New Missionaries—Prepared for Success in the Field
THE air seemed charged with electricity, so exuberant were the 2,121 people that assembled Sunday morning, September 9, 1984, at the Queens, New York, Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. What was the occasion? It was graduation day for 37 students making up the 77th class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. Why the excitement? Because these graduation ceremonies always offer attenders the opportunity to hear inspiring talks from responsible members of the Watchtower Society’s headquarters staff, to see an exciting Bible drama and other upbuilding presentations, and to share in the joy of the students over their prospective missionary assignments. No one in the audience was disappointed.
To start the morning’s round of talks, A. D. Schroeder, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, reminisced by saying, “My dad used to say, ‘If you have a job to do, get the right tools and then finish the job right—don’t leave it half done.’” He explained that the students now have the tools, which include the Society’s helpful Bible literature in addition to the background gained from their five-month course of ministerial training. Then he related examples of fruitful missionaries who today are making a success of their assignments.
Jack Redford, one of the Gilead instructors, had this to say: “Successful missionaries use their brains.” Referring to the command at Matthew 22:37 to ‘love God with your whole mind,’ he showed how missionaries could do so. As an example, Redford pointed out the well-thought-out health precautions a missionary couple took in one part of Africa. He also praised a longtime missionary in Chile who used her wits to preach despite losing her hearing. “You students may also face challenges of some kind,” said Redford. “But each challenge can be very rewarding, depending on how you handle it.” “Think,” was Redford’s advice.
The other Gilead instructor, U. V. Glass, was just as practical in his counsel. Likening the students to seedlings in a hothouse, he explained that now they were about to be transplanted to a new environment, but they should “keep their roots embedded in theocratic soil.” He warned the students not to be thin-skinned, or blow up, when pressures build. And then he offered suggestions as to how they could ease the pressures sometimes found in missionary life.
John E. Barr, a Governing Body member, reminded the students that one of the most precious things they would be taking to their assignments was “the joy of Jehovah.” (Nehemiah 8:10) “May it spill over into the hearts of hundreds of others,” he said. Leon Weaver admonished the students to become examples in love and faith, in harmony with 1 Timothy 4:12. And Eldor Timm encouraged them to have the same “I want to” attitude that Jesus displayed when he came to people’s aid.—Mark 1:40, 41.
The last speaker of the morning was F. W. Franz, president of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, who spoke on the theme “Cultivating the Finest Friendship in All the Universe.” Explaining that according to their root meanings, the Hebrew and Greek words for “friend” can be translated “lover,” Franz pointed out that the students will gain real friends by showing genuine love for those they minister to in their new assignments. But never, emphasized Franz, should they neglect cultivating the finest friendship of all, that of Jehovah God.
To conclude the morning session, the chairman of the program, L. K. Greenlees, passed out the diplomas. The audience was delighted to hear that these graduates from 7 countries were being sent to 13 different lands in Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and the islands of the sea.
Then came the afternoon program. Donald Krebs supervised the week’s Watchtower lesson, the students making the comments. The students then put on a series of lively skits to describe some of the interesting features of their five-month course. Then followed the highlight of the afternoon—a first-rate Bible drama depicting the trials and blessing of Job. Yes, the graduation program was truly a spiritually stimulating experience for all in attendance.
The Watchtower Society had invested much time and training in these prospective missionaries—but not without purpose. “Gilead School has prepared you to be a success,” one of the speakers told the class. Indeed, we feel confident that the 77th class of Gilead will have Jehovah’s blessing as they take up their new missionary assignments.