00:06 My name is Akil.
00:09 When I was 18, my family moved to a new city.
00:14 It was bad enough leaving my friends behind.
00:18 But now,
00:19 I wasn’t sure if I could make new ones.
00:27 My parents seemed really happy.
00:32 I didn’t want to make them feel bad
00:34 by telling them how I really felt.
00:39 The new school wasn’t much better
00:49 until I met Cameron.
00:53 He seemed like a pretty cool guy.
00:59 Soon, his friends became my friends.
01:07 . . . something that David believed was true,
01:09 he actually proved it by the association that he kept.
01:12 We think about one of the closest friendships
01:14 recorded in the Scriptures,
01:16 and it was that of David and Jonathan.
01:19 What was it that David and Jonathan shared in common?
01:22 It wasn’t their age.
01:24 Akil, you were texting in the meeting.
01:26 I shouldn’t have sent the text.
01:29 I’m sorry.
01:30 But Cameron is a good person.
01:34 He might even study one day.
01:36 I understand that, Akil.
01:38 But we all have to be careful with how much time
01:41 we spend with people that don’t love Jehovah.
01:43 See, their values are just different.
01:46 You know what Proverbs 13:20 says:
01:49 ‘Walk with those who are wise.’
01:51 So why don’t you seek out friends who love Jehovah?
01:54 And you will make friends that last a lifetime.
01:57 How am I supposed to do that?
01:58 There’s no one my age in the congregation.
02:02 Akil, good friends can come from unexpected places.
02:04 Mom, I had good friends
02:08 —back home.
02:15 We all felt bad that night.
02:26 The next day,
02:28 Cameron posted pictures of a party he had.
02:32 My parents were right.
02:38 I broke off my association with Cameron
02:41 and his friends,
02:43 but I still felt
02:45 lost.
02:48 Hi, Akil?
02:50 Do you have field service plans for Saturday?
02:52 Ah, no.
02:54 Good. Now you do.
02:55 I’ll see you at the 9:30 a.m. meeting, OK?
03:17 After service,
03:20 Max had the group over for refreshments.
03:25 Did you take these?
03:27 Do you like them?
03:29 Yeah.
03:30 My wife, she was always the photographer.
03:32 She loved photography.
03:34 And then one anniversary she went out and bought me a camera,
03:37 and from that moment on, I was hooked too.
03:41 Time flies so quickly.
03:43 It’s hard to believe she passed away 12 years ago now.
03:48 I’m sorry.
03:49 It’s OK.
03:51 But you still take pictures?
03:52 I do. I really enjoy photography.
03:55 There’s something about being close
03:57 to Jehovah’s creation.
04:00 It reminds me
04:02 that we’re never really alone, you know?
04:10 Good friends can come from unexpected places
04:14 and unexpected ages.
04:17 As I spent more time with Max,
04:19 I realized it was just like David and Jonathan.
04:25 Their friendship was based,
04:27 not on age, but on their love for Jehovah.
04:32 And they helped each other.
04:41 And with Max’s help,
04:42 I was able to keep a good spiritual routine
04:45 without interruption.
04:47 Although we weren’t the same age,
04:49 Max became my good friend.
04:52 I just needed to see what was right
04:55 in front of me.
