“[Christ] died for all that those who live might live no longer for themselves.”—2 CORINTHIANS 5:15.

Are you willing to go an extra mile, or even several miles, to fetch Bible students to the Memorial?

I know that you are, especially if you have the power, time, energy and resources to carry out such a noble act.

Many of us are not required to sweat just to be able to attend the Lord's Evening Meal. Probably the Kingdom Hall or the building we are renting is so close that traveling is a walk in the park.

And because the venue is just around the corner, we spend the hours leading to the Memorial arranging the flowers, the chairs, setting the stage, beautifying our place of worship, and of course, beautifying ourselves. Who does not want to look good on April 5, 2012 tagged as “ An Affair to Remember” as far as Jehovah's Witnesses are concerned?

However, we have some brothers in our midst who display self-sacrificing spirit that they don't mind driving eight hours to fetch their Bible students to the Memorial of Christ's death in Baguio.

They plan the logistics ahead of time and consider “time and unforeseen occurrence.” They count the cost, budget their time and strength so their whole body and heart are neither exhausted or weak to observe the Memorial.

For example, Puerto Rican Bible student and his wife in La Union express their desire to attend the Memorial for the first time.

But their home is two hours from the English Congregation in Baguio City. They don't know their way around in Baguio and they don't possess physical vigor and stamina to travel at night because of their age.

So the field service group (#2) that regularly visits the town where the couple is residing comes up with a brilliant idea: A member in FSG has a car but he is busy that day. So he kindly lends his car and two brothers will make a long drive, fetch the couple and off to Baguio for the Memorial.

End of the story?

Not yet.

When the Memorial is over, everybody is surely famished.

So the brothers take their guests to a restaurant for dinner, where most of the Witnesses eat. (Imagine 80 percent of the restaurant is occupied by Memorial observers, including those from other congregations).

When they finish dinner at past 9 p.m., two brothers cruise Marcos Highway bound for Aringay town of La Union to take the couple home. Then they drive again to that dark, winding road back to Baguio. They arrive at past midnight.

Do the math. They spend eight hours on the road.

They are tired, yes, but not tiring out.

And they are not alone.

A family in another FSG (#3) drives to a remote, hilly part of San Fernando City to invite their young Bible students (siblings) to the Memorial. The siblings and their parents (husband is American married to Filipino with two teenage kids) had attended the Memorial last year. But this year, for some reason, only the kids could come.

Unlike the couple in Aringay, the kids don't want to go home that night. They want to spend their vacation in Baguio since their classes are over.

Oh how much they enjoy playing and bonding with the young and old.

The siblings also attend and participate actively at the meetings. The girl raises her hand during the Watchtower study and when the conductor say, “Ok that young girl beside....” The young Bible student holds the microphone and proudly answers: “My name is Danielle Rose.” Atta girl! There is no shyness in her bones!

They want to stay longer but it's time for them to travel again. So after a few days vacationing in Baguio, the Witness family drive the siblings to that secluded mountain of La Union to formally turn over  them to their parents.

That is how the Witnesses value the Memorial occasion. They may not equal the sacrificing love of Jehovah and Jesus Christ but they value it through their "holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion." (2 Peter 3:11)

Truly, happiness comes from giving and from serving. When we disown ourselves, we become slaves of God.

And this slavery is very rewarding.

“Will the talk be delivered in Punjabi?”

This is the reaction we get from the Indian nationals in our territory when we take part in the three-week worldwide distribution of the Memorial invitation. They are thrilled to receive for the first time a Memorial invite in their native tongue.

But a Memorial in Punjabi?

My field service partner and I shrug our shoulders, roll our eyes as we inevitably spew out unintelligible words.

Ahhhmmm.....Hmmm.....Errr.......

Suddenly, without me realizing it, my fingers run through my hair, as if the answer to the question is hidden beneath my locks.

“Who knows, possibly next year? But on April 5, it will be in English. So we ask you to come to observe. We have a brother who could interpret it for you when the occasion is over.”

Inviting Punjabis to this year's most important event is like convincing these Indian nationals to eat adobo for the first time. They gaze the dish suspiciously, sniff it, probe the aroma, investigate the ingredients, and maybe, just maybe, scoop a spoonful of the Filipinos' famous dish.

When they do, they might clamor for it.

