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00:03 On Sunday, February the 26th, 00:05 I traveled to Port-au-Prince for the branch visit 00:09 and was warmly welcomed by many of the Bethel family of 54 members. 00:14 The branch office supervises the preaching work 00:17 for more than 20,000 publishers. 00:20 Although Haiti has faced economic challenges 00:23 and suffered recent natural disasters, 00:25 our brothers are positive 00:28 and focus their attention on helping others to identify our Scriptural hope. 00:33 The Haitian people show a keen interest in the Word of God. 00:37 Our brothers average more than 42,000 Bible studies each month, 00:42 and Haiti enjoyed a Memorial attendance 00:44 of more than 86,000 in 2016. 00:47 This was four times more than the number of publishers in the branch territory. 00:52 The brothers love to use the videos in the ministry. 00:56 This is made possible by the Haiti audio/video team 00:59 translating the videos into their native language. 01:02 While many in Haiti speak French, 01:05 the common language of the people in general is Haitian Creole. 01:09 Creole is said to be 01:11 an expressive language that combines French words 01:14 with the grammar of West African languages. 01:17 The number of publishers in Haiti has quadrupled since the start 01:21 of Creole translation back in 1987. 01:25 The complete New World Translation Bible 01:27 was released in Creole in 2015. 01:31 We met with the translation team to commend them for the good work they do. 01:35 We reminded them of the many positive results 01:38 in the field ministry that have taken place 01:40 since translating the Bible and our literature into Creole. 01:44 As an example, Mirlène is a vendor of fruits and vegetables who was asked 01:49 if she would supply some of her produce to Bethel. 01:52 Although she was very impressed 01:54 the first time she arrived at the Bethel property, 01:56 she said she found the large steel gate to be intimidating. 02:01 So she prayed to God to protect her 02:03 while in the yard at Bethel. 02:05 The brothers dealt kindly with her when she made 02:08 her deliveries on Monday each week. 02:10 One of the brothers from the kitchen told her that maybe someday 02:13 she too would become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 02:16 She accepted an invitation to the Memorial, 02:18 and despite some personal challenges, such as not being able to read well, 02:22 she began to attend some congregation meetings. 02:25 Mirlène could see the difference 02:28 between Jehovah’s loving people and those in her church. 02:30 A study was started with her, 02:32 and she progressed to the point of baptism in 2009. 02:36 Since then, she has worked diligently 02:39 to teach the truth to her children with good results. 02:42 Her oldest son graduated from the School for Kingdom Evangelizers 02:46 and serves as an elder and temporary special pioneer. 02:50 Recently, another of her sons was appointed a ministerial servant, 02:55 and the four other children are unbaptized publishers. 02:59 Having our literature in Creole 03:01 and with the help of her children, she has improved her reading. 03:05 She now benefits from reading the Bible in Creole, 03:09 the language of her heart. 03:12 Good results are beginning to be seen 03:14 in the field of American Sign Language, which is now used in Haiti. 03:18 There are now 87 deaf publishers 03:21 in 4 ASL congregations and 8 groups. 03:25 The congregation here is singing praises to Jehovah. 03:30 Even our little sister is learning to do this. 03:36 This brother showed us the effort he puts forth 03:39 to prepare for a Bible reading. 03:42 A special program for Haiti was held 03:44 on Saturday morning at the open-air Assembly Hall 03:47 on the branch property. 03:49 A total of 1,405 were in attendance. 03:53 We were very encouraged to see 03:55 the group of our brothers who benefited from the program 03:57 in American Sign Language. 04:00 The program was recorded and presented at Kingdom Halls throughout the country 04:04 later that same day and also on Sunday 04:07 to a combined audience of 34,812. 04:12 We felt a little sad to leave the brothers on Sunday morning 04:15 for a drive of about six hours or so 04:17 to the Dominican Republic 04:19 for the second branch visit. 04:22 En route, we traveled through some semiarid areas 04:26 to the border between the two countries. 04:29 The terrain varied greatly as we drove through small mountains, 04:32 rich agricultural regions, and along the Caribbean Sea. 04:37 We took the opportunity to witness to some individuals at the border 04:41 and at various checkpoints, leaving literature along the way. 04:47 Upon entering the city of Santo Domingo, 04:49 we quickly identified the large JW.ORG sign at the branch office. 