rt @SisM*
this is from M*'s blog, and it is where ALL servants of Jehovah need to be: [i know i need to work on it!]
"I am not on Jehovah’s path because I want to be in paradise.
Of course I want to be there, but that’s not how I mean it. I am a Jehovah’s Witness because I want to serve him above all else! Even when the promise of paradise wouldn’t exist, I still would want to live my life in his service! He knows what’s best for us! Because he alone can make us happy, can give us the best life possible on this earth! I want to make him happy, not his enemy. I love him so much; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!"
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
day 21: Africa blog
On Wednesday 30th December 2009, @payunirbabae said:
(Africa Blog) Ewe District Convention-Drama,"The locals here REALLY get into the drama. This went beyond murmurs and whispering. They would break out in laughter and talking at times. Do you recall when the scene changes and they play a bit of music and brothers quickly take the opportunity to rearrange the stage? It usually takes a good 30 seconds to a minute sometimes. As soon as this happens, the brothers and sisters here will immediately break out in discussions amongst themselves. They seem to be giving their opinions on what's been happening so far and anticipating what will happen next. Not hushed whispers, but EXCITED TALKING. They only stop when the someone in the drama begins talking again. In the drama, when the police come onto the stage to arrest the two young men, the place went nuts.
Anyway, they were really into it. It was a great experience I will never forget.
(Africa Blog) Ewe District Convention-Drama,"The locals here REALLY get into the drama. This went beyond murmurs and whispering. They would break out in laughter and talking at times. Do you recall when the scene changes and they play a bit of music and brothers quickly take the opportunity to rearrange the stage? It usually takes a good 30 seconds to a minute sometimes. As soon as this happens, the brothers and sisters here will immediately break out in discussions amongst themselves. They seem to be giving their opinions on what's been happening so far and anticipating what will happen next. Not hushed whispers, but EXCITED TALKING. They only stop when the someone in the drama begins talking again. In the drama, when the police come onto the stage to arrest the two young men, the place went nuts.
Anyway, they were really into it. It was a great experience I will never forget.
day 20: FW: Myanmar Convention ... a "MUST READ"
We have just returned from a truly memorable convention in Myanmar
> We had a peak attendance of 5,123
It was such an emotional and memorable experience
Brothers came down from as far as the Chinese border. Others came from across the Indian & Bangladesh borders. Still others, from the northern Thailand & Laos borders and from many other places in between.
The longest trip we heard but cannot confirm was a 9 day trip one way, many travelled for 5,6,& 7 days.
In the most remote areas there is only one means of transport and that is on foot. So for many, that is how they started their journey to the convention and how they will finish it as they return home. Many are still travelling now even though the Convention finished on Sunday a week ago.
One 69 year old brother, who took six days, walking for the first two days, said they thought they had saved for so long but they still did not have the
finances to come. So the branch had provided some funds for 'hard circumstance' brothers (those who found it extremely hard to financially make it to Yangon).
The further up country you go, the further away from Yangon, the poorer the brothers are. So the ones who could afford it the least were the ones who had to travel the longest distance.
Most of the brothers had been saving for two years to make it to this convention.
One of the brothers on the branch committee told us that many had sold their one cow or their pigs or their chickens, in many cases their livelihood, in
order to attend and were willing to trust in Jehovah to provide for them somehow, on their return to their homes.
>
Makeshift wheelchairs
One group of 50 that came across the Indian border, had two handicapped brothers, so they made some make-shift wheelchairs. These collapsed not long into the journey and as the first two days travel was on foot, the brothers carried these two on their backs over those first two days.
The ruling Military junta provided a special train with 18 carriages that brought 1200 brothers.
Many kingdom songs were sung during the 20 hour
journey from Mandalay to Yangon.
One brother we met, had no legs at all; that is no visible legs from the pelvis down. He provides for his family of five children by cutting grass and tilling soil. Both he and his entire family were faithfully in attendance.
These brothers came these vast distances by a combination of walking, jeep or truck, boat (deck class with little or no toilet facilities), bus and
train. Some needed to use a combination of all five modes of transport.
