Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
V olun te e rs
Can They Make
a Difference? 3-12
Can the spirit of
volunteerism survive in
todays selfish world?
How does the work of
volunteers affect you?
And what is the most
important type of
such work?
COVER: UN/IYV2001 Photo
__________________________________________
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amounts of volunteer time is mentioned earlier in this series, Many volunteer organizations
caused by a change In the at feels that those who are volun now even offer one-day-only
titude of volunteers. The Tm teering on the run do so, not be projects. This allows people to
here as long as you need me cause they lack commitment, volunteer in m eaningful ways
type of volunteering is dead, but because they lack time. Peo but to have the flexibility they
says Susan Ellis, a consultant for ple who are juggling a 50-hour- need to do it on a semi-regular
volunteer groups. People dont plus workweek with care for chil basis.
make com m itm ents. Journal dren or for elderly parents simply Also, a grow ing number of
ist Eileen Daspin concurs. A f cannot volunteer on a regular ba people are volunteering from
ter interviewing several direc sis. Yet, the very fact that these their computer at home, doing
tors of volunteer groups about busy people still make commu data entry and research. Online
the shortage of volunteers, she nity service a part of their life, volunteering, notes The Wall
concluded that volunteerism is she says, shows that their com Street Journal, is perhaps the
experiencing a severe case of mitment is actually very strong. m ost unusual, and some say
commitment phobia. For such time-challenged vol m ost prom ising, of what has
However, the director of New unteers, says Behrens, flexi come to be called flexible volun
York Cares, Kathleen Behrens, ble volunteering is the answer. teering.
success is not unique. Literacy class
es conducted in hundreds o f Kingdom
Halls throughout Brazil have already
helped m ore th an 22,000 people in
that country to learn to read and write.
Similar program s of Jehovahs W it
nesses have yielded success in o th
er parts of the world. In the A frican
To the Rescue in Kobe! country of Burundi, for example, the
When an earthquake struck the thriving port city of N ational Office for A dult Literacy (a
Kobe, Japan, in January 1995, the devastation was departm ent of the M inistry o f Educa
overwhelming. With over 5,000 casualties, it was the tion) was so pleased w ith the results of
deadliest quake to hit Japan since 1923. Jehovahs the W itnesses literacy program th at it
Witnesses in Japan and around the world immediate gave an award to four of the program s
ly set about providing relief for victims. When a relief teachers for the hard work put into
fund was established, over a million dollars was con
teaching others to read. G overnm ent
tributed in three business days. Relief supplies of all
sorts came flooding into Kobe. officials are especially im pressed that
75 percen t o f those who learned to
One Christian elder involved in the relief work found
read and write were adult wom ena
that his Kingdom Hall was soon stocked with more
supplies than could be used. What was to be done group th a t usually shies away from
with it all? He suggested donating some supplies attending such programs.
to a nearby hospital. The Witnesses filled up a van In M ozambique, 4,000 students are
and made their way through the debris. The trip took e n ro lled in th e W itn e sse s litera c y
hours instead of the usual few minutes. At the hospi classes, and more than 5,000 students
tal, they offered the head doctor their supplies includ have learned to read and write over
ing blankets, mattresses, diapers, fresh fruit, and over- the past four years. One form er stu
the-counter medicines. Delighted, the doctor said that dent wrote: I would like to express my
the hospital would gladly accept anything the Witness
sincere appreciation. T hanks to the
es could give. The fruit was especially welcome, as
school, I can read and write.
there was not enough fresh food for all the patients.
As the Witnesses unloaded the supplies, the doctor Relief Aid That Is
stood there quietly watching despite the urgency of Practical Rather Than Formal
his work. Then he humbly bowed and thanked them. Relief work is another form of vol
As they drove away, he continued standing there to u n ta ry service p e rfo rm e d by Jeho-
show how thankful he was. The elder involved
noted that this same hospital later became
very cooperative with patients who are Jeho
vahs Witnesses.
[*
vahs Witnesses. N ot long
ago a warehouse near Par
is, France, was a beehive
of activity. Some 400 vol
unteers spent their week
end filling c a rto n s w ith
food, clothing, and m edi
cine. By the end o f th e
weekend, nine large con
tainers full o f relief su p
plies worth nearly $1 mil
lion (U.S.) were ready to
be shipped. Soon thereaf
ter, the shipm ent arrived
in war-torn Central Africa, where local Wit
ness volunteers swiftly distributed the sup
plies. M ost of the supplies were donated by
Witnesses as well.
