Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Finding the Truth in an Unlikely Place

IT IS God’s will that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3, 4) To that end, Jehovah’s Witnesses have printed and distributed millions of copies of the Bible and Bible study aids. At times, these publications have helped honesthearted ones learn the truth in most unexpected ways. In this regard, the Kingdom proclaimers in Freetown, Sierra Leone, report the following experience.

Osman was the second son in a family of nine children. Growing up in a religious household, he regularly went to worship with his father. Osman, however, was deeply troubled by what his religion taught about hell. He could not understand how a merciful God would torture wicked people by burning them in fire. All the explanations offered to help Osman understand the hellfire doctrine failed to put him at ease.

One day, when Osman was 20 years old, he noticed a blue book partially buried in the rubbish in a trash can. Being fond of books, he picked it up, cleaned it, and noticed the title​—The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. *

‘What truth is this?’ wondered Osman. His curiosity piqued, Osman took the book home and read it in one sitting. How excited he was to learn that God has a personal name​—Jehovah! (Psalm 83:18) Osman also learned that God’s dominant quality is love and that even the idea of tormenting people in a fiery place is something detestable to Him. (Jeremiah 32:35; 1 John 4:8) Finally, Osman read that Jehovah will soon bring about an earthly paradise in which people will be able to live forever. (Psalm 37:29; Revelation 21:3, 4) What marvelous truth from a merciful, loving God! With heartfelt gratitude, Osman thanked Jehovah for letting him find the truth in a most unlikely place.

A few days later, with the help of some friends, Osman located the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and attended a meeting for the first time. While there, he asked a Witness to study the Bible with him. Despite strong family opposition, Osman continued to make spiritual progress and was baptized. (Matthew 10:36) Today, he serves as an elder in the congregation. How wonderful that all of this resulted from finding a Bible publication in a trash can!

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