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00:00:01 In this update, 00:00:03 we’re going to talk about how we can make 00:00:05 good use of our time 00:00:07 during the pandemic. 00:00:09 But first, we’d like to share a few updates. 00:00:14 We’re sad to report that, as of December 10, 00:00:18 we have lost 25,658 00:00:22 brothers and sisters to COVID-19. 00:00:26 Our prayers are certainly with all 00:00:30 who have lost loved ones. 00:00:33 Recently, the new Omicron variant 00:00:36 has received a lot of news coverage. 00:00:40 At this point, there are still many unknowns. 00:00:45 Brothers and sisters, we don’t need to panic. 00:00:49 Keep following the same basic precautions that have worked well: 00:00:54 wearing masks, 00:00:56 physical distancing, 00:00:58 frequently washing our hands, 00:01:00 and getting vaccinated, if possible. 00:01:05 In the 2021 Governing Body Update #7, 00:01:09 Brother Lösch mentioned that over 80 percent 00:01:13 of the worldwide Bethel family was vaccinated. 00:01:17 We are glad to inform you that now over 99 percent 00:01:22 of our worldwide Bethel family is vaccinated, 00:01:26 and so are over 95 percent of our 00:01:29 special full-time servants in the field. 00:01:34 Many of our brothers and sisters have had 00:01:37 good results from being vaccinated. 00:01:41 For example, 00:01:43 in some parts of Bulgaria, 00:01:45 the local clergy say that vaccines 00:01:48 are “poison from the Devil.” 00:01:52 So there is much pressure in the community 00:01:54 not to get vaccinated. 00:01:57 Despite this, one sister and her husband 00:02:01 watched the Governing Body updates 00:02:03 and made their personal decision to get vaccinated. 00:02:09 Later, the sister’s employer called her 00:02:11 and said that in order to comply with government regulations, 00:02:16 she couldn’t return to work if she had not been vaccinated. 00:02:21 How surprised the manager was to learn 00:02:23 that the sister was already vaccinated! 00:02:27 In fact, 00:02:29 she was the only employee who was vaccinated. 00:02:34 Everyone else had to be laid off. 00:02:37 The manager asked our sister 00:02:39 if she had any vaccinated friends who could replace 00:02:43 the employees who had been fired. 00:02:47 The manager then called other Witnesses 00:02:50 that she knew to see if they had any 00:02:53 vaccinated friends who needed employment. 00:02:56 That evening, 00:02:58 nearly all the positions were filled. 00:03:02 The head of staff asked our sisters, 00:03:06 “How do you know so many vaccinated women?” 00:03:10 A fine witness was given. 00:03:13 In the end, 14 sisters 00:03:16 and 1 Bible student were employed 00:03:19 because they followed the good guidance and Bible principles 00:03:24 that have been shared in our various Governing Body updates. 00:03:30 Now, let’s get back to our topic of putting our time to good use 00:03:35 during the pandemic. 00:03:38 It’s been exciting to hear how many of you 00:03:40 have reached out to pioneer, 00:03:43 started new study projects, 00:03:46 and refined your telephone and letter-writing skills. 00:03:49 That is time well spent. 00:03:53 In this month’s update, 00:03:56 we will discuss two additional ways 00:03:59 we can use our time wisely: 00:04:02 helping inactive ones 00:04:04 and improving our reading and writing skills. 00:04:09 It has been wonderful to see so many of our brothers and sisters 00:04:14 who were inactive begin associating 00:04:17 with us again during the pandemic. 00:04:21 If that describes you, 00:04:23 please know 00:04:25 that the Governing Body warmly welcomes you back! 00:04:29 Imagine the joy that Jehovah, Jesus, and all the angels 00:04:34 in heaven have experienced at seeing you return. 00:04:40 But what about those who have not yet returned? 00:04:44 They might feel like the psalmist, as recorded 00:04:47 at Psalm 119:176. 00:04:51 There we read: “I have strayed like a lost sheep. 00:04:56 “Search for your servant, 00:04:59 for I have not forgotten your commandments.” 00:05:02 Right now, some inactive ones may be praying to Jehovah, 00:05:07 saying: ‘Search for me. 00:05:10 I need help to come back.’ 00:05:13 They haven’t forgotten Jehovah, 00:05:16 but for various reasons, 00:05:18 they haven’t been able to come back on their own. 00:05:22 How does Jehovah feel about such ones? 00:05:27 Ezekiel 34:15, 16 says: 00:05:31 “I myself will feed my sheep . . . 00:05:34 “The lost one I will search for, 00:05:38 “the stray I will bring back, 00:05:40 “the injured I will bandage, 00:05:43 and the weak I will strengthen.” 00:05:45 Can Jehovah use you to find his lost sheep? 00:05:50 Absolutely! 00:05:52 Many of you have reached out to inactive ones. 00:05:56 In the following video, 00:05:58 notice how publishers took the initiative 00:06:01 to help others return to Jehovah. 00:06:06 I didn’t know what my brother was ever 00:06:08 going to do about the truth. 00:06:10 As a teenager, he was a publisher 00:06:12 in the congregation. 00:06:14 By the time he was 16, sadly, he decided to leave home, 00:06:17 and then he no longer served Jehovah. 00:06:20 But then, when we came back to Seattle and settled down, 00:06:24 then we had more contact with him. 00:06:27 My wife and I had been providing meals for him 00:06:30 because his wife had a brain tumor. 00:06:32 But the beautiful thing is that our congregation 00:06:34 started taking him meals. 00:06:36 When my brother’s wife was hospitalized, 00:06:39 they even assisted at the hospital 00:06:41 to visit him and give him encouragement. 00:06:43 That had a big impact upon him. 00:06:45 He could see the closeness of the congregation, 00:06:48 and I think that built a desire that he would really like to do more. 00:06:52 When my brother went to the Kingdom Hall, he was only able to do that 00:06:55 for two weeks and then COVID-19 struck. 00:06:58 But an elder talked to him the first time he went to the Kingdom Hall, 00:07:02 and they exchanged phone numbers. 00:07:04 And so they were able to communicate. 00:07:06 And that elder helped set him up on Zoom, 00:07:10 and he was able to attend the meetings then. 00:07:12 And he went to all the meetings. 00:07:13 Then I encouraged him to have a personal study, 00:07:17 and he said, “Well I’m doing my study.” 00:07:19 Of all things, it was a terminology issue. 00:07:21 He didn’t know about having a personal Bible study with someone. 00:07:25 He had some more encouragement from a family friend 00:07:29 that found out that he was coming to meetings, 00:07:32 and then he started to have his own Bible study. 00:07:34 And that’s when he really started to make progress. 00:07:36 It took 59 years! 00:07:38 I had the privilege of actually performing the baptism for my own brother. 00:07:46 At the beginning of the pandemic, 00:07:48 we knew that our ministry 00:07:50 was going to change. 00:07:51 And so we thought about what to do, 00:07:53 and we came up with this little project, 00:07:56 making a list of all the inactive people 00:07:58 that we could think of that we’d been with in other congregations 00:08:01 —lots of young people and others. 00:08:05 And when we did that list, there were about 40 people on that list. 00:08:08 So we’ve emailed, we’ve called, 00:08:11 we’ve texted, and we’ve written lots of letters. 00:08:14 Some of them, we haven’t heard anything from, 00:08:18 but nobody has rejected our efforts. 00:08:21 I contacted one man 00:08:23 whom I had met almost 40 years ago when I was 19 years old. 00:08:27 We reestablished contact. 00:08:29 He began to attend all the meetings on Zoom, 00:08:32 and now we’re studying the Bible in the Enjoy Life Forever! book. 00:08:35 We contacted one brother who’d been inactive for many years. 00:08:40 Now he attends all the meetings on Zoom. 00:08:43 He has been reactivated, 00:08:46 and all of this despite some very serious health problems. 00:08:49 Patience and persistence are required 00:08:52 when reaching out to these dear ones. 00:08:55 We love them, and so we contact 00:08:57 some on that list every week. 00:09:00 We’re so happy. 00:09:03 Three of the persons that we’ve contacted 00:09:06 are now regularly attending the meetings. 00:09:08 Two of them are studying the Bible. 00:09:11 It’s really been encouraging for us to see these ones 00:09:14 that we love so much return to Jehovah. 00:09:17 And really, if Jehovah is drawing them, 00:09:20 they’re going to respond. 00:09:23 I’m sure you agree 00:09:25 that Jehovah blessed these efforts 00:09:28 to reach out to his lost sheep. 00:09:30 What a wonderful way to use our time 00:09:33 during the pandemic! 00:09:36 One circuit overseer in the United States 00:09:38 recently reported that 76 individuals 00:09:42 in his circuit have been reactivated. 00:09:46 That’s the equivalent of an entire congregation! 