00:00:01 Well, at this time, we have a regular
00:00:03 and much loved feature of the program that we’ll enjoy
00:00:07 —The Inside Story.
00:00:09 Please pay close attention to this as it’s presented by Brother James Cauthon,
00:00:14 one of our Gilead School instructors.
00:00:18 Life is often compared to music.
00:00:20 It has high notes as well as some low notes.
00:00:23 Isn’t that true?
00:00:24 But together they compose a melody that is unique to ourselves.
00:00:29 Where does that melody go?
00:00:31 For faithful worshippers, it goes directly to Jehovah’s heart.
00:00:36 You see, he greatly values,
00:00:38 not just the accomplishments in our lives,
00:00:41 but the journey itself.
00:00:43 So today we’re going to hear from three students
00:00:46 in our 151st Gilead class.
00:00:48 As you listen to their journey, can you hear their song?
00:00:53 Let’s get started.
00:00:54 I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting our first guests, Joel and Adrienne Grim,
00:00:59 on this edition of The Inside Story.
00:01:36 Adrienne, your theocratic goals started at a very early age.
00:01:40 Can you tell us about that?
00:01:42 Yes, my parents helped me to know that I wanted to serve Jehovah early,
00:01:46 and then when I was around 11
00:01:48 there were five young, single pioneer sisters
00:01:51 that all moved into my congregation as need-greaters.
00:01:54 So, of course, they were my heroes.
00:01:56 And one of them knew some American Sign Language,
00:01:58 and she started conducting Bible studies and interpreting the meetings
00:02:02 for the deaf in the area.
00:02:03 And she started teaching me a little bit too.
00:02:05 I was trying to help out.
00:02:06 Is that you there at 11 years of age?
00:02:09 That’s me and my little brother. I think about that time—yeah.
00:02:13 So a few years later, when I was a teenager,
00:02:16 the sister had to leave the area, and so there were Bible studies there.
00:02:21 So I was trying to help out as much as I could,
00:02:23 but it was challenging then because there were no sign-language publications yet.
00:02:27 Yeah, so how did you do that without any publications?
00:02:32 I tried different things.
00:02:33 One thing is that every Saturday night, you would find me sitting
00:02:37 with The Watchtower on one knee
00:02:38 and a sign-language dictionary on the other knee,
00:02:41 and I would just look up every word.
00:02:43 You mean you looked up every word?
00:02:45 Yeah, it was the best I could do at the time,
00:02:49 but I got a lot of help too, because the deaf were so kind
00:02:52 and so generous in helping me and so patient.
00:02:57 I remember this one time having a sign-language conversation
00:03:00 with a young girl about my age in the back of the Kingdom Hall,
00:03:03 and she signed something, and I couldn’t understand.
00:03:06 So I asked her to repeat it.
00:03:08 She repeated it, but I still wasn’t getting it,
00:03:10 and we just went back and forth with her trying
00:03:12 every way she could think of to try to get me to understand
00:03:15 until I just had tears going down my face.
00:03:18 But we kept at it, and finally I got it,
00:03:21 and I remember we just hugged because I finally understood.
00:03:24 But it was that kind of patience and kindness
00:03:27 that I saw over and over again that just really touched my heart.
00:03:30 Yeah, well, that experience touches our heart too.
00:03:34 Later you met Joel.
00:03:36 And Joel, you were serving at Wallkill Bethel at the time,
00:03:40 and things worked out —Adrienne, you became a Bethel bride.
00:03:44 And then later you both decided to join the sign-language congregation.
00:03:49 Now, Adrienne already knew (ASL) sign language, right?
00:03:53 But, Joel, you had to learn it.
00:03:55 So how was that for you?
00:03:57 Well, after learning sign language,
00:04:00 for one thing, I will never look at 1 Corinthians 9:22 the same way again.
00:04:04 So, what does 1 Corinthians 9:22 have to do with learning a language?
00:04:09 Well, that’s where Paul says that he became
00:04:12 “all things to people of all sorts.”
00:04:15 And that’s very true when you’re learning a language.
00:04:18 Language is more than just collecting vocabulary
00:04:21 so that you can communicate with someone.
00:04:24 You have to get to know the way that person thinks.
00:04:28 Well, there’s no doubt that language can affect the way we think,
00:04:32 but can you give us an example?
