Transcripts: Our Meetings and Ministry

Transcript: Be Ready to Share the Good News of Peace. Take the Initiative
[At a Japanese restaurant, Yuri and her husband pick up their food trays, fried pork cutlets, shredded cabbage, and rice. They walk to a table near a smiling couple. The woman moves her purse to make room for Yuri, Ryota and Ami sit across from Yuri and her husband. The four friends bow their heads in prayer. Then Yuri glances at the woman.]
Yuri: “They seemed nice.”
[Yuri’s Husband notices]
Yuri’s Husband: “I knew what Yuri was thinking.”
Yuri “I wanted to start a conversation, but I didn’t want to bother them either.”
[The woman points at an orange seasoning on Yuri’s table. Yuri quickly puts her chop stocks down, then passes her the seasoning.]
Yuri “And when an opportunity came,
[As they look at each other Yuri hesitates. The woman turns back to her food, with a tense smile Yuri looks at her husband]
I just froze.
[The man looks at his watch, then he and his wife stand up with their trays. Yuri fumbles for a tract in her purse]
Then I was in a rush to give a witness.
[She jumps up and stops the woman to show her the ‘View the Bible’ Tract. Startled the woman pauses, then politely nods and leaves. With a downcast face, Yuri back into her seat]
It felt forced.
[Her husband warmly smiles at her. The four friends converse, she looks down in deep thought]
It helped to hear that we’d all been there. Our past experiences were similar.
[A different couple sits down near them. Yuri’s face lights up, she exchanges glances with her friends, then greets the couple]
Whenever we didn’t put pressure on ourselves and just looked for something in common to talk about,
[She gestures at their food]
we could usually find a moment when we could say something about the Bible.
[They all chat and laugh]
She was curious why we were dressed up.
[Yuri eagerly speaks with her]
It turns out that she’d never talked to Jehovah’s Witnesses before.
[The woman’s eyes grow wide]
[Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2022 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania]