Adjusting to a New Assignment - WAYS THE CONGREGATION CAN HELP

Initially, those receiving a new assignment may need your help to obtain housing, transportation, work, and other basic necessities.  They may also need current information about everyday matters, such as paying taxes and obtaining insurance.  Most important, they need, not pity, but understanding.  They may be struggling to deal with their own health problems or those of their relative.  They may be grieving over the death of a loved one. And they also may grieve, even in private, over the loss of association with their spiritual family in their former assignment.  It takes time to process such deep and often very mixed emotions.

In the meantime, your support and example can help them to adjust.  "In my previous assignment, I conducted Bible studies," says a sister who served for many years in a foreign land.  "In my new one, it was difficult even to get the opportunity to open the Bible or to show a video in the ministry.  But local publishers invited me on their calls and studies.  Seeing those zealous and courageous brothers and sisters conduct progressive Bible studies gave me a more positive outlook.  I learned to start conversations in the new territory. All of this helped me to regain joy."

Next time: Adjusting to a New Assignment - KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

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Adjusting to a New Assignment - Conclusion of HOW TO DEAL WITH A CHANGE

Avoid unnecessary debt.   (Read Proverbs 22:3, 7)   A move can be surprisingly costly, and it is easy to get into debt.  To minimize the debt, beware of buying on credit things you do not really need. When we are under emotional pressure, as when caring for sick loved ones, we find it difficult to decide how much debt to take on, in such situations, remember that "prayer and supplication" can help you to make wise decisions.  In response to your prayers, Jehovah can grant you  the peace that will  "guard your hearts and your mental powers,"  helping you to think things through calmly. -PHILIPPIANS 4:6. 7; 1 PETER 5:7.

Maintain good relationships.   Share your feelings and experiences with good friends, especially those who may have experienced similar joys and challenges.  Doing so can promote emotional healing.  (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10)  The friends you made in your former assignment will remain your friends.  Now, in your new assignment, you need to make new friends.  Remember that  to have a friend, you need to be a friend.  How can you cultivate new friendships?  Share rich experiences , Jehovah has given you, and let others sense your joys in Jehovah's service.  Even if some in the congregation do not understand your enthusiasm for full-time service, others may be drawn to your example and become good friends.  Be mindful, though, not to draw undue attention to your own accomplishments and do not focus on negative feelings.

 If you had to leave your congregation because of your mate's health,  do not blame him or her.  On the other hand, if you yourself have health problems, do not feel guilty, thinking that  you let your mate down.  Remember, you are "one flesh," and you promised  before Jehovah to care for each other under all circumstances.  (Matthew 19:5, 6)  If you left an assignment because of an unplanned pregnancy, make sure your child knows that he is more important to you than your assignment was.  Reassure your child that you view him as "a reward" from God.  (Psalm  127:3-5)  At the same time, tell him about the rewarding experiences you had in your assignment.  Doing so can motivate your child to use his life in Jehovah's joyful service just as you have done.

HOW OTHERS CAN HELP

Commendably, many congregations and individuals do what they can to enable those in full-time service to remain in their assignments. They do so by encouraging them to continue their work, by giving them financial or other material support, or by helping them to care for their family members back home. (Galatians 6:2)  If those in full-time service  receive a new assignment to your congregation, do not view the change of assignment as an indication that they somehow failed or were disciplined.  Instead, help them  to make the transition easier.  Give them a warm welcome and commend them for the work they have done, even if poor healthy limits what they can do at present.  God to know them.  Learn from their wealth of knowledge, training, and experience.  

Next time: Adjusting to a New Assignment - WAYS THE CONGREGATION CAN HELP

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Adjusting to a New Assignment - HOW TO DEAL WITH A CHANGE

Whether we serve in the field or at Bethel, we can develop deep affection for people and even for the place where we serve.  If for any reason we have to leave, our heart feels torn.  We miss those who stay behind, and we worry about them, especially if we have to leave because of persecution.  (Matthew 10:23; 2 Corinthians 11:28, 29)  Further, taking up a new assignment -or even returning home- often means experiencing culture shock.  " We had become unfamiliar with our own culture and even with preaching in our native language," say Robert and Mary Jo.  "We feel as if we didn't fit in anymore."  Some who get a change of assignment may suddenly face unexpected financial challenges.  They may feel uncertain, insecure, and discouraged.  What can help?

