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Dear brothers, sisters,
faithful children, and interested ones,
it is a great pleasure
to be with you for this update.
We have many good things to share with you,
including an update
on our response
to several major natural disasters.
And at the end of this update,
it will be a privilege to share with you
our reassuring yeartext for 2022.
To begin, though,
I have some important facts
about COVID-19 vaccines to share with you.
Because we love you all very much
and because this is a life-and-death matter,
we have decided to share
what we know about this with you.
Since June 1 in the United States,
1,407 publishers
have been hospitalized
because of COVID-19 or its symptoms.
Of these, less than 1 percent
were fully vaccinated.
Sadly, in that same time period
in the United States,
486 of our brothers
died from COVID-19.
Of these, less than 1 percent
were fully vaccinated.
And our understanding is
that the vaccinated individuals who died
had serious underlying health problems.
These statistics are very sobering.
We can also tell you
that of more than 22,000 Bethelites
and 44,000 special full-time servants
in the field
who have been vaccinated,
we have received only four reports
of severe adverse reactions
that may be linked to the vaccination.
But thankfully it’s been reported
that all of these are stable,
and their condition is under control.
We share this information with you
so you can carefully consider it
when making your personal decision
regarding vaccination.
We feel it would not be loving
to withhold these facts from you.
As Proverbs 3:27 says:
“Do not withhold good
from those to whom you should give it.”
We know it can be difficult
to make a wise decision
when there are various opinions
and conflicting reports
that the world provides,
perhaps making it hard
to know what to believe.
But the aforementioned statistics
have been collected by our brothers,
so we can trust these figures.
We hope they will be useful to you.
We appreciate that this
is not a scientific study,
but we can tell you
what our brothers have observed.
And because we have this information,
we want you to know what we know.
Of course, we also need to consider
the direction provided
by the superior authorities.
In some lands,
governments are enacting laws
that all of their citizens
must be vaccinated.
In other lands,
it is strongly encouraged.
How do we react to such direction?
The Remain in God’s Love book
made a fine point when it said this:
“Today, Jehovah allows governments
“to have some authority,
“and we should respect them.
“They organize countries and communities
“so that they function smoothly
“and provide people with necessary services.
“Christians obey the instruction found
“at Romans 13:1-7.
“We respect ‘the superior authorities’
“and obey the laws of the country
“or community where we live.
“These laws may affect our family,
business, or possessions.”
Also, the study note
on Romans 13:5 says this:
“A Christian submits to human governments
when a command
does not contradict God’s laws.”
So this is another serious factor
that we each should carefully
and prayerfully consider
in making our decision.
As a result of having over 99 percent
of the United States Bethel family
fully vaccinated,
we have been able to open
up more activities within Bethel
in accord with New York State regulations.
This allowed the Bethel family
to have the Gilead meal together
and then the Gilead graduation
on September 11.
No guests from outside Bethel
were present for either occasion.
Also, fully vaccinated Bethel family members
in the United States
have received permission
to take personal time
to visit family and friends,
taking proper COVID-19 precautions
while away from Bethel.
In fact, as of September 24,
over 3,975
fully vaccinated Bethel family members
in the United States have traveled
during August and September.
Upon their return to Bethel,
they are put on a form of adjusted quarantine
and a few days later are tested for COVID-19.
Of these 3,975,
we have had just four COVID cases.
Two got mild cases of COVID
at their destination,
and it resolved
before they returned to Bethel.
The other two who tested positive on return
also had minor symptoms
that quickly resolved.
All four have fully recovered.
We’re happy to report
that this arrangement
will soon go into effect for our Bethelites
at most branches around the world.
We are able to do this
at branches where more than 90 percent
of the Bethel family are fully vaccinated.
Those branches are getting back into
a more normal routine.
But now we have a brief update
about how our brothers are doing
after recent natural disasters in Haiti
and in the United States.
As reported in JW News,
a magnitude 7.2 earthquake
struck Haiti
on Saturday, August 14.
Sadly, three Witnesses died
as a result.
Our hearts
go out to the families of these ones.
The branch office
recently provided this report
on the relief efforts.
The earthquake destroyed
approximately 130 of the homes
where our brothers were living
and damaged another 250.
