JW subtitle extractor

Welcome to JW Broadcasting®!
On March 14, 2026,
the 159th class of Gilead
completed their five months
of invigorating spiritual training.
The graduation program helps the students
adjust to changes
in their life and future assignments.
The principles shared with the students
can be just as applicable to us
as life continues to change.
Look for ways you can apply the lessons
from this faith-strengthening program.
Well, we are just wanting to say
welcome to everyone that is listening
and watching this program right now.
We welcome the students, of course,
that have been working very hard
for the past five months.
We know you were getting
to your limit with studying,
so we are so grateful
you can be here and enjoy
and also your families, your friends,
and everyone that’s here in person
and, of course, the thousands
that are connected around the world.
Well, can you believe it?
The day has finally arrived:
your graduation day.
And you’ve been waiting for this day
for a long time; I know.
Well, now it’s time to go to your assignments
to apply what you’ve learned,
all these beautiful gems that you’ve learned
throughout these past five months,
and to work shoulder to shoulder in peace
with your brothers and sisters.
But does that word, “peace,”
make you nervous?
Maybe you’re going to a new place
and you’re wondering:
‘Will I be able to make peace?
Will I be able to get along?’
Or maybe you’re going back
to where you were and you’re wondering,
‘Will they be watching to see
if I’ve changed for the better at Gilead?’
Those are legitimate concerns.
So with that in mind,
we’ve chosen the subject
“Make Your Peace.”
First of all, nobody ever said
that making peace would be easy.
Jesus acknowledged that in Matthew chapter 5.
Open your Bibles there, please,
to Matthew chapter 5.
He describes this scenario,
and you can see what he’s getting at.
At Matthew 5:23, 24,
he tells his disciples: “If, then,
“you are bringing your gift to the altar
and there you remember
“that your brother has something against you,
“leave your gift there in front of the altar,
and go away.
“First make your peace with your brother,
and then come back and offer your gift.”
Now, to Jesus’ listeners,
this scenario would have seemed,
probably, almost impossible.
Imagine: ‘Go.
‘Find someone in a city
(during the festival season)
‘that has hundreds of thousands
of people in it,
‘leaving your your gift there at the altar.
‘Throughout this city, find this person who,
‘by the way, has something against you.
‘Make peace
in time to get back to the temple,
and offer your gift to Jehovah.’
See, the point Jesus
is making with these details
is that making peace can be hard sometimes.
But now, the questions
that we need to ask ourselves are,
Why is it hard to do,
and how can we do it even when it’s hard?
Now, to answer those questions,
we’re going to discuss three common fears
to making peace.
And then we’re going to see how Abram,
or Abraham,
was able to be motivated
to make peace with Lot
when his peace
could have been put to the test.
So let’s start with our first fear:
the fear of appearing weak.
Now, many of us battle with insecurities
about our own self-worth.
And a natural reaction to that could be
to try so hard to build ourselves up
in the eyes of others
that we end up tearing them down,
and the result is that we ruin peace.
Now, would Abram
be able to resist this potential fear?
Open your Bibles, please,
to Genesis chapter 13.
And, of course, this is the famous account
where the herdsmen of both Abram and Lot
were fighting over land,
and Abram seems to see
that there’s potential for problems.
So notice what happens here
at Genesis 13:8, 9.
It says: “So Abram said to Lot:
“‘Please, there should be no quarreling
“‘between me and you and between
my herdsmen and your herdsmen,
“‘for we are brothers.
“‘Is not the whole land available to you?
“‘Please, separate from me.
“‘If you go to the left,
then I will go to the right;
but if you go to the right,
then I will go to the left.’”
Wow!
Abram proactively humbled himself
in the eyes of Lot,
made himself small in Lot’s eyes.
He could have tried to build himself up
and tear Lot down.
He could have said: ‘Lot, wait a minute.
‘Who is with whom?
‘You are with me.
‘I was the one that was assigned here.
This is my assignment, not yours.’
Well, he would have gotten results,
but I guarantee you
peace would not be one of them.
No, Abram didn’t do that.
Even though he had insecurities,
just like you and I do,
Abram made himself small in the eyes of Lot.
He yielded.
Now, what motivated Abram to do that?
Put simply, he was more interested
in how Jehovah viewed him
than how people viewed him.
That was the point.
He didn’t care
where he was in the Promised Land
as long as he was in the Promised Land.
That’s the point.
Being there was already proof
of Jehovah’s approval.
And isn’t that the main point
of Matthew 5:23, 24?
That’s what Jesus said.
He basically told the one who made
the effort to make peace to come back.
“Come back.
Come back to the altar,
and offer your gift to Jehovah.”
That’s what Abram wanted
more than anything else:
peace with God.
So, what’s the lesson (the first lesson here)
that we can learn from Abram?
Well, the fear of appearing weak
or of others not noticing our experience
or our position
or maybe our training here at Gilead
—all of those things come from insecurities
that are obstacles to peace.
They’re obstacles to peace.
So how can we avoid this fear?
Well, like Abram, be content
with the greatest privilege
any human can have:
approval with Jehovah God.
His blessing
and any privilege in addition to that
is just extra.
Now, Abram treated Lot with humility.
And he may have thought,
‘Lot is probably going to treat me
the same way.’
That would be nice, right?
That takes us to fear number two:
the fear of being taken advantage of.
Now, this can happen
when we yield in a disagreement
and then we
start to feel vulnerable or afraid
that now that we’ve yielded, this person
is going to take advantage
of our yielding spirit.
What did Abram do?
Open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 13 again,
and we’ll continue reading
—Genesis chapter 13.
We’ll start in verse 10.
So here we have it.
Abram is nice to Lot,
proactively trying to make peace,
and verse 10 says:
“So Lot raised his eyes
“and saw
that the whole district of the Jordan
“was a well-watered region
“(before Jehovah destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah),
“like the garden of Jehovah,
like the land of Egypt,
“as far as Zoar.
“Then Lot chose for himself
“the whole district of the Jordan,
“and Lot moved his camp to the east.
“So they separated from each other.
“Abram lived in the land of Canaan,
but Lot lived
among the cities of the district.”
Now, did Lot really take advantage
of Abram’s humility?
To be honest, we don’t know.
We don’t know all of the details
about what was really going on
in this situation.
And our principal talk in this program
will highlight that even more.
Stay tuned.
But if Lot’s choice
did surprise Abram,
if it did irritate Abram,
Abram could have easily thought:
‘Wait a minute!
‘Being humble isn’t working.
‘I’m not getting my way.
I need to get tough with Lot.’
He could have thought that way.
But did Abram give in to that fear?
No.
Notice that the last part of verse 11
just simply says
(and in the first part of verse 12 it says):
“So they separated from each other.
Abram lived in the land of Canaan”
—no protest,
no demanding of his rights,
no claims of injustice.
Abram’s humility was genuine.
It wasn’t some kind of tactic
to get his way later on.
See, for Abram, real peace
was more important
than his personal preference.
So do we see the lesson here
with Abram again?
The fear of someone
taking advantage of our yielding spirit
—maybe by taking the privilege,
taking the praise, getting the credit
—might begin to make us reason
that being kind and humble and yielding
isn’t working.
And that will ruin peace.
Do not give in to that fear.
Instead, do what Abram did.
Trust that Jehovah’s way of making peace
will always be the right way,
even when it seems that it isn’t working.
