The Watchtower — March 1, 2003

Religious Persecution​—Why?

DO YOU believe that people should be persecuted because of their religion? Probably not​—at least not as long as they do not interfere with the rights of others. Yet, religious persecution has a long history and still exists. For example, many of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe and other parts of the world were frequently robbed of their rights and cruelly mistreated throughout the 20th century.

During that time, Jehovah’s Witnesses suffered brutal, systematic, and prolonged persecution under both of the major totalitarian regimes in Europe. What does their experience teach us about religious persecution? And what can we learn from the way they reacted to suffering?

“No Part of the World”

Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to be law-abiding, peaceful, and morally upright people. They do not oppose governments or seek confrontations with them, nor do they provoke persecution because they want to be martyrs. These Christians are politically neutral. This is in harmony with Jesus’ words: “[My followers] are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.” (John 17:16) Most governments acknowledge the Witnesses’ neutral stand. But totalitarian rulers have little respect for the Biblical requirement that Christians should be no part of the world.

The reason for this was explained during a conference at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in November 2000. The conference had the theme “Repression and Self-Assertion: Jehovah’s Witnesses Under the National Socialist and Communist Dictatorships.” Dr. Clemens Vollnhals of the Hannah-Arendt-Institute for Research Into Totalitarianism observed: “Totalitarian regimes do not restrict their activities to politics. They demand the entire person.”

True Christians cannot surrender their “entire person” to a human government, since they have vowed absolute allegiance to Jehovah God alone. Witnesses living under totalitarian dictatorships have found that the demands of the State and the requirements of their faith are sometimes at odds. What have they done in the face of such conflicts? Historically, Jehovah’s Witnesses have applied in their lives the principle expressed by the disciples of Jesus Christ: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.”​—Acts 5:29.

Thousands of Witnesses kept loyal to their faith and stayed neutral in political affairs, despite even the cruelest persecution. How could they endure? From where did they get the strength to do so? Let them answer for themselves. And let us see what everyone, Witnesses and non-Witnesses, can learn from their experiences.

[Blurb on page 4]

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany suffered brutal and prolonged persecution under both of the 20th-century totalitarian regimes

[Blurb on page 4]

“Totalitarian regimes do not restrict their activities to politics. They demand the entire person.”​—Dr. Clemens Vollnhals

[Picture on page 4]

The Kusserow family were deprived of their freedom because they would not compromise their faith

[Picture on page 4]

Johannes Harms was executed in a Nazi prison for his beliefs

They Triumphed Over Persecution

FRIEDA JESS was born in 1911 in Denmark, from where she moved with her parents to Husum in northern Germany. Years later she took a job in Magdeburg, and in 1930 she was baptized as a Bible Student, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known. Hitler came to power in 1933, and for Frieda this event ushered in 23 years of ill-treatment at the hands of, not one totalitarian government, but two.

In March 1933 the German government called a general election. Dr. Detlef Garbe, head of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial near Hamburg, explains: “The National Socialists wanted to force a large majority for their chancellor and führer, Adolf Hitler.” Jehovah’s Witnesses followed Jesus’ admonition to stay politically neutral and to be “no part of the world,” so they did not vote. The result? The Witnesses were banned.​—John 17:16.

Frieda carried on her Christian activities clandestinely, even helping to print the Watchtower magazine. “Some of the magazines were smuggled into concentration camps for our fellow believers,” she says. She was arrested in 1940 and interrogated by the Gestapo, after which she spent months in solitary confinement. How did she endure? She says: “Prayer was my refuge. I started praying early in the morning and turned to prayer several times a day. Prayer gave me strength and helped me not to become overly anxious.”​—Philippians 4:6, 7.

Frieda was released, but in 1944 the Gestapo arrested her again. This time she was sentenced to seven years in Waldheim prison. Frieda continues: “The prison guards put me to work with some other women in the washrooms. I was often with an inmate from Czechoslovakia, so I talked a lot to her about Jehovah and about my faith. Those conversations kept me strong.”

Released but Not for Long

Waldheim prison was liberated by Soviet troops in May 1945, and Frieda was free to return to Magdeburg and her public ministry but not for long. The Witnesses again became a target for discrimination, this time by the authorities in the Soviet Occupational Zone. Gerald Hacke of the Hannah-Arendt-Institute for Research Into Totalitarianism writes: “Jehovah’s Witnesses were one of the few social groups to be persecuted almost continually by both dictatorships on German soil.”

Why the renewed discrimination? Once again, the main issue was Christian neutrality. In 1948, East Germany held a plebiscite, a direct vote by the people, and as Hacke explains, “the fundamental cause [of the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses] was that they did not participate in the plebiscite.” In August 1950, Jehovah’s Witnesses were banned in East Germany. Hundreds were arrested, including Frieda.

Frieda found herself back in court and was sentenced to six years in prison. “This time I was with fellow believers, and the association was a great help.” Upon her release in 1956, she moved to West Germany. At 90 years of age, Frieda now lives in Husum, still serving the true God, Jehovah.

Frieda experienced 23 years of persecution under two dictatorships. “The Nazis tried to destroy me physically; the Communists tried to break my spirit. Where did I get the strength? Good Bible study habits while enjoying freedom, constant prayer when in isolation, association with fellow believers whenever possible, and sharing my beliefs with others at every opportunity.”

Fascism in Hungary

Another land where Jehovah’s Witnesses endured decades of discrimination was Hungary. Some experienced persecution at the hands of, not two totalitarian regimes, but three. One example is Ádám Szinger. Ádám was born in Paks, Hungary, in 1922 and was raised a Protestant. In 1937 some Bible Students called at Ádám’s home, and he at once showed interest in their message. What he learned from the Bible convinced him that the teachings of his church were not Biblical. So he left the Protestant Church and joined the Bible Students in their public ministry.

Fascism was growing in influence in Hungary. A number of times, gendarmes observed Ádám preaching from house to house and took him in for questioning. Pressure on the Witnesses intensified, and in 1939 their activities were outlawed. In 1942, Ádám was arrested, taken to prison, and severely beaten. What helped him at 19 years of age to endure the suffering and the months in prison? “While still at home, I studied the Bible carefully and got a sound understanding of Jehovah’s purposes.” Only after his release from prison was Ádám at last baptized as a Witness of Jehovah. That was in the dark of night in August 1942, in a river near his home.

Prison in Hungary, Labor Camp in Serbia

Meanwhile, during the second world war, Hungary joined Germany against the Soviet Union, and in the fall of 1942, Ádám was drafted for military service. He reports: “I stated that I could not serve in the military because of what I had learned from the Bible. I explained my neutral stand.” He was sentenced to 11 years in prison. But Ádám did not spend long in Hungary.

In 1943 about 160 of Jehovah’s Witnesses were rounded up, loaded onto barges, and transported down the Danube River to Serbia. Ádám was among them. In Serbia these prisoners were now under the control of Hitler’s Third Reich. They were interned in the labor camp at Bor and forced to work in a copper mine. About one year later, they were transported back to Hungary, where Ádám was liberated by Soviet troops in the spring of 1945.

Hungary Under Communist Control

But freedom did not last long. By the late 1940’s, the Communist authorities in Hungary restricted the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, just as the Fascists had done before the war. In 1952, Ádám, who by now was 29 years of age and married with two children, was arrested and charged when he once again refused military service. Ádám explained to the court: “This is not the first time I have refused military service. During the war, I went to prison and was deported to Serbia for the same reason. I refuse to join the military because of my conscience. I am a Witness of Jehovah, and I stay politically neutral.” Ádám’s sentence was eight years in prison, later reduced to four years.

Ádám continued to experience discrimination until the mid-1970’s, over 35 years after the Bible Students first called at his parents’ home. Throughout this time, he was sentenced to 23 years of detention by six courts, being held in at least ten prisons and camps. He endured serial persecution under three regimes​—Fascists in prewar Hungary, German National Socialists in Serbia, and Communists in cold-war Hungary.

Ádám still lives in his hometown of Paks, serving God loyally. Does he have extraordinary abilities that enabled him to endure the hardships so triumphantly? No. He explains:

“Bible study, prayer, and association with fellow believers were vital. But I would like to highlight two other things. First, Jehovah is the Source of strength. A close relationship with him was my lifeline. And second, I kept in mind Romans chapter 12, which states: ‘Do not avenge yourselves.’ So I never bore a grudge. Several times I had the chance to get back at those who persecuted me, but I never did. We should not use the strength that Jehovah gives us to pay back evil for evil.”

An End to All Persecution

Frieda and Ádám are now able to worship Jehovah without hindrance. What, though, do experiences such as theirs reveal about religious persecution? That such persecution is unsuccessful​—at least when inflicted upon genuine Christians. While persecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses consumed a lot of resources and caused cruel suffering, it failed to achieve its objective. Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses are flourishing in Europe where the two great dictatorships once held sway.

How did the Witnesses react to persecution? As the accounts of Frieda and Ádám show, they applied the Bible’s counsel: “Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.” (Romans 12:21) Can good really conquer evil? Yes, when it is allied with a strong faith in God. The triumph of Jehovah’s Witnesses over persecution in Europe was a triumph of God’s spirit, a demonstration of the power for good resulting from the faith that holy spirit produces in humble Christians. (Galatians 5:22, 23) In today’s violent world, that is a lesson that all could take to heart.

[Pictures on page 5]

Frieda Jess (now Thiele) at the time of her arrest and now

[Pictures on page 7]

Ádám Szinger at the time of his imprisonment and now

‘Be Courageous and Strong!’

“Take courage! I have conquered the world.”​—JOHN 16:33.

