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00:00:02 We already had our firstborn, Renita. 00:00:05 And then I was told that we were going to have twins. 00:00:07 We were new in the truth and inexperienced. 00:00:11 So I was saying to myself: 00:00:14 ‘How can I take care of my children, not only physically but more so spiritually? 00:00:18 ‘How will I be able to teach them to love Jehovah, 00:00:22 to worship Jehovah?’ 00:00:24 And 1 Corinthians 3:10 00:00:26 shows us the importance 00:00:29 of raising a family 00:00:31 by using good quality materials. 00:00:34 So having a spiritual routine is very important for the children. 00:00:39 My wife and I would have to lay a good spiritual foundation. 00:00:44 We would have to set a good example for our children. 00:00:49 As long as I could remember, I would always see my parents studying, 00:00:53 doing personal Bible study. 00:00:55 I remember Dad—one time, he came to us in the living room, 00:00:58 and he said, “You know, I was reading Psalm 1:2, 00:01:02 “where it said we should find ‘delight in the law of Jehovah 00:01:06 and read in an undertone day and night.’” 00:01:09 He said, “What if we do this as a family project, 00:01:12 like, we read the Bible every day out loud together?” 00:01:17 And my parents were very simple, you know. 00:01:19 They didn’t require a lot of fancy things. 00:01:22 They were content. 00:01:24 Mom and Dad always worked part-time. 00:01:27 Dad pioneered, so money was limited. 00:01:31 Sometimes the car we had wasn’t the most reliable, 00:01:34 and it would break down right before the meeting. 00:01:37 I remember when our car broke down. 00:01:39 Initially I thought, ‘Oh, we’re not going to go to the meeting.’ 00:01:43 Mom and Dad would say: “Well, the car broke down. 00:01:45 There’s a meeting tonight, so let’s walk.” 00:01:49 So there are the five of us —my dad in his suit, 00:01:52 the four women would be in our dresses with our book bags. 00:01:56 And so that taught me not to let obstacles 00:01:59 and anxieties prevent me from going to my meetings. 00:02:03 Spending quality time was very important to my parents, 00:02:08 especially after the meetings. 00:02:10 We would change into our pajamas, grab a snack, 00:02:13 go to the living room, and just start talking 00:02:16 about how our day went and how the meeting went. 00:02:23 Just those special moments 00:02:25 —they brought us closer together. 00:02:28 I saw that Dad, 00:02:31 no matter how busy he was, 00:02:33 would drop what he was doing and look at me and talk. 00:02:38 I knew I was more important to him than what he was doing. 00:02:42 I remember a time when I had a crush on a boy. 00:02:46 My parents reasoned with me. 00:02:48 I felt very comfortable, you know, after that point, to maybe talk 00:02:52 about other things because I could see that my parents 00:02:55 were not going to be angry at me. 00:02:58 You know, they were going to listen to me and what I was feeling. 00:03:01 One of the blessings that Mom and Dad gave me 00:03:05 was teaching me how to think 00:03:08 and meditate on scriptures. 00:03:10 They encouraged us to set full-time service, 00:03:15 or pioneering, as a goal. 00:03:17 We all worked part-time, me and my siblings. 00:03:21 And I remember one close family friend 00:03:25 said to me: “You know, your parents are getting older. 00:03:29 “You know, you’re their daughter, and you should probably work full-time. 00:03:34 That way they’d have more of an easy life.” 00:03:37 After that sister’s conversation, I almost gave up 00:03:40 on pioneering, but I knew deep down 00:03:44 that my parents would not be happy about that. 00:03:47 They wanted us to spend our youth serving Jehovah. 00:03:51 My husband and I were invited to attend 00:03:55 the 145th class of Gilead, and that was like a dream come true. 00:04:00 I have to thank my parents for that 00:04:03 because they always supported me through the years. 00:04:06 I couldn’t have done it without them, 00:04:09 and for that I’ll be forever grateful. 00:04:12 I really do thank my parents 00:04:14 for the upbringing that they gave me. 00:04:18 I have a very happy life. 00:04:20 I’m thankful that I was able 00:04:22 to avoid a lot of heartache, 00:04:25 and that’s because my parents raised me 00:04:29 in the truth and in Jehovah’s way. 00:04:31 Children are born imitators, 00:04:33 and they’re going to imitate our example. 00:04:38 I want to thank Jehovah for what our family is now. 00:04:43 To see all of us in the pioneer work 00:04:48 —all five of us are pioneering— thank you, Jehovah.
