Letter Writing Campaign for Our Brothers in Russia - From Malawi

[mserskine]

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/malawi/letter-writing-campaign-for-russia/

[sunshine]

39 minutes ago, mserskine said:

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/malawi/letter-writing-campaign-for-russia/

 

So lovely, can't help but think about them for Saturday... I'm so happy Jehovah allowed me the privilege of writing letters for the family in Russia.

[Omoyeme]

What a uplifting video...loved the photo of the little girl at the end of the video!

[Brother_Bliss]

Nice video. I had heard that there had been a previous letter writing campaign years ago.

 

I moved this to the new "JW.org Press Releases & Other JW Related News" forum. If the page being shared falls under the "Newsroom" section at JW.org, it will probably best suited for there. All other JW.org releases in the form of print, music, or video can be shared in the "Interchange of Encouragement & Worldwide Brotherhood" forum.

[Thomas Walker]

7 hours ago, Dismal_Bliss said:

Nice video. I had heard that there had been a previous letter writing campaign years ago.

 

Before my time too, but my dad was part of it. he told me the whole story a dozen times.

 

Malawi was worse for the Brothers than anything we see today. I've heard that the guy in charge back then? His 'palace' is still there. Nobody will knock it down, nobody will take it over. People who spend the night there, or work there during the day? They refuse to go back. They say the place is haunted by demons.

 

(Shiver)

[Foxes53]

Re the Malawi Video. When I was much younger back in the early 1960's a young couple arrived at our meeting place. It wasn't a Kingdom Hall but a rented facility that we used for our meetings. The young couple were a new Circuit Overseer and his wife Keith and Ann Eaton. It was their first circuit and they arrived on a scooter ! They are still the youngest Circuit Overseer and his wife that I have ever had. Well they went through Gilead school later and ended up in Malawi. They were deported from there when the ban was on but apparently returned later. Si it was good to see them on the video still faithfully serving Jehovah some 50+ years later. 

[Omoyeme]

10 hours ago, Thomas Walker said:

 

Malawi was worse for the Brothers than anything we see today. I've heard that the guy in charge back then? His 'palace' is still there. 

 

I believe you're referring to Hastings Banda, the former totalitarian and late president of Malawi who was in office from July 1966 to May 1994 .  Here's an old article/quote from Time Magazine (early '70's) giving a synopsis of the brutal persecution of our brothers and sisters then. 

 

Ironically.. a reader could change a couple of words and can image this article is referring to Russia.

[Friends just call me Ross]

I remember sending letters to African officials.  Not just in Malawi, though.   I can't recall the name of the other country. Uganda?  Rwanda?

There is a nationwide shortage of my thyroid medicine (Naturethroid).  My brain is pretty much mush.  

 

[Omoyeme]

Yes, the letter-writing campaign was for Rwanda also.  See an excerpt from the 2012 yearbook: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/302012004

 

Quote

“In 1986 many of our brothers and interested ones were put in prison, even those who had just started to study the Bible. The brothers and even the new ones stood firm in an amazing way. Meanwhile, Witnesses in many countries wrote to the president of Rwanda to protest the unjust treatment, and the news on the radio reported that he had received hundreds of letters every day. This brought about good results, so that the following year our brothers and sisters and interested people were released by a presidential decree. We were filled with joy.” As soon as they were released, the elders organized a baptism in Kigali, where 36 were baptized, and 34 of them enrolled immediately as auxiliary pioneers!

 

I had to reread this account myself...very interesting!

[GrumpysWife]

I remember writing letters to Malawi 

[Old]

5 hours ago, GrumpysWife said:

I remember writing letters to Malawi 

Our family wrote many letters during that campaign. I don't know if ours were effective as I did not realize that international postal rates were higher than local first-class rates. I wonder if any of them made it to Malawi. None got returned to sender, address unknown.