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Brothers and sisters,
welcome to our update!
Since our last report,
there have been some exciting developments.
On May 31, 2022,
the Governing Body
informed all Branch Committees
that we would now resume all forms
of our public ministry
except house-to-house work.
Around the world,
our brothers and sisters were thrilled
to resume public witnessing.
After resuming in-person preaching,
one sister said:
“It was like we were resurrected.
“We were gone,
and then we were back.
It was unifying.”
And a brother said:
“It was like riding a bicycle.
It all came back quickly,
and we had a great time.”
A member of the Branch Committee
in the United States
was working with a small group
making return visits
that they hadn’t made in person
since before the pandemic.
He said: “I was worried
that people would be standoffish
“or that they’d be worried about the virus.
But that just wasn’t the case at all!”
After having a good discussion
with his return visit,
the brother said, “It was so refreshing
to actually witness to someone
in person at the door.”
Recently, I had a similar experience
when sharing in street work.
A young woman noticed that the brother
with me had Watchtower magazines,
and she stopped us.
She said that she was so happy
to see Jehovah’s Witnesses.
That led to a good discussion,
and arrangements were made
for a sister to contact her.
It was such a pleasure
to be in street work again!
In Zambia,
a public bus driver stopped the bus
when he saw our brothers street witnessing,
and he received a magazine from the brothers.
He asked them to preach to his passengers.
All of the passengers on the bus
gladly listened and took magazines.
The weekend of June 25, 2022,
was a milestone for our translation efforts.
Thirteen language editions
of the New World Translation
were released in one weekend!
Some of the releases
were of individual Bible books,
others were the complete edition
of the Greek Scriptures,
and some were of the complete Bible.
Previously, the largest number of Bibles
released in a single weekend was six.
We thank Jehovah for these precious gifts!
On June 7, 2022,
the European Court of Human Rights
ruled in favor
of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 21 cases
—all in one day!
Our previous record
for court victories awarded in one day
was on May 3, 1943,
when we won 12 cases
in the United States Supreme Court.
We praise Jehovah for these fine victories.
Twenty of the twenty-one cases this month
form a historic judgment
against Russia
for persecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses.
What did the court decide?
In the following video,
brothers working
with the World Headquarters Legal Department
answer these questions.
Brothers, this decision is truly historic!
In fact, the court consolidated
20 of our cases into one decision
and ruled conclusively
in our favor in all of them.
Throughout the 196-page decision,
the court meticulously dismantles the lies
that Russia has used to persecute
our brothers and ban our worship.
Shane, in what way specifically
did the court condemn Russia?
Well, the decision
unambiguously declares that Russia
is guilty of carrying out a premeditated
and relentless attack
on innocent worshippers and on pure worship.
For example,
in paragraph 254 of the decision,
the European Court states
that the Russian authorities had pursued
“a policy of intolerance . . .
“designed to cause
Jehovah’s Witnesses to abandon their faith
and to prevent others from joining it.”
Of course,
that policy was entirely unsuccessful.
In fact, this judgment
completely exonerates Jehovah’s Witnesses.
For example, Russia claimed
that our publications and website
are extremist simply because we believe
that we have the truth.
In response, the European Court ruled
that “any religious entity
or individual believers
“have the right to proclaim
and defend their doctrine
as the true and superior one.”
Shane, what else
did the court say in our favor?
The European Court
confirms our right to engage
in our door-to-door preaching,
for parents to teach their children
to worship Jehovah,
to own and use our places of worship,
to refuse military service,
to refuse blood transfusions
and choose effective alternatives,
and to be politically neutral.
In all of these areas,
the European Court concludes
that our religious beliefs and activities
are entirely peaceful and are protected
by the right to freedom of religion.
Among other things,
the decision orders Russia
to stop persecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses,
restore our legal status,
release those who are in prison,
allow us to use our literature and website,
and either return
the properties that were confiscated
or pay us the equivalent
of over 65 million dollars (U.S.).
Outstanding!
We are just so grateful
to the many brothers and sisters
who worked tirelessly
to bring these cases
before the European Court of Human Rights.
Time will tell whether Russia
will comply with this decision.
But even if it does not,
this decision is legally binding
on the 46 countries
who have submitted
to the jurisdiction of the European Court.
Thus, the rights of over
one and a half million Jehovah’s Witnesses
who live in these lands
are better protected than ever.
But even more,
because the European Court
is held in such high regard,
this decision will have great weight
before high courts worldwide.
We thank Jehovah
for this historic victory
—this resounding victory—
from the European Court!