Some of the brothers who were not used to travelling suffered badly from motion sickness. So once they arrived in Yangon some opted to walk to the
convention site instead of by vehicle. Some chose to walk two hours each way to and from the convention each day in preference to getting in anything that had wheels. They must have been dreading their return trip to their homes.
Many arrived with little or no money, no means of paying for food or accommodation. So some of the Bethel brothers went and paid for their own accommodation so that 113 of these brothers were able to stay at the Bethel.
A further 500 stayed at the Kingdom Halls in Yangon. Another 504 stayed in the private homes of our Yangon brothers. In some cases every square inch
of floor space was made available for sleeping.
We heard one unconfirmed case of a sister offering to accommodate 35 brothers & sisters however 54 turned up! One sister hired a warehouse, used by a further 300 plus for the days of the convention.
Still more than 500 needed to be accommodated. The brothers did not know what to do! Then the unthinkable (from a Myanmar point of view), the
Military junta gave permission for the rest to stay right there at the convention site.
Accommodation was somehow found for 1916 who had insufficient money to pay for such; And yet still had the faith to come.
This leads me to the most remarkable part of the whole convention. It was not what happened during the convention but what happened in the lead up to it.
The hundreds of us who were foreign delegates who had already paid our fares and for accommodations in 4 star hotels and sight-seeing tours, had no idea of
the drama that our brothers in Bethel, who were organizing the convention, were going through.
Not only were many of us totally ignorant of the conditions many of our brothers live in, the sacrifices they had to make to afford to attend, the
willingness to put up with sleeping on railways stations etc and to travel in overcrowded trains, buses, trucks, boats and walk for days.
But... even these brothers who happily endured these things were unaware that, as they were preparing to set off to the convention that the convention site
had not been approved. The brothers had been making application for two years for the sports stadium to be used for the convention but each time they met with refusal.
As they applied each time the brothers added more information and reasons why they should be granted permission to use the facility.
They were told a religious organization would not be permitted to use it, especially a church. The brothers were very careful how they worded things and explained that no they were not a church and no they did not sing hymms.
"Then what are you, what do you do?" "We teach people high moral standards,
how to be better law abiding citizens, better husbands & wives, to have a positive attitude to life & to the future etc."
One particular official was blocking it each time, but finally they found a way around him with less than two weeks to go before the convention date.
However then it had to go through a long seven step process. The brothers knew it would never get through in time without something extraordinary happening.
Only the brothers in Bethel and the Governing body knew of the situation. So each member was told to personally beseech Jehovah to help. They now had got past the main person who was blocking them. So they
presented the application at the next desk and where told yes it would be forwarded to the General but he was not in town hence was unavailable, so the application could not proceed until his return.
The brothers silently prayed and at that moment who should walk into the room but the General himself! So it was handed straight to him.. Not only that, but for some other reason the junta had convened a meeting and instead of having to go through the seven step process it was dealt with promptly and given approval.
There was now only 9 days to go to the start of the convention. However there was another major hurdle to overcome. The venue had already been hired out for the days of the convention for a boxing tournament which had already done its advertizing over the radio.
The brothers approached the sponsor and explained they had been planning this convention for over two years and that over 4000 would be attending (over 5000 did attend).
The sponsor said that the only way that he would change the date to the following weekend would be if every single one of the 16 boxers and their trainers etc would agree. Again the Bethel brothers beseeched Jehovah and almost unbelievably all 16 agreed!
Now came the HARD work: Even though repairs to much of the timber seating had been carried out by the management, other areas of the stadium required urgent attention.
One Bethel branch member said that he almost collapsed from the stench in the toilet facilities. Plumbing needed to be repaired; walls painted. There
needed to be electrical repairs and the air-conditioning needed to be repaired all in the space of just eight days..
Despite the stench, brothers & sisters got on their hands and knees and scrubbed the amenities to a much nearer acceptable standard. The large
mirror in the male amenities was black and not only unusable but also unrepairable, so the brothers replaced it. They fixed the air-conditioning and electrical problems and painted a number of walls as well as polished the floors. The 300+ brothers worked tirelessly for eight days!
