Meet the Students of Gilead’s Forty-eighth Class!
“WONDERFUL! Fantastic!” “Just great!” “Indescribable and delightful!” “It is the best education that a young full-time preacher of Jehovah’s good news can get!”
These are some of the enthusiastic expressions tumbling forth from the lips of those who were the happy students of Gilead’s forty-eighth class. They are expressions revealing how the fifty-four students felt about the five months of training for missionary service they received at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead in Brooklyn, New York.
What a joy it was to mingle with this young, spiritually minded group of full-time servants of Jehovah God! One was quickly caught up in their burning enthusiasm, fanned, no doubt, by their eagerness to go off to their missionary assignments. Yes, they were bubbling over with excitement in keen anticipation of serving in twenty-four lands where people are in need of spiritual care. One easily detected the deep sense of responsibility that these students felt for the foreign assignments they had received. They were confident that their work in these lands would help many to find the road leading to eternal life.—Matt. 7:13, 14.
Like other classes of Gilead, the forty-eighth was an international one. The students came from Korea, Japan, Kenya, Zambia, Austria, Denmark, Haiti, Colombia, Argentina and other lands; twenty-one to be exact. Their average age was about 27 years and they had been serving as witnesses of Jehovah for an average of more than ten years. French, Korean and Spanish were studied by three groups of students respectively. A fourth group studied world history. Those of this group are to study the language of the land to which they are assigned when they arrive there.
Although former Gilead classes averaged about a hundred students, this one had only fifty-four. Was this due to a lack of applicants? No, many young folks around the world are very anxious to come to Gilead. But some of Gilead’s facilities were being utilized temporarily to house workers needed to meet the growing demand for Bible literature. The number of people world wide who want to learn God’s truth contained in the Bible is increasing daily. Hence missionaries already out in the preaching work and hundreds of thousands of other Witnesses need literature explaining the Bible to care for these spiritually hungry ones.
Reaching Out for Gilead’s Missionary Training
Gilead had been the goal for many in this class for a long time. To attain it they took up the full-time preaching work, often referred to as pioneering. Consider the heartwarming account of how this young student from Austria reached out for Gilead’s missionary training:
“Ever since I was a little girl my parents talked to me constantly about pioneering, so that I developed an ardent desire to do this. I remember that when I was ten years old I read an article about pioneer service. I cried so much because I had to go to school when I would rather have gone pioneering. I also remember getting a pioneer application when I was twelve years old and reading it every night before I went to sleep. I was so fascinated by it.
“Finally I graduated from school and I was able to do what I so much wanted to do—pioneer. But my mother used to say to me, ‘A good servant of Jehovah always has a goal.’ So not long after I began pioneering I made Gilead my goal. I was very anxious to come, but I had to wait until I was old enough. Now Jehovah has helped me to realize this long-cherished goal and today I look forward to going to Kenya to share with the people there all the wonderful things I learned at Gilead school.”
A student from Guyana recalled that when she was eleven years old two missionaries were helping her mother to learn the Bible. She wanted to do the same Christian work they were doing. Eight years later she began pioneering and today she rejoices to serve as a missionary in Sierra Leone.
Some students rejected business and educational opportunities in order to pursue full-time service and Gilead training. One of these gave up a profitable hotel and restaurant business in Argentina. Another was awarded a scholarship to study art in Europe. When he learned that he could use the money in whatever way he wished, he used it to help him go into full-time pioneering. Still another, from Ireland, did not let his father’s offer of higher education veer him from the goal of full-time service and Gilead’s missionary training. He and his wife are now headed for Congo (Kinshasa) in Africa.
Evidence of Their Fine Spiritual Stature
In associating with these zealous students one quickly noticed their fine spiritual stature. For example, one student from Haiti gave up a good-paying job to go preaching full time in a place where there were no witnesses of Jehovah and where employment was difficult to get. However, he was determined to remain in this place. So before he went there he bought barbering equipment and with it he was able to support himself. His faith and determination were blessed, for he helped eleven persons, including a Protestant pastor, to learn God’s message of truth.
A student from Chile, although without any money, went to preach in a port town. Some money was to be sent to him after a month, yet how were his needs cared for in the meantime? He explains: “The first morning there was no breakfast, for I had no money. I reminded myself of the scripture about the workman being worthy of his wages. (Luke 10:7) So I fixed up my book bag and went from door to door with God’s message of truth. By noontime I had received enough contributions for the Bible literature that I left with interested persons so that I was able to get a meal.
