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00:01 Brother Thomas Kalimeris, 00:03 who serves at the United States branch, 00:05 together with his wife, 00:07 has spent close to four decades supporting various aspects 00:10 of the organization’s construction projects. 00:14 What has that experience taught him? 00:16 That the work is not run by us. 00:24 Throughout history, men have built many beautiful and impressive buildings. 00:30 These structures have usually brought glory to men, 00:32 not to God. 00:34 But those men are long gone, 00:36 and even many of the structures no longer exist. 00:41 How true is the scripture at Psalm 127:1: 00:45 “Unless Jehovah builds the house, 00:48 it is in vain that its builders work hard on it.” 00:53 In our time too, Jehovah is using his people to build. 00:57 We’re working hard to build spirituality in interested ones, 01:01 and also we build structures 01:03 in order to help individuals to learn 01:06 about Jehovah and serve him. 01:08 In this type of construction 01:11 —both spiritual and physical construction— 01:13 I’ve been involved for most of my life. 01:15 I was born in Greece. 01:18 Our family came into contact with the truth in the early sixties. 01:23 I was baptized when I was in high school. 01:26 I left school to get some practical training in architecture, 01:30 but I made pioneering my career. 01:33 In 1973, I married my dear wife, Margaret, 01:36 and together we enjoyed many assignments. 01:39 We pioneered —special pioneering. 01:41 We went to Gilead. 01:44 We were invited to Bethel 01:47 in 1979 to work in the Engineering Department. 01:50 We worked on designing new branches, 01:54 Assembly Halls, Kingdom Halls, 01:57 renovation of existing branches 02:00 and remote translation offices. 02:05 Before we came to Bethel, we had seen how Jehovah provided for us individually. 02:09 But now we had the opportunity 02:12 to see how Jehovah provided for the needs of his organization globally. 02:18 By the year 2000, it became apparent that the present facility 02:22 of the Britain branch was not meeting their needs. 02:27 So a site was located 50 miles (80 km) north of London 02:29 to relocate the branch there. 02:32 However, 02:34 the Governing Body decided to cancel the project. 02:37 So in 2008, 02:39 the Governing Body wrote that now is the time 02:43 —Jehovah’s time— to find property 02:46 closer to London. 02:48 So a project team was formed, 02:50 and a few years went by, and a number of properties were searched, 02:53 and one was located closer to London. 02:56 If something we plan falls through, 02:59 it could mean that Jehovah has something else 03:02 —or better— in mind to meet the needs of his organization. 03:06 While working in the Haiti branch, we learned a lesson: 03:10 not to compromise on safety. 03:14 The Brooklyn Engineering Department did the drawings for the branch, 03:18 and a local contractor was hired 03:22 to build the structural work. 03:24 Now, the contractor, when he reviewed the drawings, 03:25 told the Branch Committee: “Really, this is overdesigned. 03:29 You’re wasting a lot of money by putting all the steel in the building.” 03:33 So we wrote back and said: “No, the drawings are OK. 03:38 “The branch is designed according to the seismic zone that it’s in. 03:41 And the contractor is to go ahead with the plans as drawn.” 03:46 In 2010, when the earthquake came to Haiti, 03:50 hundreds of thousands of people died 03:54 because of inferior materials and methods of construction. 03:58 However, 04:00 the branch did not suffer any damage, 04:03 and many people went there to find refuge. 04:07 We’re so glad that Jehovah did not allow us 04:10 to be swayed in this case. 04:13 Jehovah continues to direct a great physical building work 04:17 and a spiritual work. 04:19 Jehovah trains his people how to work together 04:22 for the work just ahead of us 04:24 —the beautification of this earth to a paradise. 04:30 It is so important that we ‘trust in Jehovah 04:32 and not to lean upon our own understanding.’ 04:36 A life of building with Jehovah 04:38 has shown me the wisdom of Psalm 127:1. 04:42 If we keep building our lives with Jehovah, 04:45 our building work will never be in vain.
