Letter writing is also an effective way to witness. In some areas, many people live in high-security apartment buildings or residence hotels that cannot be worked freely. Some are away from home most of the time, so we miss them when we witness from house to house. Others live in isolated places.

Sickness, bad weather, or a curfew may at times confine you to your home. Might you be able to write a letter to give a further witness to a relative or to someone you talked to informally? Has one of your Bible students moved? A letter from you might be just what he needs to keep his spiritual interest alive. Or perhaps you can share appropriate Scriptural information with those who have recently got married, become parents, or lost loved ones in death.

Witnessing by Letter

When writing to witness to someone you have never met, first introduce yourself. You might explain that you are participating in an international volunteer work. If it seems appropriate to do so, mention that you are one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Let the person know why you are writing instead of making a personal visit. Write as if you were talking to the person face-to-face. Still, in line with the direction to “prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves,” give serious thought to how much information you should divulge about yourself.​—Matt. 10:16.

Include in the letter what you would have said to the person if you could have visited him. You might adapt an introduction from the Reasoning book or use a Scriptural presentation from a recent issue of Our Kingdom Ministry. You could pose a question and encourage the person to think about it. Some publishers simply explain that we have a free program for answering Bible questions and then cite some of the chapter titles from one of our study aids. A sample letter written to give a witness appears on page 73. It may give you some ideas, but it is good to vary the content. Otherwise, people may, in time, get the same letter repeatedly.

Some people are reluctant to read a long letter from a stranger. So it may be the course of wisdom to keep your letter brief. Bring your letter to a close before the recipient might tire of reading it. It would be appropriate to enclose a printed invitation to meetings at the Kingdom Hall. You could include a tract, a brochure, or an issue of The Watchtower or Awake! and explain that these can be provided on a regular basis if desired. Or you could ask if a visit may be made to the recipient’s home to speak with him further on the subject discussed.

A letter can go places that you cannot. This fact alone makes it a significant tool for the ministry. Since your letter represents you and the things you stand for, give thought to what it says, how it looks, and how it sounds. It may provide just what is needed to start, strengthen, or encourage a precious soul on the road to life.