04:54 We were enthusiastically greeted 04:56 by many of the 73 Bethel family members. 05:00 Although the preaching work is done primarily in Spanish, 05:04 our brothers are expanding their ministry 05:07 to reach the language of the hearts of many peoples and cultures. 05:10 There are now 5 Haitian Creole circuits in the branch territory, 05:14 26 American Sign Language congregations, 05:17 and other congregations or groups 05:19 in Russian, Chinese, Italian and French. 05:23 We joined a group of brothers and sisters in the field ministry 05:26 in the Chinatown district of Santo Domingo. 05:30 Our group gave a witness to both Spanish- 05:32 and Chinese-speaking people on the streets 05:34 —most of whom respectfully listened to our message. 05:40 A Bethel brother, Evan, told us of the challenge 05:43 he faced when learning the truth. 05:46 I was finishing medical school 05:48 while serving in the Dominican army. 05:51 By then I had been serving for six years. 05:54 At my aunt’s home, I found the Revelation book. 05:59 It made such an impact on me, 06:02 that I stole it and read it all on my own. 06:06 There’s a vision in chapter 6 of Revelation, 06:09 where the sixth seal is opened 06:11 and the skies darken and the army commanders hide in caves. 06:15 That vision impressed me so much 06:18 that I decided to serve Jehovah. 06:21 That meant that I would have to leave the army 06:24 because Witnesses are neutral. 06:28 I quickly decided to talk to my immediate commander 06:30 to ask him to please discharge me from the army. 06:34 However, he rejected my request and said: 06:37 “No, you have served in the army for six years. 06:41 You have to stay in the army.” 06:43 I was not concerned because I could still appeal 06:46 to the colonel in charge of personnel. 06:48 However, my request for resignation was rejected again. 06:51 I left and went into the hallway. 06:53 I prayed to Jehovah: 06:55 “I want to serve you. 06:56 “What should I do? 06:57 Help me find a way out of this!” 06:59 When I opened my eyes, another army officer approached 07:03 and greeted me using my name. 07:05 I still don’t know who he was. 07:07 He asked me, “What do you need?” 07:09 I explained that I wanted to resign in order to become a Jehovah’s Witness. 07:14 He said: “Don’t worry, give me your papers. 07:17 I’m the colonel’s assistant.” 07:19 Within 20 minutes, my discharge papers were ready and approved. 07:23 In a short period of time, I became a publisher 07:25 and I got baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 07:28 At this time, I have been serving happily in Bethel 07:31 for over 11 years with my wife, Jael. 07:37 Without a doubt, Jehovah helps those who put their complete trust in him. 07:41 The branch is blessed to have as part of their Bethel family 07:45 some who had been longtime missionaries. 07:48 I enjoyed a very pleasant visit 07:50 with five of the senior members of this group 07:53 —three of whom are 98 years of age. 07:56 Brother William Dingman is of the first class of Gilead. 08:00 His wife, Estelle, attended the 12th class. 08:03 Thelma Critz is also of the 12th class. 08:06 Barbara Parker is of the 42nd class, 08:09 and Helen Ferrari attended the 2nd class of Gilead. 08:13 To illustrate the length of their full-time service 08:15 is the fact that Sister Ferrari 08:18 is among those who stood up to identify themselves 08:21 as part of the great multitude 08:23 at the 1935 convention in Washington, D.C. 08:27 The average age of this group is 94. 08:31 Even more impressive 08:33 is that their average years of full-time service is 73. 08:37 These faithful ones set a fine example 08:40 continuing to be active in the ministry 08:42 —taking into account their ages and health limitations. 08:46 Such loyal servants of Jehovah are considered 08:48 spiritual treasures wherever they may serve. 08:51 I still have one study so far, 08:53 although my eyesight doesn’t allow 08:56 me to do too much. 08:57 But I try. 08:59 My legs aren’t so good for walking, 09:02 so they wheel me around. 09:06 In all of my life, I would consider 09:09 the life that I have spent as a missionary 09:12 and in Dominican Republic as well 09:16 —it’s a wonderful life. 09:20 I couldn’t have chosen 09:23 a better companion 09:26 and also a better life 09:29 than to be preaching 09:31 the message of the good news of the Kingdom. 09:34 The Dominican Republic Bethel family 09:36 considers it a privilege to have a share in providing 09:39 care for such faithful ones. 09:42 On Sunday, March the 12th, a special program was held 09:46 at the open-air Assembly Hall adjacent to the branch office. 09:50 A total of 3,050 benefited 09:53 from the spiritual program and Christian association. 09:56 The visits to the Dominican Republic and Haiti branches 09:59 proved to be an encouragement and a spiritual blessing 10:02 to all who participated in them.