We’re confident that, regardless
of what the secular authorities do,
Jehovah is going to continue
to be with our brothers.
Why do we know that?
Because of what is stated at Isaiah 54:17.
There we read:
“‘No weapon formed against you
will have any success,
“‘and you will condemn any tongue
“‘that rises up against you in the judgment.
“‘This is the heritage
of the servants of Jehovah,
and their righteousness is from me,’
declares Jehovah.”
Yes, our “heritage” from Jehovah assures us
of his constant support now and forever.
With that assurance,
no opposition will weaken our faith
or deprive us
of the peace and spiritual prosperity
we enjoy as God’s servants.
This is clearly seen when we consider
how Jehovah helped our brothers
during the persecution
in the former Soviet Union.
In the rest of this update,
we’re going to consider some examples
of how Jehovah
looked after his people during that time.
We know this will be so encouraging
not only for our brothers in Russia
but also for all of us,
since we are all facing opposition
in one way or another.
As we watch the following interviews,
ask yourself: ‘If this happened to me,
‘what would I do?
‘What helped these brothers and sisters
to remain loyal to Jehovah?’
I was baptized at the age of 15.
A few weeks later,
the school administration discovered
that I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses
and decided to try to readjust me
and our family
so that we would renounce our faith.
They did not stop
pressuring us for three years.
At the age of 18,
I received a conscription to the Soviet army,
but I refused and was sentenced
to two years of imprisonment.
After serving the sentence,
I married
a lovely and faithful sister, Lidija.
Soon after,
I received a second call to join the army.
This time, the court rendered
a sentence of three years
in a unit of strict regime.
I was born in Ukraine.
When I got married,
I moved to live with my husband in Lithuania.
Seven months later,
my husband received a prison sentence.
Emotionally, this was so difficult
that I ended up in a hospital.
Soon we lost our unborn baby,
and here I was alone in a foreign land,
unable to speak the local language.
In view of the imprisonment of my husband,
I was not able to find a job.
Prison guards were cruel
and would often beat the prisoners.
I suffered such mistreatment as well.
More than that,
I was isolated from my family
and from my spiritual brothers and sisters.
The hardest part
was the separation from my dear wife, Lidija.
Even so,
Lidija was a special source
of support for me.
Almost every day,
she wrote me letters.
I received more letters
than all the other 30 inmates combined.
To support my husband spiritually,
in my letters
I would include verses from the Scriptures
and quotations from the publications,
trying to put them in a way
that the censorship
would not be able to spot them.
Christian meetings
were a source of strength for me.
I never missed them.
On one occasion,
when we held a meeting in our home,
a group of militia and KGB broke in.
As a result,
I received a call to appear before the court.
On the day of the court hearing,
I was very worried,
but Jehovah gave me such calmness
that fear and nervousness disappeared.
I was sentenced to pay a fine of 50 rubles.
At the time,
it was a large sum of money,
but I was not intimidated
and never stopped attending meetings.
I used opportunities
to give a witness to others in the prison.
There were instances
when an audience
of dozens of prisoners would listen to me.
When they asked questions
that were more difficult to answer,
I would analyze them and ponder over them
so as to be able to explain
the grounds for my beliefs.
Prayer was a constant companion.
I saw how Jehovah responded to them.
Sometimes he would answer
in a way I did not expect.
I always stayed focused
on the reason why Jehovah wants me
to remain faithful to him
through all these difficulties,
and this helped a lot.
There were many occasions
when the help I received
could not have come
from any other source but Jehovah.
Therefore, he became my best Friend.
He would always come to the rescue.
The weaker I was,
the more help that came from Jehovah.
Let us not think
about how we are going to endure tests;
think about how Jehovah will help us.
He will give us strength
to endure everything.
Enduring the things Jehovah
allows us to experience is not in vain,
but it is beneficial for us.
It fortifies and tempers our faith,
so to speak.
What we need is the right,
positive attitude toward
the difficulties we face.
And we have to be determined
to stay faithful to Jehovah to the end.
We appreciate your faithful endurance,
Brother and Sister Pudžiuvys.
You reminded us how vital it is
to regularly attend meetings
and share in the ministry
—both before and during times of persecution.
This helps to stabilize us
and keep our faith strong.
In our next interview,
notice how parental training,
regularly taking in spiritual food,
and remaining determined never to compromise
helped Iósif and Véra Rúsu
to endure persecution.
I dealt with persecution
when I was six years old.
My father and older brother
were sentenced to 25 years in prison
as conscientious objectors.
I wondered if I would ever see them again.
However, thankfully,
they were released two years later.
Their example has strengthened me
to remain faithful to Jehovah.
I also faced persecution when I was a child.
At school,
I was often beaten because I preached,
I didn’t wear the Soviet star and tie,
and I didn’t sing patriotic songs.
From an early age,
my parents taught me to love Jehovah,
to read from the Bible,
to sing praises to him,
and to learn verses by heart.
They took us with them to the meetings
that were held three times a week.
I loved to participate.
I always had my hand up.
My parents taught me how to respond
to those who would put pressure on us
to betray my brothers or my parents.
The love and trust in Jehovah
that my parents planted in my heart
helped me to cherish him
and to want to remain loyal to him.
When I was 15,
our family was deported to Siberia by train.
In these difficult conditions,
I found comfort and joy in the spiritual food
that we managed to take from home.
Those were the most important things.
All the way there on the train,
we sang songs.
Ten years later,
when I was in Kazakhstan,
I was arrested and sentenced to five years.
Oftentimes, the prison guards pressured me
to compromise and renounce my faith.
But meditating
on the issue of Jehovah’s sovereignty
helped me to stay firm.
I prayed to Jehovah
for the strength to endure
and to remain faithful.
Reading the Bible helped me to endure trials
and not to make any compromises,
no matter what.
After I finished my prison sentence,
I returned to Moldova.
Then, in 1967,
Véra and I got married.
Two years later, Iósif
was tried by the Supreme Court of Moldova
and sentenced
to ten years in a maximum-security camp.
Suddenly, I was left alone at 18
with a one-year-old boy.
I was often called by the KGB
and interrogated for hours,
sometimes for five hours.
They told me many lies
and attempted to sow doubts in my mind.
The next few years,
I saw my son grow up only in photographs
and when Véra would visit me twice a year.
One of the things I especially
looked forward to receiving from her
was a new pair of boots.
The other brothers and sisters
and I wrote the magazines
on very thin sheets of paper
that had the shape of a sole.
We removed the soles of the boots,
filled them with magazines,
and then nailed the soles back on.
It was possible to fit
seven magazines in one pair of boots.
During persecution,
your relationship with Jehovah
becomes closer, more real.
Jehovah is kind.
He is giving me
“the power beyond what is normal.”
In my life, the greater the trials,
the more opportunities Jehovah gave me
to talk about his purpose and his Kingdom.
The way Jehovah helps me focus on what I have
and not on the hardships that I have endured
brings me so much joy and comfort.
I have no reason not to be happy.
Thank you, Brother and Sister Rúsu,
for sharing your experience with us.
Did you notice what helped them
prepare for and face persecution?
In addition to good parental training,
they regularly took in spiritual food
and learned Bible verses by heart
and they kept clearly in mind
the issue of Jehovah’s sovereignty,
remaining determined never to compromise.
We can do the same today.
Both of these couples remind us of the words
recorded at Hebrews 13:6:
“Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”
Jehovah truly was the Helper
of our brothers and sisters
in the former Soviet Union.
Despite all the waves of persecution
that our brothers faced,
they remained
faithful and their numbers grew.
For example, in 1949,
there were about 10,000 Witnesses
in the countries
that formed the Soviet Union,
and most of those were in Western Ukraine.
Now the number of publishers
in those countries
is over 380,000!
Truly, Jehovah helped them.
In the late 1970’s and 1980’s,
I worked very closely
with the brothers behind the Iron Curtain.
I saw not only their faith
but also the many ways
that Jehovah helped them.
Jehovah always made sure
they had the spiritual food they needed.
The brothers really appreciated
the importance of attending meetings,
even though these were held in small groups.
And they loved to sing theocratic songs,
learning many of these by heart.
They had to risk their freedom
and even their safety
in order to attend in-person meetings,
but they always made the effort.
Even though the Devil
tried to break their integrity,
I saw again and again
how Jehovah prospered our brothers
and helped them to remain faithful.
The Russian government
can liquidate a legal entity,
but they can never liquidate
Jehovah’s organization.
What will happen to the king of the north?
Daniel 11:45 tells us:
“He will come all the way to his end,
and there will be no helper for him.”
“There will be no helper”
for the king of the north.
But who will be our “helper”?
What did Hebrews 13:6 say?
“Jehovah is my helper.”
Brothers and sisters,
be determined, come what may,
to put your full confidence
in Jehovah and be faithful.
Jehovah will be your Helper!
We dearly love each one of you.
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting®.

2022 Governing Body Update #5