00:00:01 Life in Ur was comfortable.
00:00:04 We had all the modern conveniences.
00:00:07 Then Jehovah gave us an assignment we never expected
00:00:11 —one that meant saying goodbye to the life we loved.
00:00:16 But rather than look behind,
00:00:19 Abraham and I looked ahead.
00:00:21 We had seen Jehovah’s hand in our lives,
00:00:24 and we knew he would be with us
00:00:27 every step of the journey.
00:00:29 And he was in ways that surprised us
00:00:33 —ways we never could have imagined.
00:00:36 Jehovah did more than help us;
00:00:39 he fulfilled his every promise.
00:00:53 Saying goodbye
00:00:55 is never easy.
00:00:59 And even though we were excited about our new LDC assignment,
00:01:04 it was going to take us farther than we’d ever been.
00:01:19 It wasn’t just a new routine;
00:01:22 it was a whole new way of life!
00:01:37 With each new move and project,
00:01:39 we thought about Sarah.
00:01:43 She focused on the good things ahead
00:01:47 and not on what she’d left behind.
00:01:51 And that’s what we tried to do.
00:02:29 Jehovah has been so good to us.
00:03:02 We didn’t always know where the next project would take us,
00:03:06 but we did know that Jehovah would be with us
00:03:12 every step of the way.
00:03:20 Jericho was doomed.
00:03:22 People were scared.
00:03:24 When the Israelite men showed up at my door,
00:03:27 there was barely time to think.
00:03:30 But I knew what was at stake.
00:03:33 Even as a young girl, I had heard all the stories.
00:03:37 Jehovah wasn’t like the other gods.
00:03:39 He had dried up the waters of the Red Sea
00:03:41 and given his people victory over the Amorites.
00:03:46 If I helped these men, I knew Jehovah would help me.
00:03:53 For the first time in my life,
00:03:55 I was standing with Jehovah’s people
00:03:58 on Jehovah’s side.
00:04:02 And my faith was being rewarded.
00:04:11 There was no doubt about it.
00:04:14 I had found the truth.
00:04:18 So why did I feel so anxious?
00:04:33 I knew how Mom felt about the holidays.
00:04:45 But I also learned how Jehovah felt.
00:04:54 They displease him.
00:05:03 Some changes in my life were easy to make.
00:05:16 But I really needed Jehovah’s help for what I had to do next.
00:05:26 I love my mom so much.
00:05:31 When I explained that I wouldn’t celebrate the holidays anymore,
00:05:36 I could tell that she was hurt.
00:05:45 But I knew I was doing the right thing
00:05:48 and prayed that Jehovah would help her understand.
00:05:55 It is going to be a holiday season like no other
00:05:57 —like this 36 megapixel DSLR camera kit for just $399.
00:06:01 Or would you believe this 65” 4K UHD Smart TV is only $849?
00:06:06 Hurry in before it’s gone because these . . .
00:06:28 I admit I was surprised when she said she wanted to learn more.
00:06:32 What a blessing!
00:06:34 Thanks to Jehovah, I had found the truth,
00:06:38 and now maybe my family would find it too.
00:06:48 I couldn’t sleep or eat.
00:06:51 I felt my hopes and dreams slipping away.
00:06:56 But even if no one else really understood me,
00:06:59 I knew Jehovah would.
00:07:01 I told him everything.
00:07:06 I knew that the “God of justice”
00:07:09 would set all matters right in his own time
00:07:12 and in his own way.
00:07:15 Jehovah answered my prayer in such a wonderful way.
00:07:20 I never forgot where this incredible blessing had come from.
00:07:26 “There is no rock like our God.”
00:07:38 I could tell from the doctor’s voice
00:07:41 that the news wasn’t good.
00:08:01 I just didn’t expect my health to worsen so quickly.
00:08:32 I tried to act like everything was fine
00:08:37 —that I was fine,
00:08:46 but I wasn’t.
00:08:58 Praying to Jehovah,
00:09:01 just knowing he would listen and understand
00:09:07 —that’s what got me through.
