JW subtitle extractor

We always talked about supporting a place
where there is a greater need.
But because we live in Lima,
where there are more job opportunities,
we worried about how we would make a living
if we moved somewhere else.
When Jeremy initially brought up the idea
of us beginning to pioneer again,
I was not 100 percent on board.
We had pioneered in the past,
but it had been decades.
And beyond having five kids at home,
we had his dad who was sick;
my dad was also in treatment.
I started pioneering
after graduating from high school.
About a year later, though,
I found out I had issues with my spinal cord
that severely limited my daily activities.
Because of that, I had to stop pioneering.
I had really been looking forward
to doing more in the ministry,
so it felt like I was stuck in a dark tunnel
with no end in sight.
I often think about Jacob
in Genesis chapter 32
when he wrestled with the angel.
He wasn’t going to stop
until he received the blessing.
It always taught me that a lot of times
there’s a lot of effort involved
and sacrifice
to receive a blessing from Jehovah
and ultimately lots and lots of prayers.
Reflecting on Psalm 34:8, which says:
“Taste and see that Jehovah is good,”
helped us
because it reminded us that Jehovah blesses
those who decide to take the step.
What really helped me
was taking time during my personal study
to meditate on the account of the poor widow.
It made me feel that Jehovah
absolutely understands my efforts
and is truly pleased
with what I’m able to give.
When we finally told our bosses
that we were going to resign,
they offered to double both of our salaries.
But we were determined to move to a place
where there was a greater need
and to be willing to do any task,
such as sweeping the streets
or selling items in the town square,
in order to have more time for the ministry.
And there we discovered that people
truly loved listening to God’s Word,
so we were able to start many Bible studies.
To do so, it was necessary
to start very early in the morning
and spend time in the ministry
until very late at night.
We have a joint family calendar
that is jam-packed with everything.
And we just try to keep it all organized,
and then we can support each other.
We know that this person
is not going to be home until late tonight,
so we have to make sure
dinner is ready or things like that.
I realized that I could still be
a missionary at heart.
Every month I look over
my schedule to see where I can make time
to preach with brothers and sisters online.
From time to time,
I also try to include Bible thoughts
in messages I send to my cousin.
When I’m feeling well,
I also go from house to house
and enjoy the ministry.
After a year of living there,
we ran out of money.
And I remember one morning
we prayed to Jehovah,
asking to help us
keep putting the Kingdom first.
And then we went out in the preaching work.
And at the last house in the territory,
a woman gave us a bag full of vegetables.
And as we were leaving her home,
another neighbor gifted us
a basket filled with groceries.
And do you remember what you said to me?
“Wow! Jehovah is doing
our grocery shopping for us
—only the meat is missing.”
But when we arrived home,
a sister’s daughter
gave us a bag full of meat.
We cried with emotion.
And as we looked back,
we saw the truth
of the words of Psalm 34:8.
We have truly “[tasted] and [seen]
that Jehovah is good.”
We’ve been able to pioneer
with our oldest three kids.
Our two younger daughters both have the goal
of pioneering once they graduate high school.
And everybody just feels united
in serving Jehovah,
which is the greatest blessing
that we could imagine, honestly.
By expanding my ministry in ways that I can,
I feel it keeps me
from focusing too much on myself.
Right now, I enjoy conducting a Bible study.
We usually study online,
but once a month she comes to my home,
and we get to enjoy the lesson together.
She has started commenting at meetings.
Seeing how much she’s progressing
—often in ways I didn’t even notice—
has been such a wonderful surprise for me.
There are times in our lives
where it sometimes might seem
too difficult to do more
in Jehovah’s service,
but a lot of times,
we create an obstacle in our own minds.
If we just do it,
Jehovah gives us the strength to do it.

Love the Ministry—Expanding Our Ministry