In response to the high rate of suicide among people in the Mexican state of Tabasco, Jehovah’s Witnesses organized a special two-month campaign in 2017 to redistribute the April 2014 issue of Awake! entitled “Why Go On?​—Three Reasons to Keep Living.” The campaign was deeply appreciated.

Faustino, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, talked to a woman who was worried about her 22-year-old son. The young man was suffering from depression and had attempted suicide. The woman did not know how to help him. But when Faustino offered her the magazine, she said, “This is just what my son needs.” The following day, Faustino visited the woman’s son, and they discussed the Bible’s counsel as highlighted in the magazine. After some visits, the son’s attitude noticeably improved. Faustino says, “He looks more relaxed and happier now.” Additionally, he shares what he learns with his brother, who also suffers from depression.

Karla, who lives in the city of Huimanguillo, used the magazine to help a classmate. “I noticed that one 14-year-old girl in my class looked sad,” relates Karla. “I talked to her, and she explained her family situation. As we talked, I noticed that she had scars on her left hand.” It turned out that this girl habitually cut her hands and legs. She felt ugly and believed that her life was meaningless. Karla shared the Awake! magazine with her. After the girl read it, she told Karla that the magazine seemed to be written just for her. With a smile, she said that she now believes life is worth living.

In the city of Villahermosa, a man was desperate. He had lost his job, and his wife had left him and their children. He prayed to God for help but still felt hopeless. He was about to take his own life when Martín and Miguel, two of Jehovah’s Witnesses, knocked on his door. The man opened the door, and the Witnesses offered him the Awake! magazine. When the man saw the title, he felt that it was God’s answer to his prayer. Martín and Miguel offered him comfort from the Bible and returned a few days later, finding the man calmer and more composed. They now study the Bible with this man twice a week.

As part of this campaign, the Witnesses visited several prisons in the state of Tabasco to share Bible counsel that can help the inmates to find a purpose in life. The Witnesses prepared a presentation that included videos, a Bible talk, and a discussion of the reasons to keep living that were outlined in the magazine. Inmates as well as prison personnel appreciated these visits. For example, one inmate said: “I’ve attempted suicide three times. Some people told me that God cares about me, but they never used the Bible to show me that what they said was true. Your words have really encouraged me.”

The campaign did not go unnoticed. The state secretary of health congratulated the Witnesses for their efforts to help the community, and a local newspaper published an article on the campaign entitled “They Go Out to Fight Suicide.”