00:09:51 We encourage you to prayerfully think of inactive ones 00:09:55 that you might know. 00:09:57 It could be a family member or friend. 00:10:01 Can you give them a call 00:10:03 or send them a letter or a text message? 00:10:08 And if they respond and attend a meeting, 00:10:11 make them feel welcome. 00:10:14 We hope that many more lost sheep 00:10:17 will return to Jehovah before the end. 00:10:22 Another good use of our time 00:10:24 is improving our reading and writing skills. 00:10:28 Reading and writing 00:10:30 has always been important for Jehovah’s people. 00:10:34 Remember, the kings of Israel were told 00:10:36 to “write [out] . . . a copy of [the] Law” 00:10:39 and “read from it all the days of [their] life.” 00:10:44 Jesus was raised by a poor family, 00:10:47 yet he was able to read. 00:10:49 We remember the time when he went into the synagogue in Nazareth. 00:10:53 He was able to open the Isaiah scroll 00:10:56 —which had no chapters and verses— 00:10:59 and locate and read the correct scripture. 00:11:04 And let’s not forget what Paul told Timothy. 00:11:07 Timothy was already an elder. 00:11:10 Yet, Paul said to him: 00:11:12 “Continue applying yourself to public reading.” 00:11:18 So in view of the Bible’s emphasis on reading, 00:11:22 it is not surprising that God’s organization 00:11:26 has a wonderful history of helping people 00:11:30 all over the world to learn to read. 00:11:33 Over the past 70 years, 00:11:36 Jehovah’s Witnesses have taught thousands of people worldwide 00:11:40 to read and write. 00:11:43 For example, in Mexico, 00:11:45 we have helped more than 156,000 people 00:11:50 to learn to read and write. 00:11:53 We’ve received awards in several countries for our efforts. 00:11:58 What about today? 00:12:00 It’s true that now in many languages 00:12:02 we have technology that enables us to listen to our publications. 00:12:07 But we don’t want to be content to rely 00:12:10 on audio publications alone. 00:12:13 We want to be able to read and to study the Bible for ourselves 00:12:18 and to dig into the wonderful information 00:12:21 provided by “the faithful and discreet slave.” 00:12:25 What are some other benefits that come 00:12:27 from learning to read well? 00:12:30 A new article was recently published 00:12:32 on jw.org entitled 00:12:35 “Why Reading Is Important for Children.” 00:12:39 This was prepared with you dear parents in mind. 00:12:43 But, really, reading is something 00:12:46 that all of us should view as important. 00:12:50 Why? 00:12:53 The article explained that reading stirs the imagination. 00:12:58 It builds character 00:13:00 and helps us to reason on our problems. 00:13:04 It helps us develop qualities such as patience, 00:13:08 self-control, and empathy. 00:13:11 And reading promotes deep thinking. 00:13:17 During the pandemic, 00:13:19 some of our brothers have been making good use of their time 00:13:23 by learning to read and write. 00:13:25 Let’s hear how they have benefited. 00:13:30 When the coronavirus broke out 00:13:32 throughout the country, schools were shut down 00:13:34 and many parents either couldn’t go to work 00:13:36 or they had to work from home. 00:13:38 One circuit overseer set a goal 00:13:40 to encourage the parents in his circuit 00:13:42 to take advantage of the opportunity 00:13:44 to carry on teaching their children to read and write 00:13:47 with the objective of assisting them to become publishers. 00:13:50 Many parents responded to the encouragement, and this resulted 00:13:53 in 37 young ones becoming proficient in reading and writing. 00:13:57 A sister named Sara 00:14:00 had been trying for some time to learn 00:14:01 to read and write. 00:14:04 At home, her husband tried to help her, 00:14:06 but they just couldn’t find enough time 00:14:10 because of their day-to-day activities and many responsibilities. 00:14:14 Now, when the pandemic 00:14:16 limited their activities, her husband, who is an elder, 00:14:20 took advantage of the extra time. 00:14:22 He began to help her 00:14:24 several times a week to learn to read. 00:14:27 Now she has the joy 00:14:29 of reading the Bible and other publications on her own. 00:14:33 She also loves to sing the Kingdom songs 00:14:36 using her own songbook. 00:14:39 One Bible student named Comfort 00:14:41 earnestly longed to be able to read the Bible. 