00:00:01 Welcome to our update!
00:00:04 The spiritual highlight of our year,
00:00:07 the Memorial of Christ’s death,
00:00:09 was observed by God’s people on April 4, 2023.
00:00:14 In the weeks prior, Jehovah’s Witnesses unitedly extended
00:00:17 the invitation to this event the world over.
00:00:21 This was the first time since the pandemic began
00:00:24 that we could again offer invitations for the Memorial
00:00:28 by means of the house-to-house and public ministry.
00:00:32 No doubt many have been able to expand their ministry during this Memorial season,
00:00:37 including those who could serve as auxiliary pioneers
00:00:40 with the new 15-hour requirement.
00:00:43 It’s thrilling to think about the millions
00:00:46 of brothers and sisters and interested ones who gathered for the Memorial
00:00:50 to show their appreciation for the gift of the ransom.
00:00:56 When we face unexpected events or loss,
00:01:00 we are especially reminded of how vital the ransom is.
00:01:05 As a brotherhood, we were shocked to hear about the shooting
00:01:09 that occurred at a Kingdom Hall in Hamburg, Germany,
00:01:11 in March 2023.
00:01:15 Please note the following video update.
00:01:19 On the evening of Thursday, March 9, 2023,
00:01:22 a terrible tragedy happened in Hamburg, Germany,
00:01:26 after the midweek meeting concluded.
00:01:29 Sadly, four brothers and two sisters
00:01:33 as well as an injured sister’s unborn child were killed.
00:01:37 In addition, two brothers and seven sisters were seriously injured.
00:01:43 We are happy to report that none of them are in intensive care.
00:01:49 Following the shooting,
00:01:50 direction was given that all meetings in Hamburg
00:01:54 should be held by videoconference only.
00:01:57 The Hamburg-Winterhude Congregation
00:02:00 deeply desired to come together again
00:02:02 for in-person meetings as soon as possible.
00:02:05 Shortly thereafter, approval was given for all meetings
00:02:09 to resume in person starting with the very next midweek meeting.
00:02:14 Some of the injured were even able to join the meeting
00:02:17 from the hospital, using Zoom.
00:02:20 The Central Europe Branch Committee
00:02:22 made immediate arrangements to give comfort and support.
00:02:27 To bolster the relief committee which had been appointed,
00:02:30 Branch Committee members and their wives traveled to Hamburg
00:02:34 and accompanied the responsible circuit overseer.
00:02:37 Special meetings were organized to coordinate visits
00:02:41 to the affected brothers and sisters,
00:02:43 which often meant staying at their side literally day and night.
00:02:47 Every day, a tremendous number of letters and cards
00:02:51 from all over the world continue to be delivered to the hall.
00:02:55 The brothers and sisters are completely overwhelmed and deeply touched
00:03:00 by these expressions of affection and fellow feeling.
00:03:06 All congregations within the state of Hamburg
00:03:08 were invited to a memorial service
00:03:10 held on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
00:03:15 More than 3,000 brothers and sisters attended in person,
00:03:19 and over 90,000 connections were made to view this program via stream,
00:03:24 many of whom viewed the program with friends and family.
00:03:28 All in attendance were touched by the heartwarming words
00:03:32 from Branch Committee members
00:03:34 as well as the visiting Governing Body member and helper.
00:03:38 This memorial service provided strong evidence of Christian love
00:03:44 —a convincing testimony that Jehovah’s people
00:03:47 do not face such situations alone.
00:03:54 Our brothers in Hamburg have experienced Jehovah’s loyal love
00:03:58 throughout this very distressing situation.
00:04:01 After attending the funeral, one sister wrote:
00:04:05 “The commemoration for the victims in Hamburg
00:04:08 “was most dignified and deeply moving.
00:04:11 “The profound Biblical thoughts,
00:04:13 “the unadulterated truth,
00:04:15 “the message of comfort, love, trust, and hope
00:04:20 “delivered with such dignity, tenderness, and empathy
00:04:24 “cannot but have moved every sincere heart
00:04:28 and has given a resounding witness for our wonderful God, Jehovah.”
00:04:33 We have also received many expressions of sympathy from officials,
00:04:37 organizations, and individuals from around the world.
00:04:41 For example, the Federal President of Germany said:
00:04:45 “To all of you dear bereaved,
00:04:47 “dear friends and companions of the victims,
00:04:51 “my sincere and deepest sympathy.
00:04:54 “You have the sympathy of the people of Germany.
00:04:57 “They feel and mourn with you.
00:05:00 They share in your suffering.”
00:05:03 No doubt we all continue
00:05:05 to keep our brothers and sisters in Hamburg in our prayers.