00:03 On Sunday, February the 26th, 00:05 I traveled to Port-au-Prince for the branch visit 00:09 and was warmly welcomed by many of the Bethel family of 54 members. 00:14 The branch office supervises the preaching work 00:17 for more than 20,000 publishers. 00:20 Although Haiti has faced economic challenges 00:23 and suffered recent natural disasters, 00:25 our brothers are positive 00:28 and focus their attention on helping others to identify our Scriptural hope. 00:33 The Haitian people show a keen interest in the Word of God. 00:37 Our brothers average more than 42,000 Bible studies each month, 00:42 and Haiti enjoyed a Memorial attendance 00:44 of more than 86,000 in 2016. 00:47 This was four times more than the number of publishers in the branch territory. 00:52 The brothers love to use the videos in the ministry. 00:56 This is made possible by the Haiti audio/video team 00:59 translating the videos into their native language. 01:02 While many in Haiti speak French, 01:05 the common language of the people in general is Haitian Creole. 01:09 Creole is said to be 01:11 an expressive language that combines French words 01:14 with the grammar of West African languages. 01:17 The number of publishers in Haiti has quadrupled since the start 01:21 of Creole translation back in 1987. 01:25 The complete New World Translation Bible 01:27 was released in Creole in 2015. 01:31 We met with the translation team to commend them for the good work they do. 01:35 We reminded them of the many positive results 01:38 in the field ministry that have taken place 01:40 since translating the Bible and our literature into Creole. 01:44 As an example, Mirlène is a vendor of fruits and vegetables who was asked 01:49 if she would supply some of her produce to Bethel. 01:52 Although she was very impressed 01:54 the first time she arrived at the Bethel property, 01:56 she said she found the large steel gate to be intimidating. 02:01 So she prayed to God to protect her 02:03 while in the yard at Bethel. 02:05 The brothers dealt kindly with her when she made 02:08 her deliveries on Monday each week. 02:10 One of the brothers from the kitchen told her that maybe someday 02:13 she too would become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 02:16 She accepted an invitation to the Memorial, 02:18 and despite some personal challenges, such as not being able to read well, 02:22 she began to attend some congregation meetings. 02:25 Mirlène could see the difference 02:28 between Jehovah’s loving people and those in her church. 02:30 A study was started with her, 02:32 and she progressed to the point of baptism in 2009. 02:36 Since then, she has worked diligently 02:39 to teach the truth to her children with good results. 02:42 Her oldest son graduated from the School for Kingdom Evangelizers 02:46 and serves as an elder and temporary special pioneer. 02:50 Recently, another of her sons was appointed a ministerial servant, 02:55 and the four other children are unbaptized publishers. 02:59 Having our literature in Creole 03:01 and with the help of her children, she has improved her reading. 03:05 She now benefits from reading the Bible in Creole, 03:09 the language of her heart. 03:12 Good results are beginning to be seen 03:14 in the field of American Sign Language, which is now used in Haiti. 03:18 There are now 87 deaf publishers 03:21 in 4 ASL congregations and 8 groups. 03:25 The congregation here is singing praises to Jehovah. 03:30 Even our little sister is learning to do this. 03:36 This brother showed us the effort he puts forth 03:39 to prepare for a Bible reading. 03:42 A special program for Haiti was held 03:44 on Saturday morning at the open-air Assembly Hall 03:47 on the branch property. 03:49 A total of 1,405 were in attendance. 03:53 We were very encouraged to see 03:55 the group of our brothers who benefited from the program 03:57 in American Sign Language. 04:00 The program was recorded and presented at Kingdom Halls throughout the country 04:04 later that same day and also on Sunday 04:07 to a combined audience of 34,812. 04:12 We felt a little sad to leave the brothers on Sunday morning 04:15 for a drive of about six hours or so 04:17 to the Dominican Republic 04:19 for the second branch visit. 04:22 En route, we traveled through some semiarid areas 04:26 to the border between the two countries. 04:29 The terrain varied greatly as we drove through small mountains, 04:32 rich agricultural regions, and along the Caribbean Sea. 04:37 We took the opportunity to witness to some individuals at the border 04:41 and at various checkpoints, leaving literature along the way. 04:47 Upon entering the city of Santo Domingo, 04:49 we quickly identified the large JW.ORG sign at the branch office. 04:54 We were enthusiastically greeted 04:56 by many of the 73 Bethel family members. 