O ne n e w sp a p e r in C ongo (K in sh a sa )
praised the hum anitarian work of Jehovahs Volunteer Work
W itnesses as p ra c tic a l ra th e r th a n fo r - A Power for Good
mal. Officials o f the U nited N ations High When a group of volunteers in Kabezi, a
C o m m issio n e r fo r R efugees (U N H C R ) small community in Burundi, wanted to build a
have likewise expressed their support. One Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses, the lo
U N H C R official in the D em ocratic Repub cal administrator made an unusual request. He
lic o f Congo was so pleased with the o r asked if the Witnesses could fix the road pass
ing by the proposed construction site. The Wit
derliness of the relief efforts carried out by
nesses happily agreed to repair the damaged
the W itnesses th at she put her vehicle at roadway, doing all the work by hand. The vol
the disposal of the volunteers. Local peo unteers did the job so well that local officials
ple are also impressed. W hen onlookers no expressed appreciation for their hard work
ticed how swiftly relief supplies reached all and willing spirit. Afterward, the volunteers
in need, some asked in wonderment: How went on to build their Kingdom Hall, pictured
are you organized to be able to reach every above. Now they have a beautiful building that
one? will help to promote Bible education for years
to come. Indeed, volunteer work in its many
The relief efforts by Jehovahs W itnesses forms can have far-reaching benefits.
and their literacy program s are ju st two ex
amples o f the services that W itnesses have
been perform ing around the world for de
cades. However, the W itnesses are also in
volved in another form o f volunteer work
a service that makes a truly long-lasting
difference. The next article will consider
this.
J good deeds for those in need. For in low [Jesus] steps closely, true C hristians
stance, he fed the hungry and healed the today have clear guidance when it com es to
sick. (M atthew 14:14-21) To which activity,setting priorities in volunteer work. (1 Peter
though, did he give the highest priority? An 2:21) Like Jesus, they help people in need
incident that occurred early in Jesus m inis as the preceding article illustrates. Also
try provides the answer. It is recorded in the like Jesus, they set the w ork o f teaching
first chapter of the Gospel o f Mark. the Bibles message about the good news
While Jesus was in Capernaum , near the o f G o d s Kingdom as th eir to p p rio rity *
Sea of Galilee, he was taken to the home (M atthew 5:14-16; 24:14; 28:19, 20) W hy,
of Simon, or Peter. There Simons mother- though, should volunteering to educate peo
in-law was lying down sick with a fever, ple about the Bibles message take priori
and Jesus healed her. (M ark 1:29-31) Later a ty over other valuable form s o f volunteer
crowd including m any people ill with vari work?
ous sicknesses began to gather at the door
Why and How Bible Education
of Peters house, and Jesus cured them too.
Makes a Difference
(M ark 1:32-34) Then night came, and every
An Asian proverb points to the answer. It
one went to sleep.
says: If you plan for a year, sow seeds. If
T he next m o rn in g w hile it was still
you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you
d a rk , Jesu s q u ietly got up and left the
plan for a hundred years, educate people.
house for a lonely place, where he be
Indeed, when it com es to providing solu
gan praying. B efore long, the disciples
tions th a t are long lastin g , e d u c a tio n is
also woke up, looked out o f the house, and
saw a large crowd o f people waiting at the
door. But what were they to do? Jesus was
missing! Quickly Peter and those with him "If you plan for a year, sow seeds.
tracked Jesus down and said: All are look If you plan for ten years, plant trees.
ing for you. (M ark 1:35-37; Luke 4:42) It
seems that, in effect, they were telling Jesus:
If you plan for a hundred years,
W hat are you doing out here? Last night educate people
your healing the sick was a huge success.
Today another great o pportunity is waiting
for you! im perative because it develops a persons
But now note Jesus reaction: Let us go ability to make decisions th at will improve
somewhere else, into the village towns near his life. T hat is why today over six million
by, that I may preach there also. This re part-tim e and full-tim e volunteers are us
ply is significant. Jesus did not return to Pe ing their time, efforts, and resources to pro
ters house to heal others. He showed why vide free Bible education to the public. This
when he said: It is for this purpose [that * Jehovahs Witnesses view their preaching work in the
is, to preach] I have gone out. (M ark 1:38, same way as the apostle Paul didas a necessity for true
Christians. Paul said: If, now, I am declaring the good news,
39; Luke 4:43) W hat was Jesus telling his dis it is no reason for me to boast, for necessity is laid upon
ciples? Doing good deeds was im portant to me. (1 Corinthians 9:16) Still, their preaching work is volun
tary because they have freely chosen to become disciples of
him, but preaching and teaching G ods word Christ, knowing fully the responsibilities that come with that
was Jesus prim ary mission. M ark 1:14. privilege.