Most of the Punjabis practice Hinduism or Sikhism. Pagan beliefs are deeply ingrained in their culture. So they sniff, probe, as it were, the spiritual aroma that the Christian Jehovah's Witnesses are offering.

Since many Hindus consider the Witnesses to be a Western religion, we do our best to remove that wall of prejudice by explaining that Jehovah, the Almighty God mentioned in the Bible, wants ALL  sorts of people -- Hindu or Sikh Indians included – to be saved and have everlasting life.

So Jehovah, the impartial God, sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ to ransom the sins of all people, regardless of their cultural or religious background.

When they are satisfied with the answer, we invite them to "taste it" by showing appreciation to Jehovah and Jesus by attending the Memorial.

They have no problem with that. Except for one: They want to come when the program is delivered in Punjabi. Because most of the Punjabis in our territory don't speak or understand English well.

Despite some hindrances, however, we trust the truthfulness of Jesus' reassuring words in John 6:44: “No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him.”

We continue to knock on the hearts of the Punjabi householders, traveling to some 70 kilometers to as far as San Juan, La Union to invite them to the Memorial.

On March 29, I meet an Indian couple – Cita and Parveen – in a dinner hosted by Bible student Anita who graduated in grade school in Baguio.

Anita and family regret to say that they could not make it to the Lord's Evening Meal as they will be spending vacation somewhere.

But when the door is shut, the window is open. I get the number of Cita and ask if I could visit her on April 3.

Cita, her husband and eight-month old baby have recently arrived in Baguio and they are exploring the possibility of settling down in the city.

Since I'm a stranger to them, will they accept my invitation?

I remember the suggestion of the September 1999 OKM. “Ask to speak to the head of the household first. If his response is favorable, it will be easier to witness to other family members. “

So I channel my attention to Parveen. His reply? “I will call you up on April 5 before 5:30 p.m. if we are coming.”

Pray we did that they would come. It's the goal of the Punjabi group that at least one Indian would grace the occasion.

Yet the text messages that we have been receiving from our Punjabi calls a few hours before the Memorial are not very encouraging. They say they could not leave their job. A family tells me they are out of town. Others remark that they are coming only if the talk is in Punjabi.

Can you imagine our huge relief when Parveen and Cita, with their boy, walk to the Baguio-Benguet Community Credit Cooperative building, this year's venue, one hour before the Memorial? They are the first foreigners to show up that memorable night!

They joyfully mingle with the brothers along with their foreign and local guests.

It helps that they speak English well.

(Parveen used to work as an account executive in a multinational company while Cita is a science

professor).

A few minutes later, another Punjabi Bible student Bobby sits at the back row.

Unlike Parveen and Cita, Bobby is soft-spoken and shy. This is his second time to attend the Memorial. He fulfills his promise he told us three months ago: That no matter what happens, he will find time to show deep appreciation to the death anniversary of Jesus Christ.

Just when the chairman takes over the podium, Mary Ann, who was baptized November last year, escorts her clan to the venue.

This includes her Punjabi husband, her three adorable kids who are studying the Bible, her younger sister (also studying the Bible with her and has started to attend the meetings regularly) and a young niece.

Their colorful traditional garb is very appealing to the eyes.

And who is present to welcome them and to speak to their hearts?

Who else but Gary, the only Punjabi-speaking brother, in our congregation.

He thanks them for coming and he makes sure that their faces and poses are stored in his camera.

Over dinner in a restaurant, Parveen drops a bomb that no one, not even his wife, saw it coming.

I must admit that I am too stunned that the plate of steamed chicken almost slips off my hand.

Can you say it again please?

“I want to study Bible.”

Parveen, a devout Hindu, announces.

“I want to know what the Bible really teaches.”

Cita and I exchange meaningful glances.

Is he kidding?

When we sit on that table, we are not conversing anything about the Bible.

In fact, I have not offered a Bible study with any of them. I am planning to do that when I visit them at their home.

A first time guest in the Memorial taking the initiative to request for a Bible study?

This does not happen everyday.

Thus three days after the Memorial, I find myself sitting at the sala of Cita's apartment to study the Bible with her.

On April 15, 2012, Parveen follows suit.

His first Bible lesson lasts for an hour.

Young Bible student Cholo prayerfully sets a goal: to bring someone who is not yet studying the Bible to the Memorial of Christ's death. If that happens, Cholo, who is working for his baptism, considers himself the happiest guy on April 5. Because it will be his first time to invite someone he is working with to observe the Lord's Evening Meal.

So he is faced with a daunting question. Since April 5 is a non-working holiday in the Philippines when everyone goes out of town for vacation, who among his fellow employees, customers and clients is willing and available to go with him?

What about the boss in one department?, he ponders.

Well, it's not a bad idea. But does he have the courage to invite him? Can a lowly employee who is still studying the Bible ask someone in authority to please attend a religious observance? What if he has other plans? What if he flatly rejects him? Will he be able to take it?

The only way to know the answer is to ask. Calming his nerves, Cholo utters a silent prayer before he hands an invitation to Dr. U, the vice president for research, development and special projects in a university in Baguio.

How thrilled Cholo is when Dr. U favorably replies. Yet Cholo is beset with another legitimate concern. Does Dr. U say “yes” out of sheer politeness or does he say “yes” for now but will change mind when the day comes?

To make sure that Dr. U could make it, Cholo promises to fetch him at his residence on April 5.

A few hours before the Memorial time of the English Congregation, however, Dr. U is neck-deep with paper works. His desk is filled with inches-thick papers that need to be reviewed, re written and submitted. Is he willing to pause, dress up and drag himself to the Baguio-Benguet Community Credit Cooperative building, the venue of the Memorial?

Thankfully, he did. And how ecstatic he is when he meets and greets the brothers who warmly welcome him. I introduce my Indian guest Cita whose job is similar to Dr. U's expertise – natural science. What a joy to see two strangers conversing like long time colleagues in an unlikely venue away from the laboratory!

The two are excited to experience what it is like to grace the Memorial that Jehovah’s Witnesses are passionately talking about.

The brothers take turns in entertaining Dr. U along with other guests. We tell them how much we appreciate his presence despite their crazy schedule.

When the Memorial is over, we ask him for his feedback.

He replies: “I enjoy it so much. Thank you for inviting me. I would not be able to meet all these wonderful people if I were not invited. “

“Can we see you again sir if you don’t mind?,” we ask.

“Definitely. You are welcome to come and visit me at my office. I will be glad to talk to you again.” Then he flashes his sincerest smile.

Later that night, I text a scientist, who not long ago was named one of the Ten Most Outstanding Young Men in the Philippines, to inquire about Dr. U. “I know him,” he replies.

“He's a renowned geneticist in the country. We've met a few times in my institute at UP.”

I shake my head in disbelief after I google him some more.

This down to earth man whose sincerity is shown in his eyes and felt in his handshake is the recipient of the prestigious Chevalier d'Academic de Palm D'Or (Knight of the Academy of the Golden Palm) from the government of France among other honors obtained from governments abroad and from academic organizations following his contribution and research in molecular genetics.

And this extremely affable man who holds many distinctions and reaps numerous awards has momentarily pushed aside his research to show respect to Jehovah who gifted him the knowledge and intellect in the first place.

He does not boast of his secular achievement. We simply learn about it later from other sources. But we are certain of one thing: He does not personally know Jehovah God yet, the Creator of DNA, the very subject of his long, intensive research.

No doubt about it. We are doing something to acquaint him to the Designer of molecular genetics.

Our greatest thanks goes to Jehovah who empowers the Bible student with courage and zeal so Dr. U could be given the chance to drink life's water free.

On the last paragraph, the district convention of the English circuit is mentioned.

http://www.inquirer.net/?people-events-places=3-day-sign-language-convention-for-the-deaf


Inquirer Northern Luzon

In an effort to reach out to the Deaf community, Jehovah's Witnesses will
hold a three-day annual sign language convention in Manila, Baguio City and
Davao City.

The Bible-based programs will be presented in Filipino Sign Language,
according to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of the Philippines, the
legal and corporate arm of Jehovah's Witnesses.

In Manila, the convention will be held at Tanghalang Pasigueno in Pasig City
on Oct. 21-23, 2011; on Nov. 11-13 at Greenheights Business and Convention
Center in Buhangin, Davao City; and Nov. 25-27 at the Baguio Convention
Center in Baguio City.

