Another example of praise given to Jehovah was the three-week global campaign to distribute the special handbill advertising the “Deliverance at Hand!” District Conventions, held in some 155 lands. Millions of Kingdom publishers in over 99,000 congregations shared in the campaign, the first of its kind. “It prompted some new ones to begin publishing, and some who had lapsed into inactivity were stirred to get back into action,” wrote a Convention Committee. One brother who was inactive for 35 years received the handbill at his door and has not missed a meeting since! The following are just some of the experiences received from various branches.

France

While visiting a relative, a Catholic lady and her husband saw the handbill in the home and were intrigued by the questions it raised. They attended the convention along with their three children. When they arrived, an attendant warmly greeted them, gave them Bibles, and seated them next to a Witness family who lived just two miles [3 km] from their home! The two families spent the day together and made arrangements for a Bible study. The week after the convention, the interested family attended a congregation meeting during the visit of the circuit overseer.

India

A well-known singer named Sunita went to Canada to perform. Witnesses who met her there invited her to a Punjabi meeting. She accepted the invitation and enjoyed the meeting especially because of the emphasis placed on the Bible. When she received the convention handbill, she promptly canceled her performances for that weekend so that she could attend all three days. Sunita did not regret her decision. “This is the truth,” she said at the end of the first day. Upon returning to India, she went to the local Kingdom Hall, along with her mother, her son, her nephew, and a friend. When approached by her former pastors, she expressed her determination to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In fact, she told them that they too should come to the Kingdom Hall!

Serbia

A Chinese lady whom we shall call Mei Li lives in Belgrade. In 2006 she began to read The Watchtower in her mother tongue. When Mei Li received a handbill inviting her to the Chinese-language convention in Leipzig, Germany, she was determined to attend even though Leipzig is about 600 miles [1,000 km] from Belgrade. She obtained a three-day visa, flew to Munich, and went by train to Leipzig, a journey that cost her the equivalent of two months’ wages. What she learned from the program and from her conversations with other delegates moved her deeply. When Mei Li returned to Belgrade, she and her mother accepted a home Bible study and began to attend a Chinese-language book study.

United States

“Visitors were noticed throughout the audience on all three days,” reports a Convention Committee. “One visitor was a woman who received an invitation the day after praying to God for direction in her life. She drove two hours to the convention on both Saturday and Sunday and accepted a Bible study.” The report continues: “One man actually ran down the street after a brother who had left an invitation with the man’s son. The brother was not sure what to expect but was delighted when his pursuer kindly asked him to return to his home for a discussion. Bible in hand, the man asked a number of questions, and a study was started.”

A brother offered the handbill to a man at a construction site. “May I tell others about this?” the man asked.

“Sure!” said the brother, unaware that the man had his own radio program on Saturday mornings. True to his word, he told others about the invitation by reading from it during his show! In response, many people inquired about the handbill.

Twelve-year-old Morgan serves as an auxiliary pioneer. A week before the special campaign, she met a man who asked a number of Bible questions and invited him to the public talk at the local Kingdom Hall. He came even though he had to leave immediately afterward to attend a family funeral. When the special campaign began, Morgan gave this interested man a handbill. “I will definitely be there on Saturday and Sunday, but I have to work on Friday,” he said. He then asked what the Witnesses do in such circumstances. “They usually get the day off, but sometimes they have to quit their job,” said Morgan.

When Morgan called again, the man said that he had asked his boss for permission to take Friday off, telling him that if he could not, he would quit his job. His boss said that he was too valuable a worker to lose and that he could have Friday off and Thursday as well so that he could prepare.

The man attended all three days of the convention but not alone. He was joined by 8 members of his immediate family and 12 of his friends and their families​—a total of 35 people! Initially, when he told Morgan that he would be accompanied by about 30 others, she replied, “I can’t save that many seats.”

“I understand,” he said. “We will sit in the rafters if need be.” Of course, they all found comfortable seating.

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More Than an Invitation

Printed on the handbill was a coupon that enabled people to request a Bible study, a copy of the Bible Teach book, or both. Completed coupons soon began arriving at branch offices around the world. The United States branch reports that they received just under 2,000 coupons, including 300 requests for a Bible study. Clearly, the hard work of our brothers and sisters in distributing the handbill will continue to bear fruit.