00:14:44 She became downhearted when the pandemic began 00:14:47 and wondered who was going to help her read now 00:14:49 that she couldn’t physically attend a literacy class. 00:14:52 A local congregation elder gave her some excellent practical suggestions, 00:14:56 and he encouraged her to continue practicing on her own. 00:14:59 With determination and persistence, 00:15:01 Comfort applied the suggestions. 00:15:03 She made steady progress, and she now reads well. 00:15:06 She conducts five Bible studies. 00:15:08 She is also assisting her own 14-year-old daughter 00:15:11 to learn how to read and write. 00:15:13 Comfort was baptized 00:15:14 at the 2020 “Always Rejoice”! Regional Convention. 00:15:18 Maria is our 69-year-old sister in Nicaragua, 00:15:22 and she’s been a regular pioneer 00:15:23 for over six years. 00:15:25 She never had formal schooling, 00:15:27 and so she learned to read as she studied the Bible with our sisters, 00:15:31 but she didn’t learn to write. 00:15:33 When the pandemic started, Maria was very discouraged 00:15:37 because she didn’t know how to use her cell phone to preach, 00:15:40 and she didn’t know how to write letters. 00:15:42 But some of her fellow pioneers offered to help. 00:15:46 So Maria would dictate her words to her field service partner 00:15:49 who would then write the letter. 00:15:52 Her field service partners would send Maria photographs 00:15:55 of the letters they wrote in her behalf. 00:15:58 And using the photographs, 00:16:00 Maria would then copy them so as to write her own letters. 00:16:04 This helped Maria to start developing writing skills. 00:16:08 She now writes her own letters. 00:16:10 If you could see the letters that she writes, 00:16:12 what neat handwriting she’s learned 00:16:15 to have, and how well she expresses herself! 00:16:18 Obviously, she has Jehovah’s blessing, 00:16:21 but it’s certainly an encouragement to all of us to try to continue to improve. 00:16:27 What a beautiful way to use our time during the pandemic! 00:16:33 But let’s not —even for a minute— 00:16:36 think that literacy is an issue 00:16:38 in only a few parts of the world. 00:16:41 Really, literacy 00:16:43 is an issue everywhere! 00:16:46 And, if we’re being honest with ourselves, 00:16:49 probably most of us would say 00:16:52 that we could improve in our reading and writing. 00:16:56 So why not make the effort to do so? 00:17:01 Note what the Governing Body said 00:17:04 in a recent letter to all Branch Committees: 00:17:08 “We want our brothers and sisters to progress spiritually 00:17:12 “and grow to maturity. 00:17:14 “In large measure, this requires that they be able to read 00:17:18 “and study God’s Word along with our publications. 00:17:23 “Many of the ways in which we serve God 00:17:26 “involve the ability to read. 00:17:29 “For example, 00:17:31 “all Christians have the weighty responsibility 00:17:34 “of teaching vital truths to others. 00:17:38 “And appointed men have many responsibilities 00:17:42 “that involve reading. . . . 00:17:44 “In general, 00:17:46 Christians should be able to read.” 00:17:50 So how could we learn to read or improve in our reading? 00:17:55 Here are two ways: 00:17:57 Ask a friend, a family member, or someone in your congregation 00:18:02 to help you. 00:18:04 An excellent tool 00:18:05 to assist is the Apply Yourself 00:18:08 to Reading and Writing brochure. 00:18:11 It is available in 123 languages. 00:18:15 Why not ask your congregation elders 00:18:17 about how to obtain this brochure? 00:18:21 If you already know the alphabet and you can recognize words, 00:18:25 audio recordings of our literature may also help. 00:18:29 As you listen to the recording, 00:18:31 read along in the written publication. 00:18:35 Work to imitate the pronunciation 00:18:38 as you hear each word. 00:18:41 Improving our reading and writing 00:18:43 is a great way to use our time during the pandemic! 00:18:50 You brothers and sisters have shown 00:18:52 that you can thrive spiritually 00:18:55 and build others up during a time of adversity. 00:18:58 You have made good use of your time. 00:19:03 May all of us continue to do so 00:19:06 by assisting inactive ones 00:19:08 and by improving our reading skills. 00:19:11 Be assured 00:19:14 that the Governing Body keeps all of you in our prayers. 00:19:18 From the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 00:19:22 this is JW Broadcasting®.
