Catching Migratory "Fish"

The Aegean Sea is renowned for its abundant migratory fish, such as sardines and swordfish, that cross its waters and end up on the nets of skilled fishermen. In a similar manner, Kingdom evangelizers find many  receptive hearts among immigrant workers who have moved to Greece from many Eastern European countries. 

Rezi was ten years old when she first read about Jehovah and his purposes in the pages of the Watchtower and Awake!  That was in Albania. Three years later she moved with her family to the island of Rhodes. One day, Rezi prayed to Jehovah to help her find his people in her new home. The next day her father came home with those  familiar magazines, the Watchtower and Awake, much to Rezi's joy. Rezi came in contact with the sister who had given the magazines to her father and soon she started  studying from the book Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life.  At times, she asked to have a study three times during the same day!  After two months she became an unbaptized publisher, and in March 1998 she was baptized at the age of 14.  That same day, she started auxiliary pioneering, and six months later she enrolled as a regular pioneer, or full-time minister. 

A brother on the island of Kos was studying with some people from Russia.  When he asked them if they had any friends who would like to study the Bible, they led him to an American couple-Leonidas and his wife Ophelia-in a village some 20 miles away. A surprise awaited the brothers.  The Armenian couple brought out a bag full of Armenian and Russian Bible literature published by the Watchtower Society!  They explained that they had studied  the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses and had progressed  to the point of become unbaptized publishers. Because of political upheaval and economic difficulties, they had to leave their homeland. As soon as they arrived in Kos, they started studying with Leonidas' mother and sister, who were already there.  All of a sudden, the Witness had three new Bible studies to conduct-one with Ophelia, one with Leonidas,m and one with his mother and sister.  This required traveling on a motorcycle 20 miles each way three times a week. Leonidas and his wife got baptized some months later.  What a reward fro the self-sacrificing spirit of the local brothers!

Next time: Jehovah Makes it Grow

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000