00:01 Brother Thomas Kalimeris, 00:03 who serves at the United States branch, 00:05 together with his wife, 00:07 has spent close to four decades supporting various aspects 00:10 of the organization’s construction projects. 00:14 What has that experience taught him? 00:16 That the work is not run by us. 00:24 Throughout history, men have built many beautiful and impressive buildings. 00:30 These structures have usually brought glory to men, 00:32 not to God. 00:34 But those men are long gone, 00:36 and even many of the structures no longer exist. 00:41 How true is the scripture at Psalm 127:1: 00:45 “Unless Jehovah builds the house, 00:48 it is in vain that its builders work hard on it.” 00:53 In our time too, Jehovah is using his people to build. 00:57 We’re working hard to build spirituality in interested ones, 01:01 and also we build structures 01:03 in order to help individuals to learn 01:06 about Jehovah and serve him. 01:08 In this type of construction 01:11 —both spiritual and physical construction— 01:13 I’ve been involved for most of my life. 01:15 I was born in Greece. 01:18 Our family came into contact with the truth in the early sixties. 01:23 I was baptized when I was in high school. 01:26 I left school to get some practical training in architecture, 01:30 but I made pioneering my career. 01:33 In 1973, I married my dear wife, Margaret, 01:36 and together we enjoyed many assignments. 01:39 We pioneered —special pioneering. 01:41 We went to Gilead. 01:44 We were invited to Bethel 01:47 in 1979 to work in the Engineering Department. 01:50 We worked on designing new branches, 01:54 Assembly Halls, Kingdom Halls, 01:57 renovation of existing branches 02:00 and remote translation offices. 02:05 Before we came to Bethel, we had seen how Jehovah provided for us individually. 02:09 But now we had the opportunity 02:12 to see how Jehovah provided for the needs of his organization globally. 02:18 By the year 2000, it became apparent that the present facility 02:22 of the Britain branch was not meeting their needs. 02:27 So a site was located 50 miles (80 km) north of London 02:29 to relocate the branch there. 02:32 However, 02:34 the Governing Body decided to cancel the project. 02:37 So in 2008, 02:39 the Governing Body wrote that now is the time 02:43 —Jehovah’s time— to find property 02:46 closer to London. 02:48 So a project team was formed, 02:50 and a few years went by, and a number of properties were searched, 02:53 and one was located closer to London. 02:56 If something we plan falls through, 02:59 it could mean that Jehovah has something else 03:02 —or better— in mind to meet the needs of his organization. 03:06 While working in the Haiti branch, we learned a lesson: 03:10 not to compromise on safety. 03:14 The Brooklyn Engineering Department did the drawings for the branch, 03:18 and a local contractor was hired 03:22 to build the structural work. 03:24 Now, the contractor, when he reviewed the drawings, 03:25 told the Branch Committee: “Really, this is overdesigned. 03:29 You’re wasting a lot of money by putting all the steel in the building.” 03:33 So we wrote back and said: “No, the drawings are OK. 03:38 “The branch is designed according to the seismic zone that it’s in. 03:41 And the contractor is to go ahead with the plans as drawn.” 03:46 In 2010, when the earthquake came to Haiti, 03:50 hundreds of thousands of people died 03:54 because of inferior materials and methods of construction. 03:58 However, 04:00 the branch did not suffer any damage, 04:03 and many people went there to find refuge. 04:07 We’re so glad that Jehovah did not allow us 04:10 to be swayed in this case. 04:13 Jehovah continues to direct a great physical building work 04:17 and a spiritual work. 04:19 Jehovah trains his people how to work together 04:22 for the work just ahead of us 04:24 —the beautification of this earth to a paradise. 04:30 It is so important that we ‘trust in Jehovah 04:32 and not to lean upon our own understanding.’ 04:36 A life of building with Jehovah 04:38 has shown me the wisdom of Psalm 127:1. 04:42 If we keep building our lives with Jehovah, 04:45 our building work will never be in vain.