1. In view of what awaited the Israelites in Canaan, what encouragement did they receive?

WHEN the Israelites were about to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land, Moses told them: “Be courageous and strong. Do not be afraid or suffer a shock before them, because Jehovah your God is the one marching with you.” Then Moses called Joshua, who was to lead the Israelites into Canaan, and repeated to him personally the counsel to be courageous. (Deuteronomy 31:6, 7) Later, Jehovah himself encouraged Joshua, saying: “Be courageous and strong . . . Only be courageous and very strong.” (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9) Such words were timely. The Israelites would need courage to face the powerful enemies that awaited them on the other side of the Jordan.

2. What situation do we find ourselves in today, and what do we need?

² Today, true Christians are soon to cross into the promised new world and, like Joshua, need to be courageous. (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 7:14) Our situation, though, is different from that of Joshua. Joshua fought with swords and spears. We fight a spiritual battle and never take up literal arms. (Isaiah 2:2-4; Ephesians 6:11-17) Moreover, Joshua had to fight many fierce battles even after entering the Promised Land. But we experience our fiercest struggles now​—before we cross into the new world. Let us look at some situations that call for courage.

Why Do We Have to Struggle?

3. What does the Bible reveal about our chief opposer?

³ The apostle John wrote: “We know we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) Those words show a basic reason why Christians have to struggle to maintain their faith. When a Christian keeps his integrity, it is to a degree a defeat for Satan the Devil. Hence, Satan goes about like “a roaring lion” trying to intimidate and devour faithful Christians. (1 Peter 5:8) Indeed, he wages war on anointed Christians and their companions. (Revelation 12:17) In this warfare, he uses humans who knowingly or unknowingly serve his ends. It takes courage to stand firm against Satan and all his agents.

4. What warning did Jesus give, but what quality have true Christians displayed?

⁴ Since Jesus knew that Satan and his agents would strenuously resist the good news, He warned his followers: “People will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name.” (Matthew 24:9) Those words proved true in the first century, and they prove true today. Indeed, the persecution that some of Jehovah’s modern-day Witnesses have endured has been as harsh as any throughout history. Still, true Christians are courageous in the face of such pressure. They know that “trembling at men is what lays a snare,” and they do not want to be caught in a snare.​—Proverbs 29:25.

5, 6. (a) What situations demand courage on our part? (b) How do faithful Christians react when their courage is put to the test?

⁵ There are other challenges besides persecution that call for courage on our part. For some, talking to strangers about the good news is a challenge. The courage of some schoolchildren is tested when they are called upon to recite a pledge of allegiance to the country or to the flag. Since such a pledge is virtually a religious expression, Christian children have boldly resolved to act in a way that pleases God, and their fine record has been heartwarming.

⁶ We also need courage when opposers maneuver the media into spreading bad reports about God’s servants or when they try to restrict true worship by scheming “trouble by decree.” (Psalm 94:20) For example, how should we feel when newspaper, radio, or television reports about Jehovah’s Witnesses are distortions or outright falsehoods? Should we be shocked? No. We expect such things. (Psalm 109:2) And we are not surprised when some believe the published lies and distortions, since “anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word.” (Proverbs 14:15) Still, loyal Christians refuse to believe just any statement made about their brothers, and they certainly do not allow bad publicity to cause them to miss Christian meetings, to slow down in the field ministry, or to waver in their faith. On the contrary, they “recommend [themselves] as God’s ministers . . . through glory and dishonor, through bad report and good report; as [according to opponents] deceivers and yet [in reality] truthful.”​—2 Corinthians 6:4, 8.

7. What searching questions could we ask ourselves?

⁷ Paul, writing to Timothy, said: “God gave us not a spirit of cowardice, but that of power . . . Therefore do not become ashamed of the witness about our Lord.” (2 Timothy 1:7, 8; Mark 8:38) Having read those words, we can ask ourselves: ‘Am I ashamed of my faith, or am I courageous? At the place where I work (or go to school), do I let those around me know that I am a Witness of Jehovah, or do I try to hide the fact? Am I ashamed to be different from others, or am I proud to stand out because of my relationship with Jehovah?’ If anyone has negative feelings about preaching the good news or taking an unpopular stand, let him remember Jehovah’s counsel to Joshua: “Be courageous and strong.” Never forget, it is not the opinion of our workmates or our schoolmates that counts but the viewpoint of Jehovah and Jesus Christ.​—Galatians 1:10.

How to Cultivate Courage

8, 9. (a) On one occasion, how was the courage of the early Christians put to the test? (b) How did Peter and John react in the face of threats, and what did they and their brothers experience?

⁸ How can we cultivate the kind of courage that will enable us to keep our integrity during these difficult times? Well, how did the early Christians cultivate courage? Consider what happened when the chief priests and older men in Jerusalem told Peter and John to stop preaching in Jesus’ name. The disciples refused and were threatened and then released. Thereupon, they rejoined the brothers, and they all prayed together, saying: “Jehovah, give attention to their threats, and grant your slaves to keep speaking your word with all boldness.” (Acts 4:13-29) In response, Jehovah strengthened them with holy spirit, and as Jewish leaders later testified, they “filled Jerusalem” with their teaching.​—Acts 5:28.

⁹ Let us analyze what happened on that occasion. When the disciples were menaced by the Jewish leaders, they did not consider giving in under pressure. Rather, the disciples prayed for the courage to keep preaching. Then they acted in harmony with their prayer, and Jehovah strengthened them with his spirit. Their experience shows that what Paul wrote some years later in a different context applies to Christians when they are persecuted. Paul said: “For all things I have the strength by virtue of him who imparts power to me.”​—Philippians 4:13.

10. How does Jeremiah’s experience help those who are timid by nature?

¹⁰ Suppose, though, that a person is timid by nature. Can he nevertheless serve Jehovah boldly in the face of opposition? Certainly! Remember Jeremiah’s reaction when Jehovah appointed him as a prophet. The young man said: “I am but a boy.” Clearly, he felt inadequate. Still, Jehovah encouraged him with these words: “Do not say, ‘I am but a boy.’ But to all those to whom I shall send you, you should go; and everything that I shall command you, you should speak. Do not be afraid because of their faces, for ‘I am with you to deliver you.’” (Jeremiah 1:6-10) Jeremiah had confidence in Jehovah, and as a result, in Jehovah’s strength he overcame his hesitancy and became a remarkably courageous witness in Israel.

11. What helps Christians today to be like Jeremiah?

¹¹ Anointed Christians today have a commission similar to that of Jeremiah, and supported by the “great crowd” of “other sheep,” they continue to proclaim Jehovah’s purposes, even in the face of apathy, mockery, and persecution. (Revelation 7:9; John 10:16) They take heart from Jehovah’s words to Jeremiah: “Do not be afraid.” They never forget that they have been commissioned by God and are preaching his message.​—2 Corinthians 2:17.

Examples of Courage Worthy of Imitation

12. What excellent example of courage did Jesus provide, and how did he encourage his followers?

¹² We can be helped in our efforts to develop courage if we meditate on the examples of others who, like Jeremiah, have acted courageously. (Psalm 77:12) For example, as we examine Jesus’ ministry, we are impressed by his boldness when he was tempted by Satan and when he faced the determined opposition of the Jewish leaders. (Luke 4:1-13; 20:19-47) In Jehovah’s strength, Jesus was unshakable, and shortly before his death, he said to his disciples: “In the world you are having tribulation, but take courage! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33; 17:16) If Jesus’ disciples followed his example, they too would be conquerors. (1 John 2:6; Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26) But they would need to “take courage.”

13. What encouragement did Paul provide for the Philippians?

¹³ Some years after Jesus’ death, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi. Later, Paul encouraged the Philippian congregation to keep “standing firm in one spirit, with one soul striving side by side for the faith of the good news, and in no respect being frightened by [their] opponents.” To strengthen them in this, Paul said: “This very thing [the Christians’ being persecuted] is a proof of destruction for [the persecutors], but of salvation for you; and this indication is from God, because to you the privilege was given in behalf of Christ, not only to put your faith in him, but also to suffer in his behalf.”​—Philippians 1:27-29.

14. What resulted in Rome from Paul’s boldness?

¹⁴ When Paul wrote to the congregation in Philippi, he was in prison again, this time in Rome. Still, he continued to preach boldly to others. With what result? He wrote: “My bonds have become public knowledge in association with Christ among all the Praetorian Guard and all the rest; and most of the brothers in the Lord, feeling confidence by reason of my prison bonds, are showing all the more courage to speak the word of God fearlessly.”​—Philippians 1:13, 14.

15. Where can we find fine examples of faith that will strengthen our determination to be courageous?

¹⁵ Paul’s example encourages us. So do the fine examples provided by modern-day Christians who have endured persecution in countries under dictatorial or clergy rule. The stories of a number of these have been reported in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and in Yearbooks of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As you read those histories, remember that the individuals whose stories are being told were ordinary people like us; but when they were in very difficult circumstances, Jehovah granted them power beyond what is normal and they endured. We can be certain that he will do the same for us if circumstances should demand it.

Our Courageous Stand Pleases and Honors Jehovah

16, 17. How can we today develop a courageous attitude?

¹⁶ If one stands firm for truth and righteousness, that is courageous. If one does so in spite of feeling afraid inside, that is even more courageous. Indeed, any Christian can be courageous if he truly wants to do Jehovah’s will, if he is determined to remain faithful, if he constantly relies on God, and if he always remembers that Jehovah has previously strengthened countless individuals like him. Moreover, when we realize that our courageous stand pleases and honors Jehovah, we are even more determined not to weaken. We are prepared to endure mockery or worse because we love him deeply.​—1 John 2:5; 4:18.

