Kingdom Proclaimers Report

Youths Praise God in the Democratic Republic of Congo

CENTURIES ago, the psalmist warmly invited young ones to join in praising the King of eternity: “You young men and also you virgins, you old men together with boys . . . , praise the name of Jehovah, for his name alone is unreachably high.” (Psalm 148:12, 13) The following experiences from the Democratic Republic of Congo highlight this matchless privilege.

• The landlord of a special pioneer was favorably impressed by the conduct of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He thus allowed the Witnesses to study the Bible with his five-year-old daughter, Fifi. After observing Fifi’s progress in studying My Book of Bible Stories,a her father allowed her to attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall. There, little Fifi learned Kingdom songs from the Witnesses’ songbook. She especially liked song number 4, entitled “God’s Promise of Paradise.”

One day Fifi’s father decided to take her to his church. To everyone’s surprise, Fifi refused to sing the church songs. Why? Because she felt that the songs sung in her father’s church were not in harmony with what she had learned from her Bible study. Courageously, she sang her favorite Kingdom song instead.

After several unsuccessful attempts to change her mind, the church leaders decided to excommunicate five-year-old Fifi! Despite this ill-treatment, her father remained calm. He was proud that Fifi had taken a firm stand for what she believed. Fifi’s father and mother both want her to continue associating with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

• When a teenage boy named Lukodi decided to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, his father was very opposed. On one occasion when Lukodi was getting ready to go to a meeting at the Kingdom Hall, his father threatened him with a machete. On another occasion Lukodi’s father struck him with a stick, making a deep wound on his back. In spite of the intense opposition, Lukodi kept firm in his resolve to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He continued to make progress and got baptized. Now he serves as a regular pioneer.

Sona, Lukodi’s younger sister, was so impressed by her brother’s stand that she too began to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. To prevent her from studying, however, their father sent Sona to school in another village, where there were no Witnesses. Nevertheless, Sona made it a habit to speak to others about the things she had learned. As a result, her cousin also became interested.

When the Witnesses from a neighboring village heard about Sona’s preaching activity, they paid her a visit and arranged for her to have a regular home Bible study. She continued to make progress and soon joined her brother as a dedicated, baptized Witness of Jehovah. Additionally, her cousin is now an unbaptized publisher, and a book study is being held in this village.

How wonderful and refreshing it is when young ones join in praising the name of Jehovah!

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