The manager was most impressed and took picture of before and after and presented these to the junta [apparently taking much of the credit for the improvements.]
We knew nothing of this before arriving and can only marvel at the faith and diligence not only of the Bethelites and local Yangon brothers but also of those with such little means, who have such mountain-like faith, who attended from so far away under such trying conditions.
But we heard no complaints. Just expressions of joy and appreciation. All those who were unable to provide their own food, were fed three good meals a
day, such was Jehovah's loving care. The Bethel had arranged for food boxes for all the delegates who were unable to provide their own food. They were
all so appreciative to Jehovah's organization for the food and shelter they received.
Many of the visiting foreign brothers were so moved by the local brothers' plight, their faith and their obvious humble attire, that they felt moved to
donate to them what clothing they had brought along but did not really need, so that there would be at least a little equalizing.
How important our contributions to the worldwide work are!
There is so much more I could say but I will just conclude by saying that after the final prayer no-one wanted to move. Everyone clapped and clapped and waved and waved to each other around the auditorium. Then they hugged all those around them and cried tears of joy. There was not a dry eye in the stadium.
As brother Losch of the Governing body said, everyone there would remember this occasion for many, many years.
We saw in an amazing way the application of Romans 12:10 "In brotherly love have tender affection for one another. . ."
We experienced overwhelming evidence of Jehovah's loving care, his spirit and his blessing. As
2 Corinthians 1:3 says 'Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort. . .'
We witnessed the power of prayer and Jehovah's ability to take control of any situation. We feel as Joel expressed 'YOU will be bound to praise the name of Jehovah YOUR God, who has done with YOU so wonderfully'. Joel 2:26
>
>
> {By Ann Marie and Malcolm, delegates from indonesia}
> Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009
from: Forest Walters
> We had a peak attendance of 5,123
It was such an emotional and memorable experience
Brothers came down from as far as the Chinese border. Others came from across the Indian & Bangladesh borders. Still others, from the northern Thailand & Laos borders and from many other places in between.
The longest trip we heard but cannot confirm was a 9 day trip one way, many travelled for 5,6,& 7 days.
In the most remote areas there is only one means of transport and that is on foot. So for many, that is how they started their journey to the convention and how they will finish it as they return home. Many are still travelling now even though the Convention finished on Sunday a week ago.
One 69 year old brother, who took six days, walking for the first two days, said they thought they had saved for so long but they still did not have the
finances to come. So the branch had provided some funds for 'hard circumstance' brothers (those who found it extremely hard to financially make it to Yangon).
The further up country you go, the further away from Yangon, the poorer the brothers are. So the ones who could afford it the least were the ones who had to travel the longest distance.
Most of the brothers had been saving for two years to make it to this convention.
One of the brothers on the branch committee told us that many had sold their one cow or their pigs or their chickens, in many cases their livelihood, in
order to attend and were willing to trust in Jehovah to provide for them somehow, on their return to their homes.
>
Makeshift wheelchairs
One group of 50 that came across the Indian border, had two handicapped brothers, so they made some make-shift wheelchairs. These collapsed not long into the journey and as the first two days travel was on foot, the brothers carried these two on their backs over those first two days.
The ruling Military junta provided a special train with 18 carriages that brought 1200 brothers.
Many kingdom songs were sung during the 20 hour
journey from Mandalay to Yangon.
One brother we met, had no legs at all; that is no visible legs from the pelvis down. He provides for his family of five children by cutting grass and tilling soil. Both he and his entire family were faithfully in attendance.
These brothers came these vast distances by a combination of walking, jeep or truck, boat (deck class with little or no toilet facilities), bus and
train. Some needed to use a combination of all five modes of transport.
Some of the brothers who were not used to travelling suffered badly from motion sickness. So once they arrived in Yangon some opted to walk to the
convention site instead of by vehicle. Some chose to walk two hours each way to and from the convention each day in preference to getting in anything that had wheels. They must have been dreading their return trip to their homes.
Many arrived with little or no money, no means of paying for food or accommodation. So some of the Bethel brothers went and paid for their own accommodation so that 113 of these brothers were able to stay at the Bethel.