¹⁷ Never forget that when we are suffering for our faith, it does not mean that we have done something wrong. (1 Peter 3:17) We are suffering for upholding Jehovah’s sovereignty, for doing good, and for being no part of the world. In this regard, the apostle Peter said: “If, when you are doing good and you suffer, you endure it, this is a thing agreeable with God.” Peter also said: “Let those who are suffering in harmony with the will of God keep on commending their souls to a faithful Creator while they are doing good.” (1 Peter 2:20; 4:19) Yes, our faith pleases our loving God, Jehovah, and brings honor to him. What a powerful reason to be courageous!

Speaking With Authorities

18, 19. When we take a courageous stand before a judge, what message are we, in effect, delivering?

¹⁸ When Jesus told his followers that they would be persecuted, he also said: “[Men] will deliver you up to local courts, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. Why, you will be haled before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations.” (Matthew 10:17, 18) To appear before a judge or a ruler because of false accusations takes courage. Still, when we boldly use such occasions to witness to those individuals, we are turning a difficult situation into an opportunity to accomplish something important. In effect, we convey to the ones judging us the words of Jehovah, recorded in the 2nd Psalm: “Now, O kings, exercise insight; let yourselves be corrected, O judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear.” (Psalm 2:10, 11) Often, when Jehovah’s Witnesses have been falsely accused in court, judges have upheld freedom of worship, and we appreciate that. Some judges, however, have allowed themselves to be influenced by opposers. To such ones, the Scripture says: “Let yourselves be corrected.”

¹⁹ Judges should be aware that the highest law is that of Jehovah God. They should remember that all humans, including judges, are accountable to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. (Romans 14:10) As for us, whether we receive justice at the hands of a human judge or not, we have every reason to be courageous because Jehovah supports us. The Bible says: “Happy are all those taking refuge in him.”​—Psalm 2:12.

20. Why can we be happy if we have to endure persecution and slander?

²⁰ In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you.” (Matthew 5:11, 12) Of course, persecution itself is not pleasant, but our standing firm despite persecution, including slanderous reports in the media, is a cause for rejoicing. It means that we are pleasing Jehovah and will receive a reward. Our courageous stand shows that we have genuine faith and assures us of God’s approval. Indeed, it shows that we have complete trust in Jehovah. Such trust is vital for a Christian, as the following article will show.

What Did You Learn?

• What situations today call for courage?

• How can we cultivate the quality of courage?

• Who are some fine examples of courage?

• Why do we desire to act with courage?

[Pictures on page 9]

Simone Arnold (now Liebster) in Germany, Widdas Madona in Malawi, and Lydia and Oleksii Kurdas in Ukraine showed courage and resisted the wicked one

[Pictures on page 10]

We are not ashamed of the good news

[Picture on page 11]

Paul’s courage in prison accomplished much for the good news

[Picture on page 12]

If we courageously explain our Scriptural position to a judge, we are delivering an important message

Trust in Jehovah With All Your Heart

“Those knowing your name will trust in you.”​—PSALM 9:10.

1, 2. What are some things that people vainly trust in for security?

TODAY, when so many things threaten our well-being, it is natural to look for someone or something that will provide security. Some think that having more money will make their future secure, but in truth, money is a very uncertain refuge. The Bible says: “The one trusting in his riches​—he himself will fall.” (Proverbs 11:28) Others look to human leaders, but even the best of these make mistakes. And eventually, they all die. Wisely, the Bible says: “Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.” (Psalm 146:3) Those inspired words also warn us against trusting in our own unaided efforts. We too are mere ‘sons of earthling man.’

² The prophet Isaiah found fault with the national leaders of Israel in his day because they trusted in “the refuge of a lie.” (Isaiah 28:15-17) In their quest for security, they made political alliances with neighboring nations. Such alliances were untrustworthy​—a lie. In a similar way, today many religious leaders cultivate relationships with political leaders. Those alliances too will prove to be “a lie.” (Revelation 17:16, 17) They will not bring lasting security.

The Good Examples of Joshua and Caleb

3, 4. How did the report by Joshua and Caleb differ from that of the ten other spies?

³ Where, then, should we look for security? To the same place that Joshua and Caleb looked in Moses’ day. Soon after Israel’s liberation from Egypt, the nation was poised to enter Canaan, the Promised Land. Twelve men were sent to spy out the land, and at the end of 40 days, they returned to give their report. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, spoke favorably of Israel’s prospects in Canaan. The others confirmed that the land was desirable but said: “The facts are that the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the fortified cities are very great . . . We are not able to go up against the people, because they are stronger than we are.”​—Numbers 13:27, 28, 31.

⁴ The Israelites heeded the ten spies and became fearful, to the point of murmuring against Moses. Finally, Joshua and Caleb said with great emotion: “The land that we passed through to spy it out is a very, very good land. If Jehovah has found delight in us, then he will certainly bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that is flowing with milk and honey. Only against Jehovah do not rebel; and you, do not you fear the people of the land.” (Numbers 14:6-9) Still, the Israelites refused to listen and, as a result, were not allowed to enter the Promised Land at that time.

5. Why did Joshua and Caleb give a favorable report?

⁵ Why did Joshua and Caleb give a good report, while the ten spies gave a bad one? All 12 saw the same strong cities and established nations. And the ten were correct in saying that Israel was not strong enough to conquer the land. Joshua and Caleb knew that too. However, the ten looked at things from a fleshly viewpoint. Joshua and Caleb, on the other hand, trusted in Jehovah. They had seen his powerful acts in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and at the foot of Mount Sinai. Why, decades later mere reports of those acts were enough to move Rahab of Jericho to risk her life for Jehovah’s people! (Joshua 2:1-24; 6:22-25) Joshua and Caleb, eyewitnesses of Jehovah’s acts, had complete confidence that God would continue to fight for his people. Forty years later, their trust was vindicated when a new generation of Israelites, under Joshua’s leadership, marched into Canaan and conquered the land.

Why We Should Trust Jehovah Implicitly

6. Why are Christians today under pressure, and where should they place their trust?

⁶ In these “critical times hard to deal with,” we, like the Israelites, face foes that are stronger than we are. (2 Timothy 3:1) We are pressured morally, spiritually and, in some cases, even physically. On our own, we are unable to withstand those pressures, since they originate with a superhuman source, Satan the Devil. (Ephesians 6:12; 1 John 5:19) Where, then, can we turn? In prayer to Jehovah, a faithful man of old said: “Those knowing your name will trust in you.” (Psalm 9:10) If we truly know Jehovah and understand what his name stands for, we will trust in him as surely as did Joshua and Caleb.​—John 17:3.

7, 8. (a) How does creation give us reasons to trust in Jehovah? (b) What reasons does the Bible give for having trust in Jehovah?

⁷ Why should we trust in Jehovah? Joshua and Caleb did so in part because they had seen demonstrations of his power. So have we. Consider, for example, Jehovah’s works of creation, including the universe, with its billions of galaxies. The immense physical forces that Jehovah controls demonstrate that he is, indeed, the Almighty. As we contemplate the marvels of creation, we have to agree with Job, who said of Jehovah: “Who can resist him? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’” (Job 9:12) In truth, if Jehovah is on our side, we need fear no one in the whole universe.​—Romans 8:31.

⁸ Consider, too, Jehovah’s Word, the Bible. This inexhaustible source of divine wisdom is powerful in helping us to overcome wrong practices and conform our lives to Jehovah’s will. (Hebrews 4:12) It is through the Bible that we come to know Jehovah by name and see the implications of his name. (Exodus 3:14) We realize that Jehovah can become whatever he chooses​—a loving Father, a righteous Judge, a victorious Warrior—​in order to fulfill his purposes. And we see how his word always comes true. As we study God’s Word, we come to say, as did the psalmist: “I have trusted in your word.”​—Psalm 119:42; Isaiah 40:8.

9. How do the ransom and Jesus’ resurrection strengthen our trust in Jehovah?

⁹ The ransom is another reason to trust in Jehovah. (Matthew 20:28) How wonderful it is that God sent his own Son to die as a ransom for us! And the ransom is truly powerful. It covers the sins of all mankind who repent and turn to Jehovah with an honest heart. (John 3:16; Hebrews 6:10; 1 John 4:16, 19) A part of the process of paying the ransom was the resurrection of Jesus. That miracle, attested to by hundreds of eyewitnesses, is a further reason to trust in Jehovah. It is a guarantee that our hopes will not end in disappointment.​—Acts 17:31; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.

10. What personal reasons do we have for trusting in Jehovah?

¹⁰ These are just some of the reasons why we can and should have absolute trust in Jehovah. There are many more, some of them personal. For example, from time to time, we all face difficult circumstances in our lives. As we seek Jehovah’s guidance in handling them, we see how practical that guidance is. (James 1:5-8) The more we rely on Jehovah in our day-to-day lives and see the good results of this, the stronger our trust in him will be.

David Trusted in Jehovah

11. Despite what circumstances did David trust in Jehovah?

¹¹ David of ancient Israel is one who trusted in Jehovah. David faced the menace of King Saul, who wanted to kill him, and the powerful army of Philistines, who were trying to conquer Israel. Still, he survived and even triumphed. Why? David himself explains: “Jehovah is my light and my salvation. Of whom shall I be in fear? Jehovah is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be in dread?” (Psalm 27:1) We too will be successful if we similarly trust in Jehovah.

12, 13. How did David show that we should trust in Jehovah even when opposers use their tongues as weapons against us?

