Kingdom Proclaimers Report
A Young Railway Enthusiast Learns the Truth
IF A person’s heart is inclined toward righteousness, then Jehovah God, using Christ Jesus and the heavenly angels, will see to it that such a sheeplike person is eventually contacted with the Kingdom good news. In due time that person may come to Jesus’ right side of favor. (Matthew 25:31-33) This was true of a young railway enthusiast in Austria who became acquainted with the truth in a unique way.
The most exciting part of this young man’s hobby was to ride along in the cab of locomotives, with the permission of the railway administration. He recorded each trip on his video camera so that he could view it again in his home. On a journey he made from Vienna to Salzburg, the train’s engineer was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He used the opportunity to talk about the Kingdom to the railway enthusiast. At first the young man was surprised to hear the engineer talking about God and the Bible, but during the trip, he concentrated more on the scenery than on what the engineer was saying to him.
Home again, this young enthusiast viewed his video recording not once but ten times, as he was very interested in this journey. Since he had also recorded the sound, he heard time and time again what the Witness had told him. The more he viewed the video, the more familiar he became with what he had been told. He now began to think about it, and finally he became enthusiastic about the wonderful information presented from the Bible. He wanted to know more.
He remembered the name of the engineer and knew that he lived somewhere in Vienna. So he went to the post office and started to dial one number after another listed under that name in the directory. His question to those who answered the phone was: “Are you a train engineer?” If the answer was no, he would call another number. Finally, he found the engineer. He told him his story and that he was interested in the Bible’s message that he had heard on the video.
The Witness made arrangements through the branch office for a call to be made by someone who lived near the young man. It so happened that in the local congregation, there was another Witness who was also a railroad engineer. This second engineer visited the railway enthusiast, and a Bible study was started. In the summer of 1991, the young man was baptized.
Jehovah, who searches all hearts, must have seen that this person had a sincere love for righteousness. Hence, he brought him into contact with the truth of the Bible—although in a unique way.—1 Chronicles 28:9; John 10:27.
[Picture Credit Line on page 9]
Courtesy of the Austrian Railways