Loyal People—Where Can They Be Found?
By a Staff Writer
THERE were about 20,000 people at the racetrack that day. I was standing near a sign that read “Lost and Found” when I noticed an elderly woman approaching. She obviously was upset about something. I learned that she had lost a bag in which she had put her keys, her wallet and $116 (U.S.). She had tried to retrace her steps, hoping to find the bag. But when that failed, someone suggested she go to “Lost and Found.” Had someone found the bag? If so, would he turn it in?
Well, you can just imagine the look on her face when the man in charge handed her the bag, with the keys, the wallet and the money—all of it—inside! She excitedly thanked him over and over again.
A rare occurrence today? True. As a United States senator said in describing the trends of our day: “Trust nobody—believe nobody—have faith in nothing.” As a result of dishonesty, selfishness and greed, many have come to feel that loyal people—that is, people who adhere firmly to God, to principles and to one another in spite of pressures or temptations to deflect—just do not exist.
However, this was no ordinary racetrack crowd. You see, we were there to attend one of the current series of worldwide conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses, featuring the theme “Kingdom Loyalty.” What I personally saw and experienced, as well as what I have read in reports that I received from conventions held in other parts of the world, convinces me—and perhaps will convince you too—that loyal people can be found on the earth today.
I was not the only one to observe loyalty to principles such as honesty. In particular did I find it moving to read reports of honesty displayed by young children attending the conventions.
Try to imagine the scene in Portland, Oregon: Marcy, only eight years old, brings to the Lost and Found department two crumpled and folded bills totaling $11 (U.S.), which she had found at the entrance to the convention grounds; a few minutes later a young boy, eight years old, brings in a one-dollar bill that he had found in the hallway; another young boy, 10 years old, brings two quarters that he had found near a refreshment stand; Angela, 10 years old, brings a digital watch that she had found near one of the drinking fountains; an attendant is approached by an eight-year-old boy who holds out two dimes and says, “I found these in the [soda] machine and they don’t belong to me. Could you put them in the contribution box for me?”
These were just a few of many reports of honesty shown by young children. However, it was in more than just displaying honesty that loyalty could be observed at the conventions.
Loyal Families
“Witnesses Emphasize the Family,” stated a newspaper headline in reporting on a convention held in Hampton, Virginia. And it was with good reason that family life was emphasized at the conventions. Skyrocketing divorce rates, broken homes and disobedience to parents are indications of the erosion of loyalty in family life today. So the first day was set aside as “Family Day,” with the program dealing directly with family life and the pressure today from decaying moral standards that makes it difficult for family members to keep loyal.
It was especially heartwarming to observe families united in worship, sitting together and listening attentively to the program. Apparently this impressed others, too, for I read the following editorial regarding a convention in Brazil: “All members of the family were present. Groups of all ages were represented, even babies were there with their parents. The ruffling of pages can be heard as all family members turn the pages of their Bibles when the speakers quoted certain texts.”
But attending a convention is surely far from easy for families in which there are several small children. To get the children ready takes real effort. Why do parents do it?
“A few days before the convention I make sure the laundry and grocery shopping are done,” stated Jeri, a mother of four whose husband is not a Witness. “Then I figure out what I’m going to prepare for supper each night, and I have the children’s clothes laid out the night before.” I asked her why she does it, and she replied: “I feel it’s worth it. I’m doing it for Jehovah and my children. I realize that it’s through the example that I set that my children are going to have an appreciation for Bible truths.”
The efforts of such loyal parents to train their children are noticed by others. For example, at a campground in Michigan where a number of conventioners were camping, the following announcement was made by the owner over the loudspeaker system: “We would . . . like to commend the Jehovah’s Witnesses on what nice children you have. In the history of this campground we have never had such well-behaved children as those of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We really appreciate that!”
Loyalty Prompts Changes
There is another outstanding evidence to me that loyal people can be found. This is the positive change that persons have made in their life; not only change in their attitude but in many cases drastic personality change. Why? Because of their loyalty to God and the principles of his Word, the Bible.
Take the case of Neil, who was baptized at a convention in Arizona. “I originally was an atheist,” he explains. What caused him to change? “I decided to start reading the Bible. From my reading, studying and observing especially the prophecies that have been fulfilled, I eventually came to realize that Jehovah is the true God.” What a change in viewpoint!
“I had become involved in a very immoral life-style—homosexuality,” began a young woman who was baptized at another convention in the United States. “This created many problems in my life, such as insecurity, loss of friends. . . . But most of all I couldn’t see any purpose in life. I was at the point of suicide.” What caused her to change?
Well, one day she was heading home to kill herself but decided to stop at her grandparents’ house, thinking that perhaps they could offer her some advice. They were not at home, but her Aunt Gladys, who is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, was there. She continues: “I told Aunt Gladys that the only thing that bothered me about being gay is what the Bible says. So she showed me many scriptures on the subject. Then she showed me from the Bible the wonderful hope for the future. I went back to my friend’s house that night and wrote her a note, saying: ‘There is something better to live for than gay liberation.’ I went home having made up my mind to serve our wonderful Creator, Jehovah.”