“Throughout that month I relied fully on Jehovah to provide for me, and he never failed me. Though friends had tried to discourage me from going to this port without any money, I told them confidently that Jehovah would take care of everything, and he did. When they learned later how I had been cared for, they exclaimed, ‘Really, Jehovah does care for his servants!’” Such faith reflects an admirable spiritual development and outlook!
The spiritual stature of a student from Kenya can be appreciated by her endurance of severe opposition from her parents. They did not want her to become a Christian. Her father threatened to kill her if she did not leave “those white monkeys” alone, as he used to refer to the Witnesses. Seeing that this was of no avail, he hired thugs to hurt her. She observes:
“Jehovah’s protection enabled me never to fall into their hands. Through all this painful opposition I saw that full-time service and Gilead school were the only important and worthwhile things in my life.
“So I worked very hard for two years to save enough money to be able to go into the pioneer work. Eventually I attained this most happy goal and I found it simply tremendous. And when a letter came inviting me to come to Gilead I was so thrilled that I felt I was in the clouds. I told everyone that I was going to missionary school. Words cannot adequately express my joy for having been through Gilead and the exciting prospect of being a missionary for Jehovah the true God.”
Truly the zeal of this forty-eighth class, coupled with their fine spiritual stature, will make them precious assets to the lands in which they will serve as educators in God’s Word. Their Christian work in such lands will bring spiritual blessings to many who are sighing over the perplexing problems facing mankind today.
Their Joyous Graduation Day
And what a day it was! The anxiously awaited March 8 dawned with weather that portended the approach of springtime. The specialness of this day was evident as soon as one arrived at the Assembly Hall. There excited students and happy relatives and guests greeted one’s eyes. The murmur of animated conversations punctuated with expressions of delight in seeing and greeting old friends filled one’s ears. What joy permeated this crowd of 2,064!
At 10 a.m. the graduation exercises began as voices were raised in song, and then heads bowed in prayer. N. H. Knorr, president of the Watch Tower Society, warmly welcomed all. Next he invited the Gilead instructors to say some final words of encouragement to the student body. When telegrams from over twenty lands were read, one realized that many around the world were thinking about the graduation of this forty-eighth class of Gilead.
F. W. Franz, vice-president of the Society, spoke. He made it clear that true Christians are not to expect a great influx of people into their ranks after the destruction of the false religious empire, Babylon the Great. Christians are obligated to warn and help persons to get out of Babylon the Great now before it is too late. Once her destruction commences, there is no hope of escape for those in her.—Rev. 18:4.
N. H. Knorr’s talk “The Way” featured warm, loving counsel from the heart. He advised all to avoid anything that would block up their ears to God’s voice telling them the right way to go. (Isa. 30:21) He pointed out that the Watchtower magazine coming to one’s home every two weeks acts as a voice reminding one to stay in the way pleasing to God. Another safeguard in this matter is one’s remaining close to Jehovah’s servants. Their fine, upbuilding association serves also as a reminder to stay in the way leading to life.
The afternoon program of songs sung in various languages by students in native costumes delighted the audience. Gripping, indeed, was the part of the program entitled “Love Is a Perfect Bond of Union,” a Bible drama based on the Bible book of Esther. A heart-touching prayer concluded the program, one that will never be forgotten by Gilead’s happy forty-eighth class.
[Picture on page 24]
Forty-eighth Graduating 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) Arai, C.; Raphael, S.; Rivera, I.; Morgan, E.; Tagg, J.; Rollason, E.; Reid, P.; Haeusler, M. (2) Andrew, B.; Sawada, T.; Fry, P.; Nishigori, A.; McAlman, F.; Laustsen, H. M.; Laustsen, A. V.; Caicedo, R. (3) Dölling, J.; Peters, L.; Lull, K.; Berrios, M.; Delgado, L.; Stevens, J.; Lyons, M.; Seda, M.; Rieder, H. (4) Acevedo, W.; Pallett, J.; Nigl, C.; Vercueil, D.; Yuh, H.; Alleyne, N.; Kopezny, R.; Barnes, A.; Baker, F.; Acevedo, A. (5) Matos, A.; Andrew, T.; Haeusler, N.; Ardiles, H.; Sartison, D.; Schullo, A.; Sanui, H.; Kardos, T.; Lucas, D. (6) Gillette, W.; Sartison, G.; Whittingslow, M.; Baker, J.; Barnes, P.; Breitfuss, J.; Nigl, U.; Long, A.; Traverso, R.; Thibou, A.