Open Side Menu Search Icon
thumbnailThe content displayed below is for educational and archival purposes only.
Unless stated otherwise, content is © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

You may be able to find the original on wol.jw.org
Video above © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

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.”