 Stay close to Jehovah.   (James 4:8)  How can we do that?  By trusting in him as the "Hearer of prayer."  (Psalm 65:2)  "Pour out your hearts before him," says Psalm 62:8.  Jehovah can do "more than super abundantly beyond all the things we ask or conceive.  (Ephesians 3:20)   He does not limit himself to what we specifically ask for in our prayers.  He may do the unexpected, beyond anything we could ever think of, to solve our problems. 

To remain close to Jehovah, read the Scriptures daily and ponder on them.  One former missionary says:  "Maintain a regular schedule of family worship and meeting preparation, just as you did in your former assignment."  Also continue to be fully involved in preaching the good news in your new congregation.  Jehovah remembers those who continue to serve him faithfully, even if they cannot do all they did before. - Read HEBREWS 6:10-12. 

Keep your life simple.   Do not let the anxieties of Satan's world  "choke" your spiritual activity.  (Matthew 13:22)   Reject pressure from the world or from well-meaning friends or relatives to seek financial security in Satan's system.  (Read 1 John 2:15-17)  Trust in Jehovah, who promises to provide for all our spiritual emotional, and material needs "at the right time." - HEBREWS 4:16; 13:5, 6. 

Next time: Adjusting to a New Assignment -  Conclusion of HOW TO DEAL WITH A CHANGE

From the jw.org publications

Adjusting to a New Assignment

"God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name." - HEBREWS 6:10. 

AFTER we had spent 21 wonderful years in our missionary assignment, all four of our parents had become infirm," recall Robert and Mary Jo.  "We were happy to take care of them.  Still, it was painful to have what had become the home of our hearts." 

"When we learned that our health could not permit us  to return to our assignment, we wept,"  relate William and Terrie.  "Our dream of serving Jehovah is a foreign land was over."

"We knew that our persecutors wanted to close the branch office where I was serving,"  says Aleksey. "But it was still a shock when it happened and we had to leave Bethel."

Add to these the experiences of thousands of Bethel family members  and others who have received new assignments.  These faithful brothers and sisters may find it challenging to leave a cherished assignment. What can help them to deal with the change? How cab you assist them?  The answers to those questions can help all of us to deal with changing circumstances in life.

Next time: Adjusting to a New Assignment - HOW TO DEAL WITH A CHANGE

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"Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved - HOW CAN ALL IN THE CONGREGATION HELP?

Jehovah draws people to him by means of the "fine works" of the Christian congregation.  (Read Matthew 5:14-16)   If your mate is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, has he or she met members of your congregation?  Pauline, mentioned earlier, invited brothers and sisters to her home so that her husband, Wayne, could get to know them.  Wayne recalls how one brother helped to break down barriers  of misunderstanding: "He took a day off from work just to watch a ball game with me.  And I thought,  'He's normal!'" 

One excellent way to help our relatives is to invited them to attend congregation meetings with us.  (1 Corinthians 14:24, 25)   Wayne attended his first meeting-the Memorial-because it was after work and the program was relatively short.  "I did not understand what the talk was about,"  he says,  "but I remembered the people.  They came up and welcomed me and shook my hand firmly.  I could tell they were sincere."  One couple had already been especially kind to Pauline, helping her with her son at  meetings, and in the ministry.  So when Wayne eventually decided that he needed to understand more about Pauline's new beliefs, he asked the husband to study the Bible with him.

We hope that all our relatives will join us in serving Jehovah.  However, despite all our efforts to help our relatives  to become God's servants, they may not come into the truth.  If that is the case, we should not blame ourselves for their decision.  After all, we cannot force anyone to accept our beliefs.  Even so, do not underestimate the influence you can have on your relatives as they see how happy you are serving Jehovah.  Pray for them.  Tactfully speak to them.  Do not hold back!  (Acts 20:20)  Be confident that Jehovah will bless your efforts. And if your relatives choose to listen to you, they will be saved! 

Next time:  Adjusting to a New Assignment 

From the jw.org publications

"Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved - WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP OUR RELATIVES?

