school has also shown interest. This was shown when he called me into his office and asked me if I would bring my Bible to school and answer his questions. Later, when he found out that my cousin and I do not plan to attend college, he asked why. We explained that we planned to dedicate our lives to teaching about Jehovah God and his kingdom. He, of all people, urged us never to swerve from that goal.”