“Welcome to Jehovah’s Organization”
A family in Finland who had associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses for some time had experienced opposition from many quarters. “They will take your money,” people warned. Others said, “You will lose your home.” Coincidentally, one night a fire badly damaged the building where the family’s heating system was located—a serious loss in a cold northern climate.
Insurance barely covered the cost of reconstruction materials. The fire seemed to confirm the ominous predictions. The father of the family recalls with a sigh, “We really felt downhearted.” Still, the husband and wife did not alter their plans to be baptized just three weeks later.
The local congregation saw this as an opportunity to apply the Bible’s counsel: “Little children, let us love, neither in word nor with the tongue, but in deed and truth.” (1 John 3:18) Fellow believers put in motion a plan to repair the building. The branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Finland supplied practical advice on how to proceed. Construction drawings were made, building permits obtained, lists of needed materials compiled, and a call for volunteers sent out.
By about a month after the fire, work was in full swing. On a Wednesday, local Witnesses pulled down the charred remains. By Friday, with the help of Witnesses from other congregations, the framework of the new building began to emerge. On a trip to town, the father of the family encountered a local official who wanted to know if he had protected the damaged building from rain by putting tarpaulins over the roof. “No, there are no tarpaulins,” the father proudly replied, “but there are 30 men on the roof!”
On Saturday nearly 50 spiritual brothers and sisters were at the site, happy for the privilege of helping out. A neighbor who had also lent a helping hand commented: “Last night I stopped to think how special you people are! You really care for and help one another.”
That evening the work was completed. The new building stood as a clear answer to the prejudiced warnings given the family. One congregation elder recalls the moment when he and the father stood back to view the results: “It was a tremendous feeling to be able to put my arm around our newly baptized brother’s shoulder and say, ‘Welcome to Jehovah’s organization.’”
[Picture on page 31]
Fire damage
[Picture on page 31]
During renovation