On Monday, August 16
(two days after the earthquake),
tarps arrived for many of our brothers
just ahead of the rains
of Tropical Storm Grace.
Since then,
we have distributed over 3 tons of supplies
and 28 tons of food to our brothers.
Tents, tarps, blankets,
mattresses, water filtration kits,
solar-powered flashlights,
and solar chargers have been distributed.
Additionally, volunteers are working hard
to evaluate and inspect
the homes of our brothers.
Although in difficult
economic situations themselves,
the local brothers
in the capital of Port-au-Prince
have generously donated
tons of food.
The United States experienced Hurricane Ida,
which made landfall
as a Category 4 hurricane
on August 29.
The storm passed from the Gulf Coast
to the northeast.
The branch office
reports that as of September 20,
2,788 of our brothers
who evacuated
are not yet able to return
to their homes.
It is estimated to be several weeks
before the power is restored in some areas.
The storm damaged
over 1,800 homes of our brothers
and destroyed 28 more.
In addition, 58 Kingdom Halls
and 4 Assembly Halls were damaged.
Under the direction of the circuit overseers,
local brothers and sisters
quickly began to stabilize
hundreds of homes
damaged by the storm.
Two Disaster Relief Committees
are providing tarps,
materials, food,
water, and generators
when local supplies are exhausted.
All of this activity is being carried out
with proper safety standards
and appropriate COVID-19 precautions.
We are grateful
for the hard work of all
who are helping with the relief efforts,
including all of you
who have contributed financially.
Thank you
for your generosity and kindness.
But now let’s discuss our 2022 yeartext.
When the pandemic began,
we had no idea it would still be of concern
one and a half years later.
It has impacted the economy of many lands.
As a result, people,
including many of our brothers and sisters,
do not have much materially.
Some only have meager provisions,
including a scarcity of food.
It reminds us of faithful David of old.
He was not being hounded by a deadly virus.
But he was running
and trying to hide from jealous King Saul,
who was intent on killing David
and those with him.
Provisions were low,
there was very little to eat,
and David lost his home for a time,
hiding out in caves in the wilderness.
While things were very bleak materially,
it was at this time
that David composed the beautiful song
recorded in Psalm 34.
Was he distracted
from his worship of Jehovah?
Was he gloomy and dejected
during that difficult time?
Well, let’s read a few verses from Psalm 34
and see how David was
(regarding his attitude)
—Psalm 34:1.
“I will praise Jehovah at all times;
his praise will be on my lips constantly.”
And then in verse 3,
he encouraged others to join him
in praising Jehovah.
In verse 3, David said:
“Magnify Jehovah along with me;
let us exalt his name together.”
What a beautiful attitude
despite the hardships
he was facing at the time!
So many of you dear brothers and sisters
are struggling economically
during this time of pandemic and uncertainty.
But the Governing Body
wanted me to share with you
especially verse 10 of Psalm 34
—verse 10.
“Even strong young lions
“have been reduced to hunger,
“but those seeking Jehovah
will lack nothing good.”
The last part of that verse
is the yeartext for 2022.
“Those seeking Jehovah
will lack nothing good”—Psalm 34:10.
Now, obviously, as we’ve been discussing,
David was not referring
to an abundance of physical sustenance.
We remember the 23rd Psalm,
where David said something similar.
There he said: “Jehovah is my Shepherd.
I will lack nothing.”
The rest of that Psalm
refers to spiritual blessings enjoyed,
even though he admitted he walked
“in the valley of deep shadow.”
Throughout that Psalm,
he extols the spiritual blessings he enjoyed.
He concluded by saying at Psalm 23:6:
“And I will dwell in the house of Jehovah
for all my days.”
And that is the prayer
of all of Jehovah’s faithful servants
in these critical times.
Dear friends,
the coronavirus is not the worst trial
to strike out at all mankind,
and it won’t be the last.
We can expect things
to deteriorate even further
as these last days
march on to their end.
Economic hardship and other trials
will come and go.
But like the psalmist,
we can agree that the 2022 yeartext
will prove true!
Spiritually speaking,
as Psalm 34:10 states:
“Those seeking Jehovah
will lack nothing good.”
Dear brothers and sisters,
we truly and deeply
love you all very much!
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting®!

2021 Governing Body Update #8