Jayamashiha!!! Tapailai kasto cha? (Good-evening in the name of Lord Jesus. How are you?)
Sorry. Just felt like practicing my Nepalese. I have a friend who's a native of Nepal, and he's agreed to teach me some Nepalese phrases.
I have awesome news!! Today, I was visited by a Jehovah's Witness woman. I wasn't quite prepared to ask my questions, as I've yet to print out the JW Scriptures I've found on-line. However -- and here's the "awesome news" -- she has agreed to allow me to ask questions!!! Not only that, but she insisted that I use my own Bible. Granted, this is probably something that I should be suspicious of, because not too many JWs are known for being willing to answer questions. My mom pointed out that Geraldine is probably convinced that I'm on my way to converting. Then again, perhaps God is opening a door for the truth, which is exactly what I've been praying for. In any case, I'll continue praying.
Please continue to pray for both me and every JW I come across, so that the light of the truth may shine in their hearts. I truly believe that I am meant to do this. I may be wrong, but I do believe this in my heart. As disappointed as I am that I didn't ask questions today, I am hoping that God will give me the time to learn all I can about the JW cult. In fact, a church elder stopped by yesterday to deliver two CDs that will apparently help me in my studies. Has anyone ever heard of a fellow by the name of Walter Martin?
Now here's something strange. Last night, I was visiting the official Watchtower website (www.watchtower.org), gathering Scriptures that correspond to the questions I'll be asking. Here's the strange thing: I had a feeling that I was supposed to have those Scriptures printed out that night. Unfortunately, I didn't. Is this a coincidence? Or was God trying to tell me something? (I wouldn't doubt it! I can be pretty dense sometimes, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was God trying to let me know something and I didn't realize it.)
I'm frustrated, because I had an opportunity to ask these questions today, and I blew it!! Please pray that God will keep this woman safe and that she will not change her mind about answering questions. Also pray that if she asks me questions, that I'll be able to answer them with the Spirit's wisdom, knowledge, and patience. To summarize, just pray that the Spirit will be working during the Q & A session, in both our hearts.
I'm also worried that my mother and sister will be stumbling blocks that could potentially prevent me from doing this. My sister is, apparently, opposed to inviting "those people" into the house. She asked me if I even bothered to request permission from our mother to invite this woman into the house. This is an odd question, when you consider the fact that we've never asked permission to invite our friends into our home when they arrive on our doorstep, unannounced. Why would this situation be any different? Granted, I don't know her very well, but I kind of think of Geraldine as a friend. A misguided friend, but a friend nonetheless. The only thing that's different about this situation is the fact that this woman is a Jehovah's Witness, and I fear that my sister is prejudiced against them and that this prejudice will prevent her from doing God's will, if it is His will that she should confront Witnesses with the truth in the future.
This is an example of hard-heartedness, I believe, and I'm concerned for my sister, not to mention disappointed in her. (Especially since she, herself, has had the same kind of conversation with JWs that I'm going to have.) I just told her that if she doesn't like it, she doesn't have to be part of it. I think part of the reason she's opposed to this is that she's convinced that I'm doing this for the wrong reason: to play the "I'm right! You're wrong!" game. That's not the case, and I sincerely hope that she and my mother will not interfere.
So to recap, here are my prayer requests.
1. That this woman's heart will be open to the truth, that she'll see the truth, and that she'll accept the truth.
2. That God will give me time to learn all I can about the cult, so I will be prepared.
3. That God will prevent Satan's "doubt darts" from penetrating my heart, and that any fear that I will experience will take a hike.
4. That this woman will be kept safe and that she won't change her mind about answering questions.
5. That I'll be able to answer any questions she has.
6. That my mother and sister will not be stumbling blocks that will prevent me from doing this.
Also, can you give me any advice on what I should do about my sister's hard-heartedness? Can you point me in the direction of some Scriptures that apply to this situation?
Prem tapain! (Love you!)
Lin