00:00:02 We already had our firstborn, Renita. 00:00:05 And then I was told that we were going to have twins. 00:00:07 We were new in the truth and inexperienced. 00:00:11 So I was saying to myself: 00:00:14 ‘How can I take care of my children, not only physically but more so spiritually? 00:00:18 ‘How will I be able to teach them to love Jehovah, 00:00:22 to worship Jehovah?’ 00:00:24 And 1 Corinthians 3:10 00:00:26 shows us the importance 00:00:29 of raising a family 00:00:31 by using good quality materials. 00:00:34 So having a spiritual routine is very important for the children. 00:00:39 My wife and I would have to lay a good spiritual foundation. 00:00:44 We would have to set a good example for our children. 00:00:49 As long as I could remember, I would always see my parents studying, 00:00:53 doing personal Bible study. 00:00:55 I remember Dad—one time, he came to us in the living room, 00:00:58 and he said, “You know, I was reading Psalm 1:2, 00:01:02 “where it said we should find ‘delight in the law of Jehovah 00:01:06 and read in an undertone day and night.’” 00:01:09 He said, “What if we do this as a family project, 00:01:12 like, we read the Bible every day out loud together?” 00:01:17 And my parents were very simple, you know. 00:01:19 They didn’t require a lot of fancy things. 00:01:22 They were content. 00:01:24 Mom and Dad always worked part-time. 00:01:27 Dad pioneered, so money was limited. 00:01:31 Sometimes the car we had wasn’t the most reliable, 00:01:34 and it would break down right before the meeting. 00:01:37 I remember when our car broke down. 00:01:39 Initially I thought, ‘Oh, we’re not going to go to the meeting.’ 00:01:43 Mom and Dad would say: “Well, the car broke down. 00:01:45 There’s a meeting tonight, so let’s walk.” 00:01:49 So there are the five of us —my dad in his suit, 00:01:52 the four women would be in our dresses with our book bags. 00:01:56 And so that taught me not to let obstacles 00:01:59 and anxieties prevent me from going to my meetings. 00:02:03 Spending quality time was very important to my parents, 00:02:08 especially after the meetings. 00:02:10 We would change into our pajamas, grab a snack, 00:02:13 go to the living room, and just start talking 00:02:16 about how our day went and how the meeting went. 00:02:23 Just those special moments 00:02:25 —they brought us closer together. 00:02:28 I saw that Dad, 00:02:31 no matter how busy he was, 00:02:33 would drop what he was doing and look at me and talk. 00:02:38 I knew I was more important to him than what he was doing. 00:02:42 I remember a time when I had a crush on a boy. 00:02:46 My parents reasoned with me. 00:02:48 I felt very comfortable, you know, after that point, to maybe talk 00:02:52 about other things because I could see that my parents 00:02:55 were not going to be angry at me. 00:02:58 You know, they were going to listen to me and what I was feeling. 00:03:01 One of the blessings that Mom and Dad gave me 00:03:05 was teaching me how to think 00:03:08 and meditate on scriptures. 00:03:10 They encouraged us to set full-time service, 00:03:15 or pioneering, as a goal. 00:03:17 We all worked part-time, me and my siblings. 00:03:21 And I remember one close family friend 00:03:25 said to me: “You know, your parents are getting older. 00:03:29 “You know, you’re their daughter, and you should probably work full-time. 00:03:34 That way they’d have more of an easy life.” 00:03:37 After that sister’s conversation, I almost gave up 00:03:40 on pioneering, but I knew deep down 00:03:44 that my parents would not be happy about that. 00:03:47 They wanted us to spend our youth serving Jehovah. 00:03:51 My husband and I were invited to attend 00:03:55 the 145th class of Gilead, and that was like a dream come true. 00:04:00 I have to thank my parents for that 00:04:03 because they always supported me through the years. 00:04:06 I couldn’t have done it without them, 00:04:09 and for that I’ll be forever grateful. 00:04:12 I really do thank my parents 00:04:14 for the upbringing that they gave me. 00:04:18 I have a very happy life. 00:04:20 I’m thankful that I was able 00:04:22 to avoid a lot of heartache, 00:04:25 and that’s because my parents raised me 00:04:29 in the truth and in Jehovah’s way. 00:04:31 Children are born imitators, 00:04:33 and they’re going to imitate our example. 00:04:38 I want to thank Jehovah for what our family is now. 00:04:43 To see all of us in the pioneer work 00:04:48 —all five of us are pioneering— thank you, Jehovah.