00:04:34 Sure.
00:04:35 Imagine there are two people having a conversation,
00:04:37 and you want to get to the other side.
00:04:40 Now, the way I grew up, my culture, is that I need to approach them
00:04:43 and excuse myself, be acknowledged, and then I can move on.
00:04:47 But in sign language it’s different.
00:04:49 If two people are having a signed conversation,
00:04:52 they value their eye contact and the flow of their communication
00:04:56 much more than they value my idea of what’s polite.
00:04:59 So in sign language, you just move on
00:05:02 straight through the conversation with minimal distraction
00:05:04 and no weaving and dancing and bobbing.
00:05:07 No, you just go straight on through.
00:05:09 No weaving, no dancing,
00:05:12 no bobbing, just straight through
00:05:14 —we should have applied that to your assignments in class.
00:05:18 There’s probably some truth to that.
00:05:20 So it was difficult to adapt.
00:05:22 But, of course, you know, after some time, I got the hang of it.
00:05:25 And there were other adjustments, of course, that you have to make for culture.
00:05:29 And I learned a valuable lesson,
00:05:31 and that is that language and culture are intrinsically linked.
00:05:35 You can’t really have one without the other.
00:05:38 And if you’re learning a new language,
00:05:40 you have to just adapt.
00:05:42 You have to be willing to change,
00:05:45 and the best thing to do is that if there are no Scriptural principles involved,
00:05:50 just adopt the culture and the value of the native language users.
00:05:53 And that’s what Paul meant when he said:
00:05:56 “Become all things to people of all sorts.”
00:06:00 Well, no doubt Paul was an excellent example in that regard,
00:06:03 and it sounds like you were too.
00:06:05 So where did your journey in sign language take you next?
00:06:09 Well, there we were at Bethel, but we really were hoping
00:06:12 that we would get a chance to go to Gilead.
00:06:14 But we were advised that it would be a good idea to pioneer together first.
00:06:18 So we left Bethel, and we moved to Tennessee
00:06:20 and joined a sign-language group down there,
00:06:23 and we really did love that group.
00:06:25 We sure did.
00:06:26 We met some wonderful brothers and sisters,
00:06:29 and we had some great experiences there in Tennessee.
00:06:32 After a few years, the circuit overseer asked us if we would be willing
00:06:35 to move to Texas to support a sign-language congregation there,
00:06:38 and so we did
00:06:39 —and, again, just wonderful times and great brothers and sisters.
00:06:43 But we were only there about a year,
00:06:45 and then we got invited back to Wallkill Bethel.
00:06:48 So we went back to Wallkill and after a few more years there,
00:06:51 the brothers called us one day
00:06:53 and asked us if we would be willing to transfer to the RTO,
00:06:57 the remote translation office,
00:06:59 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
00:07:00 where they translate
00:07:01 into American Sign Language.
00:07:03 And we were there for five years.
00:07:05 This is a picture
00:07:06 of the residence buildings there.
00:07:07 It looks very beautiful.
00:07:09 So how did you like that assignment?
00:07:11 I loved it!
00:07:12 Remember I told you that when I first started in sign language,
00:07:15 there were no sign-language publications.
00:07:17 So then as they started coming out,
00:07:20 we had the opportunity to see the impact
00:07:22 that those publications had on so many people’s lives.
00:07:25 So we already treasured those.
00:07:27 And then to get a chance to kind of get a glimpse behind the scenes
00:07:31 and see how much love and hard work
00:07:34 goes into all of those translations really was powerful.
00:07:37 I loved it!
00:07:38 And so, what publication are we looking at here?
00:07:41 So this is when we were working on the very first meeting workbook,
00:07:45 and this is when we were working on the sign-language version of that one.
00:07:48 Really, working in the Translation Department
00:07:51 was such a beautiful way to see Jehovah’s love for all people.
00:07:56 I’m sure that was excellent, and you learned good lessons there.
00:08:00 Joel, how were you affected by supporting the sign-language field?
00:08:05 Well, in many ways, but one way is definitely
00:08:08 that I learned to be more empathetic.
00:08:10 Do you mind if I share an experience that I had?
00:08:12 Well, we’d be pleased to hear it.
00:08:13 OK,
00:08:15 well, when we were in Tennessee, we had the privilege
00:08:16 of studying with a deaf man named Fred.