A further 500 stayed at the Kingdom Halls in Yangon. Another 504 stayed in the private homes of our Yangon brothers. In some cases every square inch
of floor space was made available for sleeping.
We heard one unconfirmed case of a sister offering to accommodate 35 brothers & sisters however 54 turned up! One sister hired a warehouse, used by a further 300 plus for the days of the convention.
Still more than 500 needed to be accommodated. The brothers did not know what to do! Then the unthinkable (from a Myanmar point of view), the
Military junta gave permission for the rest to stay right there at the convention site.
Accommodation was somehow found for 1916 who had insufficient money to pay for such; And yet still had the faith to come.
This leads me to the most remarkable part of the whole convention. It was not what happened during the convention but what happened in the lead up to it.
The hundreds of us who were foreign delegates who had already paid our fares and for accommodations in 4 star hotels and sight-seeing tours, had no idea of
the drama that our brothers in Bethel, who were organizing the convention, were going through.
Not only were many of us totally ignorant of the conditions many of our brothers live in, the sacrifices they had to make to afford to attend, the
willingness to put up with sleeping on railways stations etc and to travel in overcrowded trains, buses, trucks, boats and walk for days.
But... even these brothers who happily endured these things were unaware that, as they were preparing to set off to the convention that the convention site
had not been approved. The brothers had been making application for two years for the sports stadium to be used for the convention but each time they met with refusal.
As they applied each time the brothers added more information and reasons why they should be granted permission to use the facility.
They were told a religious organization would not be permitted to use it, especially a church. The brothers were very careful how they worded things and explained that no they were not a church and no they did not sing hymms.
"Then what are you, what do you do?" "We teach people high moral standards,
how to be better law abiding citizens, better husbands & wives, to have a positive attitude to life & to the future etc."
One particular official was blocking it each time, but finally they found a way around him with less than two weeks to go before the convention date.
However then it had to go through a long seven step process. The brothers knew it would never get through in time without something extraordinary happening.
Only the brothers in Bethel and the Governing body knew of the situation. So each member was told to personally beseech Jehovah to help. They now had got past the main person who was blocking them. So they
presented the application at the next desk and where told yes it would be forwarded to the General but he was not in town hence was unavailable, so the application could not proceed until his return.
The brothers silently prayed and at that moment who should walk into the room but the General himself! So it was handed straight to him.. Not only that, but for some other reason the junta had convened a meeting and instead of having to go through the seven step process it was dealt with promptly and given approval.
There was now only 9 days to go to the start of the convention. However there was another major hurdle to overcome. The venue had already been hired out for the days of the convention for a boxing tournament which had already done its advertizing over the radio.
The brothers approached the sponsor and explained they had been planning this convention for over two years and that over 4000 would be attending (over 5000 did attend).
The sponsor said that the only way that he would change the date to the following weekend would be if every single one of the 16 boxers and their trainers etc would agree. Again the Bethel brothers beseeched Jehovah and almost unbelievably all 16 agreed!
Now came the HARD work: Even though repairs to much of the timber seating had been carried out by the management, other areas of the stadium required urgent attention.
One Bethel branch member said that he almost collapsed from the stench in the toilet facilities. Plumbing needed to be repaired; walls painted. There
needed to be electrical repairs and the air-conditioning needed to be repaired all in the space of just eight days..
Despite the stench, brothers & sisters got on their hands and knees and scrubbed the amenities to a much nearer acceptable standard. The large
mirror in the male amenities was black and not only unusable but also unrepairable, so the brothers replaced it. They fixed the air-conditioning and electrical problems and painted a number of walls as well as polished the floors. The 300+ brothers worked tirelessly for eight days!
The manager was most impressed and took picture of before and after and presented these to the junta [apparently taking much of the credit for the improvements.]
We knew nothing of this before arriving and can only marvel at the faith and diligence not only of the Bethelites and local Yangon brothers but also of those with such little means, who have such mountain-like faith, who attended from so far away under such trying conditions.
But we heard no complaints. Just expressions of joy and appreciation. All those who were unable to provide their own food, were fed three good meals a
day, such was Jehovah's loving care. The Bethel had arranged for food boxes for all the delegates who were unable to provide their own food. They were
all so appreciative to Jehovah's organization for the food and shelter they received.
