“Hold On to What You Have”

A group of Witnesses were preaching on one of about 30 islands making up the Cyclades Islands of Greece. As two of them made their way down the street, they met a policeman who told them to follow him to the police station. Shortly after they arrived at the police station, the telephone rang. It was the village priest. “I heard that there are Jehovah’s Witnesses in the village,” he said. “Yes, I have two here,” the policeman replied. “I’ll be right down.” From the tone of the conversation, the brothers became somewhat apprehensive.

Upon his arrival, however, the priest smiled, shook their hands, and sat down on the chair next to the policeman. As the discussion proceeded, the policeman became contentious while the priest remained reasonable and courteous. He told the policeman not to belittle the Witnesses, and he added: “They can answer any question because they receive training in the Theocratic Ministry School. It would be easier to shake the world off its foundation than to change the faith of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

While preaching the following morning, the brothers encountered the priest again and asked: “Why were you so friendly to us during the discussion at the police station?” The priest told them that he was acquainted with many Witnesses in Syros and that he had been reading the Watchtower and Awake! magazines for many years. In fact, on a number of occasions he has taken a Watchtower magazine, hidden it in a folder, and used it to give his sermon in church. He remarked: “I don’t think life would be worth living if I didn’t have your literature. That is what keeps me going.”

Later, the priest told the Witnesses: “I must tell you one thing. Hold on to what you have. Don’t make a mistake and leave it. What I am telling you now is the best sermon I’ve ever given, and I am not just saying it with my mouth; I mean it with all my heart.”