00:00:01 Brothers and sisters,
00:00:03 welcome to our update!
00:00:05 Since our last report,
00:00:07 there have been some exciting developments.
00:00:11 On May 31, 2022,
00:00:14 the Governing Body informed all Branch Committees
00:00:17 that we would now resume all forms
00:00:20 of our public ministry except house-to-house work.
00:00:23 Around the world, our brothers and sisters were thrilled
00:00:27 to resume public witnessing.
00:00:30 After resuming in-person preaching,
00:00:33 one sister said: “It was like we were resurrected.
00:00:37 “We were gone, and then we were back.
00:00:40 It was unifying.”
00:00:44 And a brother said: “It was like riding a bicycle.
00:00:48 It all came back quickly, and we had a great time.”
00:00:53 A member of the Branch Committee in the United States
00:00:57 was working with a small group making return visits
00:01:00 that they hadn’t made in person since before the pandemic.
00:01:04 He said: “I was worried that people would be standoffish
00:01:09 “or that they’d be worried about the virus.
00:01:12 But that just wasn’t the case at all!”
00:01:16 After having a good discussion with his return visit,
00:01:20 the brother said, “It was so refreshing
00:01:22 to actually witness to someone in person at the door.”
00:01:29 Recently, I had a similar experience when sharing in street work.
00:01:34 A young woman noticed that the brother with me had Watchtower magazines,
00:01:39 and she stopped us.
00:01:41 She said that she was so happy to see Jehovah’s Witnesses.
00:01:46 That led to a good discussion,
00:01:48 and arrangements were made for a sister to contact her.
00:01:53 It was such a pleasure to be in street work again!
00:01:59 In Zambia, a public bus driver stopped the bus
00:02:03 when he saw our brothers street witnessing,
00:02:06 and he received a magazine from the brothers.
00:02:09 He asked them to preach to his passengers.
00:02:14 All of the passengers on the bus gladly listened and took magazines.
00:02:20 The weekend of June 25, 2022,
00:02:24 was a milestone for our translation efforts.
00:02:29 Thirteen language editions
00:02:31 of the New World Translation
00:02:33 were released in one weekend!
00:02:36 Some of the releases were of individual Bible books,
00:02:40 others were the complete edition of the Greek Scriptures,
00:02:45 and some were of the complete Bible.
00:02:49 Previously, the largest number of Bibles
00:02:52 released in a single weekend was six.
00:02:55 We thank Jehovah for these precious gifts!
00:03:01 On June 7, 2022,
00:03:04 the European Court of Human Rights
00:03:07 ruled in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 21 cases
00:03:12 —all in one day!
00:03:15 Our previous record for court victories awarded in one day
00:03:20 was on May 3, 1943,
00:03:24 when we won 12 cases in the United States Supreme Court.
00:03:28 We praise Jehovah for these fine victories.
00:03:34 Twenty of the twenty-one cases this month
00:03:38 form a historic judgment
00:03:41 against Russia for persecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses.
00:03:46 What did the court decide?
00:03:48 In the following video,
00:03:50 brothers working with the World Headquarters Legal Department
00:03:53 answer these questions.
00:03:57 Brothers, this decision is truly historic!
00:04:01 In fact, the court consolidated
20 of our cases into one decision
00:04:06 and ruled conclusively in our favor in all of them.
00:04:11 Throughout the 196-page decision,
00:04:15 the court meticulously dismantles the lies
00:04:18 that Russia has used to persecute our brothers and ban our worship.
00:04:25 Shane, in what way specifically did the court condemn Russia?
00:04:30 Well, the decision
00:04:31 unambiguously declares that Russia
00:04:34 is guilty of carrying out a premeditated
00:04:37 and relentless attack on innocent worshippers and on pure worship.
00:04:43 For example, in paragraph 254 of the decision,
00:04:46 the European Court states that the Russian authorities had pursued
00:04:50 “a policy of intolerance . . .
00:04:53 “designed to cause Jehovah’s Witnesses to abandon their faith
00:04:57 and to prevent others from joining it.”
00:04:59 Of course, that policy was entirely unsuccessful.
00:05:03 In fact, this judgment
00:05:05 completely exonerates Jehovah’s Witnesses.
00:05:08 For example, Russia claimed
00:05:10 that our publications and website
00:05:12 are extremist simply because we believe that we have the truth.
00:05:16 In response, the European Court ruled
00:05:19 that “any religious entity or individual believers
00:05:23 “have the right to proclaim and defend their doctrine
00:05:26 as the true and superior one.”
00:05:29 Shane, what else did the court say in our favor?
