• LANDS 239

• PUBLISHERS 7,782,346

• TOTAL HOURS SPENT IN THE FIELD MINISTRY 1,748,697,447

• BIBLE STUDIES 8,759,988

• LANDS 58

• POPULATION 968,989,710

• PUBLISHERS 1,312,429

• BIBLE STUDIES 2,999,639

No Abortion for Her

In Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, there lived a shop owner named Saba. One day, two sisters approached her with an Awake! magazine that featured a discussion on abortion. Saba took the sisters inside and tearfully told them that she was thinking about having an abortion. As they discussed the matter, all three became so overcome with emotion  that they began to weep. That day, Saba decided to keep her baby and firmly told her husband why. In time, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She also started studying the Bible and got baptized. She is now a happy pioneer. Her husband also studied and became our brother, and in April 2012, their two other children were baptized.

‘Would It Be Possible to Speak With Him?’

A circuit overseer in Ethiopia was preaching from house to house with another brother. At one door, they met the housemaid and asked her if they could speak to the man of the house. When she replied that this was not possible, they asked her if they could leave some literature for him. She went to ask his permission, returned, and said that he wanted to see it first.

So the brothers gave her a magazine to show him. After a few minutes, she came back and said that he agreed to read it. Then one of the brothers said, “If he can’t come out, would it be possible for us to go in and speak with him?” Again, the maid went to ask him. This time she stayed away longer than before, and the brothers wondered whether she would come back at all. Eventually she returned and invited them inside. Now the brothers learned that the householder, Yirgu, was an elderly man who had been bedridden for ten years, unable to get out of bed or even to sit up. The reason the housemaid had  taken so long was that she had helped him to get dressed and had tidied up the room.

The brothers presented the good news. Pleased with what he heard, Yirgu accepted a Bible study. As the study progressed, his health improved. After a while, he was able to get out of bed and move around in a wheelchair. Soon he began attending meetings and was baptized at a recent district convention.

The Church of His Father’s Books

Calvin, who lives in Zimbabwe, was four years old when his father died, leaving him only a bag containing a New World Translation and the book Isaiah’s Prophecy​—Light for All Mankind, Volume 1. “Stick to the church of these books,” he had told Calvin. “It teaches the truth.”

When his mother died, Calvin was taken in by his grandmother. For nine years Calvin refused to go to his grandmother’s church, insisting that one day he would find “the church” of the publications that his father had given him.

One day, the boy’s grandmother met one of our sisters. Not knowing that she was a Witness, the grandmother mentioned to the sister that she had a stubborn grandson who would not go to her church. Instead, he spent Sundays reading a book that had been left to him by his father. The sister asked the name of the book. The grandmother said that she thought it was “one of those crazy books of the Watchtower.”

The sister said that she would like to meet the boy. When they met, Calvin was overjoyed. Right away, the sister started a Bible study with him, using the  book What Does the Bible Really Teach? and he immediately began to attend meetings despite fierce opposition from his grandmother. He is resolved to stick to the truth and looks forward with great anticipation to the time of the resurrection when he hopes to be reunited with his mother and father. Calvin was baptized in August 2012.

“The God You Are Serving Is Strong”

Caro lives in Uganda. Just a month after she began to study the Bible, her husband, Martin, who practiced witchcraft, began to oppose her bitterly. “Because of your books, the ancestors can no longer enter the house,” he claimed. He mistreated her and threatened to kill her if she did not quit her Bible study. He also stopped providing for the family. Caro remained composed, provided for the family from the garden that she cultivated, and continued to take in accurate knowledge. Later, when it became clear that her life was actually in danger, Caro fled the home. She struggled to support herself. Yet, when she heard that the children were sick, she took the little money she had earned and bought medicine for them.

After some time, Caro received a phone call from her husband. “I want you to come back home,” he said. “I have seen that the God you are serving is strong and that he has been with you. I want you to tell those people who are teaching you to come and teach me too. I really want to change my life.” Martin was serious. The family is now united and happy. Both Martin and Caro were baptized at a convention in August 2012.