de Campo, Madrid
Foto: Zoo de la Casa I
Foto: Zoo, Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Espana
Goeldis Monkey
(Callimico goeldii)
U Estimated population in the
wild: unknown (this primate was
only discovered in 1904)
Main threats: destruction of
the Amazon rain forest and
sparseness of populations, which
could easily become isolated
Red-Crowned Crane
(Grus japonensis)
1986 Steve Kaufman
Being grandparents is one o f lifes great joys. With much anticipation m y wife,
Vicki, and I awaited the birth o f our first grandchild. Our daughter, Theresa, and
her husband, Jonathan, were expecting a baby in early October 2000. We could
not have imagined that we were about to face an unspeakable tragedy.
Y W IFE and I, along with our son and his to come and look at the car they were
MILAN AND TU R IN
-D E L IG H T F U L
CITIES TO VISIT
were the Lombards, probably orig
inating in Scandinavia. They gave
BY AWAKE! WRITER IN ITALY their name to Lombardy, the re
gion of which Milan is capital.
VISIT to Italy can be a delightful experience. The food, the wine,
A the scenery, the history, the culture, the music, the languageall
combine to make this land unforgettable. This summer may be as
good a time as any for a tour, especially for those invited to attend
C om e V is it th e C ity
The history of Milan, like that
one the rest of Italy, is dominated
of
by the Catholic Church. Little won
1997 Digital
of the conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses being held there. Let us now
take you on a brief tour of two remarkable Italian cities and their regions. der, then, that the cathedral, or
duomo, there is the third-largest
M ila n The True C a p ita l of Ita ly? church in Europe and one of the
In terms of business and industry, Milan is often considered the true largest Gothic churches in the
capital of Italy. Compared with other Italian cities, it is not as well- world. About 500 feet long, it bris
known for antiquity and art. Here, the modern seems to dominate over tles with spires and more than
the ancient. Nevertheless, Milan is home to some outstanding art and 3,000 statues and gargoyles.
architecture that testify to an ancient past. Construction began in 1385 and
About 600 B.C.E., the region was settled by the Gauls, an ancient took five centuries to complete.
Celtic people from the area now known as France. In 222 B.C.E., the Today when Italians speak of a
Romans conquered the city and gave it the Latinized name Mediola job that is taking too long to com-
num, now Milan. Through the centuries, the Italian peninsula has been
a divided and conquered land, attaining independence only in the
second half of the 19th century. So Milan was subject to an end
less succession of invaders. Among those who occupied this area
Milan
cathedral
In Milan, La Scala (above) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (right)
plete, they say that it is like build Bible students will appreciate characters, as mentioned in the
ing the cathedral. the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, which New W orld Translation o f the H oly
Bible readers will be interested is a library and art gallery. There S c rip tu re s W ith R e fe re n c e s. *
to see God's name, in the form you can find the Muratorian Frag The library also possesses other
Jahve, high up in a Gothic win ment, a Latin catalog of the Chris ancient versions of the Bible, as
dow of the cathedral facade. The tian Greek Scriptures dating to the well as the Atlantic Codex, a col
end of the second century C.E. It lection of more than 2,000 draw
exterior of the facade is decorat
helps to confirm the composition ings and scientific notes made by
ed with numerous depictions of
of the New Testament canon.* Leonardo da Vinci.
Bible episodes.
The same library contains a co A useful suggestion for visitors
The Castello Sforzesco is one to remember is that many mu
dex called Ambrosian 0 39 sup.,
of the buildings that have be seums and libraries are housed
dated to the end of the ninth cen
come symbols of the city. It was in ancient buildings, splendid for
tury C.E., which renders the di
built in the 15th century by the their beauty, but easily filled to ca
vine name by the Tetragram-
Sforza family, the lords of Milan. pacity by todays ever-increasing
maton written in square Hebrew
Today it houses a number of mu flow of tourists. In many cases
seums. One famous room con * See *All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
tains frescoes that some say were B e n e fic ia lpages 302-4, published by Jeho * Appendix 1C, page 1564, published by
vahs Witnesses. Jehovahs Witnesses.
painted by Leonardo da Vinci, the
renowned artist and scientist.
Among da Vincis best-known
Scala/Art Resource, NY
f
from all other magazines. I feel there is practically no subject
that it has not touched. I have especially enjoyed reading arti
cles on nature.