Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Latvia Responds to the Good News

THE Bible clearly shows that it is God’s will that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) Those who for many years were denied the opportunity to hear the good news are now hearing it! In Latvia, as in other parts of the world, people of all ages and various backgrounds are responding to the message, as the following experiences show.

• In Rēzekne, a town in eastern Latvia, a mother and her teenage daughter asked a woman on the street for directions. After giving them the information, the woman, who happened to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, offered them an invitation to the meetings of the Witnesses.

Since both mother and daughter were religiously inclined, they decided to go to the meeting. On the way, they made an agreement that if they should find anything improper there, they would leave immediately. However, the meeting was so interesting that the thought of leaving never entered their mind. They accepted an offer to study the Bible and began attending meetings regularly. In just three months, they expressed the desire to join in the preaching work and looked forward to being baptized.

• In a city in western Latvia, a Witness met 85-year-old Anna, who showed real interest and accepted a Bible study. Her daughter and other family members strongly opposed her. But Anna did not allow that or her advanced age and poor health to prevent her from continuing her Bible study.

One day, Anna told her daughter that she was going to get baptized. “If you get baptized, I will send you to a nursing home,” responded Anna’s daughter. This threat, however, did not deter Anna. Because of her physical condition, she was baptized in her own home.

How did Anna’s daughter react to this? There was a change of heart, and she prepared a special meal for her mother after the baptism. Then she asked her mother, “Now that you are baptized, how do you feel?” Anna’s reply? “Like a newborn!”

• In December 1998, two Witnesses met a retired army officer of the former Soviet Union. Since he believed in a Creator, he accepted a Bible study, and his wife joined in later. They made rapid progress and soon became unbaptized publishers. By the following summer, the former officer was baptized. This couple’s great love for spiritual things has been an encouragement to all in the congregation. In addition, they expended themselves in the work of remodeling a local residence into a fine Kingdom Hall.