00:00:01 In this update, 00:00:03 we’re going to talk about how we can make 00:00:05 good use of our time 00:00:07 during the pandemic. 00:00:09 But first, we’d like to share a few updates. 00:00:14 We’re sad to report that, as of December 10, 00:00:18 we have lost 25,658 00:00:22 brothers and sisters to COVID-19. 00:00:26 Our prayers are certainly with all 00:00:30 who have lost loved ones. 00:00:33 Recently, the new Omicron variant 00:00:36 has received a lot of news coverage. 00:00:40 At this point, there are still many unknowns. 00:00:45 Brothers and sisters, we don’t need to panic. 00:00:49 Keep following the same basic precautions that have worked well: 00:00:54 wearing masks, 00:00:56 physical distancing, 00:00:58 frequently washing our hands, 00:01:00 and getting vaccinated, if possible. 00:01:05 In the 2021 Governing Body Update #7, 00:01:09 Brother Lösch mentioned that over 80 percent 00:01:13 of the worldwide Bethel family was vaccinated. 00:01:17 We are glad to inform you that now over 99 percent 00:01:22 of our worldwide Bethel family is vaccinated, 00:01:26 and so are over 95 percent of our 00:01:29 special full-time servants in the field. 00:01:34 Many of our brothers and sisters have had 00:01:37 good results from being vaccinated. 00:01:41 For example, 00:01:43 in some parts of Bulgaria, 00:01:45 the local clergy say that vaccines 00:01:48 are “poison from the Devil.” 00:01:52 So there is much pressure in the community 00:01:54 not to get vaccinated. 00:01:57 Despite this, one sister and her husband 00:02:01 watched the Governing Body updates 00:02:03 and made their personal decision to get vaccinated. 00:02:09 Later, the sister’s employer called her 00:02:11 and said that in order to comply with government regulations, 00:02:16 she couldn’t return to work if she had not been vaccinated. 00:02:21 How surprised the manager was to learn 00:02:23 that the sister was already vaccinated! 00:02:27 In fact, 00:02:29 she was the only employee who was vaccinated. 00:02:34 Everyone else had to be laid off. 00:02:37 The manager asked our sister 00:02:39 if she had any vaccinated friends who could replace 00:02:43 the employees who had been fired. 00:02:47 The manager then called other Witnesses 00:02:50 that she knew to see if they had any 00:02:53 vaccinated friends who needed employment. 00:02:56 That evening, 00:02:58 nearly all the positions were filled. 00:03:02 The head of staff asked our sisters, 00:03:06 “How do you know so many vaccinated women?” 00:03:10 A fine witness was given. 00:03:13 In the end, 14 sisters 00:03:16 and 1 Bible student were employed 00:03:19 because they followed the good guidance and Bible principles 00:03:24 that have been shared in our various Governing Body updates. 00:03:30 Now, let’s get back to our topic of putting our time to good use 00:03:35 during the pandemic. 00:03:38 It’s been exciting to hear how many of you 00:03:40 have reached out to pioneer, 00:03:43 started new study projects, 00:03:46 and refined your telephone and letter-writing skills. 00:03:49 That is time well spent. 00:03:53 In this month’s update, 00:03:56 we will discuss two additional ways 00:03:59 we can use our time wisely: 00:04:02 helping inactive ones 00:04:04 and improving our reading and writing skills. 00:04:09 It has been wonderful to see so many of our brothers and sisters 00:04:14 who were inactive begin associating 00:04:17 with us again during the pandemic. 00:04:21 If that describes you, 00:04:23 please know 00:04:25 that the Governing Body warmly welcomes you back! 00:04:29 Imagine the joy that Jehovah, Jesus, and all the angels 00:04:34 in heaven have experienced at seeing you return. 00:04:40 But what about those who have not yet returned? 00:04:44 They might feel like the psalmist, as recorded 00:04:47 at Psalm 119:176. 00:04:51 There we read: “I have strayed like a lost sheep. 00:04:56 “Search for your servant, 00:04:59 for I have not forgotten your commandments.” 00:05:02 Right now, some inactive ones may be praying to Jehovah, 00:05:07 saying: ‘Search for me. 00:05:10 I need help to come back.’ 00:05:13 They haven’t forgotten Jehovah, 00:05:16 but for various reasons, 00:05:18 they haven’t been able to come back on their own. 00:05:22 How does Jehovah feel about such ones? 00:05:27 Ezekiel 34:15, 16 says: 00:05:31 “I myself will feed my sheep . . . 