 A Lone Preacher in a Remote Town

While living in a town far away from his home in Kenya, David began to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Before long, though, he had to return to his home village of Lokichar, in a remote area of northwestern Kenya. The nearest congregation was about 100 miles [165 km] away in the town of Lodwar. For four years David had little contact with the Witnesses, yet he preached to his neighbors and relatives, sharing with them the things he had learned during the brief time he had studied the Bible. Some responded positively, and soon he was conducting several Bible studies. In 2007 he contacted the brothers in Lodwar and resumed his study, making the trip twice a month by motorbike, taxi, and minibus.

As his knowledge grew, so did David’s zeal for the ministry. Still unbaptized, he built a temporary mud-walled “Kingdom Hall” with a thatched roof near his home, where he conducted meetings with the interested ones. However, not all in the village were happy with his preaching activity, and for two years he was subjected to verbal and physical abuse. Once, some villagers beat him senseless, accusing him of introducing “Devil worship” to the village. However, after David sought the assistance of the district administration officer, the violence stopped, and David continued preaching. “The truth is my life,” said David. “No amount of opposition can stop me.”

In 2009, David was baptized, and he now serves as a ministerial servant and a regular pioneer. He and his 15-year-old son are the only publishers in the area, but in April 2012, some 60 villagers attended  the Memorial of Christ’s death, held in the temporary hall near David’s home.

“Prove From the Scriptures That She Is Wrong”

Janet, a regular pioneer sister in Ghana, was reading the Bible Teach book during a long bus trip. A preacher got on the bus, preached a sermon, and then invited the passengers to contribute money for his ministry. Janet said to him: “You say that Jesus is the same as God. Who, then, spoke to Jesus at his baptism?”

The preacher said, “It is a mystery.”

Janet opened to chapter 4 of the Bible Teach book, selected some scriptures, and invited a few of the passengers to read the verses. She explained the difference between Jesus and the Almighty God, Jehovah.

“You are a witch,” said the preacher.

At that, the passengers rallied to her defense, saying, “You should prove from the Scriptures that she is wrong rather than calling her a witch.” In anger, the preacher got off the bus at the next stop. A young woman sitting beside Janet said to her: “I thought Jehovah was the name of the church building of the Witnesses. I did not know that it was God’s name until your discussion with that preacher.”

A conversation followed, and Janet took the woman’s phone number and promised to contact her. When the woman got home, she related the incident to her grandmother. The grandmother too was surprised to learn that God’s name is Jehovah. Janet later arranged for some Witnesses to continue discussions with the woman and her grandmother. Both are now attending meetings.

• LANDS 57

• POPULATION 946,087,916

• PUBLISHERS 3,861,145

• BIBLE STUDIES 4,196,922

She Found the Truth in the Last Place She Expected

The prison guards in Bolivia wrestled 20-year-old Andrea into the courtyard of the jail while she screamed profanities and threats. Violent and strong, she cut an imposing and intimidating figure. Leidy, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who had been falsely accused and imprisoned, did not fear Andrea but felt pity for her. Every morning Leidy  had the custom of reading aloud a song from our songbook. When Andrea heard this, she asked, “Are you one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?”

When Leidy replied that she was, Andrea said: “My mother is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and I used to attend the meetings with her. She studied the Bible with me.” Andrea broke down and cried. During the next few days, Leidy had deep spiritual conversations with Andrea, and when it came time for Andrea’s hearing, they prayed together for Jehovah’s help and guidance. Andrea was released and continued to learn about Jehovah. She quickly qualified to be an unbaptized publisher, and she is now preparing for baptism.

Leidy took advantage of her wrongful imprisonment and started 21 Bible studies before she was released. She now returns to the prison three days a week to cultivate the interest.

It Was the www.pr418.com Web Site

One Sunday in the spring of 2011 when a well-dressed couple and their two young children entered a Kingdom Hall in Canada, everyone thought that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses visiting from another city. Dominic, a ministerial servant in the congregation, and the visiting husband recognized each other immediately. Dominic had studied the Bible with the man 17 years earlier. For the past two years, Marc-André and Josée, his wife, had been downloading and reading the Watchtower  and Awake! magazines from the www.pr418.com Web site and had realized that the entire family should go to the Kingdom Hall. A Bible study was started immediately, and the family began to attend all the meetings. After only two months of Bible study, the family started to have their own weekly Family Worship evening. They continue to make fine progress, and Josée gave her first student talk in the Theocratic Ministry School in May 2012.