See, when we do that, we may not get our way,
but we’ll get what matters most:
Jehovah’s approval, peace with God.
Now, when Lot’s choices
began to backfire on him,
how would Abram react?
Would he forgive and forget?
Or would he fall prey
to the fear of letting go?
For the answer to that question,
we’ll wait till the end of the program.
Well, now we’ve come to the time
of The Inside Story.
This is an aspect of the Gilead graduation
that we all have grown to love.
And this will be a good one.
It’ll be a good opportunity
for those that have the missionary spirit
to think about ways that they might be able
to reach out for where the need is great.
Brother Jeremy Clarke will be the host
for this edition of The Inside Story.
Welcome to The Inside Story.
At Matthew 5:6,
Jesus said that those hungering
for righteousness
would be happy because they’d have
their spiritual needs “filled.”
How does Jehovah ensure that our
young ones have their spiritual need filled?
Well, he entrusts them to loving parents.
Yet, what if those parents
aren’t servants of Jehovah?
How does he help them then?
In Bible times,
Jehovah used older, mature ones,
for example, High Priest Jehoiada,
who helped young King Jehoash,
or Zechariah,
who instructed young King Uzziah.
In this episode of The Inside Story,
Gilead students are going to share
how their spiritual need was filled
when they were young
and how this helped them to reach out,
expand their ministry,
and lead happy and successful lives
serving Jehovah.
So let’s get started.
Our first couple are
from the United States.
Please welcome
Antron and Rebeca Carraway.
Welcome, Antron and Rebeca.
Now, you’ve served
in the United States for some years,
but we’d like to know about your background
and your upbringing.
Could you tell us?
Sure.
I was born and raised in South Carolina.
I was raised in the truth
by both of my parents.
I learned a lot from my father
about how to treat people.
And my mother,
she was always there spiritually
to help me set spiritual goals
and try my best to stick to them.
There were other brothers,
of course, in the congregation
who showed a personal interest in me.
I remember there was one brother
who offered to study the book of Proverbs
with me and my cousin.
Why the book of Proverbs?
Well, I was just a teenager at the time.
And since Proverbs
is a book of practical wisdom,
he thought it would be
a good initial study project
to get us to see the wisdom
in the entire Bible.
There was another brother
who also had a profound effect on me.
We were also
from the same congregation,
and he went off to Bethel
for a few years and came back.
And when he returned, he said,
“You really need to think
about going to Bethel.”
And so I gave it some thought,
and he also said I needed
to learn another language,
so I tried my best.
And that’s exactly what you did.
It’s nice that they were taking
a personal interest in you.
How about you, Rebeca?
Were you raised in the truth too?
Yes, I was.
I grew up in Spain,
and my family
lived very close to the branch.
So growing up, I remember
often having Bethelites over to our house.
What was that like,
having so many in full-time service
coming through the home regularly?
Well, I could tell that even though
they didn’t have much materially,
they really ‘lacked nothing good.’
It was very clear to me that Jehovah
was taking care of them in every way.
And they were always happy.
They always had a smile on their faces,
and I think that really touched my heart.
So I also wanted to have
the same kind of joy in my life.
That’s beautiful.
Now, did your parents
help you in other ways too?
They did.
I remember that my father would pray
with me and my two other sisters every night.
But also what he wanted
was to listen to our personal prayers.
And I think that was
a way for him to make sure
that Jehovah was Someone real to us.
I also remember that my mother
would encourage us
to spend as much time as possible
with the pioneers in the congregation.
And that’s what we did.
And because of that,
we learned to love the ministry
from a very young age.
It sounds like both of you really benefited
from good upbringing from your parents.
And that would give you zeal and faith
to serve Jehovah in a greater capacity.
Did that opportunity come along?
Yes, it did.
When Antron and I started dating,
he was a Bethelite in New York.
But sometime after,
he received a new assignment
to serve in the branch in Uganda.
Uganda?
Yeah, I was also very surprised
at the assignment.
But I was very excited to go
at the same time.
And so Rebeca and I continued to date.
We got married in Madrid.
And then a few days after our wedding,
Rebeca made the trip down to Uganda
to start off as a Bethel bride.
And there you are.
Is that in Uganda?
Yes, this is at the branch.
What was it like there?
Well, it was an experience
we will never forget.
But I must admit that it was not easy
to make so many changes all at once.
I had to get used to marriage
and also life at Bethel.
But I also had to adjust to
a new culture, a new language,
new food, and even new ways of thinking.
So you learn a lot about yourself.
You learn how you think,
you learn how others think,
and you grow over the process.
I imagine some of the proverbs
you learned as a youth came into play there.
Absolutely.
I remember in class
when we discussed Proverbs 19:11,
which says: ‘There is beauty
in overlooking an offense.’
The incredible thing about that scripture
is that there is so much beauty in creation.
And yet the Creator says
that when we forgive,
or when we overlook an offense,
that’s real beauty.
And when we thought about it, that is
exactly what the brothers in Uganda did.
We did things
that could have offended them,
but they never complained.
They just continued to be beautiful
and just overlook our offenses.
Yeah, and the brothers in Uganda
really became our new family.
Something that we learned
is that if you truly love the brothers,
they are really going to love you back.
And they really helped us,
especially when
at times we were feeling homesick.
We especially remember
a missionary couple.
They were really very observant
of how we were feeling.
And they paid a lot of attention to us.
They spent time with us.
And when we saw that love from them,
it was a way that Jehovah
was showing us his love and care for us.
How long did you spend in Uganda?
So we were there for 10 years.
Was it hard to leave?
It was.
It was very hard.
We actually cried a lot
when we had to leave.
Yeah, the truth is we ugly cried.
Yeah.
But, you know, we also keep in touch,
stay in touch, with the brothers there,
especially with the sisters
that I drew very close to.
Yeah, they really had a way of making sure
that a foreigner
didn’t feel like a foreigner.
In fact, before we left,
they gave us a goat and a small piece of land
just in case we come back one day.
Excellent.
Well, you really benefited
from your training
and helped so many
to fill their spiritual need,
and you’re poised
to help many more in the future
to have their spiritual needs filled.
Thank you both,
Antron and Rebeca, for your story.
Some in this class had only one parent
help them learn about Jehovah.
One example
is Sister Jiahui Lin from Taiwan.
Let’s welcome her now.
Welcome, Jiahui.
Thank you.
Can you tell us a bit
about your background too?
Sure.
I was born and grew up in Taiwan.
I was 10 years old
when my mom learned the truth
and got baptized.
Very nice.
And how about your father?
Up to now, he’s not a Witness,
but he’s favorable—very supportive.
It was my mom who first instilled
in me and my younger brother
a love for Jehovah and for the ministry.
Is this you with your mom . . .
Yeah, at the Kingdom Hall.
. . . and your brother?
Mm-hmm.
Beautiful—very nice.
How did your mother
instill a love for Jehovah in you?
Hmm.
She started pioneering
while she was working full-time
and raising two children.
But she was not a pioneer in name only.
She really loved it.
I remember seeing her face
when she came home from the ministry,
full of joy as she recounted
all the good experiences
she had in preaching.
Was the ministry easy
for your mom in that territory?
Hmm.
It’s true that some are pursuing
a more secular lifestyle
with not much interest or time for the Bible.
But my mom always found interest.
I think it’s because of her joy
and her sincere love for the people.
Oh, I remember she was very effective
in using the introduction section
of the New World Translation
to start conversations.