00:09:14 No one really knew what I was going through,
00:09:18 not even my friends.
00:09:38 I felt like Hannah
00:09:41 —totally misunderstood.
00:09:44 But she had faith that Jehovah would set matters straight.
00:09:53 And he did for Hannah and for me.
00:10:00 But more than that,
00:10:02 he reminded me that I wouldn’t have to deal with this illness alone.
00:10:14 I remember the day the soldiers took me away.
00:10:18 I had never felt more alone.
00:10:21 My home, my friends,
00:10:24 everything I knew was gone.
00:10:27 But I still had Jehovah.
00:10:32 The master of the house was very sick.
00:10:36 He was in pain.
00:10:39 Elisha could help him.
00:10:41 I had heard about Elisha’s miracles.
00:10:44 He had even raised the dead.
00:10:46 I knew Elisha could cure him,
00:10:49 and Jehovah gave me the courage to speak up.
00:11:02 I was taken from my home,
00:11:07 my husband,
00:11:09 and my spiritual family.
00:11:13 I was imprisoned for my faith.
00:11:24 It was another world.
00:11:27 It wasn’t easy staying strong.
00:11:39 Every time I asked for a Bible, the answer was no.
00:11:51 But God’s Word was already in my heart.
00:11:57 So I did what I love the most;
00:12:00 I talked about God’s Kingdom.
00:12:05 Many of those I preached to seemed cold at first,
00:12:10 but genuine love and the warmth of God’s Word
00:12:13 just seemed to melt their hearts.
00:12:17 Sometimes speaking up took more courage than I thought I had,
00:12:22 but not more courage than Jehovah could give me.
00:12:41 It was hard to look beyond the locks and uniforms.
00:12:45 But God’s will is that “all sorts of people” learn about him.
00:12:50 So I spoke about my God, Jehovah.
00:13:26 I knew that even behind prison bars,
00:13:30 Jehovah would give me the strength
00:13:34 to help others.
00:13:43 I was engaged to marry Joseph.
00:13:46 I thought we would have a simple and quiet life.
00:13:48 And then, suddenly, everything changed.
00:13:53 I know that God sometimes asks us to do what is difficult.
00:13:57 But this seemed impossible, beyond anything we could handle.
00:14:02 But I knew I was safe in Jehovah’s hands.
00:14:05 If we remained loyal to Him
00:14:08 and did our best to care for his precious Son,
00:14:11 he would always be loyal to us
00:14:14 and give us what we needed.
00:14:21 When they first told me, I thought it must have been a mistake.
00:14:26 I mean, me
00:14:28 —oversee a department at an international convention?
00:14:39 I felt like it was just too much to handle,
00:14:51 but I remembered that I thought the same thing years ago
00:14:57 when I was asked to serve on a Disaster Relief Committee
00:15:20 and when I served on the Hospital Liaison Committee.
00:15:39 Actually, I’ve always felt that way
00:15:42 when I’ve received an assignment from Jehovah.
00:15:48 But what I’ve learned is
00:15:51 that he’s always ready to help.
00:16:05 So when Jehovah asks me to do something that seems difficult,
00:16:09 I just remind myself
00:16:12 to pray,
00:16:14 stay loyal,
00:16:15 and have faith
00:16:34 that he’ll give me what I need.
00:16:45 No, I was not Jewish,
00:16:48 but I saw that this Jesus was no ordinary man.
00:16:52 I had heard about his power to help others,
00:16:55 and my daughter was suffering.
00:16:58 I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
00:17:00 I couldn’t.
00:17:02 This man was from God.
00:17:04 There was nowhere else to turn.
00:17:07 I had faith in Jesus.
00:17:10 When he heard me, he said:
00:17:13 “Let it happen to you as you wish.”
00:17:17 And then it did!
00:17:19 My beautiful, precious daughter
00:17:21 was healthy and smiling again.
00:17:32 I never thought it would happen.
00:17:36 I finally found what I’d been searching for
00:17:41 —a good relationship with God.
00:17:47 Then one day,
00:17:48 a coworker texted an article
00:17:50 that claimed to expose Jehovah’s Witnesses.