‘He Gave Me His Lunch and His Hat’

While attending the 2010 district convention in Chile, ten-year-old Marcelo noticed that the older gentleman who had sat down beside him didn’t have any literature.

“The man doesn’t have a Bible,” he whispered to his mother.

“Share yours with him,” she whispered back. So Marcelo moved over and shared his Bible with the man, named Victor, looking up each of the cited texts with him. As the intermission began, Marcelo turned to his mother and said, “He doesn’t have a lunch.” She suggested that he share his lunch with Victor. So Marcelo gave him a sandwich and a cup of hot tea. While Victor ate his lunch, Marcelo showed him all the Bible texts he could remember.

By the afternoon, the sun was beating down on them. Marcelo turned to his mother once again and said, “He doesn’t have a hat.”

His mother replied, “Give him yours.” So he did. After the program ended, Marcelo and Victor said their good-byes.

 At the following year’s district convention, Marcelo looked around to see if Victor had come. To his delight, there he was, and this time he was wearing a tie! When Victor saw Marcelo, he announced: “I am here today because of this young man. Last year, I received an invitation to the convention, and I came. This boy shared his Bible with me and gave me his lunch and his hat. Now I’m studying the Bible!” Victor has become an unbaptized publisher.

Praise From a Journalist

In her newspaper column, a well-known journalist in Venezuela described her experience with the customer service of a national phone company that she had called for technical assistance. She was left none the wiser by the curt and impolite operator who took her call. Her second attempt was answered by a young man who identified himself as “Misael” and handled her inquiry politely and efficiently. She wrote: “The kindness, respect, willingness to help, and cooperative spirit that this young man showed throughout the whole process was exceptional. With his help, I was able to solve the problem and I also learned how to handle future cases.”

When the woman commended him, he explained that as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, he endeavors to treat his neighbor in the manner taught by Jesus. The journalist asked to speak to Misael’s supervisor. She praised his employee’s outstanding service. In her article, she stated that Misael is an exemplary Venezuelan and one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She concluded her column by saying: “We need people like him in all areas of public contact.”

 “Don’t Be Stubborn!”

Fifteen-year-old Gabriela, who is deaf, was thrilled to get baptized in October 2011 at the sign-language district convention in Ecuador. She was so excited that when she returned to her high school on Monday, she asked her teacher if she could make a brief announcement to her classmates. The teacher consented, and Gabriela stood before her class and enthusiastically said in sign language: “I’d like to announce that this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I was at a convention where I was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I would also like to tell you that we are living near the end of this system of things. There is little time left! It is urgent that you make the necessary  changes. So don’t be stubborn. Fear God!” Her classmates were impressed.

Later that day, during lunch, Katty, an inactive deaf Witness, approached Gabriela to ask about the convention. Gabriela replied frankly: “It was beautiful! But now as a baptized Witness, I want to stay faithful to Jehovah. So I must let you know that I can’t be your friend anymore because you live an unclean life. Being your friend can affect my friendship with God. You need to change. It’s important to pray to Jehovah and also to talk with the elders. I know you can change for the better.” Thanks to Gabriela’s forthright but loving admonition, Katty talked with the elders, received spiritual help, and became active in the ministry once again.

She Used Her Teacher’s Laptop

A 16-year-old sister in the United States had the whole class asking her about her religion, but she had no literature with her, not even her Bible. Wanting to use scriptures to answer her classmates’ questions, she borrowed her teacher’s laptop and accessed the www.pr418.com Web site. Not only did she answer all their questions but she also showed them how to make use of the site. She explained that whenever they had Bible questions and there were no Witnesses around to help them, they could always go to the Web site themselves to obtain the answers. As the week progressed, she noticed that her classmates had fewer questions than before. When she asked why, some responded that they had regularly been checking out the Web site from their phones. Even her teacher had been doing so!

