LETTER WRITING

July 15, 1998

Letter to the Service Overseer
c/o ______ ______
1234 Anywhere St.
Decatur, Illinois 62526

Subject: Letter Writing

Dear Brothers,

I have Parkinson's Disease in the advanced stages, I had to drop out of the regular pioneer ministry due to fatigue, (my health was deteriorating at a rapid pace), then late last year my meeting attendance dropped, (since then the brothers have tied me into the meetings via telephone link up).

I have prayed that somehow Jehovah would help me to accomplish my ministry. I tried telephone witnessing, as described in the August, 1993 "Our Kingdom Ministry," however, it was very difficult to do this without the support of others, you get very discouraged.

I continued to put this matter to Jehovah in prayer, begging for some way to do my ministry. Every time the Circuit Overseer would visit me, he would always reassure me that Jehovah remembers me for the good that I have done and that he understood my circumstances. These things I know were meant well, but they were like platitudes. I continued to cry and pray and beg for a way to perform my ministry. Letter writing was the answer. I had one of the brothers go to the newspaper office and subscribe for me, I go through the obituary column every morning and look for the survivors, check through several telephone books, (my ministry covers 63-different communities, the entire county of Brazoria, Texas and parts of two other counties). Brothers, I have only been doing this since April of this year, I have written approximately 200 letters along with the same amount of follow-up letters accompanied with back issue magazines, (400 placements).

The last time that the Circuit Overseer came to visit me, he came by himself, he said that others in the congregation wanted to come along, but that he told them that he wanted to see me by himself. He wanted to see what I had been doing, he had heard about my ministry from others in the congregation and he had seen my service reports, (30 hours in April, 46 hours in May, 50 hours in June). He saw what I was doing and said that there was either a circuit assembly or district convention experience that was going to be coming from this for sure. I told him that the way I figure it, there are approximately 5-1/2 million witnesses in the world today and that there are approximately 5-1/2 billion people in the world, so if every witness was to contact 1,000 people, then the preaching work would be accomplished. So, my first goal is 1,000 letters, then I will begin working on my second thousand. Many times we go out in the door-to-door ministry and find no one at home, I never have a not-at-home, in addition, I am always aware of the householders particular circumstance, they have just lost a loved one.

The apostle Paul said "... the scene of the world is changing." so if the scene of the world is changing our ministry should change, if we are going from door-to-door and not contacting anyone, we need to go where the people are, are we merely time counters or do we make our time count. I told the Circuit Overseer that all I am is a seed sower, my ministry is effective as I am reaching people with a thorough message, yes they are getting a thorough witness, so they are making a conscious and informed decision as to whether they will accept or reject the truth. I used to give this illustration to my employees: "there are two ways to crack an egg, you can tap it on the edge of a skillet and make an omelet or you can smash it with a 4-pound maul, both are effective, in both situations you got the egg cracked, one was efficient and effective, you were able to have breakfast."

Let me relay an experience from a District Overseer, (brother Thomas), he was talking about the need of informal witnessing and how important it has become. Why? Well because when you are witnessing informally, you are actually talking to someone. Anyway, he said that that was what Jesus was doing when he was talking with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. He asked: "Was it effective?" Well, yes, "... because if it hadn't been, then John chapter 4 would have been about something else entirely." Brother Thomas said: "Well friends, you have never heard me talk about my experiences with informal witnessing, that is because I haven't had the success that Jesus did with that Samaritan woman, but I have tried it. Once I was on an airplane flight and decided to try my hand at informal witnessing, so I began to talk with the man seated next to me, well, he got up and moved to the smoking section." Then brother Thomas said: "Friends, I do informal witnessing and whenever I have a good experience, you definitely will hear of it."

Well brothers, this is all that there is to say, as I have sent sister ______ samples of my letter writing ministry, which I'm sure that she will be happy to show you. I hope that you not only find it interesting, but that you may put it to good use.

Philia, your brother,
Roger Snook (Clute, Texas congregation)

December 1, 1998

Mr. Jon and Mrs. Sandra Kaye ________
3208 ____________
_______, Texas 774___

 Dear Mr. and Mrs.________,

You do not know me, however, I recently read in the newspaper about your tragic loss. Mrs. ______, though I didn't know your sister, Chrysteen, I know that it is a grievous thing to lose someone close to you. It is a difficult thing at best to try to console someone at a time such as this, believe me, even though I do not know what you are going through at this moment, you, your husband, Jon, Chrysteen's husband George, as well as the rest of Chrysteen's surviving friends, and relatives do have my deepest sympathies. Please extend my condolences to all who are suffering a loss at this time.

