JW’s All Around Me (and You)

You never know where or when you will meet a Jehovah’s Witness. Typically people think that you meet them at your front door, while they’re doing their door-to-door “preaching” on Saturdays. And that’s true. But I have had more lasting relationships with JW’s that I have met in everyday life, rather than at my front door.
My first JW friend, Mark, I met at one of my first places of work. He was a part-time employee at the woodshop where I worked as a college student. I was a relatively new believer then, and so was very interested in what he had to say about the Bible. At the time I really did not know how to answer his confident affirmations about “Jehovah-God” and Jesus. I consulted a few books that refuted JW teaching, but felt frustrated as I bumped up against Mark’s unwavering loyalty to the Watchtower Society. Fortunately, we have kept our friendship intact (although with a long hiatus) for many years now (both being in our 50’s).
I met Nate at the workplace across the street from my present workplace. He was the guard at the back gate, and I would walk over and chat with him during my lunch hour. We would talk about the weather, vacations, and home projects. I did not know he was a JW until I saw him at the Kingdom hall when I visited. Our conversations changed radically after that. I would present him with challenging questions, and would keep reminding him to get back to me with answers. (I have found that JW’s typically promise to get an answer to your question, but then “forget” to follow through on it, thus avoiding the issue.) Nate died this last year, and I’m sad that he did not, to my knowledge, come to Jesus for eternal life. See my previous blog entry about my experience at his funeral.
I have a propane tank that I get refilled at the grocery store, and so have to interact with the customer service desk to make that happen. That is how I met Aaron (pseudonym). We were both trying to figure out where else we knew each other from. He finally sheepishly asked whether I had recently attended a religious conference at the Cow Palace in San Fran. I said yes, that’s where we had originally seen each other. It had never entered my mind that I might be befriending a Jehovah’s Witness. I was just doing my usual banter with someone I met in everyday life.
All of this to show that our surface relationships and sprouting friendships with people we meet every day are actually divine appointments in disguise. God has been leading me to Jehovah’s Witnesses, and JW’s to me. Talk with Him about it. See what He does.