00:05:11 Another recent event that’s had a significant impact
00:05:14 on our brothers and sisters was Cyclone Freddy,
00:05:17 which struck East Africa.
00:05:20 In February and March 2023,
00:05:23 Cyclone Freddy made multiple landfalls
00:05:26 and brought strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding.
00:05:31 Sadly, in Malawi,
00:05:33 eight publishers were killed and three are currently missing.
00:05:37 And in Mozambique, one publisher was killed and one is missing.
00:05:43 There’s extensive damage in Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique.
00:05:48 Altogether, over 7,000 publishers and their households were displaced.
00:05:54 More than 1,400 of our brothers’ homes were damaged or destroyed,
00:05:59 and 24 Kingdom Halls were damaged or destroyed.
00:06:03 The Branch Committees, circuit overseers, and local elders
00:06:07 responded quickly to provide comfort and support
00:06:11 along with help for their immediate material needs.
00:06:14 Relief efforts are under way to provide humanitarian aid
00:06:19 and to repair or rebuild their Kingdom Halls and homes.
00:06:23 This may well be the largest relief effort that our brothers in Malawi have faced.
00:06:29 Please keep these dear brothers and sisters in your prayers
00:06:33 along with those who are working hard to provide relief.
00:06:39 When we face trials or tragedies,
00:06:42 we are not the only ones who are affected.
00:06:45 At Isaiah 63:9, it says of Jehovah:
00:06:48 “During all their distress it was distressing to him.”
00:06:54 This assures us that Jehovah is affected too.
00:06:58 He’s moved to help his faithful servants.
00:07:01 And especially during times of distress, he can become our refuge.
00:07:06 He stands ready to help us.
00:07:09 But how can we benefit from his help and protection?
00:07:13 Well, the answer can be found
00:07:14 in what we read at Psalm 91:9.
00:07:18 It says: “Because you said:
00:07:21 “‘Jehovah is my refuge,’
00:07:24 you have made the Most High your dwelling.”
00:07:28 It doesn’t just say that “Jehovah is [our] refuge,”
00:07:31 but that we have made him our refuge.
00:07:35 We can make Jehovah our refuge
00:07:37 by drawing close to him during our trials.
00:07:40 How?
00:07:42 We lean on him in prayer,
00:07:45 we keep up our good spiritual routine,
00:07:48 we stay busy in the ministry,
00:07:51 and we look for ways to encourage others.
00:07:55 When we do this as individuals,
00:07:58 we make Jehovah our refuge.
00:08:01 Then, even when we do suffer tragedies of one sort or another,
00:08:05 our faith and our spiritual security will not be destroyed.
00:08:10 And when we do this as a brotherhood
00:08:12 —when we all turn to Jehovah in times of distress—
00:08:16 it unites us further.
00:08:19 And it gives a wonderful witness.
00:08:24 An example of this is what our brothers experienced
00:08:27 on Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
00:08:30 In 2019, they suffered a Category 5 hurricane.
00:08:35 Hurricane Dorian destroyed the only Kingdom Hall on the island
00:08:38 and damaged or destroyed
16 of our brothers’ homes.
00:08:43 What did our brothers do?
00:08:45 They made Jehovah their refuge.
00:08:48 They relied on him in fervent prayer.
00:08:51 They supported one another through that trial.
00:08:55 And as soon as it was safe to do so, the Kingdom Hall was rebuilt.
00:09:00 Recently, the Kingdom Hall was completed
00:09:03 and then dedicated in January 2023.
00:09:07 Let’s watch the following video.
00:09:12 The sun is shining—not a cloud in the sky.
00:09:15 We’re in Abaco to dedicate
00:09:17 this beautiful Kingdom Hall right here.
00:09:22 I can’t wait to be a part of this
00:09:24 and see this and be able to sing
00:09:25 with my brothers and sisters
00:09:26 from the Abaco Congregation
00:09:28 and the Haitian Congregation
00:09:29 and be able to hear our voices blend.
00:09:34 But what a blessing from Jehovah
00:09:36 that finally we can be here
00:09:38 for this wonderful program!
00:09:47 Here we are, three years later.
00:09:50 We just didn’t think that this day
00:09:52 would actually come.
00:09:58 I received a text message—I was at home—
00:10:03 “Pray for Abaco.”
00:10:09 The devastation to the Kingdom Hall was so complete
00:10:12 that I think it is forever etched in my mind.
00:10:16 You could see the Kingdom Hall chairs
00:10:19 and our publications thrown all around.
00:10:22 It rips your heart apart
00:10:24 to see the Kingdom Hall like that.