00:17:59 I was tempted to read it,
00:18:03 and then I thought back
00:18:06 to when I first met Jehovah’s Witnesses.
00:18:17 I was so excited about what they taught me from the Bible
00:18:21 —that God’s name is Jehovah,
00:18:24 the Kingdom is a real government, and so much more.
00:18:30 Why would I want to learn about Jehovah’s Witnesses from their enemies?
00:18:39 But my friends?
00:18:46 Not so much.
00:19:03 I saw people who really loved one another.
00:19:08 It’s a real brotherhood.
00:19:12 But it wasn’t just the people.
00:19:17 This was the truth!
00:19:44 I didn’t need to learn about Jehovah’s Witnesses from their enemies.
00:19:55 I had seen for myself
00:19:57 that they worship the true God, Jehovah.
00:20:06 During those first few days,
00:20:08 everything was a blur.
00:20:10 My sister, Mary, and I had never felt so empty and lost.
00:20:16 I knew that if our Lord had been here,
00:20:19 our brother would not have died.
00:20:23 But through the tears and the pain,
00:20:26 I had no doubt that the resurrection was real,
00:20:30 that someday
00:20:32 —someday— he would live again.
00:20:35 Who could have imagined
00:20:37 it could happen that very day
00:20:40 and right before our eyes?
00:20:43 We wept tears of joy
00:20:45 and thanked our loving Father in heaven, Jehovah.
00:21:29 When I lost my son,
00:21:33 I lost part of myself.
00:21:43 I tried to stay busy,
00:21:49 but everything felt empty.
00:22:19 In my darkest times,
00:22:21 Jehovah’s words brought me comfort.
00:22:57 Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Brandon
00:23:05 —not just memories of how it was
00:23:08 but even more how wonderful it’ll be to see him soon
00:23:14 in God’s new world.
00:23:29 For nearly a year,
00:23:31 I had been held in solitary confinement
00:23:35 in a tiny, filthy, bug-infested prison cell.
00:23:43 Five and a half years after my arrest,
00:23:48 I was released.
00:23:51 If we truly rely on Jehovah,
00:23:54 really love him
00:23:56 and cry out in our heart for his help,
00:23:59 just as he did not forsake me,
00:24:02 he will not forsake his servants.
00:24:18 They arrested me
00:24:20 and took me in for questioning.
00:24:23 An interrogator invited me to sign a document
00:24:26 stating that I would discontinue preaching.
00:24:31 I said, “I would rather live in prison
00:24:34 “with my relationship with God intact
00:24:36 than be free and lose his approval.”
00:24:42 My determination
00:24:44 has been to heed the Bible’s admonition:
00:24:46 “Trust in Jehovah and do good.”
00:24:50 I have learned that doing this
00:24:52 leads to receiving
00:24:54 “the requests of your heart.”
00:25:10 As the world went from bad to worse,
00:25:16 I dug deeper into God’s Word.
00:25:36 I wanted to stay strong,
00:25:37 like so many brothers and sisters in the past.
00:25:42 “Those who remained faithful had no special abilities
00:25:46 “and were inconspicuous.
00:25:48 “Surely all of us must always trust in Jehovah
00:25:53 with all our heart.”
00:25:57 I memorized scriptures.
00:26:00 I knew these words would build my faith
00:26:07 and give me the strength I needed to face what was to come.
00:26:32 A new wave of arrests occurred this week
00:26:34 as local authorities enforce new restrictions on Jehovah’s Witnesses.
00:26:38 This is coming just 14 days after the Supreme Court’s ruling . . .
00:26:54 “Trust in Jehovah and do what is good;
00:27:06 “reside in the earth, and act with faithfulness.
00:27:11 “Find exquisite delight in Jehovah,
00:27:13 and he will grant you the desires of your heart.”
00:27:20 We had to be more discreet,
00:27:22 but we never stopped talking about God’s Word.
00:27:30 We had to face many difficulties,
00:27:32 but with God’s Word embedded in our hearts,
00:27:35 we faithfully endured to the end.