• LANDS 48

• POPULATION 4,222,869,785

• PUBLISHERS 674,608

• BIBLE STUDIES 662,736

Village Conflict Avoided

On their way to attend a funeral, a group of Witnesses traveled through a small village in Indonesia. A pioneer noticed some young people at the roadside. He talked to them and left the brochure Listen to God and Live Forever. Sometime later, a sister passed by the same place on her way back home. A man  who was holding the Listen and Live brochure in his hand approached her and thanked her for giving it to his children. “This saved my children’s lives!” he said. The sister, not aware of the initial conversation, asked what had happened. The father explained that the youngsters had planned to attack a certain village. In accord with local custom, they intended to avenge an assault on one of their friends. However, when the boys read the brochure, they learned that people who fight with others will not inherit the coming Paradise. So they calmed down, abandoned their plan, and went home. A potentially dangerous conflict had been avoided because of the Bible’s message in the brochure.

A Transvestite Makes Changes

Rek grew up in a traditional family in Cambodia, but from a very young age, both he and his twin brother felt that they were female. They played with dolls and were interested in dressing in girls’ clothing. Their mother was confused and ashamed and did not know how to stop them. They would leave for school dressed as boys but immediately change into girls’ clothing once they got there. At the age of 16, the twins entered a beauty contest for transvestites and were noticed by the entertainment industry. This led to their being featured in television shows and comedy acts. Soon, Rek adopted a homosexual lifestyle and associated with other transvestites.

 Rek’s mother began attending church and made Rek go with her. Although he agreed to wear men’s clothing, he refused to cut his long hair. The pastor often made demeaning comments to Rek and ridiculed his lifestyle. Even so, Rek thought that he would try to study the Bible at the church. The first week, he got up early and cycled several miles to the church, but the pastor did not feel up to teaching and excused himself. Rek was disgusted when the pastor did not even show up the second week.

However, when Rek got home, his twin brother told him that a woman had visited and offered a free home Bible study. She had left the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? The twins began studying with the sister and her husband. After six months, Rek’s brother felt that he was not ready to change his lifestyle, and he stopped studying. Rek, on the other hand, was deeply affected by 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, and saw clearly what he had to do. By means of diligent study, Bible reading, prayer, and meeting attendance, he was able to clean up his life. Rek’s mother is also studying and making good progress. When Rek was baptized, his mother said, with tears in her eyes, “I’m so happy to see my son get baptized as a man.” He now serves as a regular pioneer.

A Spiritist Changes Her Ways

Or-Ya was a practicing spiritist, healer, counselor, and fortune-teller. A special pioneer couple serving in Haifa, Israel, met her in the house-to-house ministry. She greeted them with the words: “If it’s about God, come in!” Her home was full of items connected with spiritism and mysticism. She claimed that  she received messages from God, some through the “spirit” of a deceased rabbi.

The offer of a home Bible study in the Bible Teach book appealed to her. Just two days before the couple called at her home, she had prayed to God to send her someone who could teach her the Bible free of any rabbinical interpretations. Within a month, she asked, “Are there other people who share your beliefs?” She attended a congregation meeting and was impressed by the warmth and love shown to her. She has attended regularly ever since.

After two months of study, Or-Ya asked about an upcoming assembly: “Isn’t it at assemblies that one can get baptized? If so, you’ve got just two months to get me ready for baptism!” As a first step, she threw out all her expensive spiritistic paraphernalia. She then quit working in that field and began witnessing to others, presenting the Bible Teach book and magazines to all her former patients and clients. When she fell sick, she refused to turn to her previous healing methods. Giving up her former profession left her without an income for four months. Yet, she set certain conditions for work​—four days a week, six hours a day—​to allow for theocratic activities, and she eventually found suitable employment. Then she sold her large house and rented a small apartment.

In due course, Or-Ya qualified for baptism, but a week before the assembly, she broke her leg. Undaunted, she was baptized anyway, but with her  leg in a cast. Today Or-Ya is an active publisher, witnessing to former clients and conducting Bible studies.

A Cult Member Finds the Truth

A Bible study was started with deaf twin brothers in a remote mountain area of the Philippines. Both belonged to a cult that believed that weapons could not harm the members as long as they wore certain amulets and scarves for protection. They had been trained in the use of knives, bolos, and guns and had participated in many battles against rebel groups in the mountains. The cult allowed them to study the Bible with the understanding that the Witnesses would not force them to leave the cult.