Many of the visiting foreign brothers were so moved by the local brothers' plight, their faith and their obvious humble attire, that they felt moved to
donate to them what clothing they had brought along but did not really need, so that there would be at least a little equalizing.
How important our contributions to the worldwide work are!
There is so much more I could say but I will just conclude by saying that after the final prayer no-one wanted to move. Everyone clapped and clapped and waved and waved to each other around the auditorium. Then they hugged all those around them and cried tears of joy. There was not a dry eye in the stadium.
As brother Losch of the Governing body said, everyone there would remember this occasion for many, many years.
We saw in an amazing way the application of Romans 12:10 "In brotherly love have tender affection for one another. . ."
We experienced overwhelming evidence of Jehovah's loving care, his spirit and his blessing. As
2 Corinthians 1:3 says 'Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort. . .'
We witnessed the power of prayer and Jehovah's ability to take control of any situation. We feel as Joel expressed 'YOU will be bound to praise the name of Jehovah YOUR God, who has done with YOU so wonderfully'. Joel 2:26
>
>
> {By Ann Marie and Malcolm, delegates from indonesia}
> Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009
from: Forest Walters
Saturday, December 26, 2009
day 26: lovely grandma : )
@Jahismyrefuge: Grandma gave the "Gods peaceful New World, you can live there" #3 talk with less than 10 minutes notice. Awwww im SO PROUD of her!!
The brother told her that he wanted her to give the talk, so she did =] She always studies the material, even if she is not assigned the talk
BC: way to go, grandma - yay! it is wonderful when some are always so willing to help out!
@Jahismyrefuge: amen. I only wish i was there to hear it =/ She says it went very well!
RT @ j*j* @M*T*: (Pro 25:11) As apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time for it
RT @M*C*L*: these verses have helped me in darkest times.all is not to great for Jehovah to help me thru as he does my spiritual family
(Matthew 24:13) But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.
(1 Corinthians 10:13) No temptation has taken YOU except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let YOU be tempted beyond what YOU can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out in order for YOU to be able to endure it.
(Psalm 121:2) My help is from Jehovah, The Maker of heaven and earth.
The brother told her that he wanted her to give the talk, so she did =] She always studies the material, even if she is not assigned the talk
BC: way to go, grandma - yay! it is wonderful when some are always so willing to help out!
@Jahismyrefuge: amen. I only wish i was there to hear it =/ She says it went very well!
RT @ j*j* @M*T*: (Pro 25:11) As apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time for it
RT @M*C*L*: these verses have helped me in darkest times.all is not to great for Jehovah to help me thru as he does my spiritual family
(Matthew 24:13) But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.
(1 Corinthians 10:13) No temptation has taken YOU except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let YOU be tempted beyond what YOU can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out in order for YOU to be able to endure it.
(Psalm 121:2) My help is from Jehovah, The Maker of heaven and earth.
day 19: power from God
RT @rosepink1984: RT @rubberwood: 2 Corinthians12:10 said:-"When I am weak, then I am powerful". Meant that the power of God can make up for our weaknesses
Thursday, December 24, 2009
day 18: gotcha! ; ) lol
RT @jedbramwell:
http://twitpic.com/sbur9
@marshallsheldon @Pandafur @flicka47 @BlindMaximus @aska_alaska @snuffynorton
http://twitpic.com/sbur9
@marshallsheldon @Pandafur @flicka47 @BlindMaximus @aska_alaska @snuffynorton
day 17: God is refuge
God is for us a refuge and strength, a help that is readily to be found during distresses.—Ps. 46:1
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
day 16: nice warm fire
i hope everyone is staying warm, and having a great day!
@L*B* @bc0035 Thanks for the picture - better than the sleet falling here at the moment
@J*Ref* @bc0035 ur SO SWEET! always checking on everyone else =]
@L*B* @bc0035 Thanks for the picture - better than the sleet falling here at the moment
@J*Ref* @bc0035 ur SO SWEET! always checking on everyone else =]
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
day 15: i haven't been
i haven't been as consistent as i would like with documenting this challenge, but i am doing pretty well, with encouraging my friends, every day
day 14: misc.
