Being Creative in Teaching Those With Major Disabilities

BOTH DEAF & BLIND: This experience emphasizes the need to never overlook ANYONE in our field ministry! We never know who may be one of Jehovah's sheep! And as this experience shows, often we have to be very "creative" in teaching persons with major disabilities.

Carmen is both deaf and blind! The brothers have to be very CREATIVE and rely fully on Jehovah's holy spirit when conducting a Bible study with her. She reads by way of feeling with her fingers the words spelled out with cardboard letters that have been cut out and stuck on the wall. At the same time touch sign language is used to help her associate the words on the wall with what is under consideration until she understands the meaning of the words.

Each day she exerts herself to learn and she makes the effort to PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETINGS at the Kingdom Hall. She also enrolled in the THEOCRATIC MINISTRY SCHOOL and soon qualified to begin serving as an UNBAPTIZED PUBLISHER. During the learning process, Carmen understood that she would regain her vision once she was baptized. The sisters that were studying with her tried very hard to help her correct her thinking on this matter. Although her zeal for Jehovah continued to grow, Carmen secretly persisted in the thought that she would be cured at baptism.

After finishing the "Enjoy Life" brochure, she continued studying the "Require" brochure. Carmen continued progressing and made the needed changes in her life to be able to reach the point of BAPTISM. Did Carmen recover her sight when she was baptized? Of course she did not! Did her zeal for the truth begin to waver? No!! Why not?

Carmen relates: "When I was baptized and did not recover my vision, I then realized that this promise would be fulfilled a little farther ahead in the future." Now Carmen holds on with even more zeal and patience. SHE HELPS HER DAUGHTER, LUISANA, WHO IS ALSO DEAF to advance in the truth and to have confidence in Jehovah's promises and to wait for these patiently. Although she is only 7 years old, she already is an unbaptized publisher. (1998)

INFORMAL WITNESSING

THE ANGELS ARE WATCHING AND ACTING FOR US

When I first became ill, I was confined to bed for 8 months and I needed nursing care every day because I was in a lot of pain and could not care for myself. One day I received a call from a woman I visited in the hospital and she wanted me to study with her. I told her I was confined to bed. She said " If you study with me I will nurse you because I am a RN. So for 8 months. I received free nursing care and she received the waters of truth free.

When I started feeling better my daughter invited me to attend my grandson's baptism. She said I could do what I had to for my illness and maybe I could attend. I did and it was wonderful to see the 4th generation in our family dedicate their life to Jehovah.

On my way to the airport, it occurred to me that for the first time in 8 months I would be in public. SO I PRAYED TO JEHOVAH THAT IF I COULD ASSIST THE ANGELS WITH SOMEONE THAT NEEDED ENCOURAGEMENT I would be so happy!

When I arrived at the airport I went for coffee and a women sat next to me. In light conversation she told me she was going to a funeral. She said she felt so helpless. I told her I was like that in the past but I learned some thing from the bible a long time ago and even though still mourn my loved ones I have a clear hope . I witnessed to her and before she left. she said she felt so much better. I told her talking to JW' s even more would help her even more and she said she would.

When I walked away I thanked Jehovah for answering my prayer [little did I know].

When I got on the plane a young man sat next to me and he was so distraught that he told me all his problems for about 15 min. Finally he asked me where I was going. I told him about my grandson Jason's baptism. He wanted to know how old the baby was. I told him he was not a baby this was a baptism of choice. He said "really what is your religion?". When he heard Jehovah's Witness he was overjoyed and told me he watched them build a kingdom Hall on his corner. Everyday he would go watch their progress. He was soooo impressed by the way they worked together. I asked If he spoke to them , He said "yes", but when I asked If he ever received literature he said that is where he drew he line . He could never become interested in a religion that believed in the trinity. He was Jewish and the messiah was to be a decedents of David. I told him we believe the same thing. I said you have a problem though because I have proof of who he is but he didn't. He said I know because the records were destroyed.