¹² On one occasion David prayed: “Hear, O God, my voice in my concern. From the dreadfulness of the enemy may you safeguard my life. May you conceal me from the confidential talk of evildoers, from the tumult of practicers of hurtfulness, who have sharpened their tongue just like a sword, who have aimed their arrow, bitter speech, to shoot from concealed places at someone blameless.” (Psalm 64:1-4) We do not know for certain what moved David to write these words. But we know that today, opposers similarly ‘sharpen their tongue,’ using speech as a weapon of war. They “shoot” at blameless Christians, using spoken or written words as “arrows” of misrepresentation. If we trust unwaveringly in Jehovah, what will be the result?

¹³ David goes on to say: “God will shoot at them with an arrow suddenly. Wounds have resulted to them, and they cause one to stumble. But their tongue is against their own selves. . . . The righteous one will rejoice in Jehovah and will indeed take refuge in him.” (Psalm 64:7-10) Yes, though enemies sharpen their tongue against us, in the end ‘their tongue comes to be against their own selves.’ Jehovah eventually turns matters to a positive outcome, so that those who have trusted in him can rejoice in him.

Hezekiah’s Trust Vindicated

14. (a) In the face of what grave situation did Hezekiah trust in Jehovah? (b) How did Hezekiah show that he did not believe the lies of the Assyrian?

¹⁴ King Hezekiah was another whose trust in Jehovah was vindicated. During Hezekiah’s reign, the mighty Assyrian army threatened Jerusalem. That army had defeated many other nations. It had even conquered the cities of Judah until only Jerusalem was still free, and Sennacherib boasted that he would conquer that city too. Through Rabshakeh, he pointed out​—correctly—​that trusting in Egypt for assistance would be futile. However, he then said: “Do not let your God in whom you are trusting deceive you, saying: ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’” (Isaiah 37:10) However, Hezekiah knew that Jehovah is not deceptive. So he prayed, saying: “O Jehovah our God, save us out of [the Assyrian’s] hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Jehovah, are God alone.” (Isaiah 37:20) Jehovah listened to Hezekiah’s prayer. In one night, an angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Jerusalem was spared, and Sennacherib left the soil of Judah. All of those who heard of this event learned of Jehovah’s greatness.

15. What alone will help prepare us for any difficult circumstance in which we might find ourselves in this unstable world?

¹⁵ Today, like Hezekiah, we are in a warlike situation. In our case, the warfare is spiritual. Still, as spiritual warriors, we need to cultivate survival skills. We need to anticipate attacks and prepare ourselves so as to be able to fend them off. (Ephesians 6:11, 12, 17) In this unstable world, situations can suddenly change. Civil unrest can arise unexpectedly. Countries with a history of religious tolerance can become intolerant. Only if we, like Hezekiah, prepare ourselves by cultivating an unshakable trust in Jehovah will we be ready for anything that might happen.

What Does It Mean to Trust in Jehovah?

16, 17. How do we demonstrate that we trust in Jehovah?

¹⁶ Trusting in Jehovah is not a matter of mere words. It involves our heart and is demonstrated by our actions. If we trust in Jehovah, we will fully trust his Word, the Bible. We will read it daily, meditate upon it, and allow it to guide our lives. (Psalm 119:105) Trusting in Jehovah also involves trusting in the power of the holy spirit. With the help of holy spirit, we can cultivate fruitage that is pleasing to Jehovah and we can vanquish entrenched bad habits. (1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 5:22-24) Thus, with the help of holy spirit, many have been able to quit smoking or taking drugs. Others have given up immoral life-styles. Yes, if we trust in Jehovah, we act in his strength, not our own.​—Ephesians 3:14-18.

¹⁷ In addition, trusting in Jehovah means trusting those whom he trusts. For example, Jehovah has arranged for “the faithful and discreet slave” to care for the earthly Kingdom interests. (Matthew 24:45-47) We do not try to go it alone, and we do not ignore that appointment, for we trust in Jehovah’s arrangement. Further, elders serve in the local Christian congregation and, according to the apostle Paul, are appointed by holy spirit. (Acts 20:28) By cooperating with the elder arrangement in the congregation, we also show that we trust in Jehovah.​—Hebrews 13:17.

Follow Paul’s Example

18. How do Christians today follow Paul’s example, but in what do they not put their trust?

¹⁸ The apostle Paul faced many pressures in his ministry, just as we do. In his day Christianity was misrepresented to the authorities, and he sometimes endeavored to correct those false impressions or to establish the preaching work legally. (Acts 28:19-22; Philippians 1:7) Today, Christians follow his example. Wherever possible, we help others to be enlightened about our work, using whatever means are available. And we work to defend and legally establish the good news. However, we do not put our whole trust in such efforts, in that we do not view success or failure as hanging on our winning court cases or getting favorable publicity. Rather, we trust in Jehovah. We remember his encouragement to ancient Israel: “Your mightiness will prove to be simply in keeping undisturbed and in trustfulness.”​—Isaiah 30:15.

19. When subjected to persecution, how has our brothers’ trust in Jehovah been vindicated?

¹⁹ At times during our modern history, our work has been banned or restricted in Eastern and Western Europe, in parts of Asia and Africa, and in countries of South and North America. Does this mean that our trust in Jehovah has been misplaced? No. While he sometimes has permitted bitter persecution for his own good purpose, Jehovah has lovingly strengthened those who have borne the brunt of that persecution. Under it, many Christians have built a wonderful record of faith and trust in God.

20. While we may benefit from legal freedoms, in what respects will we never compromise?

²⁰ On the other hand, in most lands we have legal recognition, and at times we receive favorable publicity in the media. We are grateful for this and recognize that this too serves Jehovah’s purpose. With his blessing, we use the greater freedom, not to improve our personal life-styles, but to serve Jehovah openly and fully. However, just for the sake of being well thought of by the authorities, we will never compromise our neutrality, diminish our preaching activity, or in any other way weaken our service to Jehovah. We are subjects of the Messianic Kingdom and are solidly on the side of Jehovah’s sovereignty. Our hope is, not in this system of things, but in the new world, where the heavenly Messianic Kingdom will be the only government ruling over this earth. Neither bombs, nor missiles, nor even nuclear attacks can shake that government or shoot it down from heaven. It is invincible and will fulfill Jehovah’s purpose for it.​—Daniel 2:44; Hebrews 12:28; Revelation 6:2.

21. What course are we determined to follow?

²¹ Paul says: “We are not the sort that shrink back to destruction, but the sort that have faith to the preserving alive of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:39) May we all, then, faithfully serve Jehovah down to the end. We have every reason to place our full trust in Jehovah now and for all time to come.​—Psalm 37:3; 125:1.

What Did You Learn?

• Why did Joshua and Caleb bring back a favorable report?

• What are some reasons why we should trust Jehovah implicitly?

• What does it mean to trust in Jehovah?

• Trusting in Jehovah, we are determined to take what stand?

[Picture on page 15]

Why did Joshua and Caleb give a favorable report?

[Pictures on page 16]

Creation gives us strong reason for trusting in Jehovah

[Credit Line]

All three images: Courtesy of Anglo-Australian Observatory, photograph by David Malin

[Picture on page 18]

Trusting in Jehovah means trusting those whom he trusts

Make Good Use of Changing Circumstances

Pum, Jan, Dries, and Otto, four Christian elders living in the Netherlands, have much in common. All four are married and have children. In addition, some years ago, they all had full-time secular jobs and lived in comfortable homes. All of them, however, ceased working secularly and began to devote all their time and strength to furthering Kingdom interests. What enabled them to make this change? All four made good use of changing circumstances.

CHANGING circumstances eventually affect most of us. Many changes, such as getting married, having children, or caring for aged parents, bring added responsibilities. Some, however, offer us more freedom to enlarge our Christian ministry. (Matthew 9:37, 38) For instance, our grown-up children may leave home, or we may retire from work.

Further, while it is true that our circumstances may change whether we want them to or not, some Christians have succeeded in creating changes in their circumstances that have opened up opportunities to increase their share in the ministry. That is exactly what Pum, Jan, Dries, and Otto did. How?

When Children Leave Home

Pum worked as a bookkeeper in a pharmaceutical firm. He and his wife, Anny, often served as auxiliary pioneer ministers together with their two daughters. Pum and Anny also made arrangements for relaxing association with others in the pioneer ministry. “This offered protection from problems that other kinds of association might have caused,” they relate. Stimulated by the example of their parents, both daughters became regular pioneers upon completing high school.

When their children left home, Pum and Anny realized that this change of circumstances gave them added freedom and finances that they could take advantage of to travel to interesting places or to enjoy some other form of leisure. However, the couple decided instead to use their changed circumstances to extend their Christian ministry. So Pum asked his employer’s permission to work one day less each week. Later, Pum made arrangements enabling him to start work at 7:00 a.m. and stop at 2:00 p.m. Of course, working less meant getting by on a smaller income. Still, they succeeded, and in 1991, Pum joined his wife as a regular pioneer.

Next, Pum was asked to become the assistant caretaker of an Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. That invitation meant that the couple had to leave the home where they had lived for 30 years and move into an apartment on the premises of the Assembly Hall. They made the move. Was it difficult? Anny answers that whenever she had feelings of homesickness, she asked herself, ‘Am I Lot’s wife?’ She refused to ‘look back.’​—Genesis 19:26; Luke 17:32.

Pum and Anny feel that their decision has led to many blessings. Among many other things, they enjoy their service at the Assembly Hall, preparatory activity for district conventions, and contact with circuit overseers (traveling ministers) who give talks at the hall. Once in a while, they visit different congregations when Pum serves as a substitute circuit overseer.

What made this couple successful in expanding their service? Pum says: “When your life changes radically, you have to be determined to make the best possible use of the new circumstances.”