It sounds like she
was “aglow with the spirit.”
It makes us wonder,
‘How are the brothers and sisters
doing in the ministry,
especially with such an affluent lifestyle?’
Mm-hmm.
It’s actually going pretty well.
In fact, we have a video
that we can show you.
Oh, let’s watch it now.
Ilha Formosa, the “Island Beautiful”
—this island in the Pacific
is breathtakingly beautiful from its shores
to its highest summits.
But as is true around the world,
what is most beautiful to Taiwan
is its people.
In 1948, Brother Stanley Jones,
a graduate of the eighth class of Gilead,
visited Taiwan.
He traveled across the island
to attend an assembly
where some 300 people were baptized.
Those early seeds of truth
have sprouted into
over 11,000 Kingdom publishers.
Today, Taiwan is one of the most
densely populated lands on earth.
The city of Taipei is home
to over two million people.
Here there is opportunity
for wealth and affluence on every corner.
But our brothers and sisters
follow the example
of the early missionaries
and wholeheartedly support
the Kingdom preaching work.
When I was young,
I often heard my parents arguing
mostly because of money.
So I made up my mind
that when I grew up,
I would earn a lot of money.
I thought that this way my family
would be happy and complete.
When I was 17, I began studying the Bible
and learned an important truth:
Jehovah God wants to give us
a life in Paradise.
I also learned that contentment
is what truly brings happiness.
I was baptized in 1999.
After marrying Yi Hong,
we both had the goal of going to an area
to serve as pioneers.
At that time, my father
had already been suffering
from the effects of a stroke for eight years.
As time went on,
I liked my job more and more.
The job also gave me
a strong sense of achievement.
So sometimes I wondered
whether I was using
supporting the family as an excuse
while at the same time
enjoying my own lifestyle.
Whenever we heard about brothers and sisters
expanding their service
or the joy they felt attending SKE,
it really encouraged us.
It also helped us think about
whether we should adjust our own lifestyle.
Later, my father passed away.
We realized that now we had an opportunity,
so we needed to simplify our lives.
Soon after that,
both of us resigned from our jobs.
We moved to an area of greater need
and began pioneering there.
When I told my boss I was going to resign,
he was very unhappy.
He asked me in disbelief:
“Yi Hong, are you crazy?
“Have you thought this through
—your future?
What about your family?”
But I was still firm in my decision.
Jehovah truly blessed us.
I quickly fell in love with this way of life.
We were able to spend a lot of time
associating with the brothers
and sisters in the congregation,
and we also helped many Bible students
draw closer to Jehovah.
First of all, I feel that Satan’s world
creates an illusion.
It seems to offer many things
that look very attractive,
but what truly has value
is having a good relationship with Jehovah.
We can have everlasting life in Paradise
and serve Jehovah forever.
I truly wish that back then
I had the courage to take action sooner
and spend more time serving Jehovah.
I came to understand the truth,
as stated at Proverbs 10:22,
that “the blessing of Jehovah
—that “makes one rich.”
The early missionaries to Taiwan
set a strong foundation.
Their fine example lives on today
as thousands make sacrifices
to support the preaching work
here in the Far East.
It’s so encouraging
to see them working hard,
helping others learn about Jehovah.
It is.
So, Jiahui, other than your mother,
were there others
who helped you in your spiritual journey?
As I grew older,
there was a time that I was weak spiritually.
I would miss meetings,
but a missionary couple
in my congregation
took real personal interest in me.
They would notice
when I missed a meeting,
and the sister would check on me.
Is this them here in the picture
with your mom and your brother?
Mmm.
Yes.
Very nice.
Did they go to Gilead?
Yes.
In fact, they appeared in the video
To the Ends of the Earth.
I was so happy to be with them,
but later they were assigned
to another city.
I was sad, but I was blessed
with another friend,
a Japanese sister
who moved to Taiwan to help.
She often invited me to work with her
in different forms of the ministry.
That was loving of her to do that.
And did she help you in other ways too?
Yes.
When the first
Young People Ask video came out,
entitled How Can I Make Real Friends?,
she invited me over
and we watched it together.
As I was watching it,
I saw the pioneer sister
was helping the young girl
and I realized that the Japanese sister
was doing the same thing for me.
Up to that point,
the truth made sense to me.
It was logical.
But after experiencing
the sister’s love and care for me,
I connected it
to Jehovah’s love for me personally.
This really moved me to want
to draw close to him as a Friend.
That’s beautiful.
So with your mother
and others helping you,
how did this help you
in your spiritual progress?
Mm-hmm.
I started regular pioneering
and later joined an English congregation.
It’s truly a joy
to help people experience Jehovah’s love.
Many have moved to Taiwan to help.
It’s such an encouraging experience
to see ones from all over the world
show this self-sacrificing spirit
for Jehovah.
And it is a joy
to help others learn about Jehovah
and to be engaged
in teaching them the truth.
Thank you, Jiahui,
and we pray Jehovah’s blessing on you
and the brothers and sisters in Taiwan.
We really enjoyed your story.
Thank you.
Many of our brothers and sisters
had neither parent
help them learn about Jehovah.
So who helped them?
I’d like you to meet Doug Terrell
from the United States.
Doug, welcome.
Can you tell us
when your spiritual journey began?
When I was around 18 years old.
Honestly, I wasn’t in a good place.
What do you mean by that?
Well, I wasn’t raised in the truth.
And my mother, she did a fantastic job
raising me and my siblings.
But unfortunately,
I made very poor decisions.
I got involved with the wrong crowd.
I was very angry, depressed, anxious.
It got so bad that my mother
had a very serious conversation with me.
Up to that point,
I was visiting different churches
because I really wanted to know about God.
So I visited such churches as Catholic,
Pentecostal, Methodist.
And what did you think?
Well, nothing seemed authentic,
or genuine, to me.
It didn’t reach my heart.
So after my mother
had a conversation with me,
I remember getting down
on my knees in tears,
saying a long prayer to God,
begging him to reveal himself
and to help me find answers
to my questions.
What were some
of those questions, Doug?
Well, I wanted to know:
Does God have a name?
Why do bad things happen
to good people?
And why is there so much hypocrisy
in religion today?
And there are so many who are hungering
for the answers to those questions.
So, what happened?
Well, two weeks after that prayer,
Jehovah’s Witnesses came to the door.
Now, normally
we would not answer the door.
I see.
So why did you answer the door this time?
Well, this time it was different.
It was two sisters, and one of the sisters
was my high school teacher.
I remembered how kind and loving she was
when I was in the tenth grade.
So when I saw her, I answered the door.
And the question
that she posed to me was this:
Did you know that God has a name?
And she shared Psalm 83:18.
She later shared 1 John 5:19,
highlighting how “the whole world
is lying in the power of the wicked one.”
And for the first time,
I felt this overwhelming joy
that I had never experienced
up to that point.
That’s great.
Now, did others help you, aside from her,
in your Bible study
and in your spiritual progress?
Yes.
Well, after that interaction,
I started studying the Bible
and then I later visited Atlanta, Georgia.
And that’s when I met my best friend.
Tell us about him.
Well, at this time,
I had been studying for about a year,
but I needed help
applying what I was learning.
And so he took a real interest in me.
He helped me to apply what I was learning.
He was a zealous pioneer.
And so because of that,
I decided to move to Atlanta,
and he continued my Bible study.
