00:00 Out of the over 100,000 publishers in South Korea,
00:05 there are more than
40,000 zealous regular pioneers.
00:10 What efforts have they made
00:12 to reach more people in frequently worked territory?
00:16 Let’s find out.
00:19 I started pioneering less than a year after I got baptized,
00:23 so I was eager to sharpen
00:24 my preaching skills.
00:26 I really wanted to share my hope with others.
00:29 But it’s so hard to meet people
00:30 at their homes during the day.
00:32 And even if we do meet them,
00:34 it’s not easy to start a conversation.
00:37 Our congregation organized convenience store witnessing
00:40 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.,
00:43 so I thought this might be a good way to reach people
00:45 and have meaningful conversations.
00:49 But the thing is that I’m not a morning person,
00:51 so getting up early was not easy.
00:54 So I had to make some adjustments.
00:57 I tried not to make plans
00:59 or to stay up late the night before.
01:03 The sample presentations from our meetings were also very helpful.
01:09 In the past, I hardly got the chance to open the Bible while I was preaching,
01:13 but now I have a few Bible studies.
01:18 Even the time we spend traveling from one convenience store to the next
01:22 is very uplifting spiritually because we use that time
01:26 to share our preaching skills and build each other up.
01:29 Having a regular share in convenience store witnessing
01:32 has allowed me to be more productive in the ministry.
01:35 I feel like I’m progressing spiritually
01:38 and becoming a better minister of the good news.
01:42 On weekdays, I work to support my family.
01:46 So I would usually go out in field service
01:48 on the weekends.
01:50 But it wasn’t easy to find people at their homes
01:53 because they usually make plans and go out.
01:57 And you know,
01:58 it’s hard to get excited about the preaching work
02:01 when you’re not meeting many people.
02:03 I wanted to set a good example for my family,
02:07 but I found it a real challenge to maintain my zeal for the ministry.
02:12 So I began to regularly participate in evening witnessing
02:16 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
02:20 I usually get off work around 5:00 p.m.
02:24 After a long day at work,
02:26 it’s not always easy to get dressed
02:28 to go out in the field ministry.
02:31 But I kept up with my return visits
02:34 and had some really encouraging experiences.
02:37 A young man I had been visiting
02:39 accepted a Bible study, and he’s making fine progress.
02:43 My children are able to see how much joy I get from the ministry,
02:47 and so now they too are able to give a bold witness
02:51 in their own words, even in the face of opposition.
02:55 I am very proud of my children.
02:57 Training and teaching them how to make
03:00 effective return visits and Bible studies
03:02 brings me great joy.
03:05 We serve in a small rural town
03:07 where many leave home early in the morning to work in the field,
03:10 and they return late at night.
03:12 So it’s not easy
03:14 to find people at home during the daytime.
03:16 And even if we do find them at their doors,
03:18 it’s not easy to develop a meaningful Bible-based conversation,
03:21 let alone make return visits and conduct Bible studies with them.
03:26 After returning home from preaching at night,
03:28 I would ask myself,
03:30 ‘Did I have a meaningful share in the ministry today?’
03:34 It’s a small rural town.
03:36 So many people are concerned about what their neighbors
03:38 would think if they talked with us.
03:41 So even those who were interested in learning more about the Bible
03:45 were reluctant to have Bible discussions with us.
03:49 It was really unfortunate.
03:52 We tried to figure out the right time to call on people,
03:56 and we found out that many householders are more relaxed
04:01 and willing to talk about the Bible
04:03 if we visit them around nine or ten o’clock in the evening.
04:08 I gave much thought on how I could help my Bible students
04:12 have a regular intake of spiritual food.
04:15 One of my students worked from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
04:19 so I asked her if we could arrange
04:21 to study early in the morning.
04:23 She agreed.
04:25 I often tell my Bible students,
04:27 ‘Just call me whenever you have a little time to talk.’
04:32 When I get those calls, no matter what time it is,
04:36 it’s time to rush out that door.
04:40 There was one elderly lady who was in her early 80’s
04:44 who had attended church all her life.
04:47 To accommodate her needs,
04:49 I visited her around nine or ten o’clock in the evening
04:54 for our Bible studies.
04:58 I would come home feeling tired and hungry,
05:01 but the satisfaction of knowing
05:03 that I’ve helped her learn more about the truth
05:05 enables me to maintain my joy.
05:10 Now I am able to conduct about 12 Bible studies.
05:14 I try to “become all things to people of all sorts”
05:18 in order to look after their needs.
05:21 And it brings me great satisfaction and joy
05:24 to see my studies make progress
05:26 because that’s really how Jehovah wants us
05:28 to be carrying out our ministry.
05:34 You might feel that you’ve worked every corner of your home territory.
05:38 But just like a literal fisherman adapts to the time when the fish are biting,
05:43 we need to work when people can be found.
05:47 Cast your nets into productive waters!
05:50 Our sister arranged her schedule to call on her Bible student
05:55 at nine or ten in the evening.
05:57 Of course, we want to use good judgment
06:00 to call at times that are both practical and safe for our territory.
06:04 But by being adaptable in when, where,
06:09 or how we preach the good news,
06:11 we may yield good results like those of our fellow Witnesses in South Korea.
06:16 This will help us to have a meaningful share in the all-important work
06:21 of finding those who are “rightly disposed for everlasting life.”