Preaching in All Weather

Preaching in All Weather_clean.docx
‎‪The Faroe Islands are also called the Land of Maybe.‏ ‎‪The weather is very diverse and can rapidly change.‏ ‎‪So when you begin in the ministry, the weather can be sunny.‏ ‎‪And then ten minutes later, you find yourself‏ ‎‪in a massive rain shower and everything gets wet.‏ ‎‪Wind is another challenge.‏ ‎‪We have some severe winter storms.‏ ‎‪So you have to be careful that your service partner or the car door‏ ‎‪doesn’t blow away while you’re getting out of the car.‏ ‎‪We make sure to wear clothes appropriate for the weather.‏ ‎‪And also to stay updated on the weather situation‏ ‎‪and see where in our territory the weather is most suitable, and then adapt.‏ ‎‪If the weather is nice, then we try to go from house to house.‏ ‎‪And if the weather is bad,‏ ‎‪then you can go on calls where you can go inside,‏ ‎‪meaning where they will invite you in‏ ‎‪or where the entrance is covered.‏ ‎‪And you can plan your ministry so that if the weather gets bad,‏ ‎‪you can make visits that you know will be at home that time of day.‏ ‎‪When the weather is poor, it’s good to adjust.‏ ‎‪Maybe you can do some telephone witnessing or letter writing.‏ ‎‪At a meeting for pioneers,‏ ‎‪an elder reminded us that when the weather is bad,‏ ‎‪try not to think: ‘The weather is bad again,’‏ ‎‪but instead, ‘Yay! Now people are actually at home.’‏ ‎‪It is a good idea to have a plan for whom you’d like to visit‏ ‎‪and what you’d like to talk to them about‏ ‎‪because then when it rains or the weather isn’t ideal,‏ ‎‪you focus on your plan‏ ‎‪instead of thinking that now I have been out preaching‏ ‎‪for five hours in stormy weather.‏ ‎‪I think Ecclesiastes 11:4 applies quite well to our territory:‏ ‎‪“The one who watches the wind will not sow seed,‏ ‎‪and the one who looks at the clouds will not reap.”‏ ‎‪If we have to wait for the perfect weather conditions to preach,‏ ‎‪then we wouldn’t be out that often.‏ ‎‪Something else that helps us to endure bad weather‏ ‎‪is to think of the first publishers in the Faroe Islands.‏ ‎‪They fought with seasickness, bad weather,‏ ‎‪and they had to hike over the mountains to visit remote settlements.‏ ‎‪They overcame these obstacles,‏ ‎‪and it motivates me to overcome the challenges I am facing today.‏ ‎‪I remember when we came to the Faroe Islands,‏ ‎‪I looked out the window and thought,‘Is it even possible‏ ‎‪to go out in the ministry in this kind of weather?’‏ ‎‪And then we arrived at the meeting for field service,‏ ‎‪and the friends with children and strollers were there‏ ‎‪and were positive and ready for field service.‏ ‎‪It made me think that if they can do it, then I can too.‏ ‎‪So we are a team of publishers, and we have the weather as our challenge.‏ ‎‪And especially when the weather is bad, we encourage one another.‏ ‎‪We really like the song “The Life of a Pioneer.”‏ ‎‪It’s an amazing song.‏ ‎‪It says: “In the work we endure, whether sunshine or rain.”‏ ‎‪It’s because we love Jehovah.‏ ‎‪We really want people to get to know Jehovah.‏ ‎‪They need to know the truth.‏ ‎‪When Jesus said that we should preach,‏ ‎‪I think that he also would have put on a raincoat‏ ‎‪and gone out to preach the good news.‏ ‎‪We experience how Jehovah blesses our efforts when we go in the ministry.‏ ‎‪And you especially feel it when you persist in your efforts‏ ‎‪to preach when the weather isn’t good.‏ ‎‪It may be that one day you have a really nice conversation‏ ‎‪with a person about the Bible.‏ ‎‪I also feel it gives me great joy.‏ ‎‪Paul said that the one who “sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”‏ ‎‪So if you want to sow bountifully in the Faroe Islands,‏ ‎‪you need to preach also when the weather is bad.‏ ‎‪And we feel that we have reaped bountifully‏ ‎‪with nice return visits and Bible studies.‏ ‎‪I feel it’s worth all the effort‏ ‎‪because we see that people in the territory‏ ‎‪really appreciate what they are learning.‏ ‎‪All that we do in our ministry‏ ‎‪is motivated by love for Jehovah‏ ‎‪and the people in the territory, and it won’t be changed by bad weather.‏ ‎‪It’s an opportunity to show that our worship is wholehearted.‏ ‎‪You don’t just go in the ministry when everything is good‏ ‎‪and the sun is shining.‏ ‎‪I think we have become more enduring‏ ‎‪and flexible in our ministry.‏