The brothers, of course, encouraged the twins to make their own decision based on what they were learning from the Bible. One of the twins felt that he could not make the necessary adjustments in his life in order to serve God acceptably. The other, however, kept studying. To encourage him, the brother studying with him opened the Bible and explained in sign language: “Your name, Samuel, is in the Bible. The Samuel in the Bible served the true God, Jehovah, until he was very old. You too can faithfully obey Jehovah.” This touched Samuel’s heart. “If my name is in the Bible,” he reasoned, “then I too must take Jehovah’s side.” He informed the cult that he was leaving the mountains, and he burned all his amulets and spiritistic items and made rapid progress. He is now a baptized servant of Jehovah, zealously helping other deaf ones to learn Bible truth.

 A Child Faces Persecution

Rajiv lives in a remote village in northern India. When he was nine years old and in the fourth grade, his schoolteacher, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, taught the children moral standards with the help of the book Learn From the Great Teacher. Rajiv drank in this information and began to apply it. He told his teacher that he had stopped telling lies and fighting with his schoolmates and was sharing his food at lunchtime with those who had none.

 As he learned more about the promise of Paradise on earth, he began to tell this good news to others in his village and to people he met while traveling on the train. This annoyed and embarrassed his parents. They told him to stop talking about Jehovah and Jesus. When he continued, they began to beat him, and his mother would take away his clothes when he returned from school so that he could not go out and talk about his newfound hope. His parents did not allow him to sleep on his bed, and they restricted his food. When these measures also failed, they called a priest to change the boy’s thinking.

The priest stayed in the home for several days and tried to force Rajiv to bow down to an idol. When Rajiv said that the idol was just stone and was not a living god, the priest replied that the boy should ‘see through the heart.’ Only then would he “see” god in the statue. Rajiv took a piece of paper and wrote on it “100 rupees.” He gave it to the priest and asked him to buy some chocolates and bring back the change. The priest said that he was not a fool; this was just a piece of paper and had no value. “If you look at this through your heart,” replied Rajiv, “you will see real currency in this piece of paper.” Angrily, the priest pushed the boy’s head down in front of the idol. “You have forced my head to bow in front of this statue,” said Rajiv, “but you will never bow my heart.” Finally the priest left, saying that it was impossible to reform the boy and that if he stayed any  longer, he himself would lose his faith. Rajiv’s parents then moved him to another school. But he has not stopped talking to everyone who will listen to what he says about Jehovah and the promise of Paradise. Now ten years old, he continues to rely on Jehovah for help to keep his faith strong.

She Found the Bible She Was Looking For

While Larisa was witnessing to an employee at a bookstore in Armenia, a woman entered and asked the saleswoman for the “New World” Bible. The saleswoman said that she did not have such a Bible but could offer her a local Armenian translation. “Is it easy to understand?” asked the customer. The saleswoman read a few verses and said, “It seems understandable.” Unconvinced, the customer insisted that she needed to find the “New World” Bible. Larisa suddenly remembered that she had her own Armenian Bible in her purse. She showed it to the woman and asked her to read the title. The woman read, “New World Translation.” It was the very Bible she had been looking for!

The customer explained that her daughter and son-in-law in Greece had just started to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since they had not yet learned Greek, they asked their mother to bring with her an Armenian New World Translation on her next visit. Our sister handed the Bible to the woman and said, “Please give this to them and tell them that it is a gift from Jehovah.” The woman was elated when Larisa also offered to help her study the Bible. They exchanged telephone numbers so that the woman could start studying as soon as she returned from Greece.

• LANDS 47

• POPULATION 738,679,198

• PUBLISHERS 1,595,888

• BIBLE STUDIES 841,260

She Returned the Wallet

Nina, a regular pioneer sister in Bosnia, studies with a Roma family. While walking down the street one day, the ten-year-old daughter of the family found a wallet containing money, credit cards, and documents. Before learning the truth, she would have viewed the find as a precious gift, but after consulting with her mother, she decided to  hand it over to the police. The decision was noteworthy because the family was poor and did not even have enough money to buy bread. About two hours after handing the wallet to a surprised policeman, they received a call asking them to return to the police station. The owner of the wallet was waiting there to thank them and to offer a reward. He gave them the equivalent of about $30 (U.S.), equal to two days’ wages.