A different personality change was made by Alice, who was baptized in Portland, Oregon. She explains: “I lived with my parents 48 years and never spoke a word. I was considered slow. This made me very shy.” Then in 1976 her parents died. How would she overcome her extreme shyness?
Alice started to study the Bible with one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She continues: “When I first started studying, I was still very shy, but I truly loved the Bible and soon I began to gain more confidence.” Alice gradually progressed to the point where she now can freely approach others, and she even regularly shares in public preaching activity. To what does she attribute the change? “Only Jehovah could have given me the confidence I now have.” Truly remarkable examples of the drastic personality changes that loyalty to God and his Word makes possible!
Loyal Friends
“Friends always show their love.” “Some friends are more loyal than brothers.” (Prov. 17:17; 18:24, Today’s English Version) That is how the Bible describes loyal friends. Can such friends be found today? An experience from Vienna, Austria, answers, Yes!
Some 5,000 Witnesses from Poland and 760 from Hungary were to attend the convention in Vienna. They started arriving a few days in advance. However, many of them arrived in Vienna between midnight and 4 a.m., and one night over 2,000 arrived. How would they get to their accommodations?
Like friends who are “more loyal than brothers,” a number of the Witnesses in Vienna had volunteered to provide transportation. But when they were called in the middle of the night, what was their response? According to one report: “It was particularly nice to see the fine spirit of cooperation, because not even one was angry about being awakened in the middle of the night. To the contrary, quite a number got up quickly and personally came to pick up the guests.” Some drove a total of over 400 miles in a 24-hour period! What an outstanding example of loyal friends!
A very touching way in which I observed similar loyalty was in the concern shown for the handicapped attending the convention.
“So many people have offered to feed me that if I took all of them up on it, I wouldn’t fit in this wheelchair,” said Jerry, a young man I talked to who is paralyzed from the chest down as a result of an automobile accident eight years ago. Additionally, Jerry has a skin disorder and so he cannot sit in one position for very long periods of time. It so happened that one day he sat next to a family that had a lounge chair with them. When they realized Jerry’s condition, what happened? Jerry explains: “This very big brother just picked me up out of my wheelchair and put me in the lounge chair and said, ‘Stay as long as you like.”’ In this way Jerry could lie on his side and listen to the program. What a pleasure it was to observe friends who are ready to “show their love”!
Loyalty Appreciated by Others
“I am particularly impressed by the way they work together. They get the job done. You don’t hear any yelling, screaming or hollering or orders being given. Everybody has a job to do and he does it. I wish we had more of that around here.” That is what a maintenance worker employed at the racetrack said to me concerning the conventioners he had observed. It indicated to me that loyalty as manifested by upright conduct is appreciated by others. Notice some of the other comments I received:
“Your people are devoted and dedicated. You have left the arena cleaner than the way you received it. It is the cleanest it has ever been.”—Executive director of the Market Square Arena in Indiana.
“When I saw the brooms appear and the sidewalks around the stadium all clean, I said, ‘That’s it! They’re back again!’”—A woman who lives close to Colombes Stadium near Paris, France, where conventions often have been held.
“Impatient, shoving crowds were nowhere to be seen, neither were carelessly thrown-away papers or cigarette packages.”—Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, July 24, 1981, reporting on the convention in Dortmund, Germany.
“Never have I seen such cooperation and enthusiasm in keeping the Center clean, and the conduct of your people throughout the Convention was truly commendable.”—Director, Department of Auditoriums, Honolulu, Hawaii.
“We don’t want you to go anywhere else.”—Building engineer, Kentucky Fair and Expo Center Coliseum, Louisville, Kentucky.
“Outstanding discipline for such crowds prevailed, whether on convention working zones, outside in the parking lots or in the waiting lines for meals.”—Le Dauphiné Libéré, July 24, 1981, reporting on the convention in Grenoble, France.
The living evidence that I observed convinced me that, in striking contrast to the disloyalty rampant today, there were many loyal people among those attending the conventions.
What about you? Are you convinced? Surely you would be delighted to associate with friends who are loyal, adhering firmly to God and to fine principles and who are willing to stick by you “through thick and thin.” Jehovah’s Witnesses will gladly assist you to learn from the Bible what builds such loyalty. Why not get in touch with them and see for yourself the evidence among them that loyal people can be found today?
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Loyal families, such as this one at Elmont, New York, could be observed sitting together and listening attentively
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Among the 8,820 baptized in the United States was this young girl at Portland, Oregon
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While a total of 1,067,850 attended in the United States, conventions were also scheduled in many other countries, such as this one held in Munich, Germany
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In Dortmund, Germany, loyal conventioners on their way to clean up the stadium to be used for the convention