00:10:37 We got to the airport,
00:10:40 and it looked like
00:10:43 there was no way out of this situation.
00:10:46 So the brother prayed,
00:10:49 and after he prayed,
00:10:52 it was like a window opened
00:10:54 for us to get out of there.
00:10:57 We got to Nassau.
00:10:58 There was food; there was clothing.
00:11:01 There was a—
00:11:02 It seemed like we were having a convention where we landed.
00:11:04 There were so many brothers there with placards,
00:11:07 singing at the top of their voice.
00:11:22 The operation was huge.
00:11:24 We almost had about 70 or 80 individuals that came in and out.
00:11:27 It was a mini army as it were.
00:11:30 We were a few weeks away from what was going to be the fastest
00:11:33 project I’ve ever worked on.
00:11:34 We were just absolutely
00:11:36 finishing houses at almost record speed.
00:11:40 The Kingdom Hall was about to be ready for the Memorial.
00:11:43 So we could start to see the end,
00:11:46 and then we got the call that COVID
00:11:49 was putting an end to the project.
00:11:51 Our overseer got on stage,
00:11:53 and within three or four words, he started crying.
00:11:55 I mean, we knew it was because we had to leave.
00:11:59 Sitting on that plane made me cry, thinking, ‘I am just leaving.’
00:12:08 We kept thinking, ‘When we will be able to go back?’
00:12:17 I got the phone call from my overseer
00:12:19 that they wanted to get Abaco finished up, and I was thrilled.
00:12:24 I was praying for that for 15 months —to go back and finish this project.
00:12:33 When that hurricane blew through,
00:12:35 it may have taken a lot of things with it, but it sure didn’t take your faith.
00:12:38 And it sure didn’t take away your relationship with God.
00:12:43 When we got to Nassau,
00:12:45 the friends sang “Unfailing Love” to us.
00:12:49 And so now they landed,
00:12:52 and we sang it to them.
00:13:03 It was overwhelming to listen and hear
00:13:06 the beautiful voices
00:13:07 of the brothers and sisters
00:13:08 singing about the love that we have
00:13:10 among all of us.
00:13:20 To have seen
00:13:22 what the friends went through and how their hearts can be soothed—
00:13:26 To have a place of worship
00:13:27 is such a wonderful privilege.
00:13:29 It was a joy to be back at the hall,
00:13:32 and it felt like we were victorious once again.
00:13:36 It doesn’t matter if there are
10 publishers or 10,000 publishers,
00:13:40 Jehovah is going to take care of them.
00:13:42 It has been a reunion,
00:13:45 a piece of Paradise.
00:13:52 No matter what happens to us,
00:13:54 whether it be a natural disaster or unrest or war,
00:13:57 we’re always going to be there for our brothers.
00:13:59 We’re going to support one another, we’re going to help each other,
00:14:03 and we’re going to be OK with Jehovah’s help.
00:14:13 It’s so encouraging to see our brothers and sisters
00:14:17 back in their Kingdom Hall!
00:14:19 Their love and appreciation for Jehovah and his organization is evident,
00:14:24 and they’re making good use of their Kingdom Hall.
00:14:27 For this year’s Memorial,
00:14:29 the 47 publishers of the two congregations
00:14:32 had a combined attendance of 217.
00:14:38 Before we conclude,
00:14:39 we have a new feature in JW Library® that we’re excited to share with you.
00:14:44 JW Library will soon support
00:14:47 Playlists in the Personal Study tab.
00:14:50 With this feature,
00:14:52 you’ll be able to add videos,
00:14:54 audio programs,
00:14:55 and pictures to personal playlists.
00:14:57 For example, you can make playlists
00:14:59 of your favorite theocratic songs
00:15:04 or of videos to use in the ministry.
00:15:06 You can also make a playlist
00:15:08 of pictures to use in a talk,
00:15:10 and then share it
00:15:11 with the audio/video support brothers
00:15:13 so that they can use JW Library
00:15:15 to display the pictures.
00:15:18 Look for an update to the app in the coming weeks.
00:15:23 Brothers and sisters, what have we discussed?
00:15:27 Whatever trials or tests you’re dealing with personally,
00:15:32 be assured that Jehovah sees you
00:15:34 and is aware of what you’re going through.
00:15:37 He too is affected and is moved to help.
00:15:41 So continue to lean on Jehovah in prayer,
00:15:45 keep up your good spiritual routine,
00:15:48 stay busy in the ministry,
00:15:51 and reach out to others for support.
00:15:55 Yes, continue to make Jehovah your refuge!
00:16:00 And please know that we love you all very much.
00:16:05 From the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
00:16:07 this is JW Broadcasting®.