Transcripts: Truth Transforms Lives

Transcript: How Hundreds Found Bible Truth
[Montreal, Quebec Canada. A brother sits at a desk, beside a black rotary phone]
Presenter: In the mid-1970’s, several brothers from the Montréal area were approached to help with a unique situation that was unfolding. A special pioneer, who was taking the lead at the time, said that about a thousand people, all from the same church, wanted to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
[He takes notes]
And it was all because of an informal witness.
[Interview with Publishers and former Church members]
The story began this way:
[Norbert Pickering. Local Publisher]
Norbert: A brother in the local congregation approached me one day to tell me about an experience he had with one of his workmates. This man was responsible for a small local church, and the brother had been able to give him an informal witness. The man indicated that he would like a Bible study, and he wanted to convince the other members of his church to also study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
[Eugène Pothier. Former Church Member]
Eugène: The fact was that this person had a certain influence in the church. So, he talked to the church members about the message he had heard from the brother, and he convinced them that what they were missing was a better understanding of the Bible.
[Marie-Paule Bédard. Local Publisher]
Marie: Many people heard about it because it was an exceptional event. From what I heard, there were around a thousand people who wanted to study the Bible at that time.
Norbert: We didn’t have the brothers and sisters that were needed to conduct all these Bible studies. So, they formed groups of 10, 12, 15 people. And once or twice a week in Kingdom Halls, they conducted Bible studies.
[André Deschênes. Former Church Member]
André: It was questions, questions. Everyone was asking questions.
[At a Kingdom Hall, men raise their hands during a group Bible study]
Eugène: But the Bible could always answer all these questions in a logical way, one verse would explain another. And we came to see that the Bible in its entirety could explain every subject.
[Richer Francouer. Former Church Member]
Richer: At the beginning, groups of two or three families studied together.
[In a living room, a group studies. Eugénelle Pothier. Former Church Member]
Eugénelle: And, yeah, they answered with the Bible. That amazed me because I didn’t know the Bible at all. But I thought, ‘The Bible talks about this; the Bible talks about that.’ It was like a discovery for me.
André: That was the parents. The children weren’t there. So, when we accepted it, then we’d teach it to our children.
Norbert: Everyone was disciplined while sitting at the table.
[Children raise their hands]
The children were very quiet with their Truth book in front of them and their Bible. When these families came to the Kingdom Hall, the children were sitting beside their parents, not moving, paying attention to what was being said.
[Isabelle Deschênes. Child at time of event]
Isabelle: I was young when they started coming. I remember it very well. A lot of them were my age. I saw them like future potential friends. It was really touching.
Richer: The first meeting I attended was here in Laval. It really contributed to me one day taking a stand and Jehovah becoming my God and the truth becoming my way of life.
[Graciaelle Gagnon. Former Church Member]
Graciaelle: When I was young, I was very afraid of death. It was such a relief to learn that we don’t suffer when we die. It’s like a sleep.
[Léandre Gagnon. Former Church Member]
Léandre: The ambitions I had before, that may have been attainable, became second place. Now it was to have a simple life, to walk with the organization, and to raise my children in the truth.
Norbert: Today, these brothers are really doing a lot in the organization, helping in different areas, shouldering great responsibilities.
[Sylvain Deschênes. Child of former Church Member]
Sylvain: My father always strived to set the example for all his children, and it made an impression on me. Now my wife and I have the privilege of serving here at the Canada branch.
[Gabriel Deschênes. Canada Branch Committee. Child of Former Church Member]
Gabriel: I was eight years old when my family started attending meetings. I have really good memories of how the local congregation at the time took care of us and looked after us. At the age of 15, I started reading my Bible every day and studying it too. From that point on, I knew what I wanted to do with my life, serve Jehovah full-time.
[Present Day. Léandre and Graciaelle stand on a dock at a lakes edge]
Graciaelle: I really think Jehovah could see us on the inside.
[Side by side on the couch, Léandre and his wife flip through a photo album]
Jehovah helped us a lot. You can’t have anything better than that.
[At a literature display cart Léandre’s wife shares a magazine with a lady]
On our own, we never would have got out of that situation.
[At a Kingdom Hall, the Pothier’s chat with a sister]
Eugène: But Jehovah found a way to find “rightly disposed” ones. A simple informal witness led to Bible studies that touched so many.
[Text: Over 200 former church members and their descendants have come into the truth.]
[Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2019 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania]