- VOD Int Exp Blessings
- The Arencibias: Three Brothers Married to Three Sisters Lean on Jehovah in Times of Distress
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00:00:19 It was summertime, and a group 00:00:21 of brothers and sisters made arrangements 00:00:24 during vacation time to go to the beach. 00:00:26 And so during that time, 00:00:30 heading to the beach is where I met her. 00:00:32 I had met her sisters, but I had not met her. 00:00:36 My grandparents and my aunt 00:00:38 were a very important part 00:00:39 in raising me and my sisters. 00:00:43 They learned the truth first, in Ecuador. 00:00:45 We always lived close by. 00:00:47 I always went to visit them. 00:00:51 And they helped my parents in guiding me into the truth. 00:00:58 The first three or four years of our marriage, 00:01:00 we were about an hour and a half away from our family. 00:01:02 That was really hard on me because I’m close to my sisters. 00:01:06 So it was kind of hard being so far— To me that was really far. 00:01:09 I knew early on that one of the most important things 00:01:13 that I needed in a mate is someone who loves Jehovah. 00:01:17 And they always say— 00:01:18 I remember my parents (and at the meetings) always said, 00:01:21 “Find someone who loves Jehovah more than they love you.” 00:01:23 And it’s easy to say that, 00:01:26 but then you find someone 00:01:28 and you realize that she loves Jehovah more than she loves you. 00:01:31 She has demonstrated it through our entire marriage. 00:01:34 When it comes to Jehovah, he’s first. 00:01:36 I think that is the key to a successful marriage. 00:01:41 I think the biggest challenge we went through in our marriage 00:01:44 was our first year in the circuit work. 00:01:46 It was hard enough moving 3,000 miles away from everyone 00:01:49 and starting a new type of life. 00:01:51 Two months later, my grandfather dies; 00:01:54 six months right after that, my mother dies. 00:01:56 So after her mom died, my mom passed away. 00:02:00 It was one right after the other. 00:02:04 That was a difficult time for us 00:02:09 —all the pain and suffering 00:02:11 from losing our moms and loved ones. 00:02:15 Many times we felt that we could not continue. 00:02:20 It was overwhelming. 00:02:25 The period of time was eight months 00:02:29 and ten days between the death of Mimi’s mom and my mom. 00:02:42 The threefold cord is a routine in which Jehovah is included 00:02:45 in the marriage 00:02:47 —from reading the Bible together, 00:02:49 to going in the ministry together, 00:02:51 to doing everyday things together. 00:02:54 And as you do this, Jehovah is present in your marriage. 00:02:59 We always think that it’s our Bible reading. 00:03:02 Actually, we don’t think—we realize 00:03:04 that our Bible reading is very important for us. 00:03:06 We pick a book; we start reading it, and we know 00:03:09 that is what keeps us together. 00:03:14 We were both already pioneering before we got married. 00:03:16 And when we got married, 00:03:18 we just figured out a way to continue pioneering together 00:03:22 to make sure to start our spiritual careers together. 00:03:27 So we have to always depend on Jehovah, 00:03:29 which is the best Person to always depend on. 00:03:32 We spent a lot of time by ourselves, 00:03:35 driving from city to city and from state to state. 00:03:38 We had plenty of time to reflect, to talk, 00:03:41 and to draw close to each other 00:03:43 —to not only rely on Jehovah but also to be closer between us 00:03:48 and to spend more time 00:03:51 talking about the visits, 00:03:54 talking about the friends, and talking about how we feel. 00:03:57 I think that at the end it was the toughest assignment, 00:04:01 but it was the most rewarding 00:04:03 of all the assignments we had had 00:04:05 in all these years in the traveling work. 00:04:07 Because it’s the three of us and Jehovah’s an equal part of our marriage, 00:04:12 it doesn’t matter what we go through 00:04:14 —whether it’s Peter or I that’s having a little bit of a struggle— 00:04:17 because Jehovah is there. 00:04:19 He’s going to keep us united and strong. 00:04:21 And also, it’s not just in the things we do while we worship. 00:04:26 Yes, we worship together, 00:04:28 but it’s also all the other things that we do Jehovah’s way. 00:04:32 We’re best friends, and we enjoy spending time together 00:04:34 outside of service and the meetings. 00:04:37 We like doing fun things outside. We like the outdoors. 00:04:42 When we’re facing a difficult challenge, we will go to Jehovah in prayer together 00:04:46 and specifically pray, “Jehovah, help us with this challenge.” 00:04:51 Our assignments have helped us 00:04:53 to always be with each other because we have the same goals in mind. 00:04:56 We’re working together 00:04:58 for the same purpose. 00:05:00 So the same schedule —spiritual schedule— 00:05:03 has really helped us to go through these challenging periods in our life. 00:05:08 Knowing that Jehovah is our Creator, the Sovereign Being 00:05:13 —he’s the one who should tell us what to do. 00:05:15 And there is an arrangement, and when you follow his arrangement, 00:05:18 there’s happiness; there’s success. 00:05:22 We’re in an imperfect world, 00:05:25 but his arrangement works, and we have felt it.