And we actually became roommates
for seven years.
Wow!
How loving,
not just to take an interest in you
but also to be interested
in your spiritual needs!
And what happened after that?
Well, I remember that he invited
the circuit overseer on my Bible study,
and the circuit overseer
was very kind and loving to me.
So after my interaction with him,
I decided to pray to Jehovah
and to beg Him to help me
to set spiritual goals.
In this picture here— Who’s in the picture?
Well, this is at my baptism.
To the far right next to me
is the high school teacher
who knocked on my door,
and to the far left is my best friend.
Very nice—so he helped you
in connecting with the circuit overseer.
And how did that help you?
At this time in my life,
I just needed some help with navigating
through some of the residual effects
of what took place
before coming into the truth.
So my local circuit overseer at the time,
he took a keen interest in me.
He helped refine my abilities
in the ministry.
Also he helped me to improve
in my teaching abilities, shepherding,
and helped me navigate through
some of my emotions.
And not long after that,
I entered the full-time circuit work.
That’s wonderful!
Looking back then on those
who helped you in your spiritual journey,
what impression do you have?
Well, I’m reminded
of the Bible character, Onesimus.
Before becoming a Christian,
he was a runaway slave.
And slaves were just viewed
as property during that time.
But then he became a Christian,
and the apostle Paul used him
to benefit the congregations.
And I felt like Onesimus.
Before coming into the truth,
I felt like a piece of property
—just nothing,
like I didn’t have much of a future.
But then Jehovah used
modern-day apostle Pauls,
such as my high school teacher,
my best friend,
and the local circuit overseer,
to help me to see the potential in myself
that I just didn’t see.
It’s nice that you met
some of your spiritual goals, Doug.
And it shows the value
of taking a personal interest
and taking the time
to help young ones to love Jehovah.
Thank you very much, Doug.
We enjoyed your story.
When our spiritual need is filled,
note how it moves us
to want to do more for Jehovah.
Our last interview is of a couple
now serving in Thailand.
Please welcome Andy and Julia Alton.
Andy and Julia—you are both from the U.K.
but serving in Thailand.
So, what were the steps
that got you there?
Honestly, for a long time, we had the goal
of serving in Bethel in Britain.
So after applying, we heard nothing.
We were a little bit disappointed,
and we were also a little lost too.
There are some who have spiritual goals,
and they’re perhaps disappointed
that they’re not happening
when and how they want them to.
So, what did you do?
So at that point, we just prayed about it,
and then the opportunity came along
to serve where the need
was greater in Thailand.
How did that opportunity come up?
So my sister and her husband
were already serving there
as need-greaters.
So they encouraged us to try it too.
And then in Manchester
close to where we lived,
there was a Thai-language group
that was established.
So it just felt like a natural stepping stone
to serving in Thailand.
And what was it like?
Yeah, it was great.
However, every six months or so,
we would have to travel
back to the U.K. for work.
And any interest
that we’d found in the ministry,
we had to hand over.
So when we returned back to Thailand,
we felt we had to start all over again.
And honestly, in our hearts we’d never really
let go of serving at Bethel in Britain.
But we knew one way or another,
we had to make a set decision:
Do we continue with service in Thailand
or move back to England
and carry on in full-time service there?
And meanwhile, the Britain branch
is still not calling you to Bethel.
So, what did you decide?
So after much prayer,
we decided on Thailand.
So, what led to that decision?
So after weighing all of the options,
it was definitely the huge need
in the field in Thailand.
There is so much work to do.
So we decided to let go
of what we preferred and to focus on this.
And also for us,
it was the scarier thing to do.
How would the scarier thing
be a factor in this decision?
So the scarier thing
was definitely outside of our comfort zone.
And when we put ourselves
outside of our comfort zone,
we had to totally rely on Jehovah.
And then a wonderful thing happened:
We drew much closer to him.
Well, thank you for explaining that.
And thank you for doing the scarier thing.
So, what’s the ministry like in Thailand?
Yeah, it’s wonderful out there.
This is a picture of me and Julia
when we were going out preaching
in Bangkok.
We met so many interested people there.
It’s interesting that Thailand in general
(you might recognize)
is mainly a Buddhist country;
however, there are a lot of people,
especially younger ones,
who are searching
for something more satisfying.
That definitely
leaves the door open to the truth.
Actually, we have a video
to show about that.
Let’s watch it now.
Welcome to Thailand!
It’s a land of vibrant color,
where the air is filled
with the scent of street food
and the warmth of what is called
the Land of Smiles.
Hospitality isn’t just a habit;
it’s a way of life.
The people here
value friendship and family.
Still, many are searching for more.
People here are looking for a purpose
that brings lasting peace.
Take for example Narumon
and Kanitta.
In the environment I grew up in,
there were religious leaders
who were supposed to be
good examples of the religion,
but they didn’t follow the teaching at all.
When I was a child, I wondered:
‘Well, if they are religious leaders
but they aren’t good people,
‘why do people still worship them?
Why?’
But the answer I got was always,
“Well, he’s a monk,
so you have to bow and pay respect.”
And I felt that answer
didn’t make sense at all.
My father was lovely and kind.
But one problem was that
he was addicted to alcohol.
According to the Buddhists’ teachings,
they teach that if someone
is addicted to alcohol
and drinks too much,
they can fall into hell.
So that’s what scared me
because I didn’t want my father
to fall into hell.
So I went to the temple to find an answer
and to see if there was a way
to prevent my father from falling into hell.
But they said there wasn’t
because merit cannot erase sin.
“Good deeds
cannot cancel bad deeds.
“You can make merit
by donating items to the temple,
and that might help your father
when he falls into hell.”
I felt I wasn’t very satisfied
with the answer they gave,
so that became the point
where I started to look.
I wanted to know
what other religions taught about this.
Since childhood,
I was taught to believe without reasons.
There was no weight to it
—just taught to believe and not question it.
But I wanted better answers
and answers with more reasoning,
so I joined social media groups
that discussed changing religions.
And I learned that there were still
many people who wanted to change religions.
And many people invited me
to go to church.
I felt interested, but I was afraid to go.
And I saw the Bible.
I felt like this book
might have the answers for life.
So I wanted to borrow it from them
to read at home.
But the religion teacher said
I couldn’t take it home; I had to buy it.
So I asked how much it cost.
They said around 1,000 baht
($31.00 U.S.D.).
‘My phone probably has the Bible online
for free to read, right?’
So I typed “Bible” in Google,
and I clicked the first link.
I scrolled down and saw it said:
“Study the Bible free.
Free Bible study.”
Later, I found out that the site was jw.org.
So I thought, ‘Hmm, is it really free?’
But I tried anyway.
So I filled in my information,
and I told myself
that if they said it wasn’t free,
then I would stop.
I wouldn’t contact them again.
But after about two days,
a sister called me.
I asked her many times,
“Is it really free?”
And she said, “Yes, it’s free.”
One day, I had a chance
to go out to eat with my boss.
After the food arrived,
I saw her close her eyes.
I didn’t know why she did that,
so I was curious.
When she opened her eyes,
I asked her what she was doing.
She answered
that she was praying to give thanks.
She’s a Christian
and was praying to thank God.
So I said: “Oh, I actually
want to change my religion.
If I want to change religions,
what should I do?”
She said:
“Oh, I teach Bible lessons for free.
Are you interested?”
I immediately agreed.