Creating a Simpler Life

Jan and his wife, Woth, have three children. Like Pum and his family, Jan made wise use of a change of circumstances. For years, Jan held a well-paying position at a bank and provided a comfortable life-style for his family. However, he felt a growing desire to expand his ministry. He explains: “In the course of my life, my appreciation for the truth deepened, and my love for Jehovah grew.” So in 1986, Jan made a change in his circumstances. He says: “I took advantage of a reorganization at the office and began working fewer hours. My amazed colleagues nicknamed me Diwodo because I worked only on dinsdag [Tuesday], woensdag [Wednesday], and donderdag [Thursday]. My salary decreased by 40 percent. I sold our house and bought a houseboat so that we could serve where the need for Kingdom publishers was greater. Later, I took advantage of early retirement; my income went down another 20 percent, but in 1993, I was able to begin serving as a regular pioneer.”

Today, Jan is a member of a Hospital Liaison Committee and has regularly served as convention overseer. Despite her poor health, Woth serves as an auxiliary pioneer from time to time. All three children are now married and, with their mates, are zealous ministers of the Kingdom.

How have Jan and Woth managed to adapt to a reduced standard of living? “During our days of plenty,” Jan answers, “we made sure not to get too attached to material things. Nowadays it may be a little inconvenient to have to wait a while before being able to obtain something, but the spiritual blessings and privileges we have received make up for it abundantly.”

Like Jan and Woth, Dries and his wife, Jenny, also made the decision to keep their life simple so as to give more time to Kingdom interests. Dries and Jenny served as pioneers until they became parents. Then, to care for his family, Dries worked as an administrator in a large firm. His employers appreciated his work and offered him a promotion. Dries, however, turned down the promotion because accepting it would have meant less time for Christian activities.

Raising a family​—as well as caring for Jenny’s sick mother—​required much of the couple’s time and energy. Still, they continued to cultivate the pioneer spirit. What helped them to do this? Jenny explains: “We had pioneers living with us, invited pioneers over for meals, and offered lodging for circuit overseers.” Dries adds: “We kept life simple and avoided incurring debts. We made the decision never to take on big enterprises or purchase a home, so that in future days we would not be tied down by such things.”

The decision of Dries and Jenny to create circumstances that would allow them more time for Kingdom interests had rewarding results. Both their sons now serve as elders, and one pioneers along with his wife. Dries and Jenny served as special pioneers, and later Jenny accompanied Dries in the circuit work. Now they are volunteers at Bethel, where Dries serves as a member of the Branch Committee.

Early Retirement

Similar to Dries and Jenny, Otto and his wife, Judy, pioneered before they had their two daughters. When Judy was expecting their first child, Otto found work as a schoolteacher.

While the children were growing up, Otto and Judy often entertained pioneers in their home so that their daughters could see the joy of full-time Christian workers. In time, their oldest daughter entered the pioneer service. Later, she attended Gilead School and, along with her husband, now serves as a missionary in an African land. Their younger daughter started pioneering in 1987, and Judy joined her.

When changing circumstances permitted Otto to work fewer hours at school, he used the extra time to pioneer. Eventually, he quit his job completely. Today, in the traveling work, Otto uses his ability as a teacher to strengthen congregations spiritually.

What is Otto’s advice for those who take an early retirement from their secular job? “When you retire, don’t decide to take it easy for a year or so. It is not hard to get used to ‘taking it easy.’ Before you know it, you will forget about pioneering. Rather, start your increased ministerial activities right away.”

Life Experience at Work

Granted, brothers like Pum, Jan, Dries, and Otto do not now have the strength and stamina they had when they were younger. But they do possess greater maturity, experience, and wisdom. (Proverbs 20:29) They know what it means to be fathers, and from working with their wives, they have some idea of how much is involved in being a mother. With their wives, they have handled family problems and set theocratic goals for their children. Says Otto: “When I give counsel as a circuit overseer in matters dealing with the family, it helps that I have raised a family myself.” Likewise, Dries’ experience as a father now makes him a valuable addition to the Bethel family, with its many young workers.

Yes, firsthand knowledge helps such brothers to care for a wide variety of needs in the congregations. Their experience has, so to speak, sharpened the tools they wield, so that they use their energy to the best advantage. (Ecclesiastes 10:10) In fact, in a given period of time, they can often accomplish more than those who are stronger physically but less experienced.

Such brothers, together with their wives, are fine examples for the young among Jehovah’s people. Young people observe that couples like these have personally experienced many of the challenges and blessings that are reported in our Christian publications. It is encouraging to see men and women who exhibit a spirit like that of Caleb who, though advanced in years, requested a challenging assignment.​—Joshua 14:10-12.

Imitate Their Faith

Could you perhaps imitate the faith and action of the couples mentioned in this article? Remember, they made the truth their way of life. They developed in their children the desire to pioneer. They did so, as Jan puts it, “by being an example in love for Jehovah and his organization, by making arrangements for good association, and by teaching the children to be self-supporting.” They also worked and played together as a family. “During vacation time,” recalls Pum, “the entire family customarily went out in the preaching work in the morning and enjoyed relaxation together in the afternoon.”

In addition, these Christians planned ahead, so that when their circumstances changed, they were ready to take advantage of the new situation. They set goals and made decisions that hastened the achieving of their goals. They looked for ways to do less secular work and were willing to make do with less income. (Philippians 1:10) The wives gave their husbands solid support. Together, they had a strong desire to enter the “large door that leads to activity” and, as a result, enjoy rich blessings from Jehovah.​—1 Corinthians 16:9; Proverbs 10:22.

Do you likewise have a desire to enlarge your share in the ministry? If so, making good use of changing circumstances may prove to be the key to doing just that.

[Picture on page 20]

Pum and Anny caring for the Assembly Hall

[Picture on page 20]

Jan and Woth sharing in the preaching work

[Picture on page 21]

Dries and Jenny serving at Bethel

[Picture on page 21]

Otto and Judy preparing to visit the next congregation

Life Story

Seeking First the Kingdom​—A Secure and Happy Life

AS TOLD BY JETHA SUNAL

After breakfast we heard the announcement on the radio: “Jehovah’s Witnesses are illegal, and their work is banned.”

IT WAS 1950, and we four women in our 20’s were serving as missionaries of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Dominican Republic. We had arrived there the year before.

Missionary service was not always my goal in life. True, I went to church as a child. My father, though, stopped attending church during World War I. On the day of my confirmation into the Episcopal Church in 1933, the bishop read only one verse from the Bible, and then he began to talk politics. Mother was so upset that she never returned to church.

Our Way of Life Changed

Five children were born to my parents, William Karl and Mary Adams. The boys were Don, Joel, and Karl. My sister, Joy, was the youngest child, and I was the oldest. I must have been 13 when after school one day, I found Mom reading a booklet published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. It bore the title The Kingdom, the Hope of the World. “This is the truth,” she said to me.

Mom talked to all of us about the things she was learning from the Bible. By word and example, she impressed upon us the importance of Jesus’ counsel: ‘Seek first the kingdom and his righteousness.’​—Matthew 6:33.

I did not always listen appreciatively. Once I said, “Mom, quit preaching to me or I won’t dry the dishes for you anymore.” But she tactfully persisted in talking with us. She regularly took all of us children with her to the Bible studies held in the house of Clara Ryan, who lived within walking distance from our home in Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.A.

Clara also gave piano lessons. When her students performed at yearly recitals, she used the opportunity to talk about God’s Kingdom and the resurrection hope. Because I was interested in music, having studied violin since I was seven, I listened to what Clara said.

Soon we children began to attend congregation meetings with Mom on the west side of Chicago. It was a long trip by bus and streetcar, but it was part of our early training in what it means to seek first the Kingdom. In 1938, three years after Mom was baptized, I went with her to a convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Chicago. This was one of 50 cities that were tied together by radiotelephone for the occasion. What I heard there touched my heart.

Yet, my love for music also tugged at my heartstrings. I graduated from high school in 1938, and Father had arranged for me to study at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. So during the next two years, I studied music, played in two orchestras, and thought about a career in that field.

My violin teacher, Herbert Butler, had left Europe to live in the United States. So I gave him the booklet Refugees,a thinking that he might read it. He did, and after my lesson the following week, he said: “Jetha, you play well, and if you continue your studies, you could get a job in a radio orchestra or in teaching music. But,” he added as he fingered the booklet I had given him, “I think your heart is in this. Why don’t you make this your life’s work?”

I thought seriously about that. Instead of continuing at the conservatory, I accepted Mom’s invitation to go to the convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Detroit, Michigan, in July 1940. We stayed in tents in the trailer city. Of course, my violin went with me, and I played in the convention orchestra. But in the trailer city, I met many pioneers (full-time evangelizers). They were all so happy. I decided to get baptized and to put in an application for pioneer service. I prayed to Jehovah to help me continue in the full-time ministry all my life.

I started pioneering in my hometown. Later, I served in Chicago. In 1943, I moved to Kentucky. That summer, just before the district convention, I received an invitation to attend the second class of Gilead School, where I would receive training for missionary work. The class was to start in September 1943.

During the convention that summer, I stayed with a Witness who offered me whatever I wanted from her daughter’s wardrobe. Her daughter had joined the military, and she had told her mother to give all her things away. To me, these provisions were a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) The five months at Gilead went fast, and upon graduating on January 31, 1944, I eagerly anticipated getting into the missionary service.

They Too Chose Full-Time Service

Mom had enrolled in pioneer service in 1942. At that time, my three brothers and my sister were still attending school. Mom often met them after school and took them along in the field ministry. She also taught them to share in caring for chores at home. She herself frequently stayed up late doing the ironing and other necessary work so that she could be out in the ministry during the day.

