My Weaknesses Have Magnified God’s Strength

MY YOUTH IN FINLAND

I was born in 1955, the youngest of three boys. I grew up near the southern coast of Finland, in an area now known as the city of Vantaa.

My mother got baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses a few years before I was born. However, my father opposed the truth and did not allow my mother to study with us children or to take us to congregation meetings. So she would teach us basic Bible truths when my father was not around.

From childhood onward, I took a stand for Jehovah. For example, once when I was seven, my schoolteacher became furious with me because I would not eat verilättyjä (Finnish blood pancakes). With one hand, she squeezed my cheeks to separate my closed lips, and with the other, she tried to force a fork with a piece of the pancake into my mouth. I managed to knock the fork out of her hand.

When I was 12, my father passed away. After that, I could attend congregation meetings. The brothers in the congregation showed kind interest in me, and this motivated me to progress spiritually. I started reading the Bible daily and studying our Christian publications diligently. These good study habits were key to my getting baptized at the age of 14, on August 8, 1969.

Soon after I finished my secular schooling, I started regular pioneering. Within a few weeks, I moved to serve where the need was greater, in Pielavesi, near the center of Finland.

In Pielavesi, I met the girl who would become my dear wife, Sirkka. I felt drawn to her modest personality and deep spirituality. She did not seek prominence or material comforts. Both of us longed to serve Jehovah as fully as possible, regardless of any privileges of service. We married on March 23, 1974. Instead of going on a honeymoon, we left to serve in Karttula, where there was an even greater need for Kingdom preachers.

JEHOVAH CARED FOR US

From the start of our marriage, Jehovah has shown us that he will care for our material needs if we seek his Kingdom first. (Matt. 6:33) For example, in Karttula, we did not have a car. At first, we traveled by bicycle. However, in winter the temperatures there would drop below freezing. To preach in the congregation’s vast territory, we needed an automobile. But we did not have the money to buy one.

Unexpectedly, my older brother came to visit us. He kindly offered us his car. The insurance had been paid. We only had to buy fuel. After that, we had the vehicle we needed.

Jehovah showed us that he had taken on the responsibility to care for our material needs. Our job was to put Kingdom interests first.

GILEAD SCHOOL

While we were attending Pioneer Service School in 1978, Raimo Kuokkanen,a one of our instructors, encouraged us to apply for Gilead School. So we started studying English with the goal of qualifying to attend. However, in 1980, before we could apply, we were invited to serve at the branch office in Finland. At that time, Bethelites could not apply for Gilead. But we wanted to serve where Jehovah thought best, not where we thought best. So we accepted the invitation. Nonetheless, we kept studying English just in case we ever had the opportunity to apply for Gilead.

A few years later, the Governing Body extended to Bethelites the opportunity to apply for Gilead. We filled out applications immediately but not because we were unhappy at Bethel. Quite the contrary! We just wanted to make ourselves available to serve where there was a greater need if we qualified. We were accepted to Gilead and graduated from the 79th class in September 1985. Our assignment was Colombia.

OUR FIRST MISSIONARY ASSIGNMENT

In Colombia, we were first assigned to the branch office. I tried to do my best in my assignment, but after a year at the branch, I felt that we needed a change. For the first and only time in my life, I asked for a different assignment. Thereafter, we were assigned as field missionaries to the city of Neiva, in the department of Huila.

I have always enjoyed the field ministry. As a single pioneer in Finland, I would at times preach from early in the morning to late in the evening. As a newly married couple, Sirkka and I would also spend full days preaching. When working in distant territories, we would sometimes sleep in our car. This cut down on travel time and allowed us to get an early start the next day.

As field missionaries, we once again felt the same enthusiasm we had earlier for the ministry. Our congregation grew, and the Colombian brothers and sisters were respectful, loving, and appreciative.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

Not too far from our assignment in Neiva were towns with no Witnesses. I was very concerned about how the good news would reach those areas. However, because of guerrilla warfare, these areas were not safe for nonlocals. So I prayed that someone in one of these towns would become a Witness. I thought that such a person would have to live in Neiva to learn the truth. Therefore, I also prayed that after baptism he would mature spiritually and return to his hometown to preach. I should have known that Jehovah had a far better solution than I did.

Soon thereafter, I started a Bible study with a young man named Fernando González. He lived in Algeciras, one of the towns where there were no Witnesses. Fernando would travel over 50 kilometers (30 mi) to Neiva to work. He prepared very well for each study and immediately started attending all the meetings. From the first week of his study, Fernando would gather others in his hometown and teach them what he had learned from his Bible study.