@D*J* maybe the weight-loss plan you're on doesn't work well, for you, sis. or maybe you've just hit a plateau. don't be too hard on yourself
@C*H* For this purpose the Son of God was made manifest, namely, to break up the works of the Devil. [including illness] 1 John 3:8.
@C*H* For this purpose the Son of God was made manifest, namely, to break up the works of the Devil. [including illness] 1 John 3:8.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
day 13: whole-souled
@R*S*:I'm so tired. I did so many chores. And my mom doesn't appreciate what I do. She's complaining and saying that there's a mess. :(
BC: it is good to help your mom, even if she doesn't appreciate it.
(Colossians 3:22-24) . . .be obedient in everything to those who are [your] masters in a fleshly sense, not with acts of eye-service, as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, with fear of Jehovah. Whatever YOU are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah, and not to men, for YOU know that it is from Jehovah YOU will receive the due reward of the inheritance. . .
God is for us a refuge and strength, a help that is readily to be found during distresses.—Ps. 46:1
Many are the calamities of the righteous one, But out of them all Jehovah delivers him. Psalm 34:19
Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; And those who are crushed in spirit he saves. Ps 34:18
He is healing the brokenhearted ones, And is binding up their painful spots. - Psalm 147:3
BC: it is good to help your mom, even if she doesn't appreciate it.
(Colossians 3:22-24) . . .be obedient in everything to those who are [your] masters in a fleshly sense, not with acts of eye-service, as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, with fear of Jehovah. Whatever YOU are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah, and not to men, for YOU know that it is from Jehovah YOU will receive the due reward of the inheritance. . .
God is for us a refuge and strength, a help that is readily to be found during distresses.—Ps. 46:1
Many are the calamities of the righteous one, But out of them all Jehovah delivers him. Psalm 34:19
Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; And those who are crushed in spirit he saves. Ps 34:18
He is healing the brokenhearted ones, And is binding up their painful spots. - Psalm 147:3
day 12: I was able to encourage my friend
my friend, AW, tweeted that she was an idiot, and this was my answer:
BC: please do not call my sister an idiot! we all forget things, sometimes, but that does not mean you're stupid!
BC: i hope you get feeling better http://twitgoo.com/a1aub
she said she still felt stupid, so this was my reply:
BC: i know. but would you call someone else [like me] an idiot bcs they forgot their meds? Jesus said we must love our neighbor AS ourself. so we have to have respect for ourselves, too!
AW: you are so sweet, thanks for making me feel better about the whole thing.how are you today?
BC: please do not call my sister an idiot! we all forget things, sometimes, but that does not mean you're stupid!
BC: i hope you get feeling better http://twitgoo.com/a1aub
she said she still felt stupid, so this was my reply:
BC: i know. but would you call someone else [like me] an idiot bcs they forgot their meds? Jesus said we must love our neighbor AS ourself. so we have to have respect for ourselves, too!
AW: you are so sweet, thanks for making me feel better about the whole thing.how are you today?
day 11: Smile! It Makes Me Happy
If you want to be happier, make other people smile. Compliment the checkout clerk at the grocery store, help a sick friend, send someone a thoughtful card, crack a joke when others least expect it. Do whatever it takes to bring a little joy into someone else's life.
Making others feel good has a boomerang effect. When you see someone smile, knowing that you made it happen, you'll feel a warm glow inside. Not only does smiling bring others joy, but it has also been found to lower blood pressure, release endorphins, boost the immune system, relieve stress and help a person look younger and more confident. All of this because of you! Plus, focusing on the well-being of others teaches you to be kinder to yourself. And you become happier as a result.
Did you know? Research has shown that even a fake smile—from you or from the smiled-upon—can brighten someone's mood.
by First30Days
Making others feel good has a boomerang effect. When you see someone smile, knowing that you made it happen, you'll feel a warm glow inside. Not only does smiling bring others joy, but it has also been found to lower blood pressure, release endorphins, boost the immune system, relieve stress and help a person look younger and more confident. All of this because of you! Plus, focusing on the well-being of others teaches you to be kinder to yourself. And you become happier as a result.