In January 1943, while I was pioneering in Kentucky, my brother Don also began to pioneer. This disappointed Dad, who had hoped that all his children would have a college education, as he and Mother had. After pioneering for nearly two years, Don was invited to continue his full-time ministry as part of the world headquarters staff of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn, New York.

Joel began pioneering in June 1943 while living at home. During that time he tried but failed to convince Dad to attend a convention. However, after Joel had tried without success to start a home Bible study in the area, Dad agreed to let him conduct a study with him in the book “The Truth Shall Make You Free.” He answered the questions easily, but he pressed Joel for Scriptural proof of what was said in the book. That helped Joel to make Bible truths his own.

Joel hoped that the Selective Service Board that had awarded Don an exemption as a minister would do the same for him. But when the board saw how young Joel looked, they refused to classify him as a minister and sent him a notice to report for military duty. When he refused to submit to induction, an arrest warrant was issued. After the FBI located him, he spent three days in Cook County prison.

Dad used our home as security for bail. Thereafter, he did the same for other young Witnesses who faced a similar situation. The injustice of the matter incensed my father, and he went with Joel to Washington, D.C., to see about an appeal. Finally, Joel received his classification as a minister, and the case was dismissed. My father wrote to me in my missionary assignment, “I guess we have to credit this victory to Jehovah!” By late August 1946, Joel too had been invited to serve as a member of the headquarters staff in Brooklyn.

Karl pioneered during his school vacations several times before he finished high school early in 1947 and began the regular pioneer service. Dad’s health was then failing, so Karl helped him with his business for a while before leaving to take up a pioneer assignment elsewhere. Late in 1947, Karl began serving along with Don and Joel at the Brooklyn headquarters as a member of the Bethel family.

When Joy finished high school, she began to pioneer. Then in 1951, she joined her brothers at Bethel. She worked in housekeeping and also in the Subscription Department. In 1955 she married Roger Morgan, another member of the Bethel family. Some seven years later, choosing to have a family of their own, they left Bethel. In time, they brought up two children, who also serve Jehovah.

When all the children were in full-time service, Mom provided the encouragement that was needed, so that Dad too dedicated his life to Jehovah and was baptized in 1952. For 15 years, up till his death, he proved very resourceful in finding ways to share the Kingdom truth with others, even though illness imposed limitations.

After a brief interval because of Dad’s illness, Mom continued to pioneer until her death. She never had a car; nor did she ride a bicycle. A person of short stature, she walked everywhere, often far into the countryside, to conduct Bible studies.

Into the Missionary Field

After graduating from Gilead School, a group of us pioneered north of New York City for a year until we could get needed travel papers. Finally, in 1945 we left for our assignment, Cuba, where we gradually adjusted to a new way of life. Response to our preaching was good, and all of us were soon conducting plenty of Bible studies. For several years we served there. Then we were reassigned to the Dominican Republic. One day I met a woman who urged me to see a client of hers, a Frenchwoman named Suzanne Enfroy, who wanted help to understand the Bible.

Suzanne was Jewish, and when Hitler invaded France, her husband had moved her and their two children to another land. Suzanne quickly shared with others the things she was learning. She first spoke to the woman who had asked me to visit her, then to Blanche, a friend from France. Both of them progressed to baptism.

“What can I do to help my children?” Suzanne asked me. Her son was studying medicine, and her daughter was studying ballet, hoping to dance at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Suzanne sent Watchtower and Awake! subscriptions to them. As a result, Suzanne’s son, his wife, and his wife’s twin sister all became Witnesses. Suzanne’s husband, Louis, was nervous about his wife’s interest in Jehovah’s Witnesses because the government of the Dominican Republic had by now banned our work. But after the entire family moved to the United States, he too eventually became a Witness.

Under Ban but Still Serving

Although the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses was banned in the Dominican Republic not long after we were assigned there in 1949, our determination was to obey God as Ruler rather than men. (Acts 5:29) We continued to seek first God’s Kingdom by making the good news about it known, as Jesus instructed his followers to do. (Matthew 24:14) We learned, however, to be “cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves” as we went about our preaching work. (Matthew 10:16) My violin, for example, proved to be a great help. It went with me when I conducted Bible studies. My students did not become violinists, but several families became Jehovah’s servants!

After the ban was imposed, we four girls​—Mary Aniol, Sophia Soviak, Edith Morgan, and I—​were moved from the missionary home in San Francisco de Macorís to one located in the branch in Santo Domingo, the capital. But each month, I made a trip to our original assignment to give a music lesson. That made it possible for me to take along in my violin case spiritual food to our Christian brothers and to return with the reports of their witnessing activity.

When the brothers from San Francisco de Macorís were imprisoned in Santiago for their Christian stand on neutrality, I was asked to take them money and, if possible, Bibles, as well as to bring back news for their families. At Santiago’s prison, when the guards saw my violin case under my arm, they asked, “What’s that for?” “To entertain them,” I answered.

Among the songs I played was one written by a Witness while he was in a Nazi concentration camp. That song is now number 29 in the songbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I played it so that our imprisoned brothers could learn to sing it.

Many of the Witnesses, I learned, had been transferred to a farm that belonged to Trujillo, the head of the government. It was just off the bus route, I was told. So about noon, I got off the bus and asked directions. The owner of a small shop pointed beyond a range of mountains and offered me his horse and a boy to guide me if I would leave my violin as security.

Beyond those hills, we had to ford a river, both of us sitting on the horse as it swam. There we saw a flock of parrots, with their green and blue iridescent feathers shining in the sun. It was such a lovely sight! I prayed: “Thank you, Jehovah, for making them so beautiful.” Finally, at four o’clock in the afternoon, we arrived at the farm. The soldier in charge kindly let me talk to the brothers, and he permitted me to give them all the things I had brought for them, even a tiny Bible.

On the return trip, I prayed all the way, for it was now dark. We arrived back at the shop, soaked from the rain. Since the last bus for the day had left, I asked the shop owner to flag down a passing truck for me. Did I dare go with the two men in the truck? One of them asked me: “Do you know Sophie? She studied with my sister.” I decided that this was Jehovah’s answer to my prayer! They took me safely to Santo Domingo.

In 1953, I was among those from the Dominican Republic who attended the international convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Yankee Stadium in New York. My whole family, including my father, was there. After a report on how the preaching work was progressing in the Dominican Republic, my missionary companion, Mary Aniol, and I had a small part on the program to demonstrate how we did our preaching under ban.

Special Joys of Traveling Work

That summer I met Rudolph Sunal, who became my husband the following year. His family had become Witnesses in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, shortly after World War I. After serving time in prison as a Christian neutral during World War II, he took up Bethel service in Brooklyn, New York. Shortly after we married, he was invited to visit congregations as a traveling overseer. For the next 18 years, I accompanied him in the circuit work.

Our service took us to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, among other places. We usually stayed with our Christian brothers in their homes. It was a special joy to get to know them well and to serve Jehovah along with them. The love and the hospitality we were shown were always warm and genuine. After Joel married my former missionary companion, Mary Aniol, they spent three years in the traveling work, visiting congregations in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Afterward, in 1958, Joel was invited to become a member of the Bethel family once again, this time with Mary.

Karl had been at Bethel for about seven years when he was assigned to the circuit work for a few months to gain added experience. Afterward he became an instructor at Gilead School. In 1963 he married Bobbie, who served faithfully at Bethel until her death in October 2002.

During his many years at Bethel, Don has from time to time traveled to other lands to serve those working in the branch offices and in the missionary field. His assignments have taken him to the Orient, Africa, Europe, and various parts of the Americas. Don’s loyal wife, Dolores, often travels with him.

Our Circumstances Changed

After a long illness, my father died, but before he did he told me he was so happy that we had chosen to serve Jehovah God. He said that we had received many more blessings than would have been the case had we pursued the college education that he had intended for us. After I helped Mom pack to move to a location near my sister, Joy, my husband and I accepted pioneer assignments in New England so that we would be near his mother, who then needed our help. After his mother died, my mom spent 13 years with us. Then, on January 18, 1987, she finished her earthly assignment at 93 years of age.

Frequently, when friends commended her for having raised all her children to love and serve Jehovah, Mom modestly answered: “I just happened to have fine ‘soil’ to work with.” (Matthew 13:23) What a blessing it was to have God-fearing parents who set a fine example for us in zeal and humility!

The Kingdom Still First

We have continued to put God’s Kingdom first in our lives and have also tried to apply Jesus’ counsel about sharing with others. (Luke 6:38; 14:12-14) Jehovah, in turn, has provided liberally for our needs. Ours has been a secure and happy life.

Rudy and I have not lost our love for music. It is a pleasant time when others who share that love come to our home for an evening and we play our instruments together. But music is not my career. It is an added pleasure in life. Now my husband and I enjoy seeing the fruits of our pioneer ministry, the people we have assisted over the years.

Despite current health problems, I can say that our life has been very happy and secure these more than 60 years in the full-time ministry. Every morning when I wake up, I thank Jehovah for answering my prayer when I entered the full-time ministry so many years ago, and I think, ‘Now, how can I seek the Kingdom first today?’

[Footnote]

[Picture on page 24]

Our family in 1948 (left to right): Joy, Don, Mom, Joel, Karl, me, and Dad

[Picture on page 25]

Mom set a zealous example in the ministry

[Picture on page 26]

Karl, Don, Joel, Joy, and me today, more than 50 years later

[Picture on page 27]

Left to right: Me, Mary Aniol, Sophia Soviak, and Edith Morgan as missionaries in the Dominican Republic

[Picture on page 28]

With Mary (left) at Yankee Stadium, 1953

[Picture on page 29]

With my husband when he was in the circuit work

2003 “Give God Glory” District Convention Locations

MAY 23-25

BAKERSFIELD, CA, Centennial Garden Arena, 1001 Truxtun Ave.

