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00:00:05 Many people live their entire lives 00:00:08 without ever being affected by a natural disaster. 00:00:12 It can be easy to forget 00:00:15 that your life can literally change overnight. 00:00:40 Recently, here in California, our brothers and sisters in numerous areas 00:00:45 have had to flee for their lives 00:00:47 because of firestorms 00:00:49 coming in right behind them. 00:00:51 Literally, for some, it was within minutes 00:00:53 —racing for their lives 00:00:55 either in their car, some on foot— 00:00:57 with flames, towering flames 00:01:00 and intense heat right behind them. 00:01:04 I’ve never seen anything like it. 00:01:07 When I left the house, 00:01:09 the roar of the fire coming over the hill 00:01:14 was unbelievable. 00:01:17 One of our close friends stepped out onto his balcony 00:01:20 and noticed a glow on the hillside, 00:01:23 and he gave my wife a call and said, 00:01:24 “Did you know that there’s a fire?” 00:01:53 After the fire, a dear friend said: 00:01:56 “Don’t worry about anything. 00:01:59 We’re going to give you all that you need.” 00:02:01 And I broke down in tears, 00:02:03 just knowing what was about to happen. 00:02:08 Because we have Jehovah as our Shepherd, 00:02:10 he will give us everything we need. 00:02:12 And we have seen that. 00:02:13 Those words have come true because our brothers and sisters 00:02:15 have cared for us so beautifully, 00:02:17 beyond anything we ever expected. 00:02:21 I’m a builder myself, 00:02:23 and I feel like I just want to get in there and do something. 00:02:26 But the friends need spirituality, 00:02:29 and so if we help them with that, 00:02:31 they’ll get through the rest of it. 00:02:34 Well, the United States branch office 00:02:36 is very concerned 00:02:37 for our brothers and sisters spiritually 00:02:40 and making sure that they can get back to their worship to Jehovah God. 00:02:43 So today we’re here to encourage them, 00:02:45 to really acknowledge what they’ve gone through, 00:02:47 and to make sure that they’re getting the spiritual attention they need 00:02:50 —the encouragement that, really, 00:02:52 the organization and their brothers want to give them. 00:02:57 Just like a literal shepherd 00:02:59 would want to care for the needs of their sheep 00:03:02 —especially an injured one— 00:03:04 we want to do the same thing for the members of our congregation, 00:03:08 but we take it a step further. 00:03:10 We want to care for them emotionally, 00:03:12 spiritually, and physically. 00:03:16 Jehovah has made us a people 00:03:19 who care for one another. 00:03:22 And generally speaking, the comfort he provides 00:03:24 and the things we need are almost always delivered by people. 00:03:30 And it’s at the congregation that we can have 00:03:31 that kind of comfort and support 00:03:34 given to us that’s going to help us recover. 00:03:46 Working in disaster relief efforts, 00:03:49 you really begin to see 00:03:51 just how much Jehovah cares for the human race 00:03:56 —how much he cares for people. 00:03:59 You’ll see people who will drop anything 00:04:02 to come and rally to the aid 00:04:05 of brothers and sisters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 00:04:08 But they’ll rally to the aid of someone next door too, 00:04:11 and that’s a manifestation 00:04:13 of the way Jehovah feels about people. 00:04:19 Being prepared for a natural disaster, 00:04:22 ourselves and our families, 00:04:24 is not just a matter of personal safety. 00:04:27 This gets to the core of our spirituality. 00:04:31 How much do we truly value life? 00:04:34 How much do we truly value what Jehovah has given us? 00:04:40 In a disaster, you hear people say, “I’ve lost everything” 00:04:44 —not among Jehovah’s people. 00:04:46 We never lose everything. 00:04:48 We may lose material possessions; we may even lose loved ones; 00:04:52 but when we have Jehovah, we never lose everything.
00:00:05 Many people live their entire lives 00:00:08 without ever being affected by a natural disaster. 00:00:12 It can be easy to forget 00:00:15 that your life can literally change overnight. 00:00:40 Recently, here in California, our brothers and sisters in numerous areas 00:00:45 have had to flee for their lives 00:00:47 because of firestorms 00:00:49 coming in right behind them. 00:00:51 Literally, for some, it was within minutes 00:00:53 —racing for their lives 00:00:55 either in their car, some on foot— 00:00:57 with flames, towering flames 00:01:00 and intense heat right behind them. 00:01:04 I’ve never seen anything like it. 00:01:07 When I left the house, 00:01:09 the roar of the fire coming over the hill 00:01:14 was unbelievable. 00:01:17 One of our close friends stepped out onto his balcony 00:01:20 and noticed a glow on the hillside, 00:01:23 and he gave my wife a call and said, 00:01:24 “Did you know that there’s a fire?” 00:01:53 After the fire, a dear friend said: 00:01:56 “Don’t worry about anything. 00:01:59 We’re going to give you all that you need.” 00:02:01 And I broke down in tears, 00:02:03 just knowing what was about to happen. 00:02:08 Because we have Jehovah as our Shepherd, 00:02:10 he will give us everything we need. 00:02:12 And we have seen that. 00:02:13 Those words have come true because our brothers and sisters 00:02:15 have cared for us so beautifully, 00:02:17 beyond anything we ever expected. 00:02:21 I’m a builder myself, 00:02:23 and I feel like I just want to get in there and do something. 00:02:26 But the friends need spirituality, 00:02:29 and so if we help them with that, 00:02:31 they’ll get through the rest of it. 00:02:34 Well, the United States branch office 00:02:36 is very concerned 00:02:37 for our brothers and sisters spiritually 00:02:40 and making sure that they can get back to their worship to Jehovah God. 00:02:43 So today we’re here to encourage them, 00:02:45 to really acknowledge what they’ve gone through, 00:02:47 and to make sure that they’re getting the spiritual attention they need 00:02:50 —the encouragement that, really, 00:02:52 the organization and their brothers want to give them. 00:02:57 Just like a literal shepherd 00:02:59 would want to care for the needs of their sheep 00:03:02 —especially an injured one— 00:03:04 we want to do the same thing for the members of our congregation, 00:03:08 but we take it a step further. 00:03:10 We want to care for them emotionally, 00:03:12 spiritually, and physically. 00:03:16 Jehovah has made us a people 00:03:19 who care for one another. 00:03:22 And generally speaking, the comfort he provides 00:03:24 and the things we need are almost always delivered by people. 00:03:30 And it’s at the congregation that we can have 00:03:31 that kind of comfort and support 00:03:34 given to us that’s going to help us recover. 00:03:46 Working in disaster relief efforts, 00:03:49 you really begin to see 00:03:51 just how much Jehovah cares for the human race 00:03:56 —how much he cares for people. 00:03:59 You’ll see people who will drop anything 00:04:02 to come and rally to the aid 00:04:05 of brothers and sisters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 00:04:08 But they’ll rally to the aid of someone next door too, 00:04:11 and that’s a manifestation 00:04:13 of the way Jehovah feels about people. 00:04:19 Being prepared for a natural disaster, 00:04:22 ourselves and our families, 00:04:24 is not just a matter of personal safety. 00:04:27 This gets to the core of our spirituality. 00:04:31 How much do we truly value life? 00:04:34 How much do we truly value what Jehovah has given us? 00:04:40 In a disaster, you hear people say, “I’ve lost everything” 00:04:44 —not among Jehovah’s people. 00:04:46 We never lose everything. 00:04:48 We may lose material possessions; we may even lose loved ones; 00:04:52 but when we have Jehovah, we never lose everything.
