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At the end of World War II, many of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe and the Orient were in need of food, clothing, and housing. Witnesses from other countries shipped tons of clothing and food to their spiritual brothers in Europe, the Philippines, and Japan. Witnesses in the United States and Canada contributed for aid packages to be sent to Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia), England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Romania.
United States
Switzerland
Germany
More recently, in the summer of 1994, a team of Witness volunteers from Europe rushed help to their Christian brothers and sisters in Africa. Well-organized camps and field hospitals were set up for Rwandan refugees. Huge quantities of clothing, blankets, food, and Bible literature were sent to assist over 7,000 afflicted individuals—nearly three times the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Rwanda at the time.
Two years later, in 1996, warfare erupted in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Crops were ruined, food reserves were looted, and supply lines were cut. Most people could afford to eat only one meal a day, resulting in malnutrition and disease. Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe responded swiftly. A relief team of Witnesses, including medical doctors, flew in with medicine and money. By June 1997, Witnesses in Belgium, France, and Switzerland had donated 1,100 pounds [500 kg] of medicine, 10 tons of high-protein biscuits, 20 tons of other food, 90 tons of clothing, 18,500 pairs of shoes, and 1,000 blankets—at a cost of nearly $1,000,000.
Besides filling material needs, Jehovah’s Witnesses are even more interested in helping people spiritually. This accounts for their desire to build Kingdom Halls for use as centers of spiritual training. In 1997 it was reported: “With help from brothers in other lands, the [Watch Tower] Society has been able to help build 413 new Kingdom Halls and remodel 727 others in just a four-month period in 75 different countries.” By 2003, the report was made: “Among the European countries benefiting from an arrangement to help build Kingdom Halls in lands with limited resources is Romania, where 124 Kingdom Halls have been built since July 2000. Using a standard pattern for almost all their Kingdom Halls, Ukraine built 61 in the year 2001 and 76 more in 2002. With the aid of moneys contributed to the Kingdom Hall Fund, hundreds of Kingdom Halls have been built in Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, and Serbia and Montenegro.”
Croatia
Bulgaria
Romania
Appeared in Awake! November 8, 2005 |
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Bridging the Gap—The Real Solution