Did you know? Research has shown that even a fake smile—from you or from the smiled-upon—can brighten someone's mood.
by First30Days
day 10: who encourages the encourager?
well i am having a hard time with my challenge. my whole family is falling apart, so it is difficult to be encouraging to other people.
my one sister is very ill, and she is feuding with my other sister. the whole family is taking sides, and i am trying not to.
what to do?
my one sister is very ill, and she is feuding with my other sister. the whole family is taking sides, and i am trying not to.
what to do?
Monday, December 14, 2009
day 9: Jah always there for you
RT @Sacredsecret: Not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed.—Josh. 23:14.
@D*S: I cut another minute off my mile! I am pretty excited. This gives me hope that I might not die when doing the 5k in March. BC: you go, girl!!
@D*S: I cut another minute off my mile! I am pretty excited. This gives me hope that I might not die when doing the 5k in March. BC: you go, girl!!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
day 8: be wise
(Romans 16:19) I want YOU to be wise as to what is good, but innocent as to what is evil.
Friday, December 11, 2009
day 7: misc encouragement
hey, everyone, i hope you all have a great day! http://twitgoo.com/5wap2
@rosepink1984 it is so wonderful that you were able to make it to the meeting! Jehovah knows how hard it can be, for us!
miserybear It's this time of night I'm at my loneliest... :(
@miserybear here is a cute anipal, to help you not feel so lonely http://twitgoo.com/5wn6
@RosieS89 but that is totally WONDERFUL that she is getting baptized!! http://twitgoo.com/5wr34
@rosepink1984 it is so wonderful that you were able to make it to the meeting! Jehovah knows how hard it can be, for us!
miserybear It's this time of night I'm at my loneliest... :(
@miserybear here is a cute anipal, to help you not feel so lonely http://twitgoo.com/5wn6
@RosieS89 but that is totally WONDERFUL that she is getting baptized!! http://twitgoo.com/5wr34
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
day 5: Jah hears our prayers
Subject: Fw: JEHOVAH HEARS PRAYERS
-(From a sister in Canada......)
We had an amazing experience related to us at the meeting last night.
A sister from a neighboring congregation is in the habit of taking tracts
with her whenever she goes out and makes a point of engaging in incidental
witnessing with people she meets.
Earlier this week she started the day out poorly, having problems getting
her kids off to school before going to work. Then she had a really bad day
at work, so she wasn't in a good mood when she left to go home.
She decided to stop at a grocery store on her way home to pick up some food
for supper. When she was there, she made eye contact with a woman, but
because she was in a bad mood, she didn't do what she normally does. She
didn't strike up a conversation with the woman and try to give her a tract.
She mentally apologized to Jehovah, saying that she just wasn't up to it
that day.
A couple of minutes later, while rounding a corner in the grocery store, she
literally crashed into the same woman, but still didn't feel like striking up a
conversation with her, so apologized to her and let her pass. Then again she
apologized to Jehovah for not taking the opportunity to talk to this woman
but asked Jehovah that if there was some reason that he really wanted her to
talk to this woman, could he please arrange for her to see this woman a
third time.
Since the grocery store is very large, you might not see the same person
again. Lo and behold, though, she again encountered the same woman just
a minute or two later. So, she decided that Jehovah really wanted her to talk to her, so
the sister opened her purse and took out a tract. Much to the sister's surprise,
the woman began screaming, jumping up and down and hugged her!
The sister said it must have seemed strange to onlookers to see two women,
total strangers, screaming, jumping up and down, hugging each other in Loblaw's!
It turned out that this woman is a sister, Alexis, who had just arrived from
Zambia, Africa two weeks earlier.
She had come to Ottawa to go to school and she had been trying to find a
Kingdom Hall. She was staying at the YWCA and kept asking people if they
knew where she could find a Kingdom Hall but no one knew. She'd been praying
to Jehovah to help her. She'd gone to school that day and decided on the spur
of the moment to drop in to Loblaw's for some food. As she was walking up and down the aisles, she
was praying to Jehovah to help her find the Witnesses, and trying to figure
out how she could do that. She felt that being away from a congregation for
2 weeks was too long and she needed the brotherhood. When the sister pulled
out the tract from her purse, Alexis knew that Jehovah was hearing her
prayers and had answered them.
