Memorial of Christ's Death

Thursday April 9th 2009, our family along with our congregation and thousands more, commemorated Christ's death by attending the Memorial held at our Kingdom Hall. I don't know yet what the attendance was and will probably find out this coming Tuesday, but we had a full hall with many visitors. Last years worldwide attendance was I think 18 million with only 7 million of these being Jehovah's Witnesses. So many visitors!

On Thursday, as I was nursing in the bathroom/mother's room, during the Memorial, a sister came in crying, sobbing actually. I thought something horrible must have happened or perhaps she was thinking of her grandfather whose funeral was just 2 weeks ago. I asked her right away why she was crying. She said she had dropped off a Memorial invitation that morning, in the mailbox at an old friend's house. This girlfriend of hers was really close to her family but had taken a bad turn 3 years ago. I was ready to try to console her for her friend not being here when she said,

"On my way to the bathroom, I saw her sitting at the back, she actually came!"

Those were tears of joy! It made me want to cry too. I was so happy for her. We can't give up, many will take wrong turns, but how exciting to think some WILL turn around and come back to Jehovah. We should be reminded of and be thankful for Jehovah God's patience and long suffering with us all.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

- 2 Peter 3:9