00:08:19 Now, Fred had been to many churches, but he was unsatisfied.
00:08:23 The local publishers found him in the ministry,
00:08:25 and he agreed to a Bible study.
00:08:27 And Fred loved to learn.
00:08:30 He especially loved watching the ASL Bible,
00:08:32 the portions of it that we had available at that time.
00:08:35 And he also loved to read the Insight volumes.
00:08:39 He just had an insatiable desire for knowledge.
00:08:42 He would show up to the meetings, and he would ask us questions about them.
00:08:46 So he might come and say, “OK, I have two questions:
00:08:49 about Elijah and Elizabeth.”
00:08:52 And we’d think, ‘Oh, he’s in the e’s now.’
00:08:58 One day, Fred’s wife told us a little story.
00:09:01 She said that she had found him
00:09:03 in the bedroom at home sitting on the edge of the bed
00:09:07 with his eyes closed just signing.
00:09:10 And she thought something was wrong with him,
00:09:12 so she interrupted him and said, “What are you doing?”
00:09:15 And he told her that he was praying.
00:09:17 When I heard that, it touched my heart.
00:09:20 It was so beautiful to know
00:09:23 that Fred was developing strong faith
00:09:26 and that he knew that Jehovah knows sign language
00:09:29 and that he was watching his prayers.
00:09:31 It was really something.
00:09:33 This is a picture of Fred on the day that he got baptized.
00:09:36 So that’s great. Thanks for sharing that.
00:09:39 But now I ask you, Was it smooth sailing for Fred after that?
00:09:43 No.
00:09:43 No, he had many challenges, and one of those was
00:09:46 that he was losing his eyesight gradually.
00:09:50 And that was tough for him.
00:09:51 Here was a man who loved to learn.
00:09:54 He relied on the sign-language videos for spiritual food,
00:09:58 and he was going blind.
00:10:00 But he didn’t give up.
00:10:02 In his 60’s, he started to learn braille,
00:10:05 and he also had to learn tactile signing.
00:10:08 Now, “tactile”—could you explain that?
00:10:10 Sure.
00:10:11 Now, on its most basic level, “tactile” is “signing into another person’s hands
00:10:16 so that they can feel the signs and understand what’s being communicated.”
00:10:21 So that congregation there in Tennessee
00:10:24 was just full of self-sacrificing brothers and sisters who would help him.
00:10:28 They would go over to his house and help him prepare for the meetings
00:10:31 by signing the information into his hands
00:10:34 so that he could know what was going to be discussed.
00:10:38 And then at the Kingdom Hall
00:10:39 during the meetings, we would all pitch in and do tactile signing for him
00:10:44 so that he could keep up and follow along with the meetings.
00:10:47 This is a picture of him there
00:10:49 listening to one of the congregation meetings in sign language.
00:10:52 You know, that shows a lot of determination
00:10:55 not just by Fred but by those in the congregation,
00:10:58 yourselves as well.
00:10:59 Thank you for that.
00:11:00 Now, Fred was determined,
00:11:03 and he would be there following along with the meetings.
00:11:07 And you know, there might be a question.
00:11:09 And so his hand would just shoot up.
00:11:11 He wanted to comment, and I would see that and think,
00:11:13 ‘Wow, you know, Fred is getting it, and he’s still able to participate.’
00:11:17 It was beautiful.
00:11:19 Yeah, it is inspiring. We appreciate you sharing that.
00:11:22 So now in conclusion,
00:11:24 how do you think your experiences with the sign-language field
00:11:28 have helped you to prepare
00:11:30 for any future assignments that may come your way?
00:11:34 I feel like it’s helped me to learn to be adaptable
00:11:37 and to remember that there’s not just one way that things should be done,
00:11:42 and also, when you’re meeting new people,
00:11:44 to really work to try to see the person and not just what you see at first glance.
00:11:49 Joel?
00:11:51 Yeah, I think about Fred a lot.
00:11:53 He would express frustration
00:11:56 at his situation and the challenges he was facing, but he wouldn’t dwell on it.
00:12:00 He would very quickly redirect his attention to Jehovah
00:12:03 and how Jehovah was supporting him to get through those challenges.
00:12:07 Getting to know him helped me to be more empathetic.
