An elderly woman with eight sons and daughters told the Witnesses that she could not talk to them because she was a Catholic. After they told her that they wanted to talk about the problems that everybody faces, such as drug abuse and family troubles, she agreed to listen.

An elderly local woman gave a Witness couple a cool reception. She told them to go and talk to the people on the continent who were so cruel to others. The couple told her that the message of the “good news of the kingdom” is offered to everyone and that their purpose in coming to the island was to attend an assembly that would help all to grow in love for God. (Matthew 24:14) They asked her if she would enjoy a long life in paradisaic conditions, similar to those on the island but without sickness and death. After they reasoned with her about how many years the volcanic craters on the island have existed, she meditated on the shortness of life and asked: “Why do we live only for such a short time?” She was surprised when she read Psalm 90:10.

At that point, the Witnesses suddenly heard shouting from next door. Although they did not understand the yelling, the woman told them that the neighbors were shouting insults and were making clear that they did not want to be visited by the Witnesses. However, this woman was the nua, or eldest daughter of the family. Since her father had died, it was her duty to decide what was in the best interests of the family. In front of her relatives, she defended the brothers in her native language and kindly accepted the publications she was offered. Later that week, when driving past the Witnesses, she told her brother to stop the car. Despite his evident displeasure, she bade farewell to the brothers and wished them success in their ministry.

[Box on page 24]

Witnessing on Easter Island

About two years before this memorable assembly, a circuit overseer and his wife visited the island and enjoyed many pleasant experiences. For example, imagine their surprise when the sister who took them to their accommodations reminded them that they had studied the Bible with her in southern Chile when she was a teenager some 16 years earlier. Later that seed bore fruit on Rapa Nui.

They also had this amusing experience: The owner of a souvenir shop accepted the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures and the Bible study aid Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life, both published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. When they returned to visit him, he told them that he could not read that Bible. They had left with him a Bible in French, not in Spanish! The problem was quickly solved, and he found out with the help of local Witnesses and, of course, a Bible in his own language that the Bible was not so hard to understand after all.