Jehovah s Witnesses containing report for the service year of

Yearbook 91
in good spirits, as they know that Jehovah will release
them in his due time, if men fail to correct the wrong
done to them so far. Quite often it occurs that released
brothers tell us that the severe test that they underwent
stirred them only to greater appreciation of Jehovah's
truth and the service entrusted to them and that they
came out of the Communist prison spiritually stronger
than they went in.
But also other people are benefited when Jehovah's
witnesses are put in prison. One brother related that
at a general change of accommodation in a penitentiary
a prisoner stepped up to the group of brothers. When
the warden asked him: "Since when have you been one
of Jehovah's witnesses?" the prisoner replied: "I became
one in 1953." The warden shouted out: "Is it
possible to become a witness of Jehovah even in jail?
You were punished because of resistance against the
executive power of the state," The prisoner answered:
"I have now become one of them, because they tell the
truth." Thereupon the keeper, in a friendly mood, locked
him up with the brothers. The brothers who witnessed
this prisoner's taking his stand for the truth saw that
it pays to continue preaching in troublesome season and
they were greatly strengthened.
The truth is not only preached in East Germany inside
prison walls, but many thousands of publishers are
outside, and they are just as eager and busy helping
people of good will hear Jehovah's message. They do
not have service meetings or a ministry school. They
are constrained to work with their Bibles alone, as the
literature is banned. They cannot make notes, and have
to avoid any appearance of organized activity, if they
do not want to be arrested and put in prison. But still
they continue paying their spiritual tithes by regularly
getting out in the Kingdom service, and Jehovah blesses
their efforts.
Many of the 1,740 brothers immersed last year were
from East Germany, and at the Memorial night celebration
a greater number of persons were assembled
with Jehovah's people in East Germany than at any
time before, despite six years of fierce persecution, with
more than 1,300 still behind prison bars and approximately
3,000 that had to leave their homes as refugees
to West Germany because of their stand for the truth.
In West Berlin, where the work is free, the units have
grown from twenty-nine to thirty-two. They have been
using school buildings for their Kingdom Halls. But
these halls often are not available when they are needed,
on a circuit servant's visit or so. We hope that shortly
fifteen units will use their own halls, which will cer-