My father passed away in 2019.
It was a sad event.
But I didn’t feel scared like before
because I know that in the future,
I will see him again.
He will be resurrected,
and we can talk again.
In Enjoy Life Forever!, lesson 27
(I felt deeply impressed when I studied it),
the teacher helped me to see
that the love of Jehovah and Jesus’ sacrifice
make us realize that Jesus
didn’t only say he loved us,
but he actually did something about it.
I feel that these are the kind
of Persons we should follow
because they are Leaders
filled with love and self-sacrifice.
It has been our privilege to see ones
like Narumon and Kanitta
embrace the truth.
That is why we keep searching:
Because when a person finds the truth,
it changes their life.
You know those two sisters, right?
Yeah, we do.
And also Narumon was a Bible student
when we first got to Thailand,
and we were
in the same congregation together.
I can see why you love the ministry
so much there.
Were there others who helped you
to adjust and to adapt to your assignment?
Yeah, there were a lot of brothers
and sisters who helped us,
in particular one missionary couple.
They’d been through Gilead.
They really helped us to see
how we could work hard
but be balanced as well
as we adapted to the local culture.
They just helped us with things
like how we could make our place a home
—somewhere where we
could feel comfortable
to refresh, reset,
and go about preaching again the next day.
It’s nice that they helped you
in practical ways and by example.
So, Andy and Julia,
what do you think helped start this desire
to want to do more for Jehovah?
I think for me, it definitely goes back
to Mum and Dad.
They both love Jehovah.
They’re both very kind
and very generous
in the way they help
the brothers and sisters.
I think about my dad.
We worked together quite often
in Kingdom Hall construction
when I was younger.
It’s something we really enjoyed
doing together.
Also, there were two elders
in my congregation
whom I also worked with secularly.
They both helped out
with Kingdom Hall construction.
I think between them all, they really helped
to shape my love for Jehovah
and to help me set spiritual goals.
Is that you?
Yeah, this is me with my mum and dad.
Beautiful.
Yeah, and for me, it was
the great example of my parents too.
My mum got baptized when I was young,
and then a few years later, my dad did.
And from that moment onward,
we always had
a consistent spiritual routine,
which is difficult being one of seven kids.
But no matter what came up,
we always went in field service
and we always went to the meetings.
Those were nonnegotiables.
And I have fond memories
of coming home from school
and seeing my mum at the kitchen table
doing her personal study,
and in the mornings,
I would wake up and see
my dad reading The Watchtower.
And I just wanted to imitate them.
I could see how real Jehovah was
to them both.
And is that you in both those pictures?
Yeah, that’s me with my mum
and me with my dad.
You’ve both shown us the value
of parents, missionaries, and others
taking the time and helping young ones
and helping their children
to rely on Jehovah,
to trust him, and then
to reach out and do more for him.
Thank you both, Andy and Julia.
We loved your story.
We’ve seen how Jehovah
can cause anyone
to fill the spiritual need in someone else.
Did you see yourself in these interviews?
How is Jehovah helping you now
to fill the spiritual need in someone else?
You parents, for example,
you’re to be commended
for your tireless efforts
in helping your children
to love Jehovah and give him their best.
And you can be successful even if you
do not have the support of a mate.
And you in the congregation
—as appointed men,
missionaries, pioneers, older ones—
you have a share in shaping the lives
of these young, precious ones.
You play a large part
in helping them give their best to Jehovah,
and they, in turn,
will fill the spiritual need in yet others.
We hope you enjoyed
these experiences and interviews,
and we’ll see you on the next episode
of The Inside Story.
Well, thank you Brother Clarke
and also all the participants;
we really appreciated that.
And our hearts were burning to see
how many honesthearted people
there still are out there to be found.
I don’t know about you, but I was wanting
to go back to my missionary assignment.
Anyway, we can’t choose.
Well, when we were reading at the outset
of this program
about what happened
between Abraham and Lot,
how were you feeling about Lot?
Were you painting him as the bad guy?
Well, Brother David Splane,
a member of the Governing Body,
has chosen a different and important angle
on this theme of Lot,
with the theme
“Give Them the Benefit of the Doubt.”
I was just thinking
that it was 60 years ago next month
when I reported for Gilead
at 107 Columbia Heights
—wonderful memories.
And then, of course,
five months later, we had the graduation.
So, I think, I have an idea
of what you are feeling right now.
This is a big day
for you members of the graduating class.
And we want to say
that we’re proud of you.
You’ve worked hard,
and Jehovah has blessed you.
And you’ve taken
a very practical approach to your studies
—not to impress people
with how much you know,
but to draw closer to Jehovah
and to draw closer to your brothers.
And it’s this latter point
that I’m going to develop in this talk
—our relationship
with our brothers and sisters.
Now, we know that Jehovah
knows everything there is to know about us.
And for that reason,
we take comfort in the fact
that when the final judgment is rendered,
it will be righteous
because Jehovah will have left nothing out.
He will not have discounted anything.
He will not have forgotten anything.
Jehovah will have taken
all of the facts into consideration.
Now, on the other hand,
as God told Samuel:
“Mere man sees what appears to the eyes.”
We can’t possibly have all the information
that we would need in order to render
a final judgment on someone.
And as Jake mentioned,
we’re going to be using Lot
as an example.
And the question is:
Is there a lesson about giving someone
the benefit of the doubt
that we can learn from Lot?
And just so you know, Jake and I
did collaborate on our presentations.
We were in cahoots.
Now, Peter had something to say about Lot.
Let’s read what Peter wrote in 2 Peter
—2 Peter chapter 2.
And we’re going to read verses 7 and 8.
And here we have a description of Lot.
I’ll give you a moment.
If your arthritic fingers are like mine,
it takes a little while to find it sometimes
—2 Peter chapter 2, verses 7 and 8.
Speaking of Jehovah, it says:
“And he rescued righteous Lot,
“who was greatly distressed
by the brazen conduct of the lawless people—
“for day after day that righteous man
“was tormenting his righteous soul
over the lawless deeds that he
saw and heard while dwelling with them.”
Now, who was calling
Lot “righteous”?
Was this the apostle Peter’s
personal opinion?
Well, no, because this is
Peter’s second inspired letter.
So Peter was moved by the holy spirit
to choose that adjective for Lot.
Peter was being moved by the holy spirit
to call Lot three times a “righteous” man.
But who was behind the holy spirit?
Jehovah God.
So, really, when we read three times
that Lot was a “righteous” man,
this is Jehovah God presenting us
with his assessment of Lot.
Now, is that the way you tend to view Lot,
as a righteous man?
Or do you sometimes view him
as a man who was deeply flawed?
Well, someone might say:
“When his uncle Abraham gave him the choice
“of where in the land of Canaan
he wanted to live,
“Lot chose the best portion;
“he should have insisted
that the older man take it.
Doesn’t that show that he was selfish?”
Well, when you read the account
and when you read the limited amount
of information
that’s provided in the account,
you could come to that conclusion,
and it may be the right one.
But is it that Lot was selfish,
or could it be that there are missing details
that would help us to fill out the picture
and moderate our opinion a little bit?
Suppose, for example,
that although Lot was Abraham’s nephew,
he was actually older than Abraham,
even much older.
Would that change
your assessment a little bit?
Well, if you’re a Bethelite,
it should
—seniority.
You know, here in Bethel
when a number of rooms become available,
we have an interesting way of deciding
who’s going to get which room.
