The International Bible Students, later known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, made their first organized efforts to reach the hospitable people of Mexico in 1917. Many hundreds of sincere people turned to true worship in the following decades. During World War II, however, the government of Mexico took issue with the locations and buildings where we preached and held our meetings.

 At that time, Mexican law stated that all acts of public worship had to be held in government-owned buildings. This was a problem because our conventions were held in public venues, our weekly meetings were often held in the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and we preached on the streets and from door-to-door.

 To comply with the law, in 1943 we registered as a nonprofit civil and cultural association that promoted education for the welfare of the public. This registration documented our rights as a cultural organization rather than as a religion. As a result, we no longer had to limit our activities to government-owned buildings.

 Our activities included programs that were cultural and educational in nature. Hence, we fully met the government’s legal requirements for civil and cultural organizations. (Romans 13:1) Of course, our desire to help people by teaching them Bible truth remained the same. (Isaiah 48:17, 18) We soon saw that Jehovah was blessing the new arrangement. It laid the groundwork for outstanding growth, as many present-day Witnesses clearly recall.

 Our primary work in Mexico has always been preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom. However, like the apostle Paul, we adapted our approach in the ministry to fit the circumstances. (1 Corinthians 9:20-23) For example, when Paul spoke to the men of Athens at the Areopagus, he made no direct reference to the Scriptures. (Acts 17:22-31) Similarly, when preaching, we did not carry the Bible or refer to it when starting conversations with people.

 “We would introduce ourselves as representatives of a cultural and educational society,” recalls Isabel. “Often, I focused on articles in Awake! that did not directly address Scriptural topics.” What if the householder showed interest in spiritual matters? Then we shared Bible truth with them. “Since we did not carry Bibles with us,” explains Aurora, “we had to memorize many scriptures.” Householders also responded well when we used their own copy of the Bible.

 We were prepared to explain to anyone who questioned us that our work was legally recognized. (Philippians 1:7) Government-approved credentials proved helpful. a “We always carried an identification card signed by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs,” remembers María. “When the authorities stopped us and inquired about what we were doing,” says Samuel, “we would present our card to them.”

 Our identification card helped us to overcome opposition. For example, Jesús, who served in Jalisco State, says: “In 1974 a mob led by a priest took a Witness couple and me to the authorities of the local municipality in an attempt to stop our work. We showed our identification cards to the authorities, and that calmed everyone down. After we received legal assistance, we were able to continue helping interested ones in the area. Today, several congregations flourish in that city.”

 As a civil association that promoted education, we offered free literacy courses to the public. b “This arrangement came just at the right time,” says Ariel. “During those years many people had not gone to school, but they had a deep desire to read the Bible. We would teach them to read and write, and not long thereafter, many would start studying the Bible with us.”

 “Once they started learning how to spell,” Ruth recalls, “nothing could stop them. Becoming literate gave them a sense of fulfillment and made them happy. We were eyewitnesses to the spiritual progress that followed.”

 Jehovah’s Witnesses were registered as a civil and cultural association between 1943 and 1993. During that time, we helped more than 127,000 people to become literate and more than 37,000 others to improve their reading and writing. Government officials praised our contribution to literacy. (Romans 13:3) For example, in 2010 they gave us special recognition for our “outstanding commitment to literacy for decades, helping thousands of Mexicans to improve their lives in the state of Mexico and in the whole country.”

 In view of our legal registration, our meeting places were set up like classrooms and called Halls for Cultural Studies. There we held our meetings and literacy courses.

 “These halls were often in the homes of brothers,” explains Ángel, “and many of these families had little materially. I always admired them. They were willing to live in very close quarters in one part of their house in order to allow meetings to be held in the other part.”

 Such sacrifices were much needed. Regarding congregation meetings, Ángel recalls: “At times, there were so many in attendance that a lot of us stood outside. We had to peek in through the windows to comment. But we always enjoyed the meetings.”

 In order to avoid problems, we did not sing or pray aloud at our meetings. Edmundo recalls: “During the Cultural Talk, now called the public talk, speakers would highlight the practical aspects of the Bible’s counsel to help attendees elevate their culture and live better lives.” In time, we even stopped using the names of books of the Bible. How were scriptures cited? Manuel gives us an example: “Instead of referring to Revelation chapter 21, verses 3 and 4, we would say something like, ‘Book 66, 21, 3 and 4.’” Another Witness, Moises, adds: “This meant that we had to learn the numbers that correspond to the books of the Bible to find the scriptures.”

 Generally speaking, our organization operated in Mexico the same way as it did in other parts of the world. Although our worship had restrictions, Jehovah’s blessing was evident. When we registered as a civil association in 1943, there were 1,565 publishers in Mexico. We received legal recognition as a religion in 1993. That year the average number of publishers reached 366,177. This publisher base led to even greater growth. By 2021, the average number of publishers in Mexico had soared to 864,633. What are a few lessons that we can learn from this historical account?

 Adjust when obstacles arise. In Mexico, doing this allowed our work to have legal recognition for 50 years. “At times, I personally wondered why we could not have some of the same theocratic arrangements as existed in other countries,” says Mario. “However, I never heard anyone question the organization’s guidance. We always believed that Jehovah was guiding his people. Therefore, we were very obedient.”

 Focus on Jehovah’s work. “We were so busy in the disciple-making work that we did not worry much about anything else,” explains Guadalupe. “We felt so happy just serving Jehovah. To us, that was the most important thing.”

 Stay close to fellow Christians. “What we could not do at the Hall for Cultural Studies, such as sing Kingdom songs, we did in our homes,” explains Anita. “We stayed united and shared in social events with one another frequently. At our social gatherings, we always kept spiritual things to the fore.”

 Florentino sums up this period by saying: “Looking back, I believe that everything had its time and place and enriched us in some way. It is clear to me that through it all, despite opposition to our work, Jehovah was guiding matters.”