The Title Intrigued Him

Nihad, who lives in Bosnia, had finished field service. As he approached his car, he found a man standing next to it. When Nihad greeted him, the man said: “Excuse me, I noticed a magazine in your car with the title, ‘How to Be a Good Father.’ I would really like to have a copy. I have been waiting here for about an hour for someone to come. May I please have it?” Nihad was very glad to give him the magazine and took the opportunity to give the man a witness.

A Tanker Crew Receives Comfort

When a couple preaching in the Rotterdam harbor territory in the Netherlands visited a tanker, they met a somber crew. With tears in his eyes, the chief engineer told them that the ship had experienced a string of calamities, including near-collisions, and had sustained damages. So he asked, “Won’t you pray for us?” The couple offered to give the crew an  encouraging Bible talk. The next day at seven in the evening, the publishers along with two other couples were welcomed to the ship’s bridge. Assembled there were 15 of the 16-member crew. After an opening prayer, a brother gave a talk on the subject “Disasters​—An Act of God?” The crew was able to read the cited Bible verses because the publishers had brought extra Bibles and helped everyone to look up the scriptures. After the concluding prayer, all the crew remained seated and talked with the brothers. The sailors felt relieved and thankful. One of them said, “This is an answer to our prayers.” The crew took 20 books as well as Bibles and other publications, after which the captain handed the publishers an envelope containing $200 (U.S.) as a contribution for the literature.

She Prayed That She Could Help

Irene, who lives in Sweden, wrote: “I am 80 years old, and because of pain I am unable to go out in field service. I prayed to Jehovah that I might help someone whom I visited long ago and who would now be willing to have conversations or visits.

“One day, our telephone rang, and my husband answered. It was a woman who said to him: ‘Excuse me, you were the only ones I could remember, so I made this call. Would your wife like to visit me to discuss God’s Word? I studied 15 or 20 years ago, but my late husband was opposed, so I quit the study.’

“I remembered that I had visited the woman with another sister, who studied with her. To my astonishment, the woman remembered me. Delighted, I arranged to meet with her. Since then, we have had a study each week. She attended the Memorial and  the special talk. She has also been attending meetings. I thank Jehovah every day for answering my prayer.”

No Chocolate for the Contribution Box

Eight-year-old Sergio, who lives in Italy, wanted to convince the elders that he was ready to become an unbaptized publisher. One day, he went with his father who, for work, had to repair a lock for a couple in their 70’s. Sergio brought a set of magazines with him. “While my dad was working,” he explained, “I offered the magazines to the husband, who was so surprised that he called his wife and showed them to her. Then I made a note of their name, address, and telephone number so that I could call again. The wife gave me all this information and handed me a big bar of chocolate.” A few days later, Sergio and one of the elders made a return visit on the couple. Sergio rang the bell, and when the wife answered, he explained that he wanted to give them the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? The woman was happy to accept it. She gave him another bar of chocolate. “I couldn’t put the chocolate in the contribution box, so I ate it,” said Sergio, who then added, “The elders finally understood how much I wanted to become an unbaptized publisher.”

The Pastor Wanted to Learn More

Simeon was the pastor of a church in Gurkovo, Bulgaria, where there are no Witnesses. His study of the Bible had made him aware of the differences between what the Bible teaches and what the church teaches. One day, he received some of our magazines while traveling by train.  Simeon was thrilled to learn that Jehovah is the true God and that there is no Trinity. Eager to learn more, he wrote to the branch office and to all the churches he knew. Only one church replied, telling him not to concern himself with “such nonsense.” In contrast, the branch office arranged for two Witnesses to travel about 20 miles [35 km] from Kazanlŭk. They started a Bible study with Simeon and his family. Simeon loved what he was learning, and he invited his neighbors and friends to attend. Soon 25 people were attending the weekly Bible study. After attending one of the  Bible discussions for the first time, a 75-year-old neighbor said with tears in her eyes, “I have understood more in one hour than in 30 years of going to church.” Up to 60 people attend the meetings that the brothers from Kazanlŭk conduct in Gurkovo every month, and 79 attended the Memorial.