Hearing and Deaf Jehovah's Witnesses who learned sign language have been
teaching Bible in sign language for free at the homes of the hearing
impaired individuals as part of their worldwide Bible education program.

On Nov. 4-6, the program will be presented in English at Tanghalang
Pasigueno in Pasig City.

From late October 2011 through January 2012, Jehovah's Witnesses will hold
109 conventions in 74 areas in the country with the theme “Let God's Kingdom
Come!” The programs will be presented in Bicol, Cebuano, English,
Hiligaynon, Iloko, Korean, Pangasinan, Tagalog, and Waray-waray.

Conventions, which will be presented in Filipino, will be held every Friday,
Saturday and Sunday at the Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in
Novaliches, Quezon City starting Oct. 21.

All convention sessions are open to the public and are free. For details,
log on to *www.jw-media.org* and *www.watchtower.org*.

Source à http://www.jw-media.org/ind/20110916.htm

For Immediate Release

September 16, 2011

 

Mob assaults baby and grandmother in India

BANGALORE, India—In the midst of a growing menace to law-abiding Christians in India, incidents of mob attacks continue to occur against Jehovah’s Witnesses in India’s southern state of Karnataka. The most recent assault took place on August 28, 2011, when a family of five were cruelly beaten in a village near Dharmasthala. Included in among the victims were the family’s 18-month-old baby and 60-year-old grandmother.

The Witness family was returning to visit a neighbor who had expressed interest in learning more about the Bible when they were accosted by a mob. After falsely accusing the Witness family of forcibly converting people, the mob began beating the two male members of the family with their fists and with sticks while the female members of the family suffered sexually degrading speech and even threats of rape. One of the attackers struck the 18-month-old girl, as she was being held in the arms of her mother. All four adults suffered injuries due to the brutal encounter that lasted for over an hour. Both the mob and the Witnesses filed complaints with the police. As has happened in previous incidents involving mob violence, the police initially refused to accept a counter-complaint by the Witnesses, while readily accepting the slanderous complaint of the attackers. It was only after seven hours of detainment that a counter-complaint from the Witnesses was accepted, after which they permitted the family to travel to a government hospital for medical attention.

Soon after, the Witness family was put under arrest on the charge of “maliciously insulting the religion or the religious beliefs of any class.” The attackers, however, were charged only with “voluntarily causing hurt.” The magistrate granted bail to the assailants, while the family, including the baby, spent the night in jail. The following day fellow Witnesses posted bail for the family and rushed them back to the hospital for treatment for their injuries.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been victimized by mob violence in Karnataka on several occasions during 2011. “These mob attacks on innocent people in India are deplorable, especially attacking a family,” commented J. R. Brown, a spokesman at the Witnesses world headquarters in New York. “No one should be victimized for sharing a peaceful Christian message out of love for God and love of neighbor.”

Media Contacts:

J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5600

India: Local Contact, tel. +91 974 087 1150

Belgium: European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, tel. +32 2 782 0015

Britain: European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, tel. +44 208 906 2211

Last updated 16 September 2011 15:51:34 GMT

For Immediate Release
October 5, 2011

One of Jehovah’s Witnesses dies while imprisoned in Eritrea

ASMARA, Eritrea—Misghina Gebretinsae, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned in Eritrea without any specific charges, died under mysterious circumstances during his detainment by Eritrean authorities. He was 62 years old.

Details of the exact cause of death are sketchy. Reportedly, Mr. Gebretinsae was put in solitary confinement in a sheet metal container for a week some time prior to his death. Local Witnesses were told that Mr. Gebretinsae “fell sick” in the Meitir prison camp where he was detained and was pronounced “dead on arrival” at the Gindae Hospital near Massawa. Later Mr. Gebretinsae’s body was brought to Halibet Hospital in Asmara and local Witnesses were contacted with the news of Misghina’s death. He is survived by a son and three daughters.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Eritrea were only recently informed of the death of Mr. Gebretinsae, who was known as a faithful Christian and family man. His family and fellow worshippers are grieving his loss. Mr. Gebretinsae was widely respected as trustworthy and dependable. Many local Witnesses viewed him as a good asset to the congregation and to his community.

Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world are deeply troubled that their law-abiding fellow worshippers in Eritrea are being arrested and imprisoned without being charged with a crime or being given a trial. Mr. Gebretinsae was one of many Witnesses, including women and children, who experienced such especially harsh treatment by Eritrean authorities during a wave of systematic arrests of Jehovah’s Witnesses from July 2008 through June 2009. The government has banned all minority religious groups in the country since 2002, but Witnesses in Eritrea appear to be a special target. Three conscientious objectors among Jehovah’s Witnesses in Eritrea have been imprisoned for nearly 17 years, and two children, 3 and 4 years old, are imprisoned with their mothers. Imprisoned Witnesses have also been denied visitors, including their family members. As of April 5, 2011, there were 51 imprisoned Jehovah’s Witnesses in Eritrea, including Mr. Gebretinsae.

The death of Misghina Gebretinsae marks the first time one of Jehovah’s Witnesses has died while in the custody of Eritrean authorities.

Media Contacts:
J.R. Brown, tel. +;1 718 560 5600
Belgium: European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, tel. +32 2 782 0015

Historic event in France!

The following is an experience related by a brother from the Hospital Liaison Committee during a recent circuit assembly in Marseilles.
 
Margo, a premature baby, born at 30 weeks gestation, weighs only 1.2 kg (2.65 lbs) with a very low blood count. Thus, the doctors feel the need to administer a blood transfusion. The parents, who are Jehovah's Witnesses, contact the Hospital Liaison Committee (HLC).

Faxes are sent and the brothers ask the doctors if they are willing to administer erythroproeteine (EPO, synthetic hormones which stimulate the production of red blood cells) for three days.  The doctors accepted, and the Bethel supplied the product.  After three days, the  blood count stabilizes.

The brothers again propose a fourth day of EPO and the count rises. So the treatment is approved and continued. Margo, who was nicknamed ''Little Fighter'' was saved.

This is a first in France.

So the doctors decide to try this  treatment on other premature babies, and they obtain the same results. This treatment is then established for all premature babies in the Pediatric Service Department in the hospital of Purpan in Toulouse.

The media would not, of course, dispense this information. But as the brother said in his talk, we don't need media publicity. We prefer to give a personal witness to touch the hearts of the people.

This is what happened in the case of Margo. A fine witness is given to the medical personnel who witnessed the procedure. They have also seen the devotion of the H.L.C., which prompted them to say:
"And we thought that Jehovah's Witnesses don't give medical treatment to their children?"

A fine witness is also given to parents of other premature babies who have benefited from the treatment and whose lives have been saved because of the treatment proposed by the HLC.

(This case is an interesting development because in recent years, Jehovah’s Witnesses in France have been the target of an intense campaign of vilification. Half-truths and misinformation have been used by their opponents to misrepresent them before the public. At the beginning of 1999, Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout France distributed 12 million copies of a tract entitled People of France, You Are Being Deceived! In this tract, they denounced the defamatory statements made against them.)

More and more people and health professionals have embraced the gold standard of medicine: bloodless surgery. Here is a news report to prove that:

http://www.jg-teksten.nl/noblood.html

The Local,  German News in English

Pensioner jailed for attempted Jehovah's Witness massacre

Published: 20 Apr 10 16:17 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100420-26667.html

An 83-year-old man who stormed a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation with a machine gun in the city of Bielefeld was sentenced to 11 years prison on Tuesday for 39 counts of attempted murder.

The man, who the court said blamed the church for his estrangement from his daughter – herself a Jehovah’s Witness – entered the church hall in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia last July armed with a machine gun, knife and samurai sword.

But he was unable to fire the weapon and was eventually overpowered by worshippers before he could inflict any damage.

The court in Halle judged the man guilty of 39 counts of attempted murder – the number of bullets he was carrying – as well as weapons charges.

The man had denied any intent to murder and his lawyer said they would appeal the verdict.

Judge Jutta Albert said in her hour-long judgement that on the evening of July 30 2009, “nightmare became reality” for the 81 worshippers gathered at the Jehovah’s Witnesses church hall in Bielefeld.

The man had stormed the prayer meeting with intention of killing as many people as possible, she said.

The former prison warden, bricklayer and soldier carried three magazines with a total of 39 rounds, as well as a knife and a samurai sword.

Rejecting the claim he had not intended to kill anyone, Judge Albert said the man had been driven by an “animal hatred” because his daughter had turned away from him and joined the religious group.

