JW subtitle extractor

Were you hoping this pandemic
would be over by now?
I think we all were!
In some places,
the number of new cases is low.
But in other parts of the world,
highly contagious variants
are spreading and the pandemic
is raging like never before.
It’s a sobering reminder
that this pandemic is not over.
We “weep with those who weep,”
and we pray especially
for our brothers and sisters
in Latin America and Africa,
where there’s been quite an increase
of cases in recent weeks.
In other parts of the world,
vaccinations have slowed
the spread of the virus.
We’re doing what we can to help Bethelites
and other special full-time servants
get vaccinated if they want to be.
We’re happy to report that about 50 percent
of the worldwide Bethel family
have been vaccinated so far.
Here in the United States,
more than 98 percent
of our Bethel family
have chosen to get vaccinated.
New York State regulations
now allow vaccinated persons
to engage in a greater number of activities.
In harmony with those government regulations,
we’ve been able
to resume some of our activities
within Bethel.
The family was delighted
that government regulations
allowed those who are vaccinated
to assemble.
That means we could come together
for meals in our dining rooms
and for our Bethel family Watchtower Study.
We’re all glad
to be back together here again.
What a happy day that was
to assemble again for the Watchtower Study!
Of course, the decision
to be vaccinated is a personal one.
What factors might a Christian consider
in making the decision?
Number one:
As Jehovah’s Witnesses, we do not have
a religious objection to vaccination.
Number two:
We are in the midst of a pandemic.
As of July 9, over 19,000
of our dear brothers and sisters
have died from the virus.
Number three:
In some lands, “the superior authorities”
have made laws requiring
all of their citizens
to be vaccinated.
In other lands, the superior authorities
have not made laws,
but they are strongly encouraging
their citizens to be vaccinated.
We each must weigh such factors
when making our own personal decision.
Continue to take reasonable precautions
in accord with local conditions,
especially if you have health problems
or you’re up in years.
Stay in touch with direction
coming from the local health authorities,
and be careful.
In this update, I’d like to talk
with all of you older ones.
I’m an older person myself.
I’m going to turn 87 before too long.
When I was 20 or 30 years old,
I had no idea
I’d still be around at 87.
Many of you probably feel the same way.
But here we are now,
and just like Ecclesiastes chapter 12 says,
“the days of distress” have come.
Our bodies are slowing down.
We’ve lost the youth we used to have.
We can’t see or hear too well.
We’ve got all kinds of health problems.
And during the pandemic,
we’ve had to stay shut up in our
little old homes for a lot longer
than we thought we would.
And it may be
that one or two of us have felt
that God has just thrown us away,
that he’s just not interested
in old people after our youth is gone.
We know he’s going to take care of us
—we’re going to get everlasting life—
but right now
we feel like we’re kind of on our own.
But I’d like to remind you
of something found in the Bible.
You know, at one time, most likely David
thought that Jehovah had left him.
That’s the reason why he said
what is recorded at Psalm 71:9:
“Do not cast me off in my old age;
do not abandon me when my strength fails.”
But we know that Jesus
mentioned David in His teaching,
because hundreds of years later,
after David’s death,
Christ talked about David.
So Jehovah didn’t throw him away
—that’s for sure!
And He’s going to remember David
even more in the resurrection.
And He hasn’t really
thrown any of us away either
—even though we may feel
that he has at times.
How do you know that?
How do you personally know
that Jehovah has not thrown you away?
Well, let’s think about it.
How many of you
know how old Methuselah was when he died?
You probably learned that a long time ago.
You know the answer.
He was really old
—the oldest one mentioned
among imperfect humans in the Bible.
How many of you know how old Noah was
when he started to build the ark?
He was well over 500 years old!
That shows us
that God remembers us when we’re old.
The Christian Greek Scriptures also tell us
about the prophetess Anna,
who was 84 years old.
How do we know she was 84 years old?
It’s in the inspired Scriptures.
If Jehovah didn’t want us to know her age,
he wouldn’t have put it in there, would he?
Now, doesn’t that tell us something?
Jehovah keeps track of age,
and he’s interested in us older ones.
Psalm 90 comes right out and says
that imperfect men live to be
maybe 70 or 80 years old,
and even then, those years
“are filled with trouble.”
So Jehovah put all that in there
for us to know
that he has not thrown us away
—that he remembers us.
We are so proud of you.
