00:00:01 I prayed to Jehovah,
00:00:03 “If it is your will, I would be happy
00:00:04 to enter pioneer service.”
00:00:08 But I had to work really hard to provide for the needs of my family
00:00:13 because my father had died when he was 45 years old.
00:00:19 The elder that I talked to
00:00:21 gave me advice not to be picky about what kind of job I could get.
00:00:25 He reminded me of Matthew 6:33, and told me
00:00:28 not to be overly anxious.
00:00:32 Because of our good communication within the family,
00:00:34 we were able to find solutions.
00:00:37 My other siblings realized that they also shared
00:00:40 responsibility in providing for the needs of the family.
00:00:44 After one year of pioneering, I was encouraged to apply for Bethel service,
00:00:48 and now I am in Bethel.
00:00:53 I feel that Jehovah really cares for me, loves me,
00:00:56 and appreciates all my efforts.
00:01:02 Because they love me, my cousins pressured me to choose a secular career.
00:01:09 If I went against
00:01:11 their wishes, it would hurt them
00:01:13 and put a strain on our relationship.
00:01:16 I was really anxious.
00:01:19 I wanted to show my trust in Jehovah by pioneering
00:01:22 and give him an opportunity to show me that I can be happy in his service.
00:01:29 I tried to express my appreciation for my cousins by what
00:01:33 I said and did
00:01:37 and showed them love.
00:01:41 They’ve realized that I have changed for the better.
00:01:45 I show more concern for others now.
00:01:48 Now they understand that we have been learning good things and that we have
00:01:53 a happier and more meaningful life.
00:01:58 I wanted to try serving
00:02:00 where the need was great.
00:02:01 When I first arrived,
00:02:03 I thought it was so cool being there.
00:02:06 I had expected the poverty, but when I saw it,
00:02:08 it hit home more than what I had expected.
00:02:11 So then I started to feel really homesick.
00:02:14 But my brothers and sisters—
00:02:16 I’d go to the Kingdom Hall and they were able to cope with the challenges
00:02:19 that they were facing because they had Jehovah in their life.
00:02:22 So their example really helped me to see that my circumstances
00:02:27 don’t need to change for my attitude to change.
00:02:32 Proverbs 15:15 stood out to me,
00:02:34 which is about having “a cheerful heart”
00:02:37 and being able to have “a continual feast” no matter what my circumstances are.
00:02:41 And I found an article about that scripture.
00:02:46 And so from there, I decided to ask myself, ‘How can I use my situation
00:02:50 and what I’m learning to help others?’
00:02:52 And I got to start helping with a foreign-language group there.
00:02:55 That whole experience
00:02:57 just made my love for people grow so much
00:03:02 and definitely changed my life.