She added that the pensioner had long planned the crime, keeping contact with the church in order to spy on it. This was proven by a letter he had written to his son expressing his hatred for the church and outlining his plans.

The man had “preyed on the ignorance of the congregation” and planned to “wreak a bloodbath in the church hall,” she said.

The only reason he failed to carry out his murderous plan was that he could not operate the machine gun. Likely he had been too delirious with rage to handle the weapon or had been unable to release the safety catch and pull the trigger because he was wearing thick gloves.

But crucially, the weapons were fully functional, Judge Albert said.

Reading from a criminal profile, she said the man had been above the average fitness and mentally capability for his age. However she also stressed he had a tendency to violence, having once beaten his adult daughter in a cellar while wearing leather gloves.

Lawyer Werner Robbers said after the trial his client still denied he had intended to murder anyone and would appeal the verdict and sentence. The man claimed during the trial he wanted to warn the Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation of the dangers of Islamic extremism.

He also claimed he had stumbled on the weapons by accident in the woods. If he’d wanted a bloodbath he would have succeeded, he said, given his familiarity with weapons.

http://www.jw-media.org/rus/20100528.htm

History repeats in Russia as authorities intensify searches

CHELYABINSK, Russia—On one day, May 12, 2010, at least 11 searches were carried out at the work places and apartments of Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as in buildings used for their worship. Chelyabinsk police started the raids early in the morning, awakening families, including children, and seizing books, cell phones, computers, notebooks and other personal belongings.

A mother of three was startled by aggressive knocking on her door at seven in the morning. In an attempt to find two eyewitnesses to the search they were about to conduct, the police officers visited the neighbors of the woman and yelled, “Your neighbor will be searched!” After entering her apartment, they seized her telephone to prevent her from calling anybody. She had to plead with the police officers to permit her at least to call to the management of the kindergarten to let them know that she could not take her child to school that day. Many of her belongings were confiscated. She is apprehensive that the actions of the police had a negative effect on the attitude of her neighbors toward her.

The same day the police entered a building in Chelyabinsk that is used for religious worship, including religious worship by a deaf congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. On finding nothing illegal, the police seized the video equipment used by the deaf congregation during their religious worship. This deprived the deaf community of the opportunity to hold their usual Christian meetings. This is not the first time the rights of the deaf Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Chelyabinsk were violated. In 2002 they had to file an application with the European Court of Human Rights with regard to the disruption of their meetings, the application was granted, and ultimately the rights of the deaf Witnesses were upheld.

The unlawful searches, seizures, and raids of recent weeks are unpleasant reminders for many Jehovah’s Witnesses of what took place in 1951 when in the morning darkness KGB officers carried out mass deportation raids among Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Lawyer Viktor Zhenkov states the following: “We are determined to protest the direction given to authorize the searches. And our legal team is working to reverse the decision of the Rostov Regional Court, which triggered the criminal prosecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout Russia. The representatives of the prosecutor’s office had affirmed that this decision would affect exclusively the Taganrog community. What does it then have to do with Chelyabinsk and other cities where the police squads have invaded the homes of believers early in the morning, scare the young and the old, seize everything that even remotely relates to religious life? At present, Jehovah’s Witnesses have reports of more than 250 incidents of raids, searches, arrests and disruption of their worship services throughout the Russian Federation.”

Apart from Russia, not a single country of the world has considered the literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses as extremist.

Despite all of this government opposition, our brothers in Russia have
just reported a new peak of 158,925 active members.

http://www.jw-media.org/rus/20100506.htm

Peak membership for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
In a sea of resistance there is growth

ST. PETERSBURG—The number of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are still regarded as a minority faith in Russia, increased in the month of March, even though in recent months they have encountered extraordinary resistance. They recorded a peak of 158,925 active members.
Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide are known for their peaceful but active involvement in their communities, their engagement in the Christian mandate to spread “good news of good things” and to “make disciples of people of all the nations.”—Romans 10:15; Matthew 28:19, 20.
However, since early 2007, some authorities in Russia have put forth concerted effort to severely limit the activities of the group. The Witnesses, who function through approximately 2,000 congregations, or communities, in Russia have been subjected to at least 600 investigations. These were in response to the written directives of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia. By the end of the year 2009, seven court cases stacked up in various regions, all attempting to label the Christian publications and the local congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremist” and ban them. Two of those cases—one in Taganrog and another in Gorno-Altaysk—have already met their objective, with a total of 52 Witness publications being put on a national registry of extremist literature.