00:05:34 “The lost one I will search for, 00:05:38 “the stray I will bring back, 00:05:40 “the injured I will bandage, 00:05:43 and the weak I will strengthen.” 00:05:45 Can Jehovah use you to find his lost sheep? 00:05:50 Absolutely! 00:05:52 Many of you have reached out to inactive ones. 00:05:56 In the following video, 00:05:58 notice how publishers took the initiative 00:06:01 to help others return to Jehovah. 00:06:06 I didn’t know what my brother was ever 00:06:08 going to do about the truth. 00:06:10 As a teenager, he was a publisher 00:06:12 in the congregation. 00:06:14 By the time he was 16, sadly, he decided to leave home, 00:06:17 and then he no longer served Jehovah. 00:06:20 But then, when we came back to Seattle and settled down, 00:06:24 then we had more contact with him. 00:06:27 My wife and I had been providing meals for him 00:06:30 because his wife had a brain tumor. 00:06:32 But the beautiful thing is that our congregation 00:06:34 started taking him meals. 00:06:36 When my brother’s wife was hospitalized, 00:06:39 they even assisted at the hospital 00:06:41 to visit him and give him encouragement. 00:06:43 That had a big impact upon him. 00:06:45 He could see the closeness of the congregation, 00:06:48 and I think that built a desire that he would really like to do more. 00:06:52 When my brother went to the Kingdom Hall, he was only able to do that 00:06:55 for two weeks and then COVID-19 struck. 00:06:58 But an elder talked to him the first time he went to the Kingdom Hall, 00:07:02 and they exchanged phone numbers. 00:07:04 And so they were able to communicate. 00:07:06 And that elder helped set him up on Zoom, 00:07:10 and he was able to attend the meetings then. 00:07:12 And he went to all the meetings. 00:07:13 Then I encouraged him to have a personal study, 00:07:17 and he said, “Well I’m doing my study.” 00:07:19 Of all things, it was a terminology issue. 00:07:21 He didn’t know about having a personal Bible study with someone. 00:07:25 He had some more encouragement from a family friend 00:07:29 that found out that he was coming to meetings, 00:07:32 and then he started to have his own Bible study. 00:07:34 And that’s when he really started to make progress. 00:07:36 It took 59 years! 00:07:38 I had the privilege of actually performing the baptism for my own brother. 00:07:46 At the beginning of the pandemic, 00:07:48 we knew that our ministry 00:07:50 was going to change. 00:07:51 And so we thought about what to do, 00:07:53 and we came up with this little project, 00:07:56 making a list of all the inactive people 00:07:58 that we could think of that we’d been with in other congregations 00:08:01 —lots of young people and others. 00:08:05 And when we did that list, there were about 40 people on that list. 00:08:08 So we’ve emailed, we’ve called, 00:08:11 we’ve texted, and we’ve written lots of letters. 00:08:14 Some of them, we haven’t heard anything from, 00:08:18 but nobody has rejected our efforts. 00:08:21 I contacted one man 00:08:23 whom I had met almost 40 years ago when I was 19 years old. 00:08:27 We reestablished contact. 00:08:29 He began to attend all the meetings on Zoom, 00:08:32 and now we’re studying the Bible in the Enjoy Life Forever! book. 00:08:35 We contacted one brother who’d been inactive for many years. 00:08:40 Now he attends all the meetings on Zoom. 00:08:43 He has been reactivated, 00:08:46 and all of this despite some very serious health problems. 00:08:49 Patience and persistence are required 00:08:52 when reaching out to these dear ones. 00:08:55 We love them, and so we contact 00:08:57 some on that list every week. 00:09:00 We’re so happy. 00:09:03 Three of the persons that we’ve contacted 00:09:06 are now regularly attending the meetings. 00:09:08 Two of them are studying the Bible. 00:09:11 It’s really been encouraging for us to see these ones 00:09:14 that we love so much return to Jehovah. 00:09:17 And really, if Jehovah is drawing them, 00:09:20 they’re going to respond. 00:09:23 I’m sure you agree 00:09:25 that Jehovah blessed these efforts 00:09:28 to reach out to his lost sheep. 00:09:30 What a wonderful way to use our time 00:09:33 during the pandemic! 00:09:36 One circuit overseer in the United States 00:09:38 recently reported that 76 individuals 00:09:42 in his circuit have been reactivated. 00:09:46 That’s the equivalent of an entire congregation! 