It is a joy to observe numerous individuals make great changes in order to harmonize their lives with Bible principles, and this encourages others to remain steadfast in the witnessing work. For example, in 1975 a young man preparing to become a priest came in contact with the truth. His family threatened to cut off financial support and said that he would have to leave home if he kept on studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses. At first, he asked to have his personal Bible study discontinued. But after meditating on the Scriptural knowledge he was acquiring, he requested two studies a week. Since he was teaching at a religious school, he then quit his job. He was also forced to leave home. Only one month of study and meditation on the Holy Scriptures produced notable changes in this young man’s life. He stopped smoking, got an appropriate haircut and changed his manner of dress. In fact, the transformation was so remarkable that when he arrived at the Kingdom Hall nobody recognized him. Someone even asked him if he was the visiting public speaker. Since the young man did not have any other responsibilities, he began witnessing every day. Soon he was baptized, later becoming a regular pioneer (a full-time Kingdom proclaimer). Now he serves as a member of the Bethel family at the Watch Tower Society’s branch office in Colombia.

Consider, too, the personality change made by a certain man living in the city of Cali. He had been a sailor, musician, ventriloquist and policeman. Since he was very aggressive and always ready for fisticuffs or the use of his gun, his neighbors were afraid of him. He was always drunk over the weekend and the neighbors’ light bulbs served as targets as he practiced his shooting.

In 1971, this individual reluctantly listened to a pioneer who visited his home, and ultimately a Bible study was started with him. Soon, however, he discontinued his study and joined the Pentecostal Church. But later the pioneer called and invited him to examine the Bible to see what was behind the supposed miracles performed by that religious organization. The man wrote down all the texts considered and decided to keep studying with the Witnesses. That very night he went to see the Pentecostal minister to ask him about the texts he had read. When the pastor was unable to supply a satisfactory Biblical answer, not only did this man leave the church but 15 other persons left with him.

Not long thereafter, this man’s mother died and he arranged for a funeral talk in which the resurrection hope would be explained. (John 5:28, 29) This proved to be a test of his faith, for the entire family objected to this decision, to the extent that one of his brothers struck him a violent blow. However, this man’s newly acquired Bible knowledge enabled him to maintain self-control, and he calmly explained the reason for his position. The family was so surprised by his peaceableness that they permitted the Bible-based funeral talk to be given. Not only did his family later start studying the Bible, but his neighbors were so impressed by the change in his personality that eight families from his block began to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. This man offered his house for a congregation book study, later enlarged his home so that a new congregation could meet there, and eventually helped to build a Kingdom Hall. Presently, this individual is serving as an appointed Christian elder in one of the city’s congregations.

In Colombian cities, funeral services are similar to those held in most Catholic countries. But in the rural regions things are different. To illustrate: In the region of Jegüita, for nine nights after a death occurs, the local reciter of prayers leads mourners in petitions for the deceased. After about an hour of recitation, he calls upon the “soul” of the dead person to leave the house. That night a glass of water, with a small piece of cotton in it, is left by the coffin. Why? Supposedly, so that the deceased individual’s spirit may quench its thirst. So even though the dead person’s “soul” is ordered out of the house on the first night, the mourners keep praying for eight more nights to make sure that it does not come back and bother them. When they bury the body on the 10th day, the closest relative is not allowed to look at the coffin while it is being lowered into the earth because tradition has it that if he does this he will be the next family member to die. Incidentally, those who participate in the vigil over the deceased must be furnished with food, liquor and tobacco. Consequently, many incur debt in order to feed and entertain those sharing in the nine nights of prayer.

At one time, Alberto Medina was the reciter of prayers in the Jardin region of Córdoba State. But through his study of the Bible he learned that the soul dies, that the dead are conscious of nothing at all and that their only hope is the resurrection. (Eccl. 9:5, 10; Ezek. 18:4, 20; Acts 24:15) Of course, taking a stand for Scriptural truth made it necessary for Medina to face the challenge of pressures from unbelieving relatives and opposition from neighbors who did not want others to abandon the community’s long-standing traditions. Nevertheless, he has been able to help members of his own family and many others to gain accurate knowledge of God’s Word and purposes.