DENVER, CO, Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, The Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.

PORTLAND, ME, Cumberland County Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Sq.

ROCKFORD, IL, Metrocentre Arena, 300 Elm St.

MAY 30–JUNE 1

DE KALB, IL, NIU Convocation Center Arena, 1525 W. Lincoln Hwy.

DENVER, CO, Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, The Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.

PORTLAND, ME, Cumberland County Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Sq.

JUNE 6-8

BAKERSFIELD, CA, Centennial Garden Arena, 1001 Truxtun Ave.

BILLINGS, MT, MetraPark Arena, 308 6th Ave. N.

DE KALB, IL, NIU Convocation Center Arena, 1525 W. Lincoln Hwy.

DENVER, CO, Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St.

KANSAS CITY, MO, Kemper Arena, 1800 Genessee St.

LONG BEACH, CA (Spanish only), Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

JUNE 13-15

ALBANY, GA, Civic Center, 100 W. Oglethorpe Blvd.

AMARILLO, TX, Civic Center Coliseum, 3rd Ave. & Buchanan St.

FLORENCE, SC, Florence Civic Center, 3300 W. Radio Dr.

HOUSTON, TX, Reliant Astrodome, Loop 610 at Kirby Dr.

HUNTINGTON, WV, Civic Arena, 3rd Ave. & 8th St.

LONG BEACH, CA (Spanish only), Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

MADISON, WI, Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum, Entrance off Rimrock Rd.

ROCKFORD, IL (Spanish only), Metrocentre Arena, 300 Elm St.

ST. CHARLES, MO, The Family Arena, 2002 Arena Pkwy.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SAN DIEGO, CA, Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Rd.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

JUNE 19-22 (Thursday through Sunday​—International)

HOUSTON, TX (Spanish only), Reliant Astrodome, Loop 610 at Kirby Dr.

PONTIAC, MI, Silverdome, 1200 Featherstone Rd.

JUNE 20-22

ALBANY, GA, Civic Center, 100 W. Oglethorpe Blvd.

AMARILLO, TX, Civic Center Coliseum, 3rd Ave. & Buchanan St.

BAKERSFIELD, CA (Spanish only), Centennial Garden Arena, 1001 Truxtun Ave.

COLUMBIA, SC, The Carolina Center, Assembly & Blossom Sts.

DE KALB, IL, NIU Convocation Center Arena, 1525 W. Lincoln Hwy.

FLORENCE, SC, Florence Civic Center, 3300 W. Radio Dr.

FORT WORTH, TX, Fort Worth Convention Center, 1111 Houston St.

HUNTSVILLE, AL, Von Braun Center Arena, 700 Monroe St.

JACKSON, MS, Mississippi Coliseum, 1207 Mississippi St.

LONG BEACH, CA, Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

MACON, GA, Coliseum, 200 Coliseum Dr.

MADISON, WI, Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum, Entrance off Rimrock Rd.

ST. CHARLES, MO, The Family Arena, 2002 Arena Pkwy.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

JUNE 27-29

ALBANY, GA, Civic Center, 100 W. Oglethorpe Blvd.

COLUMBIA, SC (Spanish only), The Carolina Center, Assembly & Blossom Sts.

DAYTON, OH, Ervin J. Nutter Center, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glen Hwy.

DE KALB, IL, NIU Convocation Center Arena, 1525 W. Lincoln Hwy.

DENVER, CO (Spanish only), Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St.

FORT WORTH, TX, Fort Worth Convention Center, 1111 Houston St.

JACKSON, MS, Mississippi Coliseum, 1207 Mississippi St.

LONG BEACH, CA (Spanish only), Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

MACON, GA, Coliseum, 200 Coliseum Dr.

MADISON, WI, Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum, Entrance off Rimrock Rd.

MEMPHIS, TN, Mid-South Coliseum, Mid-South Fairgrounds, 996 Early Maxwell Blvd.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (Spanish only), Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SAN DIEGO, CA (Spanish only), Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Rd.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Spanish only), Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

TACOMA, WA, Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. “D” St.

TULSA, OK, Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center.

UNIONDALE, NY, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Spanish only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

JULY 4-6

AMARILLO, TX (Spanish only), Civic Center Coliseum, 3rd Ave. & Buchanan St.

AMHERST, MA, The Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Ave.

BAKERSFIELD, CA (Spanish only), Centennial Garden Arena, 1001 Truxtun Ave.

BIRMINGHAM, AL, Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex Arena, One Civic Center Plaza.

BISMARCK, ND, Civic Center Arena, 601 E. Sweet Ave.

COLUMBIA, SC, The Carolina Center, Assembly & Blossom Sts.

DAYTON, OH, Ervin J. Nutter Center, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glen Hwy.

FORT WORTH, TX, Fort Worth Convention Center, 1111 Houston St.

HUNTSVILLE, AL, Von Braun Center Arena, 700 Monroe St.

JERSEY CITY, NJ (American Sign Language only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2932 Kennedy Blvd.

KENNEWICK, WA, Tri-Cities Coliseum, 7100 W. Quinault Ave.

LINCOLN, NE, Devaney Sports Center, 16th St. & Military Rd.

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (Russian only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 44-17 Greenpoint Ave.

MEMPHIS, TN, Mid-South Coliseum, Mid-South Fairgrounds, 996 Early Maxwell Blvd.

MOBILE, AL, Civic Center, 401 Civic Center Dr.

NATICK, MA (Portuguese only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 85 Bacon St.

OGDEN, UT, Dee Events Center, 4450 S. Harrison Blvd.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, The Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.

PHOENIX, AZ, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Rd.

RICHMOND, VA, Coliseum, 601 E. Leigh St.

ROANOKE, VA, Civic Center, 710 Williamson Rd. N.E.

ROCHESTER, MN, Mayo Civic Center Arena, 30 Civic Center Dr.

ROCHESTER, NY, Blue Cross Arena, Broad & Exchange Sts.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (Spanish only), Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SALISBURY, NC (Greek only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 3401 Old Concord Rd.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Spanish only), Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

SPRINGFIELD, IL, Prairie Capital Convention Center, One Convention Center Plaza.

TACOMA, WA, Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. “D” St.

TOPEKA, KS (Spanish only), Kansas Expocentre, Landon Arena, One Expocentre Dr.

TULSA, OK, Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center.

UNIONDALE, NY (Polish sessions also), Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Spanish only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 2825 University Pkwy.

JULY 10-13 (Thursday through Sunday​—International)

LONG BEACH, CA (Chinese, Cantonese only), Long Beach Convention Center Grand Ballroom, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

LONG BEACH, CA (Chinese, Mandarin only), Long Beach Convention Center Promenade Ballroom, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

LONG BEACH, CA (Japanese only), Long Beach Convention Center Exhibit Hall B, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

LONG BEACH, CA (Korean only), Long Beach Convention Center Exhibit Hall A, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

LONG BEACH, CA (Tagalog only), Long Beach Convention Center Exhibit Hall C, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

LONG BEACH, CA (Vietnamese only), Long Beach Convention Center Seaside Ballroom, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

LONG BEACH, CA, Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

JULY 11-13

AMHERST, MA, The Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Ave.

CLEVELAND, OH, Cleveland State University Convocation Centre, Prospect & E. 21st Sts.

DAYTON, OH, Ervin J. Nutter Center, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glen Hwy.

FORT WORTH, TX (Spanish only), Fort Worth Convention Center, 1111 Houston St.

HAMPTON, VA, Coliseum, 1000 Coliseum Dr.

JERSEY CITY, NJ (French only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2932 Kennedy Blvd.

JOHNSON CITY, TN, Freedom Hall Civic Center Arena, Liberty Bell Blvd.

KENNEWICK, WA, Tri-Cities Coliseum, 7100 W. Quinault Ave.

LONG BEACH, CA (American Sign Language only), Long Beach Convention Center Terrace Theatre, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (Italian only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 44-17 Greenpoint Ave.

MACON, GA, Coliseum, 200 Coliseum Dr.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, Cox Convention Center Arena, One Myriad Gardens.

PHOENIX, AZ, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Rd.

ROCHESTER, MN, Mayo Civic Center Arena, 30 Civic Center Dr.

ROCHESTER, NY, Blue Cross Arena, Broad & Exchange Sts.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (Spanish only), Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Spanish only), Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

TACOMA, WA, Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. “D” St.

TUCSON, AZ, Convention Center, 260 S. Church St.

UNIONDALE, NY (Spanish only), Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Spanish only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (Spanish only), Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 2825 University Pkwy.

JULY 18-20

AMHERST, MA, The Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Ave.

BELTON, TX, Bell County Expo Center Arena, 301 W. Loop 121.

CLEVELAND, OH, Cleveland State University Convocation Centre, Prospect & E. 21st Sts.

COLUMBUS, GA, Civic Center Arena, 400 4th St.

FORT WORTH, TX (Spanish only), Fort Worth Convention Center, 1111 Houston St.

HAMPTON, VA, Coliseum, 1000 Coliseum Dr.

HUNTSVILLE, AL, Von Braun Center Arena, 700 Monroe St.

JERSEY CITY, NJ (French only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2932 Kennedy Blvd.

JOHNSON CITY, TN, Freedom Hall Civic Center Arena, Liberty Bell Blvd.

LONG BEACH, CA (Spanish only), Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

MACON, GA, Coliseum, 200 Coliseum Dr.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, The Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.