05:00 Although the preaching work is done primarily in Spanish, 05:04 our brothers are expanding their ministry 05:07 to reach the language of the hearts of many peoples and cultures. 05:10 There are now 5 Haitian Creole circuits in the branch territory, 05:14 26 American Sign Language congregations, 05:17 and other congregations or groups 05:19 in Russian, Chinese, Italian and French. 05:23 We joined a group of brothers and sisters in the field ministry 05:26 in the Chinatown district of Santo Domingo. 05:30 Our group gave a witness to both Spanish- 05:32 and Chinese-speaking people on the streets 05:34 —most of whom respectfully listened to our message. 05:40 A Bethel brother, Evan, told us of the challenge 05:43 he faced when learning the truth. 05:46 I was finishing medical school 05:48 while serving in the Dominican army. 05:51 By then I had been serving for six years. 05:54 At my aunt’s home, I found the Revelation book. 05:59 It made such an impact on me, 06:02 that I stole it and read it all on my own. 06:06 There’s a vision in chapter 6 of Revelation, 06:09 where the sixth seal is opened 06:11 and the skies darken and the army commanders hide in caves. 06:15 That vision impressed me so much 06:18 that I decided to serve Jehovah. 06:21 That meant that I would have to leave the army 06:24 because Witnesses are neutral. 06:28 I quickly decided to talk to my immediate commander 06:30 to ask him to please discharge me from the army. 06:34 However, he rejected my request and said: 06:37 “No, you have served in the army for six years. 06:41 You have to stay in the army.” 06:43 I was not concerned because I could still appeal 06:46 to the colonel in charge of personnel. 06:48 However, my request for resignation was rejected again. 06:51 I left and went into the hallway. 06:53 I prayed to Jehovah: 06:55 “I want to serve you. 06:56 “What should I do? 06:57 Help me find a way out of this!” 06:59 When I opened my eyes, another army officer approached 07:03 and greeted me using my name. 07:05 I still don’t know who he was. 07:07 He asked me, “What do you need?” 07:09 I explained that I wanted to resign in order to become a Jehovah’s Witness. 07:14 He said: “Don’t worry, give me your papers. 07:17 I’m the colonel’s assistant.” 07:19 Within 20 minutes, my discharge papers were ready and approved. 07:23 In a short period of time, I became a publisher 07:25 and I got baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 07:28 At this time, I have been serving happily in Bethel 07:31 for over 11 years with my wife, Jael. 07:37 Without a doubt, Jehovah helps those who put their complete trust in him. 07:41 The branch is blessed to have as part of their Bethel family 07:45 some who had been longtime missionaries. 07:48 I enjoyed a very pleasant visit 07:50 with five of the senior members of this group 07:53 —three of whom are 98 years of age. 07:56 Brother William Dingman is of the first class of Gilead. 08:00 His wife, Estelle, attended the 12th class. 08:03 Thelma Critz is also of the 12th class. 08:06 Barbara Parker is of the 42nd class, 08:09 and Helen Ferrari attended the 2nd class of Gilead. 08:13 To illustrate the length of their full-time service 08:15 is the fact that Sister Ferrari 08:18 is among those who stood up to identify themselves 08:21 as part of the great multitude 08:23 at the 1935 convention in Washington, D.C. 08:27 The average age of this group is 94. 08:31 Even more impressive 08:33 is that their average years of full-time service is 73. 08:37 These faithful ones set a fine example 08:40 continuing to be active in the ministry 08:42 —taking into account their ages and health limitations. 08:46 Such loyal servants of Jehovah are considered 08:48 spiritual treasures wherever they may serve. 08:51 I still have one study so far, 08:53 although my eyesight doesn’t allow 08:56 me to do too much. 08:57 But I try. 08:59 My legs aren’t so good for walking, 09:02 so they wheel me around. 09:06 In all of my life, I would consider 09:09 the life that I have spent as a missionary 09:12 and in Dominican Republic as well 09:16 —it’s a wonderful life. 09:20 I couldn’t have chosen 09:23 a better companion 09:26 and also a better life 09:29 than to be preaching 09:31 the message of the good news of the Kingdom. 09:34 The Dominican Republic Bethel family 09:36 considers it a privilege to have a share in providing 09:39 care for such faithful ones. 09:42 On Sunday, March the 12th, a special program was held 09:46 at the open-air Assembly Hall adjacent to the branch office. 09:50 A total of 3,050 benefited 09:53 from the spiritual program and Christian association. 09:56 The visits to the Dominican Republic and Haiti branches 09:59 proved to be an encouragement and a spiritual blessing 10:02 to all who participated in them.