00:05:32 The European Court confirms our right to engage
00:05:36 in our door-to-door preaching,
00:05:38 for parents to teach their children to worship Jehovah,
00:05:42 to own and use our places of worship,
00:05:44 to refuse military service,
00:05:47 to refuse blood transfusions and choose effective alternatives,
00:05:51 and to be politically neutral.
00:05:54 In all of these areas,
00:05:55 the European Court concludes that our religious beliefs and activities
00:05:59 are entirely peaceful and are protected
00:06:02 by the right to freedom of religion.
00:06:04 Among other things,
00:06:06 the decision orders Russia to stop persecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses,
00:06:11 restore our legal status, release those who are in prison,
00:06:15 allow us to use our literature and website,
00:06:18 and either return the properties that were confiscated
00:06:22 or pay us the equivalent of over 65 million dollars (U.S.).
00:06:26 Outstanding!
00:06:28 We are just so grateful
00:06:30 to the many brothers and sisters who worked tirelessly
00:06:34 to bring these cases before the European Court of Human Rights.
00:06:38 Time will tell whether Russia will comply with this decision.
00:06:42 But even if it does not,
00:06:45 this decision is legally binding on the 46 countries
00:06:49 who have submitted to the jurisdiction of the European Court.
00:06:53 Thus, the rights of over one and a half million Jehovah’s Witnesses
00:06:58 who live in these lands are better protected than ever.
00:07:02 But even more,
00:07:04 because the European Court is held in such high regard,
00:07:07 this decision will have great weight before high courts worldwide.
00:07:13 We thank Jehovah
00:07:15 for this historic victory —this resounding victory—
00:07:19 from the European Court!
00:07:22 We’re confident that, regardless of what the secular authorities do,
00:07:27 Jehovah is going to continue to be with our brothers.
00:07:32 Why do we know that?
00:07:34 Because of what is stated at Isaiah 54:17.
00:07:38 There we read:
00:07:40 “‘No weapon formed against you will have any success,
00:07:44 “‘and you will condemn any tongue
00:07:47 “‘that rises up against you in the judgment.
00:07:50 “‘This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah,
00:07:53 and their righteousness is from me,’ declares Jehovah.”
00:07:58 Yes, our “heritage” from Jehovah assures us
00:08:02 of his constant support now and forever.
00:08:06 With that assurance,
00:08:07 no opposition will weaken our faith
00:08:10 or deprive us of the peace and spiritual prosperity
00:08:14 we enjoy as God’s servants.
00:08:17 This is clearly seen when we consider how Jehovah helped our brothers
00:08:21 during the persecution in the former Soviet Union.
00:08:26 In the rest of this update,
00:08:28 we’re going to consider some examples
00:08:31 of how Jehovah looked after his people during that time.
00:08:35 We know this will be so encouraging not only for our brothers in Russia
00:08:40 but also for all of us,
00:08:42 since we are all facing opposition in one way or another.
00:08:48 As we watch the following interviews,
00:08:50 ask yourself: ‘If this happened to me,
00:08:53 ‘what would I do?
00:08:56 ‘What helped these brothers and sisters
00:08:58 to remain loyal to Jehovah?’
00:09:03 I was baptized at the age of 15.
00:09:06 A few weeks later,
00:09:07 the school administration discovered
00:09:09 that I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and decided to try to readjust me
00:09:13 and our family so that we would renounce our faith.
00:09:17 They did not stop pressuring us for three years.
00:09:19 At the age of 18, I received a conscription to the Soviet army,
00:09:24 but I refused and was sentenced to two years of imprisonment.
00:09:29 After serving the sentence,
00:09:31 I married a lovely and faithful sister, Lidija.
00:09:34 Soon after, I received a second call to join the army.
00:09:37 This time, the court rendered
00:09:38 a sentence of three years in a unit of strict regime.
00:09:42 I was born in Ukraine.
00:09:44 When I got married, I moved to live with my husband in Lithuania.
00:09:49 Seven months later, my husband received a prison sentence.
00:09:53 Emotionally, this was so difficult that I ended up in a hospital.
00:09:58 Soon we lost our unborn baby,
00:10:01 and here I was alone in a foreign land,
00:10:04 unable to speak the local language.
00:10:07 In view of the imprisonment of my husband, I was not able to find a job.
00:10:12 Prison guards were cruel and would often beat the prisoners.
00:10:15 I suffered such mistreatment as well.
00:10:19 More than that, I was isolated from my family
00:10:22 and from my spiritual brothers and sisters.
00:10:25 The hardest part was the separation from my dear wife, Lidija.
00:10:29 Even so,
00:10:31 Lidija was a special source of support for me.
00:10:35 Almost every day,
00:10:36 she wrote me letters.