Be patient.  When we conform our life to God's standards, our relatives may find it difficult to adjust to our new beliefs and lifestyle. Often, the first thing they notice is that we no longer join them in celebrating religious festivals and no longer engage in political activities.  Some relatives might initially be angry with us.  (Matthew 10:35, 36)  But we should not give up on them.  If we stop  trying to help them understand our beliefs, we have, in effect,  judged them  as being unworthy of gaining everlasting life.  Jehovah has not given us the job of judging- he has assigned that task to Jesus. (John 5:22)   If we are patient, our relatives may eventually  be willing to listen to our message.

Be firm but tactful.  (Proverbs 15:2)  Consider the example of Alice. She learned about Jehovah when she was living away from her parents, who were politically active atheists.  She realized that as soon as possible, she needed to tell them about the good things she was learning.  "If you wait until later to announce changes in your beliefs and practices," says Alice, "the shock of your family will become greater."  She write letters to her parents, asking what they thought of the Bible's teachings on topics she hoped would interest them, such as love.  (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)  She thanked her parents for raising her and taking care of her, and she them gifts.  During visits to her parents' home, she went out of her way to help her mother around the house. At first, her parents did not respond favorably when Alice told them about her new beliefs.

When Alice was at home with her parents, she stuck to her schedule of Bible reading.  "This helped by mother to understand how important the Bible was to me," says Alice.  Meanwhile, Alice's father decided to learn something about the Bible in order to understand his daughter's changed thinking, and he wanted to find fault with the Bible.  "I gave a Bible," says Alice, "and I inscribed it with a personal note."  What was the result?  Rather than  finding fault, Alice's father was deeply moved by what he read in God's Word.

We need to be firm but tactful, even if we must endure trials.  (1 Corinthians 4:12b) Alice, for example, had to endure opposition from  her mother.  "When I got baptized, Mom called  me a 'bad daughter'"  How did Alice respond?  "Rather than avoiding the issue, I respectfully explained that I had made up my mind to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses and would stick to that decision.  I tried to reassure my mother that I really loved her.  We  both cried, and I cooked her a nice meal.  From then on, my mother began to acknowledge that the Bible was making me a better person." 

It make take time before our relatives  fully understand just how serious we are about serving Jehovah. For instance. For example, when Alice decided to pioneer rather than to pursue the career her parents had chosen for her, her mother cried again.  But Alice remained firm. "If you give in to pressure in one area," says Alice. 'your family will likely pressure you on other matters.  But if you are kind yet firm with your family, come of them may listen to you."  That is what happened in Alice's case.  Both of her parents are now pioneers and her father is an elder. 

Next time: "Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved - HOW CAN ALL IN THE CONGREGATION HELP? 

From the jw.org publications

"Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved" - WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP OUR RELATIVES?

 Show empathy.  Pauling mentioned earlier, says:  "At first, I wanted to talk to my husband only about spiritual things.  We had no 'normal' conversation."  However, Pauline's husband, Wayne, had  little Bible knowledge and did not understand what Pauling was talking about.  To him, it seemed that all she thought about was religion.  He worried that she was joining a dangerous sect and was being deceived.

Pauling admits that for a while she spent a great deal of time during her evenings and weekends  with her spiritual brothers and sisters-at meetings, in preaching, and at social gatherings.  "Wayne sometimes came home to an empty house and felt lonely," says Pauline.  Understandably, Wayne missed  his wife and son.  He did not know the people they were with, and it seemed that his wife's new friends had become more important to Pauline than he was.  Wayne reacted by threatening to divorce Pauline.  Can you see ways in which Pauline could have been more empathetic?

Let your conduct speak for you.  Often, what we do makes a bigger impression on our relatives  than what we say.  (Read 1 Peter 3:1, 2)  Pauline eventually  realized that fact.  "I knew that Wayne loved us and didn't really want a divorce," she says.  "But his threat  made me realize that I had to start doing things Jehovah's way. Instead of talking so much, I needed to set a good example through my conduct."  Pauline stopped pressuring Wayne   to talk about the Bible, and she began conversing with him about  everyday matters.  Wayne saw her become more peaceable, and he saw their son become better behaved.  (Proverbs 31:18, 27, 28)   When Wayne observed the good effect the Bible's message was having on his family, he opened his mind and heart to the message from God's Word. - 1 CORINTHIANS 7:12-14, 16.