Undeterred, Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses, as members of an internationally recognized religion that is operating legally in some 200 countries around the world, have responded to the threats in the most open way they know—they talk to their neighbors about what is happening. Some 12 million copies of the tract “Could It Happen Again? A Question for the Citizens of Russia” were shared, offering individuals in Russia the opportunity to decide for themselves if history is about to repeat itself with a return to the repression of freedom of worship that marked the Soviet era.

Despite the outstanding growth in membership and the significant attendance at the commemoration of the Lord’s Evening Meal, Jehovah’s Witnesses are aware of the resistance against them that has also grown proportionately. Over 230 incidents of raids, arrests, searches and other disruptions of worship have been catalogued since the December 8 Supreme Court ruling.
 

 

http://www.jw-media.org/aze/20100520.htm

For Immediate Release

May 20, 2010

Azerbaijan—Is the Bible banned?

GAZAKH, Azerbaijan—At the Red Bridge border control near the city of Gazakh, customs officials confiscated personal literature including 33 copies of the Holy Bible, either in its complete form or some version of the four Gospels.

On April 25, 2010, more than 250 persons in five buses and two minivans were returning home after having attended a religious assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses in neighboring Georgia.

The border control officers confiscated the Bibles, as well as personal books and notebooks. The delegates were kept waiting in the cold for many hours. Though each of the buses arrived at the border control at approximately 5:30 p.m., the first bus wasn’t released until almost midnight; other buses were held until 3:00 a.m. This caused considerable hardship, especially for the more than 30 elderly and infirm persons and the more than 30 mothers with children.
Prohibiting citizens from returning to Azerbaijan with their personal copy of the Bible and other personal religious publications is in complete violation of fundamental rights and freedoms.

Along with the Bible, one of the books confiscated, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, was What Does the Bible Really Teach? Although that book has been translated into 202 languages and is available worldwide, with over 140 million copies printed, it is on a list of publications that cannot be imported into Azerbaijan. The ruling to refuse its importation was issued in 2007 by the State Committee of Azerbaijan Republic for Work With Religious Associations and was based on the subjective assessment of its own Department of Religious Studies Expertise, Public Affairs and Analysis. However, that department had previously examined the same book and had not objected to its being imported.

On September 28, 2009, the Religious Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Baku filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights regarding the censorship of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach?, as well as other publications.

Contact in Belgium: European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses
Telephone: +32 2 782 0015
Portable: +32 475 58 10 36
Contact in Britain: European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses
Telephone: +44 208 906 2211
Contact United States: Gregory Allen, Associate General Counsel
Telephone: +845-306-0711
Last updated May 20, 2010 12:22:18 GMT
Copyright © 2010 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20100403-262209/Holy_Book_now_in_Pangasinan_tongue

Holy Book now in Pangasinan tongue

Filed Under: Religions, Books, Language

This appears in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, page A7 on Jan. 5, 2010.

*************************************************************************************************************

EVENTS

Sign language confab

HEARING impaired individuals from northern Luzon will gather in the country’s summer capital to attend their annual Sign Language Convention on January 8-10 at the Baguio Convention Center.

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in the Philippines, the corporate arm of Jehovah’s Witnesses, said the three-day convention intends to foster camaraderie among deaf individuals and provide spiritual and practical counsel not only to the hearing impaired but also to their relatives and friends.

Admission is free and all sessions are open to the public. Watch Tower has been conducting free sign language classes for the deaf.

The news feature appears in Sun Star-Baguio, a daily newspaper in Baguio City, Philippines today, Jan. 8, 2010.

******************************************************

First Deaf confab in Baguio

BUGUIAS, Benguet--Don’t call Daniel Bay-an when he’s busy tilling his land.

Even if you shout for his name at close range, he could not hear a single word. The best way to call his attention is to tap his back and relay your message through sign language.

Bay-an, 43, is deaf but he has been supporting himself by planting cabbage, carrots, lettuce and onion in this mountainous town dubbed as the country’s salad bowl.