00:10:38 I received more letters
00:10:40 than all the other 30 inmates combined.
00:10:44 To support my husband spiritually,
00:10:46 in my letters I would include verses from the Scriptures
00:10:50 and quotations from the publications,
00:10:52 trying to put them in a way that the censorship
00:10:55 would not be able to spot them.
00:10:57 Christian meetings were a source of strength for me.
00:11:00 I never missed them.
00:11:02 On one occasion, when we held a meeting in our home,
00:11:06 a group of militia and KGB broke in.
00:11:08 As a result, I received a call to appear before the court.
00:11:12 On the day of the court hearing, I was very worried,
00:11:15 but Jehovah gave me such calmness
00:11:18 that fear and nervousness disappeared.
00:11:21 I was sentenced to pay a fine of 50 rubles.
00:11:25 At the time, it was a large sum of money,
00:11:28 but I was not intimidated
00:11:30 and never stopped attending meetings.
00:11:33 I used opportunities to give a witness to others in the prison.
00:11:38 There were instances
00:11:40 when an audience of dozens of prisoners would listen to me.
00:11:45 When they asked questions that were more difficult to answer,
00:11:49 I would analyze them and ponder over them
00:11:53 so as to be able to explain the grounds for my beliefs.
00:11:58 Prayer was a constant companion.
00:12:01 I saw how Jehovah responded to them.
00:12:05 Sometimes he would answer in a way I did not expect.
00:12:09 I always stayed focused on the reason why Jehovah wants me
00:12:13 to remain faithful to him through all these difficulties,
00:12:16 and this helped a lot.
00:12:18 There were many occasions when the help I received
00:12:21 could not have come from any other source but Jehovah.
00:12:25 Therefore, he became my best Friend.
00:12:28 He would always come to the rescue.
00:12:31 The weaker I was,
00:12:33 the more help that came from Jehovah.
00:12:36 Let us not think about how we are going to endure tests;
00:12:41 think about how Jehovah will help us.
00:12:44 He will give us strength to endure everything.
00:12:49 Enduring the things Jehovah allows us to experience is not in vain,
00:12:53 but it is beneficial for us.
00:12:55 It fortifies and tempers our faith, so to speak.
00:12:59 What we need is the right, positive attitude toward
00:13:04 the difficulties we face.
00:13:05 And we have to be determined
00:13:07 to stay faithful to Jehovah to the end.
00:13:12 We appreciate your faithful endurance, Brother and Sister Pudžiuvys.
00:13:17 You reminded us how vital it is
00:13:21 to regularly attend meetings and share in the ministry
00:13:24 —both before and during times of persecution.
00:13:29 This helps to stabilize us and keep our faith strong.
00:13:35 In our next interview, notice how parental training,
00:13:39 regularly taking in spiritual food,
00:13:42 and remaining determined never to compromise
00:13:45 helped Iósif and Véra Rúsu to endure persecution.
00:13:51 I dealt with persecution
00:13:54 when I was six years old.
00:13:57 My father and older brother
00:13:59 were sentenced to 25 years in prison
00:14:02 as conscientious objectors.
00:14:06 I wondered if I would ever see them again.
00:14:10 However, thankfully, they were released two years later.
00:14:16 Their example has strengthened me
00:14:18 to remain faithful to Jehovah.
00:14:22 I also faced persecution when I was a child.
00:14:26 At school, I was often beaten because I preached,
00:14:29 I didn’t wear the Soviet star and tie, and I didn’t sing patriotic songs.
00:14:35 From an early age,
00:14:37 my parents taught me to love Jehovah,
00:14:40 to read from the Bible,
00:14:42 to sing praises to him,
00:14:45 and to learn verses by heart.
00:14:48 They took us with them to the meetings that were held three times a week.
00:14:54 I loved to participate.
00:14:56 I always had my hand up.
00:15:00 My parents taught me how to respond to those who would put pressure on us
00:15:04 to betray my brothers or my parents.
00:15:07 The love and trust in Jehovah that my parents planted in my heart
00:15:12 helped me to cherish him and to want to remain loyal to him.
00:15:17 When I was 15,
00:15:20 our family was deported to Siberia by train.
00:15:24 In these difficult conditions,
00:15:27 I found comfort and joy in the spiritual food
00:15:31 that we managed to take from home.
00:15:35 Those were the most important things.
00:15:38 All the way there on the train, we sang songs.
00:15:44 Ten years later,
00:15:46 when I was in Kazakhstan,
00:15:48 I was arrested and sentenced to five years.
00:15:52 Oftentimes, the prison guards pressured me
00:15:55 to compromise and renounce my faith.
00:15:58 But meditating on the issue of Jehovah’s sovereignty
00:16:03 helped me to stay firm.