We don’t draw straws.
We don’t flip a coin.
We don’t do rock, paper, and scissors.
And we don’t arm wrestle for it.
We have a room bid.
Now, all of those who are eligible to bid,
they get to visit each room.
And when someone sees a room he likes,
he’s able to inform the Bethel Office.
Now, what happens if two Bethelites
want the same room?
Well, the room is awarded
to the one who has the most seniority.
In other words, the one who has spent
the most time in full-time service.
Now, the person who did not get the room
does not say to the person
who did get the room:
“You’re selfish.
I wanted that room.
You should let me have it.”
No.
The senior Bethelite gets the room.
That’s how it works.
Now, suppose that Lot
was older than his uncle,
maybe old enough to be his father.
Now, we can’t say for sure,
because there are a few details missing
in the book of Genesis.
But here are a couple of interesting facts:
Abraham had two brothers,
Haran and Nahor,
and Abraham was almost certainly
the baby of the family.
Now, why do we say that?
Well, how old was Abraham’s father
when Abraham was born?
Was he 60 years old?
No.
Was he 100 years old?
No.
Abraham’s father
was about 130 years old
when Abraham was born.
Ironic—isn’t it?
Abraham thought that he was too old
to father a child when he was 100,
and yet his own father was 130 or thereabouts
when Abraham was born.
Anyway, it means that Abraham
had older brothers.
And we do know from the Scriptures
—by doing the math—
we do know
that Abraham’s oldest brother was 60
when Abraham was born.
And that could have been Lot’s father
because he was the first of the three to die.
Now, men were fathering children
at 30 in those days.
So if Lot’s father was 60
when Abraham was born,
what are the chances that Lot was a teenager
or even a grown man
when Abraham came along?
Now, if that was the case,
Abraham was simply offering the choice
of the place in the Promised Land
to the one who had the most seniority.
Now, if you have ever obtained
a room on bid with your seniority,
I don’t think you’re going
to argue with that.
Well, I hear someone say,
“That’s all very well, but you can’t prove
that Lot was older than Abraham
because the Bible doesn’t say he was.”
You’re making my point
because you can’t prove that he wasn’t.
This talk is not about proving anything.
It’s not about Lot.
Lot is just an example.
The point of the talk
is that we need to give people
the benefit of the doubt
when we don’t have all the facts,
and in this case,
we don’t have all the facts.
Fair enough, but what about this:
“Lot wasn’t satisfied to live in tents.
“He wanted a more comfortable life.
“So he moved into the city of Sodom.
Doesn’t that prove
that he was materialistic?”
Well, it may suggest that.
But again, do we have all the facts?
Do we really know what motivated
Lot to move into Sodom?
Was it a desire for a more comfortable life,
or was it because
he wanted security for his family?
Remember, Lot had been kidnapped.
Now, if you had been kidnapped,
would you be happy to raise your family
in the open field in a tent,
or would you want the security
of a walled city?
Remember, many of our brothers and sisters
live in dangerous neighborhoods,
and it’s not because they want it.
It’s not because they want
a comfortable life in a big city;
it’s because they don’t have many options.
Now, the apostle Peter
knew everything about Lot that we do,
and yet he called Lot a “righteous man,”
not a selfish man, not a materialistic man,
but a “righteous man.”
Lot wasn’t righteous
because he left the city of Sodom.
He was allowed to leave the city of Sodom
because he had been righteous.
He had done things
that Jehovah considered to be righteous.
Now, maybe Lot was being selfish
when he accepted the best part of the land,
and maybe he was being materialistic
when he moved his family into Sodom.
But if that was the case,
then there must be many other things
—many other good things—
that Lot did so that Jehovah
would call him a “righteous man.”
And these are just things
that we don’t know about.
So the whole point is
we have to look at the whole picture,
and sometimes the whole picture
is not available to us.
If we draw certain conclusions
without having all the facts,
we’re setting ourselves up for embarrassment.
And that’s what happened to the Israelites
after they’d conquered
a portion of the Promised Land.
The Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half tribe of Manasseh
remained on the east side of the Jordan
because the land there provided
good forage for their livestock.
Now, let’s turn to Joshua chapter 22
and see what happened.
Again, I’ll give you a moment.
That’s Joshua chapter 22.
And we’re going to read verse 10
—Joshua 22:10:
“When they came to the regions of the Jordan
in the land of Canaan,
“the Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half tribe of Manasseh
“built an altar there by the Jordan,
a large, impressive altar.”
Well, rather than giving their brothers
the benefit of the doubt,
the other Israelites concluded
that the two and a half tribes
were headed into apostasy.
They even got ready to go to war.
But, now, what do we know
about those two and a half tribes?
Before that, they had fought side by side
with the Israelites
in the conquest of the Promised Land.
But not only that,
they had risked their lives to do so.
How do we know that?
They were placed
in the forefront of the battle.
Those two and a half tribes
were always the first to go into war,
and therefore they were bearing
the brunt of the battle.
They were brave.
And had any of them shown
the slightest inclination toward apostasy?
But rather than giving their brothers
the benefit of the doubt,
the rest of the tribes approached them
and they said what we read in verses 16-18
—verses 16-18:
“This is what
all the assembly of Jehovah says:
“‘What is this act of unfaithfulness
“‘that you have committed
against the God of Israel?
“‘You have turned back today
from following Jehovah
“‘by building yourselves an altar
and rebelling against Jehovah.
“‘Was the error of Peor not enough for us?
“‘We have not cleansed ourselves
from it down to this day,
“‘even though a plague
came upon the assembly of Jehovah.
“‘And you would turn back today
from following Jehovah!
“‘If you rebel today against Jehovah,
“‘then tomorrow he will be indignant
against the entire assembly of Israel.’”
That wasn’t the end of the speech.
They had more to say.
And after the representatives
of the ten tribes caught their breath,
the elders
of the two and a half tribes
explained that the altar
was not for worship at all.
The altar was built to remind the tribes
on the other side of the Jordan
that the two and a half tribes
worshipped Jehovah as well.
Can you imagine how embarrassed
the high priest and the elders of Israel were
when they realized
that they’d made an issue over nothing?
At the outset, we observed
that Jehovah knows
everything there is to know about us.
So it stands to reason
that the more we know
about our brothers and sisters
—their family background,
the challenges they face—
the less likely we’ll be to be judgmental.
When we realize how hard
some have struggled
to get to the point where they are now,
we just have to love them.
Don’t ever discredit the best person
in the family.
Sometimes we have
a little bit of a problem with someone,
but if we realize
what his family background was like
(perhaps none of his relatives
are in the truth,
perhaps they had a very immoral lifestyle)
and here you have this gem
—this person Jehovah loves.
And so when somebody annoys us a little bit,
we really need to say:
‘Is Jehovah calling this person righteous
‘—a righteous man, a righteous woman?
‘He’s annoying me; she’s annoying me.
‘But maybe in Jehovah’s eyes,
this is a righteous person.
‘And my problem is I’m just seeing
the little thing that annoys me,
but I’m not looking at the whole picture.’
Many years ago at another Bethel,
a young brother had to collaborate
with an elderly sister
on a long-time project.
Now, the sister and her husband
were both of the anointed.
The brother was the sweetest man
who ever walked the earth.
His wife was a very faithful sister
(giving the benefit of the doubt),
but if you didn’t do your work
to her satisfaction,
she could slice you up pretty thin.