But almost every day for the past three weeks, Bay-an left his farm to wear his neatly pressed polo, a pair of slacks and clean shoes and a bag to visit other hearing-impaired individuals in his town to personally hand out an invitation for the first sign language convention in Baguio City.

Speaking through an interpreter, Bay-an signed he will be among the hundreds of delegates from Northern Luzon who will troop to the Baguio Convention Center on Jan. 8-10 to attend the convention of the hearing-impaired.

With the theme “Keep On The Watch,” deaf individuals of various ages, religious or cultural backgrounds from Benguet, Mt. Province, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan, Isabela, and other Cordillera provinces will have the chance to hear a series of Bible-based lectures on family, coping with peer pressure, relationship with others, coping with their disability, among other topics.

The sign language convention is organized by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of the Philippines, the legal and corporate arm of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs).

The Watch Tower has been conducting free sign language classes to the hearing-impaired as part of its international volunteer work.

For several years now, the Watch Tower has been training deaf and hearing volunteers to reach out to the deaf community in the country and help the individuals learn sign language at their convenient time.

“I’m taking time out from my farm work to travel to Baguio and meet other deaf individuals from various provinces,” signed Bay-an, who has been spending at least 50 hours every month visiting other deaf in Benguet and helping them study the Bible in sign language.

“I’m very excited to see them, to communicate with them, and to be friends with them. When I attended the sign language conventions in the past, I was able to establish friendship with other deaf because we understand each other and we know the pains and difficulties we are going through because of our disability,” he signed.

The morning sessions will begin at 8:20 a.m. Friday and will end at 4 p.m.

Discussions will also center on the Scriptural meaning behind disasters and current events, and strengthen the bond of marriages and families.

The Watch Tower said admission is free and all sessions are open to the public, especially to those who understand sign language.

 

Who needs birthdays, Christmas, New Year's Day, and other pagan holidays when you receive present on ordinary days?

No frills, no fanfare. Simply thoughtful gifts.

The seven-million Jehovah's Witnesses in 236 lands worldwide do not throw parties to mark their birthday, Christmas, New Year and other holidays not because they are corny and they hate having clean fun.

No, oh no. In fact, they are happy souls that they sing and dance in certain occasion like if someone is new  in the congregation or they want to gather kids for Bible games.

The Witnesses do not throw party for holidays because they are tightwad. On the contrary, they are very generous. They share food and clothing with their brothers and strangers, especially in times of calamities.

They simply don't participate in activities that are condemned by the Bible or if these are of pagan origin. The principle that they follow is to give their exclusive devotion to their God Jehovah. And Jehovah, the Jealous God, does not want to share the worship with any pagan god.

Try to google the origin of Valentine's Day, birthday and Christmas and you will find out that they have pagan roots in honor of a particular powerless deity.

Let's admit it. Somewhere from our hypothalamus, our cells yearn for a present -- edible or not. The joy we feel when we get a nice gift or a beautiful card from someone is beyond compare. The feeling is oh so good that we reach Cloud Nine.

And Jehovah's Witnesses have the whole year round to display their love and affection for their brothers. They don't wait for a special holiday to be generous and thoughtful. There is a whole world of difference between a person who gives gift any time of the week than a person who is obliged to give because there is an occasion.

 

If there is one friend and a dear sister who never fails to hand me a gift, it's Charlene or Ate Chars or Alien as I fondly call her.

Her name is synonymous to creativity and talent.

Her hands are gifted that she can transform the trash, dirt and ordinary into something fantastic.

Recently, she gave me a small basket of flowers made of paper. And she used my photos as the flowers.

To Ate Chars and to other friends, thank you for being thoughtful and kind amid oil price hike.

 

Your gesture is sweet.

WEEK LEADING TO JESUS' DEATH & RESURRECTION

 

On March 22, some 7 million-strong Jehovah's Witnesses in 236 lands around the world will commemmorate the death of Jesus Christ. Their friends, relatives, work mates, classmates, neighbors and all the homo sapiens on earth to observe the most important event in the calendar.

While we in the Philippines are busy inviting people, I received an email from a brother-friend about  Brazil's gigantic way to advertise the Lord's Evening Meal.

Yes, it's a billboard in front of the hotel where the brothers would hold their memorial event.

If you have some unique way of inviting people, please let me know.

Let's advertise, advertise, adverstise the Kingdom.