Fernando got baptized in January 1990, six months after he started studying. Thereafter, he became a regular pioneer. With one local Witness in Algeciras, it was now safe enough for the branch office to assign special pioneers to the area. In February 1992, a congregation was formed in that town.

Did Fernando limit his preaching to his hometown? No! After he married, he and his wife moved to San Vicente del Caguán, another town where there were no Witnesses. There they helped establish a congregation. In 2002, Fernando was appointed as a circuit overseer, and he and his wife, Olga, continue in the traveling work to this day.

From this experience, I learned how important it is to pray about specific matters relating to our theocratic assignments. Jehovah does what we cannot do. After all, this is his harvest, not ours.​—Matt. 9:38.

JEHOVAH GIVES US “THE DESIRE AND THE POWER TO ACT”

In 1990 we were assigned to the traveling work. Our first circuit was in the capital city, Bogotá. The assignment intimidated us. My wife and I are ordinary people without any special talents. And we were not used to living in a bustling metropolis. However, Jehovah fulfilled his promise found at Philippians 2:13: “God is the one who for the sake of his good pleasure energizes you, giving you both the desire and the power to act.”

Later, we were assigned to a circuit in the area of Medellín, the city I mentioned at the outset. People there had grown so accustomed to street violence that it no longer alarmed them. For example, one time while I was conducting a Bible study, a shoot-out began outside the house I was visiting. I was about to drop to the floor, but the Bible student continued reading the paragraph, unfazed. When he finished reading, he excused himself and went outside. After a while, he came back with two little children and calmly said, “My apologies, but I had to get my kids.”

We had other close calls. On one occasion while we were in the door-to-door work, my wife came running toward me, looking somewhat pale. She said that someone had shot at her. That startled me. However, we later realized that the gunman was not aiming at Sirkka; he was shooting at a man who was passing right next to her.

In time, we learned to cope with street violence. We were encouraged by the resilience of the local Witnesses who faced situations like these and worse. We concluded that if Jehovah was helping them, he would help us too. We always heeded the advice of local elders, took precautions, and left the rest in Jehovah’s hands.

Of course, some situations were not as dangerous as we suspected. Once, I heard what sounded like two women screaming insults at each other outside the house I was visiting. I was not interested in watching an argument, but the householder coaxed me over to the patio. As things turned out, the “argument” was actually between two parrots that were mimicking the neighbors.

ADDITIONAL PRIVILEGES AND STRUGGLES

In 1997, I was appointed as an instructor of the Ministerial Training School.b I always appreciated attending theocratic schools, but I never imagined having the delightful privilege of teaching one.

Later, I served as a district overseer. When that arrangement was discontinued, I returned to the circuit work. So for over 30 years, I have enjoyed serving as an instructor and a traveling overseer. These assignments have been a source of many blessings. However, it has not all been a bed of roses. Let me explain.

I have a strong personality. This has helped me face difficult circumstances. However, I have at times been overly zealous in trying to correct matters in congregations. On occasion, I have energetically exhorted some to be loving and reasonable with others. Ironically, though, it was in those moments that I lacked the same qualities.​—Rom. 7:21-23.

Because of my failings, I have sometimes felt very discouraged. (Rom. 7:24) At one point, I told Jehovah in prayer that it would be best for me to leave missionary service and return to Finland. That evening, I attended a congregation meeting. The encouragement I received there convinced me that I should stay in my assignment and keep working on my imperfections. To this day, I am touched by how clearly Jehovah answered that prayer. Additionally, I deeply appreciate how he has kindly helped me to overcome my weaknesses.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE

Sirkka and I feel profoundly indebted to Jehovah for the privilege of having spent most of our life in full-time service. I am also very grateful to Jehovah for giving me such a loving and faithful wife all these years.

Soon I will turn 70 years of age and will relinquish my privileges as a field instructor and a traveling overseer. However, this does not dishearten me. Why not? Because I firmly believe that what honors Jehovah most is that we serve him with modesty and that we praise him from a heart overflowing with love and gratitude. (Mic. 6:8; Mark 12:32-34) To honor Jehovah, we do not need to be in the limelight.

As I look back on the assignments that I have enjoyed, I realize that I did not receive them because I was more worthy than others; nor did I have these privileges because of any outstanding ability. Far from it! Rather, Jehovah extended these assignments to me because of his undeserved kindness. He granted me these privileges despite my weaknesses. I know that I have been able to fulfill these assignments only with Jehovah’s help. In this way, my weaknesses have magnified God’s strength.​—2 Cor. 12:9.