I told him I had a question for him. I asked why is it that a gentile like me would trust what the early Christians proved but he as a Jew would not listen to them. I said your forefathers Matthew and Mark recorded the the birth histories of David before the records were destroyed and they are the only ones available today. Would Jehovah entrust them with important information like that if they did not have his approval? From that point on he was all ears.

He asked me especially how to Pray. He told me the night before he had Prayed to every God he could remember and also any one he did not mention. He asked do you think that god was Jehovah and this is the answer to my pray? I said I have no doubt about it. He then asked if I had any literature because he was spiritually hungry now so I gave him what I had and he promised me he would go the that new kingdom hall.

When I arrived home I was thinking about him and so I called him. He said he went but no one spoke to him but he was thinking of go to another hall. I told him I was sure it was an oversight. I asked the name of the street of the kingdom hall I was going to call. When I called the brothers had finished their meeting for field service. One of the elders was there and told me to call and tell him someone would be there in a half an hour. That was the last I heard of him for three months.

He called me to tell me he had no idea what I was introducing him to and he wanted to thank me . He was having 2 studies a week, he shaved his beard and had bought new suits, shirts and ties for meetings . He was preparing a trip to see all the society's property. and wanted to be baptized as soon as possible. He thanked me again and told me the brother he is studying with told him it would be nice to let me know that the day I met him on the plane he was going home to kill himself.

I have no doubt in my mind that our meeting was not purely by chance because we know all prayers go to Jehovah and he acts accordingly. Perhaps the angels knew even before I volunteered to help some one what they were intending to do. I know some of the things I said were not mine they came from Jehovah's spirit and they were just right for. Another case of our wonderful father Jehovah God giving us an educated tongue. That is why we should never be afraid to speak about our heavenly father and the Good News after all "heaven knows" we need it. What do you think?

mabredal@gate.net
Congregation: So. Dunedin, Clearwater, Florida, USA
4/99

MY CURB-SIDE MINISTRY

We've started a new kind of service that I thought I would tell you about. I call it "My Curb Side Ministry".

I have a hard time walking, climbing steps is very difficult, standing for more that a minute or two is impossible, and I have to be very careful where I sit so that I can get up again!! That has made door-to-door out of my reach for a while -- and I've been missing it so much!! Working on the phone is just not the same as face-to-face. (I also missed the stimulation of being with others in a car group.) So I started thinking about how I could get some contact with people face-to-face since we really don't have any place here in Haralson County for street work.

(Like some of my friends are doing in other places -- notably, 88 year old Lottie Hall in Deland, FL. She's even been written up in the local paper! (Her life story was in the Wt. in 1991, I think.)

Sorry, for digressing. Then I remembered that when I did tract work the last time, a lot of people just happened to be working out in the yard and would come to the car to talk. So I decided to go out yesterday and try to get people to come to the car to talk with me. All the others in the car group agreed that I could talk any place where that was the case, whether it was my "turn" or not. It worked wonderfully and I was able to leave literature with one man!! It just requires having an "eagle eye" when driving up to the house to see if anyone is out and about. I also enjoyed hearing what happened at each house with the other publishers. That interchange of encouragement is very precious!!

I had already tried this approach a couple weeks ago in some shopping center parking lots. My husband would make sure to park me where there would be a car right beside me (in case someone would come and get into it to leave while I was sitting there). In one case, I successfully got a lady in the next row over to come to me so that I could speak with her. She was a very tiny Phillipino lady with a young son and was somewhat afraid, but she understood when I told her I could not walk and accepted the magazines. I also left literature with a young woman and two young men in three other parking lots. They all indicated that they had not seen the magazines before. One young man just stayed there in his car reading -- I guess the subject must have caught his fancy!!! I just thought this approach might help others who are handicapped as I am.

Stephanie Winters
swinters@bellsouth.net
Georgia, USA
5/99