peculiar feeling, the going back home to Australia.

Three more years passed. There were many increases in publishers, greater maturity was in evidence among Jehovah’s people, and the joy of serving full time was an ever-present thrill. Then 1953 loomed up with another Yankee Stadium assembly. What a joy! for with that announcement came a second opportunity for me to go back to America!

Another ten weeks of feasting and enjoying the New World society. Still more this time the thought of coming back home was present with me. It was good to get back and settle down to Jehovah’s work in this land down under.

Now nearly seventeen years of the full-time service have passed. These have been the best years, the happiest years, the years with more homes, clothes and friends than ever before. How wise it was to heed the Lord’s promise at Matthew 6:33! How sensible to follow the Lord’s lead as made manifest through his organization! How I thank Jehovah that I made pioneering my purpose in life.

Now after nearly ten years in Australia this land has really become home. So it matters little where one serves. The brothers are the same, for the same spirit operates upon them. Customs and habits may differ, but changing one’s way of thinking and always seeking to follow Jehovah’s leading, accepting whatever assignment he sees fit to give, brings joy, happiness, contentment and unnumbered friends—things that come only from pursuing a grand goal in life—such as pioneering.

We Found Contentment Helping the Needy

From two Kingdom publishers in Brazil

GODLY contentment is the lot of those who place love for Jehovah and his sheep first in their lives. We know this to be the truth, because a little more than three years ago our circumstance forced us to leave the full-time missionary service—we were about to start a family. The sudden change from missionary life was a challenge to meet. It left us feeling disorganized and with having deep concern for the future. It turned out to be a time of real spiritual testing.

Things went fairly well materially for a while. Mark, our son, was born. What a joy he proved to be! But we found ourselves getting so involved in obtaining our material needs that the ministry work was getting crowded out. We realized that we had to do something about it.

Following a thrilling circuit assembly in an interior town, we decided that even if we could not pioneer, still there was nothing to stop us from moving the family out to this town to take care of the newly interested. With our last bit of capital we bought a small abandoned farm. This became our home. Now after two years of work, we can report a healthy new congregation, which was finally organized with thirty-four publishers. We have a fine Kingdom Hall in the center of town where we average over fifty in attendance for the weekly Watchtower study. The brothers are rapidly progressing. The month’s report showed twenty-nine home Bible studies and an average of fifteen hours and five back-calls per publisher. You can imagine our joy!

How this has encouraged us and made us know that Jehovah never fails to bless if we put forth the effort! We have found an unspeakable blessing serving where the need is great. Even though we are unable to spend our full time in the service, yet helping as publishers by moving out to this interior town, organizing the work and being with these brothers have brought us great contentment. Maybe you can do something like this. Why don’t you try? You will find it a great joy if you do.