00:09:51 We encourage you to prayerfully think of inactive ones 00:09:55 that you might know. 00:09:57 It could be a family member or friend. 00:10:01 Can you give them a call 00:10:03 or send them a letter or a text message? 00:10:08 And if they respond and attend a meeting, 00:10:11 make them feel welcome. 00:10:14 We hope that many more lost sheep 00:10:17 will return to Jehovah before the end. 00:10:22 Another good use of our time 00:10:24 is improving our reading and writing skills. 00:10:28 Reading and writing 00:10:30 has always been important for Jehovah’s people. 00:10:34 Remember, the kings of Israel were told 00:10:36 to “write [out] . . . a copy of [the] Law” 00:10:39 and “read from it all the days of [their] life.” 00:10:44 Jesus was raised by a poor family, 00:10:47 yet he was able to read. 00:10:49 We remember the time when he went into the synagogue in Nazareth. 00:10:53 He was able to open the Isaiah scroll 00:10:56 —which had no chapters and verses— 00:10:59 and locate and read the correct scripture. 00:11:04 And let’s not forget what Paul told Timothy. 00:11:07 Timothy was already an elder. 00:11:10 Yet, Paul said to him: 00:11:12 “Continue applying yourself to public reading.” 00:11:18 So in view of the Bible’s emphasis on reading, 00:11:22 it is not surprising that God’s organization 00:11:26 has a wonderful history of helping people 00:11:30 all over the world to learn to read. 00:11:33 Over the past 70 years, 00:11:36 Jehovah’s Witnesses have taught thousands of people worldwide 00:11:40 to read and write. 00:11:43 For example, in Mexico, 00:11:45 we have helped more than 156,000 people 00:11:50 to learn to read and write. 00:11:53 We’ve received awards in several countries for our efforts. 00:11:58 What about today? 00:12:00 It’s true that now in many languages 00:12:02 we have technology that enables us to listen to our publications. 00:12:07 But we don’t want to be content to rely 00:12:10 on audio publications alone. 00:12:13 We want to be able to read and to study the Bible for ourselves 00:12:18 and to dig into the wonderful information 00:12:21 provided by “the faithful and discreet slave.” 00:12:25 What are some other benefits that come 00:12:27 from learning to read well? 00:12:30 A new article was recently published 00:12:32 on jw.org entitled 00:12:35 “Why Reading Is Important for Children.” 00:12:39 This was prepared with you dear parents in mind. 00:12:43 But, really, reading is something 00:12:46 that all of us should view as important. 00:12:50 Why? 00:12:53 The article explained that reading stirs the imagination. 00:12:58 It builds character 00:13:00 and helps us to reason on our problems. 00:13:04 It helps us develop qualities such as patience, 00:13:08 self-control, and empathy. 00:13:11 And reading promotes deep thinking. 00:13:17 During the pandemic, 00:13:19 some of our brothers have been making good use of their time 00:13:23 by learning to read and write. 00:13:25 Let’s hear how they have benefited. 00:13:30 When the coronavirus broke out 00:13:32 throughout the country, schools were shut down 00:13:34 and many parents either couldn’t go to work 00:13:36 or they had to work from home. 00:13:38 One circuit overseer set a goal 00:13:40 to encourage the parents in his circuit 00:13:42 to take advantage of the opportunity 00:13:44 to carry on teaching their children to read and write 00:13:47 with the objective of assisting them to become publishers. 00:13:50 Many parents responded to the encouragement, and this resulted 00:13:53 in 37 young ones becoming proficient in reading and writing. 00:13:57 A sister named Sara 00:14:00 had been trying for some time to learn 00:14:01 to read and write. 00:14:04 At home, her husband tried to help her, 00:14:06 but they just couldn’t find enough time 00:14:10 because of their day-to-day activities and many responsibilities. 00:14:14 Now, when the pandemic 00:14:16 limited their activities, her husband, who is an elder, 00:14:20 took advantage of the extra time. 00:14:22 He began to help her 00:14:24 several times a week to learn to read. 00:14:27 Now she has the joy 00:14:29 of reading the Bible and other publications on her own. 00:14:33 She also loves to sing the Kingdom songs 00:14:36 using her own songbook. 00:14:39 One Bible student named Comfort 00:14:41 earnestly longed to be able to read the Bible. 