From August 28 to September 2, 2023, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show was held in Harare, Zimbabwe. This international exposition featured over 500 exhibitors and drew over 250,000 attendees. Brothers and sisters from the area set up a booth with literature in English, Ndebele (Zimbabwe), and Shona. In total, nearly 6,300 publications were distributed by the 79 brothers and sisters who participated, and 116 people requested a Bible study.
A teenager named Tamuka approached the booth. He was drawn to the books Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work, Volumes 1 and 2. But when he learned that Jehovah’s Witnesses offer free interactive Bible study courses, he excitedly asked, “Can you tell me more about these Bible lessons?” After seeing a demonstration of the Bible study using the Enjoy Life Forever! brochure, he requested a study. A local brother has made arrangements to continue the study with Tamuka.
Another man approached the booth and said that he was impressed by the Witnesses’ humble and diligent preaching method. A brother at the booth read Matthew 28:19, 20 to the man and explained that Jehovah’s Witnesses take Jesus’ command to share the Bible’s message seriously. The man confessed that he wished he had such courage. The brother offered the man a Bible study, and he gladly accepted.
A woman at the exposition expressed appreciation for the kind and modest way Jehovah’s Witnesses conduct themselves. The brothers explained that studying and applying God’s Word in our lives helps us to display such qualities. A sister at the booth then showed the woman how a Bible study is conducted using the Enjoy Life Forever! brochure. The woman was amazed by the wide variety of publications available, free of charge, including publications for families and young people. After accepting some literature and a Bible, she agreed to a Bible study and remarked, “This is the best gift I have ever received!”
Our brothers and sisters also witnessed informally throughout the exposition. A brother began a conversation with a woman who was manning her own booth. Later that day, the brother approached the woman again and offered her a Bible and some literature. The woman happily accepted them and explained that she had been trying unsuccessfully to obtain a personal copy of the Bible. She then provided her contact information so that a sister could visit her on a later occasion.
Describing her feelings after participating in the exposition, a sister named Ranganai expressed: “Over the past year, my health has made it difficult to have as full a share in the ministry as I would like. But I have learned to look for blessings despite the challenges. The opportunity to support this event is one of those blessings. It gave me the confidence and encouragement that I needed.”
We are delighted by such experiences and are proud to serve shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe as “God’s fellow workers.”—1 Corinthians 3:9.
Source : JW.ORG