Recently, we had the graduation of the 149th class for Gilead. In the middle of January. This would have been an oddity a year ago, but only one word is needed to describe it: 2020. Yes, a quartet of numbers has now become the byword of the world turning on its collective head. I will not bore or sadden you with memories of a year that was, to say the least, not the best of years on a global scale. However, as with any time period, good can grow from it, and as highlighted in another theocratic occasion: expect the unexpected. And accept the unexpected.
I'd like to share my personal experience on that front, of something that genuinely would NOT happened had it not been for the events surrounding 2020.
For that, we'll need to rewind back to March 5th, 2020. This was (unknown to me at the time) the last time I'd be working at Bethel in-person. I was in the Wallkill dining room looking for an empty seat for breakfast and Morning Worship. As I found a spot, a buddy for mine came up and ordered me a spot at his table. Since we hadn't hung out in a while, I followed him and took my seat. Kitty-cornered from me was a brother I'll refer to as Dobara. (If he ever reads this, he'll know why). I'd met this brother a couple of times whilst on assignment, so I was familiar with him. He was chatting to some of the other friends seated there about his recent trip to India, and immediately my ears perked up. Ooh India.
Uncharacteristically for me, I hopped into the conversation, asking for his advice since my own trip was fast approaching. Among what he told me, he invited me to visit his congregation, which is in Hindi. We will further refer to this congregation as HVH. He advised that since Hindi is one of the national languages, it would be a good idea to maybe attend a few meetings to get an ear for it. I gave a very noncommittal response, not really convinced if I was going to follow through but thanking him nonetheless.
The following week, THE WORLD SHUT DOWN.
I highlighted this in my last blog post, but as a refresher: obviously my Asia trip was a no-go and thus began the flurry of flight cancellations and ticket refunds. After the dizziness and surrealism wore off, the question remained: what comes next?
I really had to sit myself down and contemplate prayerfully my next move. I had allowed the first two weeks following the initial lockdown/shutdown to bring me down, but now was ready to figure out what to do. A voice in the back of my head chimed in: hey, what about Dobara's invitation, hmmm? After a carefully prepared email and a LOT MORE PRAYER, I reached out, receiving a response in a matter of days to begin attending the Hindi meetings virtually.
Within a span of a few months, I went from shyly attending once every 2 weeks, to then twice every 2 weeks, to finally solely attending in Hindi. It even opened up the opportunity to begin learning the language formally with an actual teacher. I was enraptured, thrilled, and completely taken. In September 2020, I switched congregations officially, making it my very first foreign language endeavor all by myself.
Well, not all by myself. With the variety of difficulties that the past pandemic year has thrown, I've been able to observe how truly INCREDIBLE Jehovah is in taking care of us. He utilizes so many means of reassurance and love (between family, friends, elders, our amazing website jw.org, etc). It leaves no room for doubt that He is our Rock and shelter, and that there is nothing in the world that is strong or scary enough to defeat Him.
Now, I'm reviewing notes from my first pioneer meeting with my congregation. My congregation. Wow. Jehovah knows that I did not have this on my 2020 bingo card, but I'm so so grateful that it happened. I give thanks to the pillars of support I've been gifted every step of the way; it means more than my poor words can express.
This was a long post, dear friends. Thank you all for reading, I deeply appreciate it. I hope that each and every one of you has a fantastic day and please stay tuned for the next post! बहुत शुक्रिया ।
Love,
The Adventurous A.
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