00:16:06 I prayed to Jehovah for the strength to endure
00:16:09 and to remain faithful.
00:16:12 Reading the Bible helped me to endure trials
00:16:15 and not to make any compromises, no matter what.
00:16:20 After I finished my prison sentence,
00:16:23 I returned to Moldova.
00:16:26 Then, in 1967,
00:16:30 Véra and I got married.
00:16:32 Two years later, Iósif
00:16:34 was tried by the Supreme Court of Moldova
00:16:37 and sentenced
00:16:41 to ten years in a maximum-security camp.
00:16:44 Suddenly, I was left alone at 18 with a one-year-old boy.
00:16:50 I was often called by the KGB and interrogated for hours,
00:16:54 sometimes for five hours.
00:16:57 They told me many lies and attempted to sow doubts in my mind.
00:17:03 The next few years,
00:17:05 I saw my son grow up only in photographs
00:17:08 and when Véra would visit me twice a year.
00:17:11 One of the things I especially looked forward to receiving from her
00:17:15 was a new pair of boots.
00:17:17 The other brothers and sisters and I wrote the magazines
00:17:21 on very thin sheets of paper that had the shape of a sole.
00:17:26 We removed the soles of the boots, filled them with magazines,
00:17:31 and then nailed the soles back on.
00:17:35 It was possible to fit seven magazines in one pair of boots.
00:17:39 During persecution,
00:17:41 your relationship with Jehovah becomes closer, more real.
00:17:46 Jehovah is kind.
00:17:49 He is giving me “the power beyond what is normal.”
00:17:53 In my life, the greater the trials,
00:17:56 the more opportunities Jehovah gave me to talk about his purpose and his Kingdom.
00:18:01 The way Jehovah helps me focus on what I have
00:18:04 and not on the hardships that I have endured
00:18:07 brings me so much joy and comfort.
00:18:12 I have no reason not to be happy.
00:18:17 Thank you, Brother and Sister Rúsu, for sharing your experience with us.
00:18:23 Did you notice what helped them prepare for and face persecution?
00:18:29 In addition to good parental training,
00:18:31 they regularly took in spiritual food
00:18:34 and learned Bible verses by heart
00:18:38 and they kept clearly in mind the issue of Jehovah’s sovereignty,
00:18:43 remaining determined never to compromise.
00:18:47 We can do the same today.
00:18:50 Both of these couples remind us of the words
00:18:53 recorded at Hebrews 13:6:
00:18:56 “Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid.
00:19:00 What can man do to me?”
00:19:02 Jehovah truly was the Helper
00:19:04 of our brothers and sisters in the former Soviet Union.
00:19:09 Despite all the waves of persecution that our brothers faced,
00:19:13 they remained faithful and their numbers grew.
00:19:18 For example, in 1949, there were about 10,000 Witnesses
00:19:23 in the countries that formed the Soviet Union,
00:19:26 and most of those were in Western Ukraine.
00:19:30 Now the number of publishers in those countries
00:19:33 is over 380,000!
00:19:38 Truly, Jehovah helped them.
00:19:41 In the late 1970’s and 1980’s,
00:19:44 I worked very closely with the brothers behind the Iron Curtain.
00:19:48 I saw not only their faith
00:19:50 but also the many ways that Jehovah helped them.
00:19:54 Jehovah always made sure they had the spiritual food they needed.
00:20:00 The brothers really appreciated the importance of attending meetings,
00:20:04 even though these were held in small groups.
00:20:08 And they loved to sing theocratic songs,
00:20:11 learning many of these by heart.
00:20:14 They had to risk their freedom and even their safety
00:20:18 in order to attend in-person meetings,
00:20:21 but they always made the effort.
00:20:24 Even though the Devil tried to break their integrity,
00:20:28 I saw again and again how Jehovah prospered our brothers
00:20:32 and helped them to remain faithful.
00:20:36 The Russian government can liquidate a legal entity,
00:20:39 but they can never liquidate Jehovah’s organization.
00:20:44 What will happen to the king of the north?
00:20:48 Daniel 11:45 tells us:
00:20:51 “He will come all the way to his end,
00:20:54 and there will be no helper for him.”
00:20:57 “There will be no helper” for the king of the north.
00:21:01 But who will be our “helper”?
00:21:04 What did Hebrews 13:6 say?
00:21:08 “Jehovah is my helper.”
00:21:12 Brothers and sisters, be determined, come what may,
00:21:16 to put your full confidence in Jehovah and be faithful.
00:21:20 Jehovah will be your Helper!
00:21:23 We dearly love each one of you.
00:21:26 From the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
00:21:30 this is JW Broadcasting®.
