Bible Literature Appreciated in the Former Soviet Union
By Awake! correspondent in Russia
EARLY in 1991 the then existing Soviet Union was made up of Russia and 14 other republics. Since then, the republics have become independent countries. However, Russia has a greater population than the other 14 countries combined and has well over three times the land area that they do. By September 1994, there were 117,276 of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the former Soviet Union who were sharing Bible truths with their neighbors.
Today large quantities of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines in Russian are printed each month for use in the former Soviet Union. In addition, many tracts and bound books are being distributed there. That this Bible literature has been deeply appreciated is clearly seen from letters received at the Russia office of Jehovah’s Witnesses near St. Petersburg.
Colorful Magazines Appreciated
A man from central Siberia wrote: “By complete chance I saw The Watchtower in the hands of my fellow worker. I asked her to show it to me. First I simply glanced at the bright, full-color illustrations. Then I read more and more . . . Before I realized it, I had read the magazine from cover to cover. The questions were asked in an interesting, lively, and conversational manner.”
Another man from Siberia explained: “By chance I received an issue of your magazine. I do not want to flatter you, but this is the best information that I have ever read about faith.”
A nurse from St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, wrote: “Thank you very much for the wonderful series of articles in the January 8, 1995, Awake! on burnout. These articles did not take away my problems but gave me the support for which I had been waiting and seeking.”
A 17-year-old school student wrote: “I am very grateful to all who are publishing such wonderful literature. When my friends and I were leaving a movie theater, we saw a few of the magazines left on an empty seat. We picked them up. . . . As I read The Watchtower, I could not believe my eyes. Will the future really be so? Now I am reading the Gospels and trying to understand them. Your magazines very thoroughly explain what the Bible says.”
A 26-year-old man said: “I am very grateful for the article ‘Is Suicide the Answer?’ in the April 8, 1994, Awake! Because of my inclination toward depression and the habit of masturbation, I have many times considered suicide. But God’s Word and prayers to Jehovah held me back from ending my life. This article strengthened my belief in God’s mercy and my belief that God will help me handle my problems. He sees my repentance. He wants me to live. I thank him for his support given by means of this article.”
Regarding the same Awake! article, a 15-year-old girl explained: “This magazine has played a big role in my life. When I was eight years old, I started feeling that nobody needed me. My parents did not have time to speak with me, and I tried to solve my problems by myself. I withdrew into myself. I quarreled constantly with my relatives. Then the thought of suicide came into my mind. How happy I was to meet Jehovah’s Witnesses!”
A woman from the European part of Russia said: “I once overheard a Bible discussion between two young men at a bus stop. I became interested and approached them. These young men gave me a copy of The Watchtower. With pleasure and interest, I read the magazine, and I want to know more about the Bible. I would like to have contact with you by means of your magazines, and I want to learn and study the Bible regularly.”
Other Literature Appreciated
A young woman from the Caucasus wrote: “A woman came to our office and began telling about some kind of an assembly. I saw the joy and the enthusiasm that she had, and I became interested. The next day she gave me the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. I devoured it. It was something stupendous. I felt that after wandering in darkness, I had found the door that leads to light. After seeking for so long a time, I found answers to all my questions in just one book. This is a joy that is impossible to describe.”
A man from Central Asia noted: “I am a parishioner of the evangelistic Good News Church. We feel an acute shortage of spiritual literature. We urgently ask you to send us books, brochures, and booklets for study and further distribution.”
A person from Armenia, near the Black Sea, wrote: “I read the brochure Does God Really Care About Us?, and it was like a breath of fresh air. At last I have found literature that will help me to study the Bible. I kindly ask you to send me books for such a study.”
A woman from Siberia said: “One of Jehovah’s Witnesses visited our house and left a copy of the book The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. Although I have been an atheist since school, what I read encouraged me to meditate deeply and to start studying the Bible.”
A mother of two children expressed her gratitude for this same book about the life of Jesus Christ and explained: “It is understandable to children and of interest to them. It arouses a further desire to study the Bible and read religious literature. The book is splendidly published and made.”
Last year, 34,608 people in the former Soviet Union showed their appreciation for what they were learning by being baptized. May the Bible-based literature published by Jehovah’s Witnesses receive a full and liberal distribution in this part of the world, and may many thousands more respond to the Bible truths that it contains!