Achievements of the organization for the month of March (10 mins.) Play the VIDEO.
Jesus was the perfect example of showing kindness and understanding. The prophet Isaiah said about Him: “He will not break the reed that is broken nor extinguish the wick that is barely burning.” He showed love to those who needed to be treated with compassion, to those who were broken. Like Jesus, we also want to show compassion to all people, even those in prison. What they have experienced shows why it is so necessary to preach in prisons. We are very happy to be able to tell you what is being achieved in this important work.
Already in 1918 Bible courses were conducted in the prison. Nowadays, emphasis is being placed on us to take the initiative, to make an effort to talk to the prison officials so that they will allow us to help those who are there and want to know the Creator.
We know that those in prison are serving a sentence for a crime they committed, but Jehovah wants all kinds of people to know him. The service department organizes the work of contact congregations, which supervise and support those who preach in prisons.
A contact congregation is assigned, which ensures that they have the necessary permits and organize the preaching work in the prison. You can also select which publishers will participate in this program.
We receive letters from some people who are in prison. In them, they thank the brothers who visit them to tell them about the good news of the Kingdom, and we see that some of them have responded well to the message and have become Jehovah's Witnesses.
Those who have accepted the truth and been baptized in prison have greatly influenced others. They see a person who has changed the way they act, speak, think, and now they are curious: Why is this person changing? In the end, many of them also want to know the truth and ask for a course.
The way prisons work is different in each country. Let's see how our brothers have adapted.
We have to be flexible, and we need to be, because each prison has its own rules. Sometimes they do not let the brothers go to prison to preach, and that is why we have to find another way to preach in prison.
The brothers organize campaigns to meet with prison officials so they can distribute certain Watchtower articles to prisoners.
In some prisons we have been able to make plans to show recorded regional and circuit assemblies, and that has had a tremendous impact; Many come and love to listen to the program.
There are about eleven and a half million people around the world who are incarcerated. They must also know that God loves them.
Although many local congregations help us, sometimes it is not so easy, and the reason is that everything must be synchronized: our secular work, the family, sometimes we have to travel. We feel uplifted and comforted because we realize that they value all the efforts we make.
We greatly appreciate everyone who participates in this facet of preaching. If you live near a jail, could you volunteer? If so, depending on whether they are men or women who are in that prison, you could help by giving of your time and energy. Additionally, we can all pray for prisoners who are hearing the Kingdom message and for those who teach them.
Our brothers and sisters work hard to find and help those who seek the truth in this very particular environment. What have been the results?
TESTIMONIALS
United States: Every day I regretted what I was, who I was, being where I was, I couldn't look in the mirror, even that was difficult. Jail is the worst thing that has happened to me. It is dangerous to show love and you cannot expect to receive it. After spending some time in solitary confinement, I was taken to a cell. There I saw that there were some books on the table, and some were Bibles. There were meetings in the prison and we began to study the Bible. Those brothers who came every week and talked to me about the Bible showed me love. When the truth reached my heart, I no longer saw the bars, I no longer saw the guards, the walls; All that stopped caring because now I had a purpose in life and I was happy.
United States: When you are in prison, the immense loneliness you feel is terrible, I don't know how to explain it. The first time I heard about the truth, I was in the county jail. Learning about Jehovah in this way, in a group and with the help of the brothers, was totally wonderful. That was my favorite moment of the week. I had never seen such kind people who showed me such affection and cared for me so much. I went from wanting to die to wanting to be there, in the New World, and realizing that Jehovah makes this possible, even for me. I just couldn't believe it.
Ghana: You feel that being dead is better than living like this. Another prisoner was the one who spoke to me about the Bible. For us, it was very encouraging every time they came.
Italy: Living in such a controlled place and in such a dangerous environment is not easy. I learned the truth at the worst moment of my life, right when I went to prison. Finally they took me to a prison where I was able to talk to a Jehovah's Witness, and there I learned the truth. Studying the Bible had an effect on me from the beginning. I felt calmer and at peace with myself. He could trust God and be a free man, even though he was still in prison.
1 Timothy 2:4 says that Jehovah wants all kinds of people to have an accurate knowledge of the truth. So we see the people of this world who are like broken reeds and barely burning wicks, as Jehovah and Jesus see them, full of potential: potential to change, potential to grow, potential to become friends of Jehovah.
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