JOYFULLY REUNITED IN WORSHIP

It appeared to the KGB that they had successfully immobilized the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Soviet Union, so they moved in for the final blow. In 1960, more than 450 brothers unexpectedly found themselves imprisoned together in a camp in Mordvinia. Included were those taking the lead among both groups of brothers​—those who had separated from the organization and those who had not. The KGB thought that this would result in a final split within the organization. A derogatory article was published in the labor-camp newspaper explaining who was expected to be fighting with whom. However, the brothers found the way to unity, taking advantage of the fact that they were together.

Iov Andronic recalls: “The responsible brothers appealed to each Witness, including the separated ones, to strive toward unity. They gave special attention to an article in the September 1, 1961, Russian edition of The Watchtower entitled ‘Unity of All Men of Good Will Promised.’ The article gave principles and examples that showed how Jehovah directed his people in ancient times. It also discussed the need for everyone to strive toward peace and unity in the Christian congregation. By carefully studying the article, many realized the value of theocratic unity and responded favorably.”

Through my efforts to sow seeds of truth abundantly, I began a Bible study with the family of one engineer. Soon he and all his family became Jehovah’s Witnesses and zealous preachers. But the KGB was watching, and during a search they found Bible literature in my apartment. The court sentenced me to 25 years of imprisonment, and I was sent to a Siberian labor camp in the city of Krasnoyarsk. I was transferred many times, to various camps and prisons. Once, I calculated that I had made 256 of such transfers over the course of my life.