The shock of the loss may seem more than you can bear. Grief may take hold, causing loss of sleep, loneliness and sorrow. Tears may flow unrestrained from you eyes. The loss you are now feeling may be the severest emotional experience of your life. You may even ask yourself: "How can I endure it? Where can I turn for encouragement and help? How can I cope with this most agonizing situation that has happened?" It is not a weakness to cry. There is an emotional release from letting your tears flow. The Bible tells that Abraham cried, and he was a man of great faith. When his dear wife Sarah died, the Bible at Genesis 23:2 tells us: "... Abraham began to bewail Sarah and to weep over her." Also the Bible tells us at Genesis 37:35 that Jacob grieved over the loss of his dear son Joseph. And even Jesus Christ gave way to tears, you may read this account at John 11:32-35.

Without question the best encouragement that can be given is from God's Word. The Bible gives the most satisfying answer to the questions: "Why do we die?" and "What hope is there for the dead?" also "Is this life all there is?" In this way Bible truth helps to lessen the sorrow and grief that you are feeling at this time. The Bible gives us hope, and hope helps the mourner keep from losing control of himself. This wonderful Bible knowledge removes much of the apprehension you may be feeling from not knowing what has become of your sister. Through the pages of the Bible the Creator enlightens us of what hope there is for our dear loved ones that have died, that they will have life again. Please, turn in your Bible to Acts 24:15 where it says: "... and I have hope toward God, which hope these [men] themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous." Also at John 5:28, 29 it says: "Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."

Mrs. _______, I'm sure that you must have loved Chrysteen very dearly, and as you read the Scriptures above you will agree that the Bible offers us such tremendous hopes for the future, however, these are just a few of the Scriptures that give us hope for the future. Jesus Christ told his disciples at Matthew 24:14 "And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." Yes, Jesus referred to the Bible's message as "good news," why? Because it tells us of all the marvelous things that God has in store for mankind and the blessings for obedient people, including those dear dead loved ones such as Chrysteen. One such hope is found in the book of Revelation at chapter 21: verses 3 and 4, where it says: "With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: 'Look! the tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.'" These are just a few of the many wonderful promises that our Grand Creator, Jehovah God has given us for the not too distant future.

If you or anyone else in your family would like to learn more about the Bible's promises for us, and if you would be interested in a free home Bible study without any obligation, please contact me at the address and telephone numbers in my letterhead at the top of the first page. I am unable to get out much myself as I have Parkinson's Disease, however, if you would like to have someone call at your home, this will be arranged.

With all my sympathy,
Roger Snook

Dear Neighbor,

God's Word the Bible offers us such tremendous hopes for the future, it is full of good news for all who would like to learn what it takes to bring their lives in harmony with God's Will and Purpose. The Bible tells us at John 17:3 "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." Also at Revelation 21:3, 4 it tells us of God's promises which will be fulfilled in the not too distant future, where it says: "With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: 'Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.'" Aren't these wonderful hopes, everlasting life without pain or sorrow, and yet these are just two of the many promises that the true God has given to those that are willing to take in knowledge of Him and of His provision for our salvation, the ransom sacrifice of God's dear Son, Jesus Christ. Further promises show that God will resurrect those dear loved ones that have died, that his heavenly Kingdom will rule over mankind on earth forever and that there will no longer be hunger, or any other problems that plague mankind. Other promises show that not only will God provide abundantly for obedient mankind, but he will make wars and prejudices to cease, that man will live at peace with one another, also that people will return to the days of their youth, and that the earth will be transformed into a paradise.

Today, there are more than 5.75 million Jehovah's Witnesses in 233 countries actively preaching the good news of Jehovah God's established heavenly Kingdom, yes we advocate that Kingdom as the only hope for mankind, and we always have, in a world today that is seemingly ungoverned and apparently ungovernable due to mankind's inherent imperfection and greed, and inability to govern mankind successfully. (Jeremiah 10:23) Jesus Christ preached that Kingdom and he commanded his true disciples to preach the good news of that Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:19, 20) Today, as they have always been doing, Jehovah's Witnesses follow this command and commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, that heavenly Kingdom was real to Jesus Christ, it was real to his disciples, and it is real to Jehovah's Witnesses today, that is why we preach about it and teach others who want to come under God's Kingdom ruler ship.