Both the sister and Alexis were at our meeting last night (Sandy Hill
congregation) because Alexis will be moving to an apartment in our
territory. When the sister told us that experience during the last part of
the Service meeting, we all broke out clapping and there weren't many dry
eyes in the audience. Needless to say, Alexis received a very warm welcome
as she made a point of going around to introduce herself to just about
everyone there. She wanted to greet all the brothers and sisters with a big
hug. We're looking forward to getting to know her.
We're all thrilled to see first hand how Jehovah does hear and answer our
prayers, even if it takes a little persistence on his part to get us to
cooperate with him!
~Sandra
Guard Your Heart ~ Guard Your Mind ~ Be long suffering
-(From a sister in Canada......)
We had an amazing experience related to us at the meeting last night.
A sister from a neighboring congregation is in the habit of taking tracts
with her whenever she goes out and makes a point of engaging in incidental
witnessing with people she meets.
Earlier this week she started the day out poorly, having problems getting
her kids off to school before going to work. Then she had a really bad day
at work, so she wasn't in a good mood when she left to go home.
She decided to stop at a grocery store on her way home to pick up some food
for supper. When she was there, she made eye contact with a woman, but
because she was in a bad mood, she didn't do what she normally does. She
didn't strike up a conversation with the woman and try to give her a tract.
She mentally apologized to Jehovah, saying that she just wasn't up to it
that day.
A couple of minutes later, while rounding a corner in the grocery store, she
literally crashed into the same woman, but still didn't feel like striking up a
conversation with her, so apologized to her and let her pass. Then again she
apologized to Jehovah for not taking the opportunity to talk to this woman
but asked Jehovah that if there was some reason that he really wanted her to
talk to this woman, could he please arrange for her to see this woman a
third time.
Since the grocery store is very large, you might not see the same person
again. Lo and behold, though, she again encountered the same woman just
a minute or two later. So, she decided that Jehovah really wanted her to talk to her, so
the sister opened her purse and took out a tract. Much to the sister's surprise,
the woman began screaming, jumping up and down and hugged her!
The sister said it must have seemed strange to onlookers to see two women,
total strangers, screaming, jumping up and down, hugging each other in Loblaw's!
It turned out that this woman is a sister, Alexis, who had just arrived from
Zambia, Africa two weeks earlier.
She had come to Ottawa to go to school and she had been trying to find a
Kingdom Hall. She was staying at the YWCA and kept asking people if they
knew where she could find a Kingdom Hall but no one knew. She'd been praying
to Jehovah to help her. She'd gone to school that day and decided on the spur
of the moment to drop in to Loblaw's for some food. As she was walking up and down the aisles, she
was praying to Jehovah to help her find the Witnesses, and trying to figure
out how she could do that. She felt that being away from a congregation for
2 weeks was too long and she needed the brotherhood. When the sister pulled
out the tract from her purse, Alexis knew that Jehovah was hearing her
prayers and had answered them.
Both the sister and Alexis were at our meeting last night (Sandy Hill
congregation) because Alexis will be moving to an apartment in our
territory. When the sister told us that experience during the last part of
the Service meeting, we all broke out clapping and there weren't many dry
eyes in the audience. Needless to say, Alexis received a very warm welcome
as she made a point of going around to introduce herself to just about
everyone there. She wanted to greet all the brothers and sisters with a big
hug. We're looking forward to getting to know her.
We're all thrilled to see first hand how Jehovah does hear and answer our
prayers, even if it takes a little persistence on his part to get us to
cooperate with him!
~Sandra
Guard Your Heart ~ Guard Your Mind ~ Be long suffering
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
day 4: well done
@ DD great news about your Pioneer School!well done!glad to hear about your glasses too
Monday, December 7, 2009
day 3: you cannot direct the wind...
You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails-I like that thought. :-)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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