Missionaries​—Thanks to Some Good Examples

WHY would anybody in this late 20th century choose to be a missionary? This question may come to the minds of many when they consider the materialism, cynicism, and general irreligiousness that are so prevalent today. Despite such influences, however, twice each year graduates of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead head out to foreign lands to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God. This year was no exception. Thus on Sunday, September 8, all the students of the 79th class of Gilead graduated and were ready to be missionaries.

Of course, these new missionaries are impelled by a strong faith in God, an unshakable belief in his promises, and a love for their fellowman. But in many cases, there was something additional that gave them an extra push and made them want to devote the rest of their lives to the missionary service. What was it?

One of the students, Terry, who came from Australia, talks of his own case: “My parents helped me from an early age to take the truth seriously and never even to consider any other career than the full-time ministry.” Terry and his wife, Birgit, both thank their parents for the fact that they are missionaries today. Says Birgit: “In our family, the only career we ever talked about was the full-time service. So Gilead was always a goal.” That parental training has now produced fine fruit, as this happy couple prepares to serve as missionaries in Papua New Guinea.

Their experience is not uncommon in the 79th class of Gilead. In fact, fully half of the graduates attribute their desire to enter the full-time service to their parents’ example and encouragement. Paul and Anne from England were assigned to missionary service in Liberia. Anne says: “My mother’s nonmaterialistic attitude and clear view of the truth helped me to avoid getting involved in a secular career and to set missionary service as a goal.” And Paul’s parents? “I believe that their example, along with their positive words of encouragement since I was quite young, was the finest possible influence for me as I grew up in the truth.”

What did such parents actually do to encourage their children to enter the full-time ministry? Phoebe, who grew up in Australia, reports: “My parents often had special pioneers, circuit overseers, and other full-time servants stay with us in our home.” Now she and her husband, Eric, are bound for Haiti as missionaries. Others are imitating their parents’ living examples: “My grandfather became a zealous pioneer in Sweden in the late 20’s, and my father and my mother were pioneers, served in Bethel, and then were in the traveling work,” says Lars. “Very often we had full-time servants as guests in our home.” Emmanuel, who came to Gilead from France, reports that his father was a missionary himself and now has the joy of seeing his son and daughter-in-law take up the career he loved. Emmanuel expresses it this way: “I have always been educated with the full-time service in view. Even when I was a little boy, I wanted to do what Daddy did.” Emmanuel and his wife, Marie, are assigned to Guadeloupe.

Urban expresses similar sentiments about the influence his homelife in Sweden had on his desire to become a missionary. He relates: “During my entire childhood my mother was very zealous in the ministry. I think that it was not so much what she said but what she did, her good example, that influenced me very much to have a desire to spend my life in the full-time service for Jehovah. And, very early, missionary service became a goal that my mother encouraged. For example, she said it was something she would like to do if she just had the opportunity.” Now he and his wife, Charlotte, will be fulfilling that goal of missionary work in Kenya with three of their classmates.

What about those who did not have the benefit of parents who encouraged them to enter the full-time ministry? Rick and his wife, Mari, came to school from Denmark. They are looking forward to serving in Kenya. His desire to be a missionary grew “from reading in The Watchtower and the Yearbook the experiences of faithful missionaries.” Bruce and Angelika appreciated the example and encouragement of other full-time servants. “Encouragement from others to enter the full-time ministry is absolutely crucial to a young person,” says Angelika. “If you don’t get encouragement, you doubt yourself. Our circuit overseer, a former missionary, reassured us that whoever is willing and meets the requirements of a missionary can be successful.” This couple, who came from Germany, were eager to get to work in their assignment in St. Kitts as soon as possible after graduation.

Sirkka, and her husband Erkki, came to Gilead School from Finland. She explains what encouraged her to pursue the missionary work in spite of her fear of having to learn a new language: “Those already in the full-time service encouraged me just by their example. That was especially true of one who had been in the missionary work himself. He helped me to realize that language would not really be a problem in my case if I really wanted to be a missionary.” They are now awaiting the opportunity to learn Spanish in their assignment in Colombia.

It was the example of ‘faith without hypocrisy’ by his mother and grandmother that gave Timothy the needed direction and encouragement to enter the missionary work with the apostle Paul. (2 Timothy 1:5) Today, many young ones benefit from the encouragement and example of their parents and others, and they decide to make the full-time ministry their career. When asked if she would recommend pursuing such a goal, Charlotte answers: “Yes, of course. Otherwise we would not have chosen it ourselves. It is a rich life filled with challenges but also with blessings.”

Do all the students feel that they have made the right choice of career? Erkki sums up the feelings of the class in this way: “We receive the greatest blessings when we allow ourselves to be like a tool in Jehovah’s hand, ready to be used as he sees fit. Gilead School has sharpened us to be a more useful tool in his hand.”

[Box on page 15]

Profile of the 79th class:

Number of countries represented: 10

Number of countries assigned to: 11

Number of single brothers: 2

Number of married couples: 11

Total number of students: 24

Average age: 29.5

Average years in truth: 12.7

Average years in full-time ministry: 8.2

[Picture on page 14]

Watchtower Bible School of Gilead 79th Class​—September 8, 1985

In the list below, rows are numbered from front to back and names are listed from left to right.

(1) Mattsson, C.; Crudass, A.; Petit, B.; Tomaszewski, M.; Mäkelä, S.; Thompson, A. (2) Thompson, B.; Toivanen, S.; Östberg, E.; van de Reep, P.; Stephens, M.; Beadle, P. (3) Östberg, L.; Mäkelä, E.; van de Reep, M.; Raivo, J.; Stephens, R.; Petit, T. (4) Beadle, E.; Crudass, P.; Tomaszewski, E.; Denk, V.; Mattsson, U.; Raivo, J.