00:00:19 It was summertime, and a group 00:00:21 of brothers and sisters made arrangements 00:00:24 during vacation time to go to the beach. 00:00:26 And so during that time, 00:00:30 heading to the beach is where I met her. 00:00:32 I had met her sisters, but I had not met her. 00:00:36 My grandparents and my aunt 00:00:38 were a very important part 00:00:39 in raising me and my sisters. 00:00:43 They learned the truth first, in Ecuador. 00:00:45 We always lived close by. 00:00:47 I always went to visit them. 00:00:51 And they helped my parents in guiding me into the truth. 00:00:58 The first three or four years of our marriage, 00:01:00 we were about an hour and a half away from our family. 00:01:02 That was really hard on me because I’m close to my sisters. 00:01:06 So it was kind of hard being so far— To me that was really far. 00:01:09 I knew early on that one of the most important things 00:01:13 that I needed in a mate is someone who loves Jehovah. 00:01:17 And they always say— 00:01:18 I remember my parents (and at the meetings) always said, 00:01:21 “Find someone who loves Jehovah more than they love you.” 00:01:23 And it’s easy to say that, 00:01:26 but then you find someone 00:01:28 and you realize that she loves Jehovah more than she loves you. 00:01:31 She has demonstrated it through our entire marriage. 00:01:34 When it comes to Jehovah, he’s first. 00:01:36 I think that is the key to a successful marriage. 00:01:41 I think the biggest challenge we went through in our marriage 00:01:44 was our first year in the circuit work. 00:01:46 It was hard enough moving 3,000 miles away from everyone 00:01:49 and starting a new type of life. 00:01:51 Two months later, my grandfather dies; 00:01:54 six months right after that, my mother dies. 00:01:56 So after her mom died, my mom passed away. 00:02:00 It was one right after the other. 00:02:04 That was a difficult time for us 00:02:09 —all the pain and suffering 00:02:11 from losing our moms and loved ones. 00:02:15 Many times we felt that we could not continue. 00:02:20 It was overwhelming. 00:02:25 The period of time was eight months 00:02:29 and ten days between the death of Mimi’s mom and my mom. 00:02:42 The threefold cord is a routine in which Jehovah is included 00:02:45 in the marriage 00:02:47 —from reading the Bible together, 00:02:49 to going in the ministry together, 00:02:51 to doing everyday things together. 00:02:54 And as you do this, Jehovah is present in your marriage. 00:02:59 We always think that it’s our Bible reading. 00:03:02 Actually, we don’t think—we realize 00:03:04 that our Bible reading is very important for us. 00:03:06 We pick a book; we start reading it, and we know 00:03:09 that is what keeps us together. 00:03:14 We were both already pioneering before we got married. 00:03:16 And when we got married, 00:03:18 we just figured out a way to continue pioneering together 00:03:22 to make sure to start our spiritual careers together. 00:03:27 So we have to always depend on Jehovah, 00:03:29 which is the best Person to always depend on. 00:03:32 We spent a lot of time by ourselves, 00:03:35 driving from city to city and from state to state. 00:03:38 We had plenty of time to reflect, to talk, 00:03:41 and to draw close to each other 00:03:43 —to not only rely on Jehovah but also to be closer between us 00:03:48 and to spend more time 00:03:51 talking about the visits, 00:03:54 talking about the friends, and talking about how we feel. 00:03:57 I think that at the end it was the toughest assignment, 00:04:01 but it was the most rewarding 00:04:03 of all the assignments we had had 00:04:05 in all these years in the traveling work. 00:04:07 Because it’s the three of us and Jehovah’s an equal part of our marriage, 00:04:12 it doesn’t matter what we go through 00:04:14 —whether it’s Peter or I that’s having a little bit of a struggle— 00:04:17 because Jehovah is there. 00:04:19 He’s going to keep us united and strong. 00:04:21 And also, it’s not just in the things we do while we worship. 00:04:26 Yes, we worship together, 00:04:28 but it’s also all the other things that we do Jehovah’s way. 00:04:32 We’re best friends, and we enjoy spending time together 00:04:34 outside of service and the meetings. 00:04:37 We like doing fun things outside. We like the outdoors. 00:04:42 When we’re facing a difficult challenge, we will go to Jehovah in prayer together 00:04:46 and specifically pray, “Jehovah, help us with this challenge.” 00:04:51 Our assignments have helped us 00:04:53 to always be with each other because we have the same goals in mind. 00:04:56 We’re working together 00:04:58 for the same purpose. 00:05:00 So the same schedule —spiritual schedule— 00:05:03 has really helped us to go through these challenging periods in our life. 00:05:08 Knowing that Jehovah is our Creator, the Sovereign Being 00:05:13 —he’s the one who should tell us what to do. 00:05:15 And there is an arrangement, and when you follow his arrangement, 00:05:18 there’s happiness; there’s success. 00:05:22 We’re in an imperfect world, 00:05:25 but his arrangement works, and we have felt it.