I think she thought of herself less
as a sister than as everybody’s grandmother.
Well, I really appreciated the maturity
of that young brother.
Rather than seething and saying,
“What right does this sister have
to talk to a brother this way?”
he invited the couple
to his room for an evening,
and he learned about their faithful endurance
when the work was banned in that country.
And so he came to have
a little different view of that sister,
and hopefully it gave the sister
a little different perspective on him.
So when our faithful brothers and sisters
rub us the wrong way,
let’s get more information about them,
spend time with them,
work with them in the ministry,
meet them for coffee.
To know them is to love them.
So if you get
a few invitations for coffee next week—
A person may be shy
or have a stern facial expression;
he might rarely smile.
We might conclude
that he’s cold, proud, unloving.
That may not be the case at all.
It may just be the face
the good Lord gave him.
Because of poor health
or some other impediment,
someone may not be able
to do as much work as we do.
He might keep his health problem to himself.
We might conclude that he’s lazy.
Jehovah might see that he’s doing his best.
On the other hand,
if someone is really energetic
and can work circles around us,
should we conclude
that he is trying to show off,
make the rest of us look bad?
It may just be the way he was trained,
the way he was brought up,
his way of giving Jehovah his best.
When we were in traveling work,
I once served a congregation where I heard
a lot of talk about a certain sister.
People were saying:
“She claims to be sick,
but you see her at the grocery store.
“She has plenty of energy
to shop for groceries,
but you don’t see her
at many meetings.”
I visited that sister, and I’m glad I did.
It turned out that she was suffering
from a crippling disease.
She was almost constantly in pain.
But from time to time, the pain would abate.
And when it did,
she took advantage of the opportunity
to go out and get some groceries.
She lived alone;
she didn’t have any help.
When the pain came back,
she was almost in bed all the time.
Well, it would have been better
to offer a little help
rather than to criticize, wouldn’t it?
As I said, in this talk
we haven’t set out to prove anything
about Lot or anybody else.
The goal is to remind us
that Jehovah is the only one
who has the facts.
He loves our brothers and sisters,
and he wants us to love them too.
And he’ll be pleased
when we give them the benefit of the doubt.
We know you’ll do that as you work
shoulder to shoulder
with your fellow believers.
Please know that we love you all very much.
May Jehovah bless you richly
as you continue serving him faithfully.
So, now, would you like to know
where they’re going?
Yes.
OK, this is the exciting part.
And we have here
Brother Ronald Curzan
who will help us with the diplomas,
the presenting of the diplomas,
to our Gilead students.
Well, first of all, we have Brother Ajavon,
and he will return to the West Africa branch.
Next, we have Brother and Sister Alimănescu,
who will return to the Romania branch.
Brother and Sister Alton have been assigned
to the Zambia branch.
Brother Arsiashvili
will return to the Georgia branch.
Brother and Sister Bueche
will return to the United States branch.
Brother and Sister Capece
will return to the Mozambique branch.
Brother and Sister Carlisle
have been assigned to the Portugal branch.
Brother and Sister Carmichael
will return to the United States branch.
Brother and Sister Carraway
have been assigned to the Zambia branch.
Brother Collymore
has been assigned to the West Africa branch.
Brother Figely
will return to the Czech-Slovak branch.
Brother Fujita
will return to the Japan branch.
Brother and Sister Gatembasi
have been assigned to the Rwanda branch.
Brother and Sister Girma
will return to the Ethiopia branch.
Brother and Sister González
will return to the Spain branch.
Brother and Sister Hayega
will return to the West Africa branch.
Brother and Sister Herron
have been assigned to the Nigeria branch.
Brother and Sister Hugó
will return to the Scandinavia branch.
Brother and Sister Lagavakatini
will return to the Fiji branch.
Brother and Sister Lattanzi
have been assigned to the Spain branch.
Sister Lin
will return to the Taiwan branch.
Brother Lopes
has been assigned to the South Africa branch.
And Brother MacDonald
will return to the United States branch.
Brother and Sister Mauri
will return to the Australasia branch.
Brother Mutahi
will return to the East Africa branch.
Brother Nelson
will return to the Scandinavia branch.
Brother and Sister Osogu
will return to the Nigeria branch.
Brother Peralta
will return to the Colombia branch.
Sister Šakić will
return to the Croatia branch.
Brother and Sister Spina
have been assigned to the Rwanda branch.
Brother Terrell
will return to the United States branch.
Brother Vaitiekus
will return to the Finland branch.
Brother Yoon
will return to the United States branch.
Brother Zapp
will return to the United States branch.
Well, would you like to see
the whole class together?
Raise the curtain.
We’re so proud of you.
We know that it was a lot of work,
all that you’ve done in the school,
and it has all led up to this day,
and we’re just so happy to see
how Jehovah has blessed you.
And now we’ll have
the reading of the class letter.
And Brother Aidan Mauri will do
that for us from the Australasia branch.
“We want to express, dear Governing Body,
“our deepest and most heartfelt gratitude
“for the priceless privilege of attending
the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead.
“From the moment we arrived,
“your warm hospitality
“—also expressed through the Bethel family—
“wrapped us in love
and heightened our anticipation
“for the rich spiritual feast ahead.
“Thank you for the precious time
you spent visiting our class.
“Your teaching, the loving efforts
of your helpers and our dear instructors,
“along with the faithful support
of the Theocratic Schools Department
“touched our hearts deeply and allowed us
to ‘see our Grand Instructor
“with our own eyes.’
“Throughout the Gilead course,
we were helped to see and cherish
“Jehovah’s tender, unselfish love
“in an even more profound way.
“From the moment mankind fell into sin,
“Jehovah has held nothing back
“in his desire
to reconcile humans to himself.
“Meditating on the Edenic promise,
“Jehovah’s covenants with Abraham and David,
“and the beautiful features of the Mosaic Law
—especially Atonement Day—
“deepened our gratitude
for the ransom sacrifice
“of his beloved Son.
“Our confidence in Jehovah’s love
has also grown
“through our study
of Jesus’ life and ministry
“and his perfect reflection
of his Father’s qualities.
“We were especially moved by the patience
he showed toward his apostles,
“the dignity and kindness
he extended to women,
“and the self-sacrificing love
he demonstrated
“in suffering and dying on the torture stake.
“How grateful we are to have Jesus
“as our reigning King
and compassionate High Priest!
“Examining the fulfillment of Bible prophecy
“has strengthened our hope
in Jehovah’s promises
“and filled us with courage
for the days ahead.
“For instance, Zechariah’s vision
“of the four chariots going out
to the four corners of the earth
“—and Jehovah’s spirit
‘resting on the north’—
“reassured us that Jehovah’s powerful angels
“act as a cavalry to protect His people,
“both in ancient times as well as in our day.
“Even as world conditions continue to worsen,
“knowing that this angelic cavalry
stands with us
“fills our hearts with confidence
“as we uphold Jehovah’s sovereignty now
and into the great tribulation.
“Our zeal for the ministry
has also been intensified
“through the practical Love People
—Make Disciples workshops during class.
“We enjoyed demonstrations,
“which beautifully displayed
the qualities needed
“to preach in a wide range of circumstances.
“These experiences
have strengthened our desire
“to share the good news of the Kingdom
“with greater love, warmth, and urgency,
“as ‘the fields . . .
are white for harvesting!’