00:12:10 But I also saw his humility
00:12:13 and the fact that he would not give up in the face of adversity.
00:12:16 So those are some qualities that I want to continue to develop
00:12:20 wherever our journey takes us.
00:12:21 Those are great expressions. Thank you both.
00:12:24 Thank you for sharing your story.
00:12:26 And by the way, how do you sign
00:12:29 “thank you”?
00:12:32 Thank you.
00:12:36 Our next guest is Brother Christopher Kitts.
00:12:40 Before he came to Gilead, he had a very interesting assignment.
00:12:44 Please welcome Chris.
00:12:56 Chris,
00:12:58 before we talk about your most recent assignment,
00:13:00 I’d like to talk about your early years as a zealous evangelizer.
00:13:04 OK.
00:13:05 So in this picture, how old were you?
00:13:09 I was about four years old right there.
00:13:11 Four years old
00:13:12 —and I see even back in the day
00:13:14 that you were very fashion-conscious.
00:13:16 Thank you.
00:13:16 Personally, I think
00:13:17 it’s the socks with the sandals
00:13:19 that brought that whole outfit together.
00:13:21 Yeah!
00:13:22 Well, we love the picture,
00:13:24 and we understand you have a love for the ministry too.
00:13:28 So tell us a little bit about those early years.
00:13:32 Yeah, I always had joy in the ministry.
00:13:36 I loved it!
00:13:38 It was my happy place.
00:13:39 My mother would pick me up from school as a kid,
00:13:42 and she would take me out with her and the other pioneers.
00:13:46 And when I got baptized, I started auxiliary pioneering.
00:13:49 Then as soon as I graduated from high school, I started regular pioneering.
00:13:53 Wow, that’s excellent, Chris!
00:13:55 Now, I understand that you also have a theocratic goal from a very young age.
00:14:00 Yeah, I got baptized at 10,
00:14:03 and my circuit overseer at the time was Richard Ashe.
00:14:07 And he got down on his knee, and he said to me,
00:14:10 “Christopher, when you grow up,
00:14:12 you’re going to be a circuit overseer just like me.”
00:14:16 And his words had a big impact on my little heart.
00:14:19 I cherished them.
00:14:21 And I actually set circuit work as a goal.
00:14:26 Well, did you meet that goal?
00:14:28 I did, but we had a lot of work to do before we got there.
00:14:31 In 2005, I went to the Ministerial Training School,
00:14:36 and then after that, I got assigned
00:14:38 from where I grew up in Long Island, New York,
00:14:41 to the potato farms of Wisconsin
00:14:44 in a little town called Antigo.
00:14:47 I spent three years there,
00:14:49 and then I went to Amish country.
00:14:52 I spent six years in an even smaller town called Neillsville.
00:14:56 And then I spent three years in Wausau, a little city.
00:15:01 And that experience was amazing
00:15:04 because that’s where Jehovah gave me my training.
00:15:06 I learned a lot about myself.
00:15:08 Jehovah rubbed off a lot
00:15:11 of the rough edges.
00:15:13 I learned about faith, because in those assignments,
00:15:16 I saw Jehovah always provide me with work and places to live
00:15:21 in areas where sometimes there weren’t.
00:15:24 And I saw some of my Bible students progress to baptism,
00:15:29 and I made friendships that will last forever.
00:15:33 And then in 2018, I was invited into the circuit work
00:15:38 down in Richmond, Virginia.
00:15:40 And that was amazing!
00:15:42 I was in the circuit work there for about a year.
00:15:46 And it was about 30 years later
00:15:49 that I ran into Brother Ashe when I was visiting Bethel,
00:15:53 and I got to tell him he was right.
00:15:57 I got to share with him what an impact he had on me
00:16:01 as a child.
00:16:02 And it really made me think of the impact
00:16:04 that spiritually mature ones can have on young ones,
00:16:08 helping them to set goals
00:16:10 that can help them have the best life now.
00:16:13 That’s an excellent experience!
00:16:16 Thank you for sharing, Chris.
00:16:17 So it must have been a great moment for the two of you.
00:16:20 But, now, what surprising assignment followed that?
00:16:25 Yeah, I was appointed as a missionary,
00:16:28 and I was sent to the East Africa branch,
00:16:30 and I was assigned to circuit work in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
00:16:35 So from Virginia to Tanzania —that’s quite a jump!
