"For a day in your courtyards is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I choose to stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Rather than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."
Greetings, beloved readers.
Yes, it HAS been over a year since I last wrote here. The last time I updated this blog, I had just reached my goal of serving a full year in the Hindi congregation. I am happy to report that I have continued with the language and am now in my second year. मैं बहुत खुश हूं।
But this is not why I am writing today. Today, in fact, marks a very special milestone in my theocratic career, and, seeing as I have been pondering over it, I decided to share it with you all.
The words of Psalms 84:10, as quoted above, have been a mainstay in my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up within a 30-minute radius of a Bethel facility made this scripture continue to be relevant. I can recall riding to my childhood Kingdom Hall, gaping with awe at the marvelously large buildings at Watchtower Farms. I had countless drawings, a few journal entries, and plenty of dreams of someday being able to serve there. My parents were at the forefront of this endeavor, moving our little family across the country to achieve this goal for my brother and me in the late 90s. Proximity does not a goal make, however; the parental units kept the fire stoked by fostering friendships with the goal-oriented, the same friends who would encourage us two young ones to keep on a course of theocratic busyness for years to come.
Being young is a funny sort of thing. It carries with it an impatience that can make you forget that growth and goals take time. I blush a bit remembering my 16-year-old self, bemoaning at how LONG it was taking to reach particular goals and that it would take FOREVER to make it.
Now, seemingly within the blink of an eye, I've had the privilege of serving in some sort of Bethel capacity for 10 years. 10. WHOLE. YEARS. How....when???
These 10 years of Bethel service have taught me so much about myself, Jehovah, dealing with my spiritual family, and the value of good hard work. I have been humbled by the experience on multiple occasions, be it running in late for Morning Worship, cutting my finger with a clipper IMMEDIATELY after getting safety training, or sobbing because I didn't want my assignment to change. I can't count how many lessons have been gifted to me from the examples of my fellow workers, a self-sacrificing visitor, or a wise word at the breakfast table. How the hallways have sung with guffaws and ad-libbed melodies, delighted whispers and stories a-plenty! Even now, at the point where all I can do is simply admire it from a distance, separated by circumstances, it still feels like home in my heart. In vain I attempt to not think too hard on it lest it makes me sad, but honestly, sadness does not root itself for long. How can it, when the memories flood me with such joy?
I do not know what the future will hold in this particular facet of my life. I would like to think that I would be content to serve and go wherever Jehovah so desires, be it back again at Bethel or not. I am beyond grateful for the supportive family I was blessed with, the incredibly diverse and wonderful friends I've made, and, most importantly, for the undeserved honor of being allowed at the edge of the courtyard for this past decade. Thank you, Jehovah. The threshold has such a lovely view.
"Jehovah, I love the house where you dwell,
The place where your glory resides."
May each of you stay strong, enduring faithfully in all that you do. 💖
Love,
The Adventurous A.