Many of you have learned to use Zoom
and to mute and unmute yourself.
I’m still learning to use Zoom.
You’ve tackled telephone witnessing
and letter writing.
It’s amazing to see how fast you did it!
Clearly, Jehovah has been with you
and has strengthened you.
That’s what he promises
at Psalm 29:11:
“Jehovah will give strength to his people.
Jehovah will bless his people with peace.”
Through this whole pandemic,
we’ve seen evidence that Jehovah
has continued to give us strength
and to bless us with peace.
That’s why nothing has stopped
the Kingdom work from moving forward.
A good example of that
is our theocratic construction.
You may be wondering
how the pandemic has affected
the worldwide construction work,
not to mention all the work normally done
to maintain our Kingdom Halls.
Did everything just stop?
Well, when the pandemic first hit,
we did suspend most
new construction and renovations
so that the construction servants
and volunteers could shelter in place.
Our first concern was the safety
of the thousands
of volunteers working full-time
with Local Design/Construction.
Of course, many of those brothers and sisters
serve far from their families and friends,
so sheltering in place hasn’t been easy.
What has helped them to cope
with the loneliness and isolation?
Listen to their comments
in the following video.
The brothers organized
frequent shepherding visits
by videoconference.
During these visits,
they asked me how I was doing physically,
emotionally, and spiritually.
I appreciate so very much
that they were thinking about me,
and they chose specific Bible texts
to share with me.
So during the pandemic,
I was assigned a field service group
to oversee,
and this gave me more opportunities
to assist new publishers
in maintaining
good personal Bible study habits
and also train brothers to reach out
for more responsibilities.
So I’m not able to visit my family in Europe,
but I often call them, and I share
encouraging thoughts with them.
I also like helping young ones
in the ministry.
It is not easy for them to preach
during this pandemic,
but preaching together boosts all of us.
And by giving, I felt Jehovah’s blessings.
For example, brothers and sisters
have been checking up on my husband and me
and have been an emotional support
during this lockdown.
Without them knowing, their texts, calls,
and other caring deeds
have made things easier for us.
Did you notice what helped them
maintain a positive outlook?
Encouraging shepherding visits
and staying busy with spiritual activities.
So even though they couldn’t work as much
on branch projects or build Kingdom Halls,
they could build up their spirituality
and encourage others
—and that’s exactly what they did.
Now, we said earlier
that most construction had to stop
for a while because of the virus.
But did that mean everything stopped?
Not at all!
We were able to keep making progress
on a number of branch projects.
One example is
the new branch property in Argentina.
The project faced many delays
because of the pandemic,
but with Jehovah’s help,
our brothers were able to work through them
with the assistance of contractors.
And now the Bethel family
has started to move in,
taking strict precautions against COVID-19.
They’ll finish moving
into the new facility in the weeks to come.
But how have our other
design and construction teams
kept the work moving?
Let’s hear from a few of them.
The Worldwide Design/Construction
Training Desk
recognized the opportunity
to sharpen the awareness
of safety among all who participate
in theocratic construction
and maintenance projects.
So because of this,
a safety training course for overseers
was rolled out globally.
About 7,500
responsible brothers benefited from this
via videoconference.
A brother from Belgium said,
“I now recognize that safety
is an extension of my spirituality.”
Here in Africa,
the pandemic has emphasized
the need to better prepare our Kingdom Halls
for health and hygiene
for our brothers and sisters.
Solutions such as handwashing stations,
limiting physical touch points,
and other hygiene-related needs
are being addressed.
The Local Design/Construction departments
are also busy planning for future projects
and doing essential Kingdom Hall maintenance
and repairs.
And in areas where conditions
have allowed it,
some branches have even been able
to start new projects
with a limited number
of construction servants.
Our thanks go out to all
of you construction volunteers
who keep giving generously
of yourselves as you work hard
on projects and care
for your local Kingdom Halls.
So, what does all of this show us?
Jehovah’s chariot has not stopped.
And all of us
—old and young—
want to keep pace with it.
As we face the days ahead,
we’ll continue to take a cautious approach
that shows respect for life
and keeps the Kingdom work going.
We don’t know exactly
when this pandemic will end,
but we know this:
Jehovah will continue
to provide the guidance we need
to get through it.
We want you to know that we love you
and pray for Jehovah’s blessing
on all you do to serve him faithfully.
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting®.

2021 Governing Body Update #6