RICHMOND, VA, Coliseum, 601 E. Leigh St.

ROCHESTER, MN, Mayo Civic Center Arena, 30 Civic Center Dr.

ROCHESTER, NY, Blue Cross Arena, Broad & Exchange Sts.

ROCKFORD, IL (Spanish only), Metrocentre Arena, 300 Elm St.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Portuguese sessions also), Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

TACOMA, WA, Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. “D” St.

TUCSON, AZ (Spanish only), Convention Center, 260 S. Church St.

UNIONDALE, NY (Spanish only), Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (French only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 2825 University Pkwy.

WOODLAND HILLS, CA (Armenian only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 20600 Ventura Blvd.

JULY 25-27

AMHERST, MA, The Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Ave.

BELTON, TX, Bell County Expo Center Arena, 301 W. Loop 121.

BILOXI, MS, Mississippi Coast Coliseum, 3800 W. Beach Blvd.

CLEVELAND, OH, Cleveland State University Convocation Centre, Prospect & E. 21st Sts.

RICHMOND, VA, Coliseum, 601 E. Leigh St.

ROCHESTER, MN, Mayo Civic Center Arena, 30 Civic Center Dr.

ROCKFORD, IL (Spanish only), Metrocentre Arena, 300 Elm St.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

TUCSON, AZ (Spanish only), Convention Center, 260 S. Church St.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

AUGUST 1-3

AMHERST, MA (Spanish only), The Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Ave.

BELTON, TX (Spanish only), Bell County Expo Center Arena, 301 W. Loop 121.

BILOXI, MS, Mississippi Coast Coliseum, 3800 W. Beach Blvd.

CLEVELAND, OH, Cleveland State University Convocation Centre, Prospect & E. 21st Sts.

EVANSVILLE, IN, Roberts Stadium, 2600 E. Division St.

KENNEWICK, WA (Spanish only), Tri-Cities Coliseum, 7100 W. Quinault Ave.

LONG BEACH, CA, Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

RICHMOND, VA, Coliseum, 601 E. Leigh St.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Bayfront Center, 400 1st St. S.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

AUGUST 7-9 (Thursday through Saturday)

UNIONDALE, NY, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

AUGUST 8-10

AMHERST, MA, The Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Ave.

BELTON, TX (Spanish only), Bell County Expo Center Arena, 301 W. Loop 121.

DAYTON, OH, Ervin J. Nutter Center, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glen Hwy.

EVANSVILLE, IN, Roberts Stadium, 2600 E. Division St.

KENNEWICK, WA (Spanish only), Tri-Cities Coliseum, 7100 W. Quinault Ave.

LONG BEACH, CA (Spanish only), Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Spanish only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

AUGUST 15-17

AMHERST, MA, The Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts, Commonwealth Ave.

BELTON, TX, Bell County Expo Center Arena, 301 W. Loop 121.

DE KALB, IL, NIU Convocation Center Arena, 1525 W. Lincoln Hwy.

KENNEWICK, WA, Tri-Cities Coliseum, 7100 W. Quinault Ave.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, The Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Spanish only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

AUGUST 22-24

LONG BEACH, CA, Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, The Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.

UNIONDALE, NY, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Spanish only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

AUGUST 29-31

LONG BEACH, CA, Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, The Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St.

UNIONDALE, NY (Spanish only), Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Spanish only), Christian Convention Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1610 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.

SEPTEMBER 5-7

LONG BEACH, CA (Spanish only), Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

UNIONDALE, NY, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke.

SEPTEMBER 12-14

LONG BEACH, CA, Long Beach Convention Center Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.

Britain

JUNE 6-8

GUERNSEY, C.I., Beau Sejour Leisure Centre, St. Peter Port

JUNE 13-15

LONDON, London Arena, Limeharbour

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, Newcastle Arena, Arena Way

JUNE 20-22

BOURNEMOUTH, Bournemouth Athletic Football Club, Dean Court Ground

COVENTRY, Coventry City Football Club, Highfield Road Stadium, King Richard St.

NOTTINGHAM, Nottingham Ice Rink, Lower Parliament St.

JUNE 27-29

LONDON (Italian only), North London Assembly Hall, 174 Bowes Rd.

PLYMOUTH, Plymouth Argyle Football Club, Home Park

JULY 4-6

LEEDS, Leeds United Football Club, Elland Rd.

LONDON (French only), North London Assembly Hall, 174 Bowes Rd.

MANCHESTER, Manchester Arena, Hunts Bank

JULY 11-13

LONDON (Greek only), North London Assembly Hall, 174 Bowes Rd.

PERTH, St. Johnstone Football Club, McDiarmid Park, Crieff Rd.

WOLVERHAMPTON (Punjabi also), Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, Molineux Grounds, Waterloo Rd.

JULY 18-20

BRIGHTON, The Brighton Centre, Kings Rd.

CARDIFF, Millennium Stadium, West Gate Street

LONDON (Portuguese only), North London Assembly Hall, 174 Bowes Rd.

NORWICH, Norwich City Football Club, Carrow Rd.

JULY 25-27

LONDON (Spanish only), North London Assembly Hall, 174 Bowes Rd.

AUGUST 1-3

TWICKENHAM, Rugby Football Union, Whitton Rd.

AUGUST 2, 3

LONDON (Chinese, Mandarin only), Edgware Kingdom Hall Complex, Avion Crescent

AUGUST 29-31

DUDLEY (British Sign Language only), Assembly Hall, 22 Castle Hill

Malta

SEPTEMBER 12-14

ST. PAUL’S BAY, New Dolmen Hotel Conference Centre, Qawra

Ireland

JULY 11-13

National Show Centre, Cloghran, Swords, County Dublin

JULY 18-20

National Show Centre, Cloghran, Swords, County Dublin

JULY 25-27

National Show Centre, Cloghran, Swords, County Dublin

Canada

JUNE 13-15

CALGARY, AB, Pengrowth Saddledome, 555 Saddledome Rise SE.

DARTMOUTH, NS, Dartmouth Sportsplex, 110 Wyse Rd.

KITCHENER, ON, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex, 400 East Ave.

SUDBURY, ON, Sudbury Community Arena, 200 Brady St.

VICTORIA, BC, Esquimalt’s Archie Browning Sports Centre (Arena), 1151 Esquimalt Rd.

JUNE 20-22

GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB, Canada Games Arena, 10017 99th Ave.

KITCHENER, ON, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex, 400 East Ave.

NANAIMO, BC, Frank Crane Arena, Beban Park Recreation Centre, 2300 Bowen Rd.

JUNE 26-29 (Thursday through Sunday​—International)

MONTREAL, QC (French also), Stade Olympique, 4141, avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin.

MONTREAL, QC (Portuguese only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 12700, boul. Métropolitain Est, Pointe-aux-Trembles.

JUNE 27-29

KITCHENER, ON (Spanish only), Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex, 400 East Ave.

SASKATOON, SK (Sign language also), Saskatchewan Place, 3515 Thatcher Ave.

VANCOUVER, BC, Pacific Coliseum, 100 Renfrew St.

JULY 4-6

BRAMPTON, ON (Italian only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2594 Highway 7 W.

EDMONTON, AB, Skyreach Centre, Northlands Park, 7424 118th Ave.

HAMILTON, ON (Polish sessions also), Copps Coliseum, 101 York Blvd.

KAMLOOPS, BC, Sport Mart Place, 300 Lorne St.

SELKIRK, MB, Selkirk Recreation Complex, 180 Easton Dr.

JULY 11-13

HAMILTON, ON, Copps Coliseum, 101 York Blvd.

KAMLOOPS, BC, Sport Mart Place, 300 Lorne St.

MOUNT PEARL, NL, Mount Pearl Glacier, Olympic Dr.

SELKIRK, MB, Selkirk Recreation Complex, 180 Easton Dr.

JULY 18-20

MONTREAL, QC (Arabic only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 12700, boul. Métropolitain Est, Pointe-aux-Trembles.

PRINCE GEORGE, BC, Prince George Multi-plex Arena, 2188 Ospika Blvd.

JULY 25-27

Surrey, BC (Spanish only), Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 15577 82nd Ave.

“I Found Everything That I Needed”

DEPRESSION, according to a report by the World Health Organization, is estimated currently to affect over 120 million people worldwide. Each year, one million people commit suicide and between 10 and 20 million attempt to put an end to their life. What help is there for those who suffer from depression? Medical treatment may alleviate the suffering, and emotional support is vital. Moreover, some who are experiencing such feelings have found additional help in the practical Bible-based publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses, as the following letter from France shows.

“Not so long ago, I could not see the point of going on living. I prayed to God to let me die. It was as if I were dead inside. Seeking direction, I prayed intensely to Jehovah. I also decided to read the 2002 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses and completed it in three days. I have to say that it encouraged me enormously and strengthened my faith.

“I did some research in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines, and what a surprise I had! I have read these magazines regularly for over 15 years, but I never realized just how encouraging and stimulating the articles are. They are full of love​—a quality that is so rare these days. I found everything that I needed.”

The Bible says: “Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” (Psalm 34:18) Without a doubt, all who are “broken at heart” or “crushed in spirit” can find encouragement and a hope for the future in the Bible. Jehovah’s Witnesses distribute Bible-based literature to help those in need to benefit from that divinely inspired source of comfort.

Would You Welcome a Visit?

Even in this troubled world, you can gain happiness from accurate Bible knowledge of God, his Kingdom, and his wonderful purpose for mankind. If you would welcome further information or would like to have someone call at your home to conduct a free Bible study with you, please write to Jehovah’s Witnesses, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, or to the appropriate address listed on page 2.