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I was not raised in the truth.
Both my family
and members of my former religion
strongly opposed me.
At times, they even insulted me,
which started to give me
a lot of anxiety about the ministry.
Since I was little, I worked in the fields.
I felt sad when I saw
the other children go to school.
I would say, “I want to learn to read.”
But back then,
I never got the opportunity to learn to read.
I remember getting nervous
about going out to preach.
I kept thinking: ‘Will they listen to me?
Will they open the door?’
My parents raised me in the truth,
but even as a child, I was always really shy.
As a result,
I had a hard time expressing myself.
And when I tried to express
what I intended to say,
sometimes I would say something different.
Then, during the pandemic,
my shyness worsened
because I developed an anxiety disorder.
When I go out in the ministry
with another brother,
out of self-doubt, I would tell him,
“Brother, you do the preaching;
I’ll just accompany you.”
Ever since I developed anxiety,
I became more conscious
of what I said to others.
I thought that I might say
something wrong to them
or maybe that they might not like what I say.
Because of these things,
it made everything more difficult for me.
I remember meeting a lady.
She asked me,
“How are you going to preach
if you don’t even know how to read?”
I was very sad that day.
Prayer helped me a great deal.
Whenever I went into the ministry
and started feeling anxious and afraid,
I said a short prayer,
and I would feel better
and notice that my anxiety decreased.
I could also feel Jehovah holding my hand
and helping me to continue preaching.
Even though I couldn’t read, I would say,
“I’m not going to be afraid
because I know that God is holding my hand.”
Whenever I felt nervous,
I would always pray to God.
An experienced sister
who partnered with me in the ministry
really helped me.
She mentioned to me
that it is Jehovah who enables us
to be qualified for an assignment
and not our own abilities.
The brothers and sisters
I’m with in the ministry
also helped me a lot.
When they share their experiences
in the ministry with me
and tell me how
Jehovah helped them gain courage,
I am strengthened,
because if they can do it
with Jehovah’s help,
I can do it too.
Often when I go out in the ministry,
I find myself relying on my own thinking.
But when Jesus went into the ministry,
he used the Scriptures.
Following that example
has helped me avoid saying
too much in the ministry.
When I go preaching,
I try to keep it simple.
I might say, “Oh, you’re sweeping”
or “What a beautiful garden!
Look at these flowers—how lovely and pink!”
I’ll say,
“Studying the Bible can help us appreciate
the beautiful things God has made.”
The words that bring me
the greatest comfort are:
“I am with you all the days.”
These words encourage me greatly
when I am engaged in the ministry
because I realize that I am not alone;
Jesus is with me.
I want people who can’t read
not to be afraid
because now we have things we can listen to.
How beautiful it is to listen!
Don’t be discouraged.
Even though I couldn’t read,
I came to know His name.
And through that opportunity,
I was also able to learn to read.
I feel very proud to have come
to know Jehovah and his name,
which I had not known before,
and his name is so very beautiful.
Jehovah has proven to me
that the meaning of his name
is absolutely true
—that he causes us
to become what we need to be—
because a shy person like me
now has courage when preaching.
Now I deeply appreciate
being among Jehovah’s people.
I have learned many things about Jehovah.
I have abundant spiritual food
that I can also share with others,
and this brings me great joy.
Now I am excited to go preaching
because I know Jehovah will help me,
and he is the one
who has made me qualified
to show his love to people.

Love the Ministry—Coping With Our Insecurities