00:16:39 Yeah.
00:16:40 So how did you feel about that?
00:16:41 I was excited!
00:16:43 It was a new adventure.
00:16:45 I didn’t know the language, so I’d have to learn Swahili.
00:16:50 I’d have to learn Tanzanian Sign Language,
00:16:52 so I would have an interpreter that would travel with me
00:16:55 from congregation to congregation.
00:16:57 So it was a new adventure for me with Jehovah and with a new culture.
00:17:00 I couldn’t wait!
00:17:02 There must have been challenges, though, and I think
00:17:05 you related one or more to me
00:17:08 that happened soon after you got there.
00:17:11 So can you tell us about that and the effect it had on you?
00:17:14 Yeah.
00:17:16 Yeah, as soon as I arrived in my assignment in Dar es Salaam,
00:17:22 the COVID-19 pandemic started.
00:17:25 And so now I wasn’t going to be able to visit the congregations in person.
00:17:30 I would not meet the brothers and sisters face to face.
00:17:33 I would have to serve them over Zoom and over the phone.
00:17:38 And about six months into my assignment,
00:17:41 I woke up one morning
00:17:44 and I had some pressure on my chest.
00:17:46 And I was feeling anxiety
00:17:49 because I was alone —I was isolated.
00:17:53 My interpreter lived six hours away.
00:17:56 He connected over Zoom and over the phone.
00:17:59 And because I showed up to this little village
00:18:03 at the same time the pandemic started
00:18:06 and as a foreigner not knowing the language,
00:18:10 it created some real difficulties between me and some of the villagers.
00:18:15 So I was feeling anxiety.
00:18:18 I was feeling alone.
00:18:20 There were times I was scared,
00:18:22 and for one of the first times in my life, I was feeling depressed.
00:18:27 So I went to Jehovah in prayer,
00:18:30 and I asked him:
00:18:32 “Did I do something wrong?
00:18:35 Should I go home?”
00:18:38 Chris, that must have been such a difficult time.
00:18:40 How did Jehovah help you?
00:18:42 Jehovah is amazing!
00:18:44 He helped me right away to see what the solution was.
00:18:48 I was giving so much in the assignment.
00:18:51 I needed more time alone with Jehovah.
00:18:55 So I started waking up at 5:30 in the morning,
00:18:59 and that’s early for me.
00:19:00 I like my sleep.
00:19:02 But it was what I needed.
00:19:04 I’d make my coffee, and I would go outside,
00:19:07 and I’d watch the African sun wake up.
00:19:10 And as I would watch the sunrise,
00:19:13 I felt peace
00:19:15 because I felt like Jehovah was right there with me.
00:19:18 And it grounded me;
00:19:20 it put me in the right frame of mind to start my Bible reading.
00:19:23 And so before I started, I would say a prayer to Jehovah,
00:19:27 and I asked him: “Jehovah, talk to me.
00:19:32 Let me hear your voice.”
00:19:34 And then I started my reading,
00:19:36 and I would read until I found something that applied to me.
00:19:41 And then I’d stop,
00:19:43 meditate, think about it,
00:19:46 and talk to Jehovah about it.
00:19:48 And that really brought me peace.
00:19:50 That helped calm me down.
00:19:51 I would be reading,
00:19:53 and there were times when it was as if the words would pop off the page.
00:19:58 For example, there was one morning
00:20:00 when I was in the book of Lamentations chapter 3,
00:20:05 and I was reading verse 22.
00:20:08 And it said there: “It is because of Jehovah’s loyal love
00:20:13 that we have not come to our finish.”
00:20:16 And when I read that, I thought,
00:20:19 ‘Jehovah is protecting me in my assignment.’
00:20:24 And then it said next: “For his mercies never end.
00:20:27 They are new each morning.”
00:20:30 And that was true.
00:20:31 I was seeing Jehovah’s mercy every morning.
00:20:34 His undeserved kindness was painting me a new sunrise.
00:20:40 But verse 24 is what changed my life.
00:20:44 It says: “Jehovah is my share.”
00:20:47 Jehovah was with me.
00:20:51 And it says next: “That is why
00:20:53 I will show a waiting attitude for him.”