This world is nearing its ecological demise due to man's mismanagement of the earth's natural resources, it has gotten to the point that man can no longer come up with solutions or a quick fix to the damage and havoc that he has brought upon this planet. (Revelation 11:18) The only hope for saving not only this planet earth, but mankind in general is God's Kingdom. And it will, however, not all will survive, only those who willingly submit to God's Kingdom rule and are obedient to it will be allowed to live under that Kingdom.

Now, are these not wonderful promises that Jehovah God has given us? Aren't these sufficient reasons to make you want to investigate further? If you would like to have a free home Bible study with no obligation please contact me at either of my telephone numbers in the letterhead above. I have Parkinson's Disease which prevents me from getting out much, however, if you would like to have someone call at your home, this will be arranged.

Thank you,
Roger Snook

November 18, 1998

Mrs. Pamela and George _______, Jr.
3113 ___________
_________, Texas 77____ 

Dear Mr. and Mrs. _______,

I wrote to you on October 16, 1998 in regards to the death of your father, George, Sr., I know that grief is a very difficult thing to go through and in some cases takes years to overcome. You remember things that call the memory of a dear loved one back to our minds. In the first letter that I wrote to you, I discussed the hope from the Bible concerning the resurrection of our dear loved ones that have died. The Bible does give us such tremendous hopes for the future. Today it seems as though life is so full of everyday pressures, anxieties, and problems. Sometimes we wonder if this is all that there is to life, then we have the ever present enemy, death and the accompanying loss, sorrow, and grief. These things have a way of overwhelming us and bringing us into a mental state that we think that we may never recover from.

Please take the time to examine the colorful brochure that is accompanied with this letter entitled "When Someone You Love Dies" this brochure discusses the difficulty of grief that a person may go through, also the different stages of this grief and just how you may deal with these successfully. Please notice that this brochure directs you to the source of comfort, God's Word the Bible.

As I mentioned earlier concerning the problems of life, the Bible is a source of comfort in this area also. The Bible describes the days that we are living in as the "last days" at 2-Timothy 3:1-5 it says this: "But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away." You might ask yourself why are they called the "last days" the last days of what? These are the last days of Satan the Devil's dominion over the earth and mankind. The Bible calls Satan the "ruler of the world," it also refers to him as the "god of this system of things." So when the Bible speaks of the "last days" or of the "conclusion of this system of things," it is referring to the end of Satan's rule or dominion over this earth. (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; 2-Corinthians 4:4; Matthew 24:3) Yes, Satan will be done away with, however, also will be gone those who display the attitudes mentioned above, also those people that acquiesce, those who go along either complacently or who actively take Satan's side in the greatest issue that faces mankind today, that issue is of utmost importance. And what is that issue? The issue facing mankind today is whether we will accept Jehovah God as our rightful ruler, the Universal Sovereign and show our support by bringing our lives in complete harmony with His Will and His Purpose, or willingly or complacently go along with Satan's rule. This is the choice that we all have to face, it is unavoidable! Whether we will accept Jehovah God's heavenly Kingdom government, or Satan's rule, that, if left alone would destroy this earth and all life upon it.

Mr. and Mrs. _________, I do hope that the preceding information give you some insight as why we have so many problems today. However, the Bible is and always has been a source of comfort and hope. Jehovah's Witnesses are engaged in the greatest Bible educational program in history, this work is worldwide in scope, yes, it is being carried out in 233 countries around the earth by more than 5.75 million ministers actively preaching the establishment of Jehovah God's Kingdom in the heavens. (Matthew 28:19, 20) This Kingdom will soon take an active role in its rule over this earth, therefore Jehovah's Witnesses are helping educate people as to the requirements for living under that government, making disciples of all who would like to live under Jesus Christ' ruler ship where we will see the blessings such as the resurrection of our dear loved ones and the earth being restored to a paradise. Under this Kingdom man will be able to live forever, the Bible itself gives these promises, but only to those who are now learning to live under God's ruler ship. John 17:3 tells us: "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth Jesus Christ." Jehovah's Witnesses offer a free home Bible study program, if you would care to learn what it would involve to bring your life in harmony with God's Will, you may contact me at the address and telephone numbers in my letterhead at the top of the first page of this letter. I have Parkinson's Disease which prevents me from getting out much, however, if you would like to have someone call at your home, this will be arranged.

Thank you,
Roger Snook