Persevere in trying to help your relatives.     Jehovah sets the example for us.  "Again and again" he gives people the opportunity to respond to the good news and gain life.  (Jeremiah 44:4)  And the apostle Paul told Timothy  to persevere in helping others.  Why?  Because by doing so, he would save himself and those who listened to him.  (1 Timothy 4:16)  We love our relatives, so we want them to know the truths found in God's Word.  Pauline's words and actions eventually  had a good influence on her family.  She now has the joy of serving Jehovah along with her husband. Both of them are pioneers, and Wayne serves as an elder.

Next time: "Those Who Will Listen to You"  Will Be Saved

From the jw.org publications 

"Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved - WHY WITNESS TO OUR RELATIVES?

Soon, Jehovah will bring the system to an end.  Only those who are "rightly disposed for everlasting life" will survive.  (Acts 13:48)   We spend much time and energy preaching to strangers in our community, so it is natural that we would also want our relatives to serve Jehovah with us.  Our loving Father, Jehovah, "does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain repentance." - Read 2 PETER 3:9.  

We need to keep in mind that there is a right way and a wrong way to share the message of salvation though we may be tactful  when witnessing to a stranger, we may be too blunt when talking with our relatives.  

Many of us may look back with regret on our initial attempt to witness our relatives and wish we  had dealt with them differently.  The apostle Paul counseled Christians: "Let your words always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you answer each person."  (Colossians 4:5, 6)   It is good to remember this advice when we approach our relatives.  Otherwise, we might end up alienating them rather than persuading them. 

Next time: "Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved - WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP OUR RELATIVES?

From the jw.org publications

"Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved

"Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching. Persevere in these things,  for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you." - 1 TIMOTHY 4:16.  

FROM the moment I learned the truth, I've wanted everyone in my family to be with me in Paradise," says a sister named  Pauline.  "I especially wanted my husband, Wayne,and our young son to join me in serving Jehovah."  Do you have relatives  who have not yet come to know and love Jehovah?  You likely feel the same way about them as Pauling felt about her family.

We cannot force our relatives to accept the good news, but we can encourage the to open their  minds and hearts to the Bible's message.  (2 Timothy 3:14, 15)  Why should we witness to our relatives?  Why do we need to show empathy?  What can we do to help relatives to come to love Jehovah as we do?  And how can all our local congregation help us?  

Next time: "Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved- WHY WITNESS TO OUR RELATIVES? 

From the jw.org publications   

Let Your Love Abound - CONTINUE TO "BE FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUS FRUIT"

Paul prayed earnestly that the Philippians would "be filled with righteous fruit."  (Philippians 1:11)  No doubt this "righteous fruit" included their love for Jehovah and his people.  That would also include their speaking to others about their faith in Jesus  and their wonderful hope.  Philippians 2:15 uses another illustration, namely, "shining as illuminators in the world."   That is fitting because Jesus called his disciples "the light of the world."  (Matthew 5:14-16)  He also commanded his followers to "make disciples," and he said that they would "be witnesses . . . to the most distant part of the earth."  (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)  We bear "righteous fruit" when we actively share in this most important work. 

No matter what out circumstances, we can shine as illuminators.  In some cases, what seems to be an obstacle to declaring the good news may turn out to be an opportunity for us to preach.  The apostle Paul, for example, was under house arrest in Rome when he wrote his letter to the Philippians.  But his chains did not hold him back from preaching to his captors and to his visitors. Paul reached zealously under these circumstances and this gave the brothers confidence and courage "to speak the word of God fearlessly." - Read PHILIPPIANS 1:12-14; 4:22. 

Many of our brothers and sisters have the opportunity to follow Paul's  courageous example.  They live in countries where they cannot preach openly or from door to door, so they find other ways to declare the good news.  (Matthew 10:16-20)  In one such country, a circuit overseer suggested that each publisher cover his own  preaching "territory" made up of relatives, neighbors, schoolmates, workmates, and acquaintances.  Within two years, the number of congregations in that circuit increased significantly.  We may not live in a country where we cannot preach openly. However, we can learn a valuable lesson from the example of our resourceful brothers and sisters:  Always look for ways to have a full share in  the ministry. confident that Jehovah  will give you the power you need to overcome any obstacle. - PHILIPPIANS 2:13.

At this momentous time, may we be determined to apply the inspired counsel  found in Paul's letter to the Philippines.  May we make sure of the more important things, be flawless, avoid stumbling others, and bear righteous fruit. Then we will abound in love and bring honor to our caring Father, Jehovah.

Next time: Those Who Listen to You "Will Be Saved

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