“Please Keep Up This Way of Life”

Valya, a 15-year-old sister in Ukraine, noticed that her teacher came to school dressed in black and that she had been crying. Upon learning that the teacher’s mother had died, Valya decided to comfort her with scriptures about the resurrection. Valya took a Bible and two brochures, What Happens to Us When We Die? and When Someone You Love Dies, and decided that after her classes, she would approach the teacher. She said: “While I was waiting at her office door, I was very nervous, so I prayed to Jehovah to help me.”

When Valya entered the teacher’s office, the teacher asked, “What do you want?”

“I want to comfort you because I can understand how you feel. Some years ago I lost my grandfather.”

The teacher was touched by Valya’s concern. Tearfully, she said that neither her relatives nor her colleagues had shown her such sincere compassion. Valya then read and explained Revelation 21:3, 4, after which the teacher accepted the brochures, saying, “You are very different from the other pupils.”

Valya explained, “I make an effort to read the Bible and to live according to it, and I listen to my parents.”

At the teacher’s request, Valya later brought her a Bible and the Bible Teach book. The teacher again  expressed appreciation and said to Valya: “Your religion is the true religion, and you have very good parents who teach you what is right. Please keep up this way of life.”

She Dialed the Wrong Number

On the first day of the 2011 district convention held in Malakasa, Greece, Natalie used her cell phone to call her father concerning a bus ride to the convention grounds. However, she dialed the wrong number, and no one answered. A little later, the person whom she had accidentally called saw the number and returned the call to find out who it was. However, the convention program had begun, and although Natalie had intended to turn her cell phone off, instead she somehow connected the call. So unbeknownst to her, the man was able to listen to part of the chairman’s talk, which triggered his interest.

Later, the man sent a text message, asking: “Who are you? Are you a priest?” At the end of the morning session, Natalie saw the message and replied: “I’m not a priest. I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and I am attending a convention.”

The man called again on Saturday to ask if the convention was still under way. Natalie’s father was able to give him a witness, after which the man explained, “In a matter of minutes, the talk I heard over the phone answered many questions that had been troubling me.” As it turned out, the man’s family had been experiencing demon attacks and had no idea who the spirits were and why this was happening. He explained: “I have never been willing to speak to  Jehovah’s Witnesses until now, but if possible, I would like to talk to the man who gave the lecture.”

Of course it was possible. The man came to the convention on Sunday and was astonished by what he saw there​—well-dressed families and happy faces. There was no rubbish lying around, no bad language, no smoking. “I had no idea that people like you existed on this planet!” he said. “I feel as if I’ve entered another world.” Natalie’s father took him to the chairman’s office, where he talked with the chairman. The convention itself and the answers he was given made quite an impression on the man. He accepted the Bible Teach book, a Bible, and some magazines, and arrangements were made for a return visit.

• LANDS 29

• POPULATION 38,495,300

• PUBLISHERS 94,924

• BIBLE STUDIES 59,431

“The Most Beautiful Song I Have Ever Heard”

In Savaii, Samoa, a typical school day begins with the whole school assembling to sing a hymn. But Celina, aged five, and Levaai, aged six, respectfully told the principal that they could not join in because they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Taking such a stand could result in severe punishment. However, the principal evidently thought  that he could embarrass the children into complying, so he said, “Well, if you can’t sing our song, sing one of yours.” In response, Celina and Levaai sang song number 111, “He Will Call,” which they had recently learned during a Family Worship evening. When they finished, the principal had tears in his eyes. He said: “That is the most beautiful song I have ever heard. Please sing it again.” They did. He then told them, “From now on, I will ask you to sing, not our songs, but yours.”

All His Life He Prayed to Jesus

A man in Fiji who was a minister at a local church decided to sit in on another person’s Bible study. During the study, he heard that Jesus is not God. He was so troubled by this that he could not sleep. On seeing his agitation, his wife said, “Don’t go back to listen to those people!” However, he could not get the matter out of his mind. The next week, he attended the Bible study again. Within days of this second study and without yet having his own study, he went to his church and quit his job as minister. This caused his relatives and church members to be shocked and angry. Not only was he leaving the church but he was turning his back on a well-paying job. From the Bible, he could easily see the truth  about Jesus, but it was difficult for him to pray to Jehovah because all his life he had prayed to Jesus. After many months, he was finally able to pray to Jehovah. Now he shares the good news with others and helps them come to know and love Jehovah.

