Gilead Missionary School​—‘Making Our Steps Ready’

THEY are from six different countries and various backgrounds. Among them are former carpenters, engineers, schoolteachers, commercial artists, musicians, truck drivers, and even a plumber. Yet, they have a common goal: to preach the “good news of the kingdom” in a foreign land.​—Matthew 24:14.

This goal brought them together for five months of intensive Bible study and training at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead located in Brooklyn, New York. And their schooling culminated in delightful graduation exercises on March 3, 1985.

Leaving their accustomed way of life in their homelands in order to preach the “good news” to people in foreign lands obviously required major adjustments. Imagine some of the sacrifices these future missionaries are making: leaving family and friends, learning a new language, and getting acclimatized to a new country, a new home, and different foods. Not small changes!

But can five months of instruction really equip them for such an abrupt shift in life-style? What do the students think about it?

“Ready to Go”

Cindy, assigned with her husband to Zaire, Africa, feels she is more prepared now than ever before. “I’ve wanted to be a missionary ever since I was a little girl. After being with the other students for five months, I’m really ready to go.” David and Charmaine, assigned to Ecuador, similarly expressed, “We feel that now we will better be able to blend with the different customs and life-styles in our assignment.”

The training, of course, is designed specifically with this in mind. The curriculum includes (1) four Scripture study courses covering the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, (2) a course entitled Theocratic Organization, and (3) a course called Missionary Service.

Missionary Service is a practical course in how to view a foreign assignment realistically. One student, Glen, noted: “I found the Missionary Service course particularly helpful. It made me repeatedly search my motive and ask myself, ‘Why am I here?’” He and his wife, Gaylene, now feel qualified for their assignment in Papua New Guinea.

Another student, Pam, appreciated how practical the instructors were. “They helped me see that no matter where we are assigned, it is going to be vastly different from home.” Saipan, a tiny island in the western Pacific, will be the new home for Pam and her husband Peter.

Gordon has spent the last 12 years at the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn and has seen many missionaries sent out from Gilead School. Now he, too, has benefited from Gilead training and will be serving as a missionary in Hong Kong. Does he feel that Gilead has conditioned him well for his new assignment? “The practical aspects of missionary life that have been emphasized throughout the course have helped me to look at it realistically,” answered Gordon. “Knowing what to expect is a big help.”

Receiving Their Assignments

It was not until about halfway through the five-month course, on the morning of January 3, 1985, that the 78th class learned what their foreign assignments would be. At first, the prospect of going to distant lands caused some apprehension among them. ‘How far away from my family will I be? Will I be able to deal with the different people, customs, and foods? How long will it take to make new friends?’

However, these questions soon faded from their minds as they meditated on what Jehovah had already done to prepare them. After receiving the news that she would be going to the Dominican Republic, Sharon felt this way: “I thank Jehovah for considering me faithful for this assignment. I will be in a beautiful and challenging territory.” Ed and Lynda will be missionaries in Zaire, Africa. They are so determined to make their assignment their home that they exclaimed: “If we were told now that we couldn’t go to Zaire, we would sit down and cry, since our hearts are already there!”

To the Field

Looking ahead, Wolfgang expressed what he and his classmates strongly felt: “I am convinced that all of us see the importance of our goal​—to preach the good news of God’s Kingdom without turning away from our assignments and to work in unity with our brothers in the congregations for Kingdom increase.” Virginia, who is accompanying her husband Tim to Africa, adds: “The only training left for us is the actual experience.”

But do seasoned missionaries feel that the training received at Gilead School benefits them in actual practice? A former graduate, Kathryn, who has served for some years in the jungles of Papua New Guinea with her husband, a traveling minister, explains: “Deep study takes a bit of maneuvering, as we have to arrange to spend some time where someone has a library. We go all out in our study of The Watchtower.a Gilead really brought home to us how much we can learn from each issue.”

Through the education Gilead School offers, it can be said that ‘by Jehovah the very steps of these able-bodied men and women have been made ready.’ Yes, they are ready to make a drastic change in life-style, and they are prepared to carry the Bible’s life-giving message to the ends of the earth.​—Psalm 37:23.

78th Class Profile

Total number of students ___________ 42

Number of countries represented _____ 6

Number of countries assigned to ____ 14

Number of single women ______________ 4

Number of single men ________________ 8

Number of married couples __________ 15

Average age ______________________ 32.1

Average years baptized ___________ 14.2

Average years in full-time ministry 9.9

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 26]

Seventy-eighth Class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead

In the list below, rows are numbered from front to back, and names are listed from left to right in each row.

1– Donaldson, C.; Savoniemi, I.; Van Loo, R.; Ross, G.; Kenyon, L.; Loucks, C.; Mickelson, C.; Koch, M. 2– Wortley, L.; Wondratsch, W.; Seneca, P.; Gleaves, C.; Sierra, N.; Gracia, Y.; Gracia, J.; Crouch, V. 3– Seneca, P.; Hobson, C.; Ellis, G.; Grant, G.; Fields, L.; Norman, S.; Thompson, S.; Singleton, C. 4– Savoniemi, H.; Gleaves, Jr., K.; Koch, F.; Steiner, M.; Crouch, T.; Donaldson, R.; Björck, M.; Mathewson, F.; Kenyon, E. 5– Fields, D.; Björck, R.; Loucks, D.; Ross, G.; Hobson, G.; Van Loo, F.; Mundt, B.; Mickelson, C.; Sensenig, T.