00:20:57 And it was like Jehovah was saying:
00:20:59 ‘Chris, just wait.
00:21:03 Don’t give up.’
00:21:07 That brought me so much peace after I read that scripture.
00:21:11 My anxiety went away.
00:21:14 The fears that I had were gone.
00:21:17 And as long as I maintained that routine, I didn’t feel depressed.
00:21:21 I just continued in my assignment.
00:21:24 I found that I had more energy to give to the brothers and sisters.
00:21:28 I was able to spend more time shepherding.
00:21:31 And on Saturdays, I would spend time with the young ones on Zoom
00:21:35 and listen to their stories
00:21:37 and find out what they were doing
00:21:39 to help them get through the pandemic.
00:21:41 And their answers built my faith.
00:21:44 Chris, I believe you were going to share one of those
00:21:47 (a picture of one of those) beautiful African sunrises with us.
00:21:51 Is that not true?
00:21:53 Yeah, that picture doesn’t even do it justice.
00:21:55 Yeah, I can see why that would help you.
00:22:00 And, you know, we don’t typically think of the book of Lamentations
00:22:03 as a book of comfort,
00:22:05 but that’s a great scripture to remember.
00:22:07 So thanks for sharing that with us.
00:22:10 Now, Chris, as you look back on your journey,
00:22:13 you definitely had some high notes and some low notes.
00:22:17 So, what lessons have you learned?
00:22:20 I learned that love transcends language.
00:22:24 Love has the ability to bypass the mind
00:22:29 when words are formed into sentences,
00:22:32 and it can pierce right into the heart,
00:22:34 where emotions and feelings come from.
00:22:38 I needed an interpreter to translate my words,
00:22:43 but love needs no interpretation.
00:22:47 Those brothers and sisters could see how much I loved them
00:22:50 as I struggled to learn their language.
00:22:52 And I saw how much they loved me
00:22:54 as they patiently worked with me and helped me.
00:22:58 And I could see Jehovah’s love for them.
00:23:01 It was coming off the pages of the Bible as we read them scriptures.
00:23:06 And I could see their love for Jehovah as they
00:23:10 implicitly followed the direction from the Governing Body.
00:23:14 They viewed it as coming from Jehovah,
00:23:16 and they followed it even if it came to them at a cost.
00:23:22 And I also learned
00:23:24 that you can see Jehovah in creation
00:23:27 and that you can hear his voice in your Bible reading
00:23:32 and that you can feel his love
00:23:34 coming from the brothers and sisters even over Zoom.
00:23:39 And this assignment taught me
00:23:43 that even if you feel lonely
00:23:46 or if you’re isolated
00:23:49 because of a pandemic
00:23:51 or you’re in prison bonds,
00:23:53 you’re never alone.
00:23:56 Chris, thank you for sharing your illuminating story with us.
00:24:01 Thank you very much.
00:24:03 So could you hear it, friends?
00:24:06 As you saw, each of our students
00:24:08 had a unique journey in their service to Jehovah.
00:24:11 Things didn’t always go as planned.
00:24:13 There were some setbacks, and there were some tears.
00:24:16 But in each case, they fully relied on their Father, Jehovah,
00:24:20 and with his help, they got past those low notes,
00:24:24 and we can too,
00:24:26 because Jehovah greatly values not just our accomplishments
00:24:29 but also the journey itself.
00:24:32 Your faithful service is like a pleasing melody in Jehovah’s heart.
00:24:37 He cherishes all that you do for his name.
00:24:40 And remembering that should give us comfort, hope, and joy even now.
00:24:45 The words of Isaiah chapter 30 echo this thought.
00:24:50 Let me read this for us.
00:24:52 This would be Isaiah 30:29.
00:24:57 It says: “But your song will be
00:24:59 “like the one sung in the night when you prepare for a festival,
00:25:03 “and your heart will rejoice like one who walks with a flute
00:25:07 on his way to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.”
00:25:12 So, brothers and sisters, don’t give up,
00:25:15 and don’t stop making beautiful music.
00:25:18 Till the next time on The Inside Story.
00:25:48 Well, those comments were priceless.
00:25:51 Thank you very much, Brother Cauthon,
00:25:54 and you students, soon-to-be graduates,
00:25:56 who were involved with that program.
00:25:58 That was delightful.