00:14:44 She became downhearted when the pandemic began 00:14:47 and wondered who was going to help her read now 00:14:49 that she couldn’t physically attend a literacy class. 00:14:52 A local congregation elder gave her some excellent practical suggestions, 00:14:56 and he encouraged her to continue practicing on her own. 00:14:59 With determination and persistence, 00:15:01 Comfort applied the suggestions. 00:15:03 She made steady progress, and she now reads well. 00:15:06 She conducts five Bible studies. 00:15:08 She is also assisting her own 14-year-old daughter 00:15:11 to learn how to read and write. 00:15:13 Comfort was baptized 00:15:14 at the 2020 “Always Rejoice”! Regional Convention. 00:15:18 Maria is our 69-year-old sister in Nicaragua, 00:15:22 and she’s been a regular pioneer 00:15:23 for over six years. 00:15:25 She never had formal schooling, 00:15:27 and so she learned to read as she studied the Bible with our sisters, 00:15:31 but she didn’t learn to write. 00:15:33 When the pandemic started, Maria was very discouraged 00:15:37 because she didn’t know how to use her cell phone to preach, 00:15:40 and she didn’t know how to write letters. 00:15:42 But some of her fellow pioneers offered to help. 00:15:46 So Maria would dictate her words to her field service partner 00:15:49 who would then write the letter. 00:15:52 Her field service partners would send Maria photographs 00:15:55 of the letters they wrote in her behalf. 00:15:58 And using the photographs, 00:16:00 Maria would then copy them so as to write her own letters. 00:16:04 This helped Maria to start developing writing skills. 00:16:08 She now writes her own letters. 00:16:10 If you could see the letters that she writes, 00:16:12 what neat handwriting she’s learned 00:16:15 to have, and how well she expresses herself! 00:16:18 Obviously, she has Jehovah’s blessing, 00:16:21 but it’s certainly an encouragement to all of us to try to continue to improve. 00:16:27 What a beautiful way to use our time during the pandemic! 00:16:33 But let’s not —even for a minute— 00:16:36 think that literacy is an issue 00:16:38 in only a few parts of the world. 00:16:41 Really, literacy 00:16:43 is an issue everywhere! 00:16:46 And, if we’re being honest with ourselves, 00:16:49 probably most of us would say 00:16:52 that we could improve in our reading and writing. 00:16:56 So why not make the effort to do so? 00:17:01 Note what the Governing Body said 00:17:04 in a recent letter to all Branch Committees: 00:17:08 “We want our brothers and sisters to progress spiritually 00:17:12 “and grow to maturity. 00:17:14 “In large measure, this requires that they be able to read 00:17:18 “and study God’s Word along with our publications. 00:17:23 “Many of the ways in which we serve God 00:17:26 “involve the ability to read. 00:17:29 “For example, 00:17:31 “all Christians have the weighty responsibility 00:17:34 “of teaching vital truths to others. 00:17:38 “And appointed men have many responsibilities 00:17:42 “that involve reading. . . . 00:17:44 “In general, 00:17:46 Christians should be able to read.” 00:17:50 So how could we learn to read or improve in our reading? 00:17:55 Here are two ways: 00:17:57 Ask a friend, a family member, or someone in your congregation 00:18:02 to help you. 00:18:04 An excellent tool 00:18:05 to assist is the Apply Yourself 00:18:08 to Reading and Writing brochure. 00:18:11 It is available in 123 languages. 00:18:15 Why not ask your congregation elders 00:18:17 about how to obtain this brochure? 00:18:21 If you already know the alphabet and you can recognize words, 00:18:25 audio recordings of our literature may also help. 00:18:29 As you listen to the recording, 00:18:31 read along in the written publication. 00:18:35 Work to imitate the pronunciation 00:18:38 as you hear each word. 00:18:41 Improving our reading and writing 00:18:43 is a great way to use our time during the pandemic! 00:18:50 You brothers and sisters have shown 00:18:52 that you can thrive spiritually 00:18:55 and build others up during a time of adversity. 00:18:58 You have made good use of your time. 00:19:03 May all of us continue to do so 00:19:06 by assisting inactive ones 00:19:08 and by improving our reading skills. 00:19:11 Be assured 00:19:14 that the Governing Body keeps all of you in our prayers. 00:19:18 From the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 00:19:22 this is JW Broadcasting®.