“With all that our Grand Instructor
has taught us over these past five months,
“it is our earnest resolve
to apply these lessons wholeheartedly.
“We are determined to imitate our Head,
the Christ,
“as we serve ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with you,
dear brothers,
“and our worldwide brotherhood
“—all to the praise and glory
of our heavenly Father, Jehovah.
Your brothers and sisters,
the 159th Class of Gilead.”
Well, we just have some
concluding remarks for you.
You remember we left off with a question:
When Lot’s choices
began to backfire on him in some ways,
what would Abram’s reaction be?
What would it be?
This brings us to our third fear:
The fear that sometimes comes
with making peace,
and that is, letting go of the past
—letting go of the past.
We know that not long after Lot
went over to the area
of Sodom and Gomorrah
he was taken captive
—he and his family—
by the aggressors in a war that broke out.
Now, if Abram
still had some resentment toward Lot,
what do you think he could have thought
at that moment?
‘Payback time.’
Right?
‘Serves him right.
He should have learned
his lesson back there.’
He could have thought that.
What would Abram do?
Well, open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 14
—Genesis chapter 14.
You know, Abram here could have feared
that letting go of the past
would be like condoning or minimizing
the thing that Lot had done to him.
Right?
But notice what he did here
at Genesis chapter 14,
verse 14, at hearing what he heard about Lot.
Verse 14 says:
“Thus Abraham heard
“that his relative had been taken captive.
“With that he mobilized his trained men,
“318 servants
“born in his household,
and went in pursuit up to Dan.”
So that’s what Abram did.
We know that from Mamre to Dan
was about 200 kilometers to the north.
It may have taken him several days;
there may have been, obviously,
some expense to him
and some risk to him.
But he did it even though it wasn’t easy.
Then later on, in verses 21 to 23,
he has an opportunity
to get a little bit of money
from the efforts
that he put forth in helping Lot.
He refused it—no ulterior motive for Abram.
Abram was humbly willing
to help Lot fix the bad consequences
of the very decision that could have
caused problems between them.
Abram was focused on making peace.
He was determined to let it go.
So, what’s the lesson that we can learn
from Abram’s example?
Well, have you ever yielded?
Maybe you are the minority,
and you yielded to the majority,
and then eventually the plan
that everyone else had
didn’t work.
And isn’t that a nice opportunity to say,
“I told you so”
or maybe in some way let everybody know
that it wasn’t your idea in the first place?
We laugh, but we’ve all done it.
Resist the urge to hold on to resentment.
Do what Abram did.
Work hard at supporting the decision,
even the decision
that you weren’t in agreement with.
And if it fails, imitate Abram.
Humbly, like Abram,
help pick up the pieces of the situation
instead of blaming others for what happened.
Why?
Well, because it will make peace.
And if we make peace,
we’ll be at peace with God.
And that’s what we want
more than anything else.
So, what have we learned
in these three fears?
Well, we’ve learned a lot about Abram.
Abram was a peacemaker.
He wasn’t afraid of looking weak.
He wasn’t afraid of being taken advantage of.
He wasn’t afraid of letting go of the past.
Now, did he lose out
because of those decisions?
Well, we don’t know, really,
if Lot ever appreciated
the efforts that Abram made to make peace.
The Bible doesn’t say,
as we learned from Brother Splane.
But it doesn’t really matter
because that’s not the reason
that Abram tried so hard.
What was it?
Well, it’s interesting
that right after both of those accounts
(those times that Abram
tried to make peace with Lot
or he showed
that he was making peace with Lot)
Jehovah did something special for Abram.
Starting at Genesis 13:14
and later at Genesis 15:1,
Jehovah expresses to Abram
his approval and his love for Abram.
See, that’s what Abram wanted.
He wanted to go to the altar.
He wanted to be at peace with God.
And that is exactly what Abram got.
So when your peace is stressed to the limit,
because it will be
(maybe it will be stressed at Bethel
(or maybe it will be at home
or maybe it will be in your congregation),
don’t give in to fear.
Fight your fears
by humbly searching out the one
who is not at peace
and trying your best to restore it.
Will it be easy?
No.
Will the person that you’re trying
to show peace to react positively?
Maybe not.
But God will.
And then what?
And then you can come back to the altar
and offer your gift.
Jehovah will be there.
He’ll be waiting for you, ready to accept it.
Why?
Because you made your effort
to make your peace.
Graduates (now)
of the 159th class of Gilead, we love you.
And we pray that Jehovah
will continue to bless you wherever you go.
Soon, additional encouraging talks
from the graduation
will be available on jw.org
and the JW Library® app.
Before we go, we’ll travel down under
to our brothers in Australia.
This vast country is topographically
the flattest continent on earth
and the driest second only to Antarctica.
The name comes from a Latin phrase
meaning “The Unknown Southern Land.”
It’s a continent abundant
with gemstones like white opal.
Australia is one of the most
multicultural countries in the world,
with over 270 different ethnicities.
Over a quarter of all Australians
were born overseas.
Most Australians, or Aussies,
love the outdoors.
You can find many of them surfing,
playing footy
(the nickname for Australian Rules Football),
or enjoying a barbie (or barbecue).
The barbie is an experience
woven into the fabric of Australian culture.
Guests typically bring food to share,
so the final meal is a wide variety
of regional and international dishes.
Another quintessential Australian food
is Vegemite,
invented in Melbourne in 1923.
This dark brown paste
is made mainly from brewer’s yeast
and has a unique umami flavor,
which gives it a taste sensation
often described
as meaty.
Locals love to spread it thinly
on toast or on crackers
for a salty, savory kick.
The country is also known
for their passion for coffee.
Three-quarters of the population
drink a cup every day,
and 95 percent of cafes
are independently owned.
It’s typically made using
quality imported coffee beans
along with latte art
to dazzle the eyes and taste buds.
In the late 18th century,
hundreds of copies of the Bible
shipped on the First Fleet
headed for Australia.
By the 19th century,
the divine name had reached
some of the diverse and indigenous languages
and was rendered in various forms,
such as Yehóa and Jehovah.
The Bible’s message
began to touch people’s hearts,
like young Kartanya, who at 11 years old
wrote in her native language Kaurna:
“Always worship Jehovah.
“Jehovah is our Creator.
Jehovah saves us from sin.”
Arthur Willis, from Western Australia,
was eager to help others learn about God.
In 1931, at the age of 19,
he began pioneering and traveled
to remote regions across the country.
By 1932, he began
searching out indigenous Australians.
In 1943, Arthur settled in Pingelly
and contacted
a Noongar Aboriginal family, the Collards.
James and his wife, Mabel, had 17 children.
Bible studies were conducted
at the family home and, in time, their family
became the foundation of the congregation
with the first indigenous publishers
in Australia.
The grandchildren of James and Mabel Collard
are among the over 71,000 publishers
proclaiming God’s Kingdom in the country.
The publishers search out
honesthearted people at the beaches,
rural farmlands,
or city streets.
They also try to learn new languages,
like Mandarin Chinese,
and immerse themselves in the culture.
One of these zealous groups of publishers
is the Carlton Congregation in Melbourne.
They meet in the vibrant
and multicultural territory
of Melbourne’s central business district.
This congregation is made up
of 21 different nationalities.
Our brothers and sisters
have a special message for everyone.
We love you!
And we send our love to all of you as well.
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting.

JW Broadcasting—June 2026: 159th Gilead Graduation