A Small Community Responds to the Truth

Only 62 people live on the South Pacific island of Makatea. A congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tahiti takes care of the spiritual needs of these people. Nine of the inhabitants are having a regular Bible study by telephone. Up to 15 people meet in the home of one of the Bible students and listen to the meetings, which are held in Tahiti. Among those now studying the Bible is a young woman who was a pillar of her church and was expected to be appointed as a deaconess. Not long ago, she went back to her church to explain why she no longer attended services there. She showed from the Bible why a woman must not teach in the congregation. She also explained the role of Jesus Christ and the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, which should be observed once a year and not every Sunday. Furthermore, she was able to explain that only 144,000 will be with Christ in heaven and that only they should partake of the Memorial emblems. Encouraged by her example, another woman left the church and is now regularly studying the Bible with the Witnesses.

The Family Accepted the Invitation

In an effort to invite inactive ones to the Memorial of Christ’s death, two elders in the Solomon Islands visited Joshua, who had not been to meetings since  1998. Along with 20 members of his family, Joshua walked two hours to attend the Memorial. The warm welcome they received from the congregation moved Joshua to tears. Many in the family also came to the special talk, after which they informed the elders that they would like to have a Bible study. Arrangements were made to study with 15 of them.

He Knew the Answer

Of the more than 1,000 islands and atolls in the branch territory of Guam, over 100 are inhabited. However, only 13 of these islands are near a congregation. Because so many islands have never been visited by Jehovah’s Witnesses, the  brothers continue to look for ways to reach them. In April 2012, a group of publishers traveled by sailboat to Polowat, one of the most isolated islands. Polowat is virtually untouched by the outside world. Men wear loincloths, build dugout canoes, and live off the land.

One of the visiting publishers asked a young man there, “What happens when we die?”

“I know the answer to that question!” the islander exclaimed. He then sprang to his feet, grabbed the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth in Chuukese from his shelf, and opened it to the table of contents. Pointing to chapter 8, entitled “What Happens at Death?” he eagerly explained what he had learned from the book.

How, though, did he get the book? In 2009, publishers on the main island of Chuuk preached at the docks in an effort to reach people who were traveling to remote outer islands and placed Live Forever books with them. Someone going to Polowat had gladly agreed to take a box of books to distribute to his neighbors, one of whom was the young man.

Before leaving Polowat, the brothers visited the young man several more times to encourage him and to show him how to benefit from a study program. They also taught him how to look up scriptures and note key points in the margins of his book.

How heartwarming to know that even on remote islands where there is no television, radio, newspaper, or Internet, our literature is helping people to learn the truth in their mother tongue!

 Three Bullets, Three Reasons

Anna was an unbaptized publisher in her early 20’s when the Bougainville civil war intensified in Papua New Guinea. In 1991 she was part of a Witness group of six adults and seven children from the Arawa Congregation who were forced to escape into the bush with only a few possessions. For two years, they lived in abandoned homes and foraged for food. They held their meetings using the only two books they had, Anna’s Bible and a copy of United in Worship of the Only True God. They prayed together, sang Kingdom songs, and preached to those whom they met.

Members of the revolutionary army found them and wanted the two brothers in the group to join the army, but they respected the Witnesses for their neutral stand. A soldier once showed Anna three bullets and told her, “Marry me or die.” She gave him three reasons​—one for each bullet—​why she could not marry him, the foremost being that the Bible says to marry “only in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 7:39) The man turned and walked away.

In 2012, after hearing of the great need for Kingdom publishers in Arawa, Anna, now serving as a regular pioneer, returned there with her pioneer partner to help establish an isolated group. She was asked if it bothered her to go back to the place where she had seen so much carnage and experienced such hardship during the war. “I only feel joy coming back here,” she replied. “Nothing can stop Jehovah’s work, not even a civil war.”