Everyone is so happy on Social Media

 When I was in South Korea many people opened up to me about their lives. I will not mention names here, but if they read this they will know who they are.

One person who had multiple streams of income would state every Monday morning "I could not sleep well last night". This person would be considered vert successful. Married with properties yet deep down even that person realized it does not buy real security. 

Another person ran a ran a business for many years. For that person it was health related for them to realize this "life" of making big money does not make one happy.

Yet when we look on social media you see people bragging about this or that. They show the latest and the greatest in tech, fashion or the latest automobile. 

When, you are able to see things clearly in South Korea people drink a lot for a reason. People hang out at coffee shops  are cafes for long periods of time for a reason. 

Happy homes are missing. Complete families were mom and dad are at home working together, that doesn't exist anymore. 

Mom and Dad are often pursuing careers that leave children at home alone for long stretches. Kids when leaving home end up in a one room working at some job is isolation and depression. 

If you look at Youtube there has been a recent rise in these people talking about their lives. This isn't new it is just more visible now. 

South Koreans have nice smartphones, good looking cars, and nice fashion. The reality? That car is considered junk due to it being 5 years old. The smart phone is 3 years old. The fashion was bought on carrot market at a fraction of a price it was new. YET it looks nice. All around us things are not what they seem. This world does not have an answer. Satan is angry because he knows that many of the world are fooled by. He can see his approaching sentence of 1000 coming close. When that day comes it is better to not be "living for this world".

/tata

Who was Jesus praying too???

 Today, on the internet there is a sweeping wave of people worshiping Jesus as God almighty. 

It doesn't make sense! When Jesus was on earth who was he worshipping? Who was he praying to? 

Jesus even said that he does the will of HIS FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN, Satan is very clever by inserting this lie into peoples hearts. People have a love of Jesus as do I because of him with Jehovah providing us a way to life. Saving us from our sinful state. 

Jehovah is God almighty. Jesus is his first creation. He is the master worker. He is the word. Jesus has many titles. But, like he said when he was on Earth many have ears but do not hear, along with eyes but they do not see.

A God who said "No man may look upon me and live". Yet he came to earth?!? Then God who has no beginning and now end SUDDENLY DIES ON A STAKE?!?!?!? Then RAISES HIMSELF?????!?!?!

People humble yourselves these are clever lies about a loving King / High priest meant to mislead. 

When Jesus returns the keys of the Kingdom to his FATHER. Satan will be released and use these same methods to mislead people for one more time. I can imagine forces gathering on Earth claiming to support the only true king and in short they serve Satan and are then done away with. 

/tata

Back together again!

 Around this time last year, I had a strong urge to leave South Korea. I could have worked at another school very easily. But I felt like something was closing in on me. It was nice last year. Work was stable at the second job and getting better. My main job was a struggle for me but I was helped out a lot by the staff there. So just moving to another job would seem to be an easy solution. 

Fast forward to this year, and that feeling is gone. Now, we are working in South India and the boys along with Oskar are together with us. This feels just right. Lucknow, was running well but issues with respect and other families not consistently following bible principles created strain for us. We did our level best showing them a different way. I still made mistakes. They could see how I handled them now compared to the past. 

They saw Yogita make mistakes and she too handled them differently than she would have back in 2012 and 2013. They saw this. I told them it is a result of following bible principles. I hope they listened. When Yogita and I left they had the boys to see as an example. Once again, I hope they listened. 

Now, the boys have been in the service with the friends here. George is going to ask for coconuts from the friends. I will ask too. Jeyo is settling in well. 

So in short we are on mission. 

/tata

The final part of the plan

 Right now, the boys are at the train station waiting to catch the train to Kerala. It is a long journey of about 44 hours. They are traveling with Oskar, and they were able to get a 1AC coupe, which means they will be together with no other people. 

Jehovah answered George and Jeyo's prayers! I originally planned for them to come the first week of October. Instead, they are arriving early by my own plans. 

When they arrive we will go to the meetings together, family worship (which did not stop), and serve in the preaching work together. We will also get to know our friends here more. Perhaps this is where we will be when Jesus our King and high priest returns. Who knows? 

I am confident that with Jehovah's guidance and aid we will receive blessings of peace, as we work and live in these critical last days hard to deal with. 

I will continue my mission of rooting them in the truth. I will continue to support them while I am alive. I will love them.

Next post I will upload pictures the boys took on the train.

/tata

oh and Monday is a holiday so yay!!!

The final part of my plan for this year.

 I never knew back in 2025 that a major portion of this year would be spent making plans to settle in South India. However, here we are! The boys, along with Oskar, will be arriving in about 8 days from now. I am happy to resume loving them, teaching them, and supporting them.

In Lucknow, it was VERY frustrating as family thought the ways of a dying system of things while seeing it hurt their own, while at the same time trying to suggest we follow a similar path. 

One such conversation: Dad tells me how the boys can join the Indian military for an easy way into employment. This makes no sense to me as IF we were thinking along those lines they would be joining the US military. Of course these are bad choices when we need to cast our vote for Jehovah's kingdom, and live lives that loudly display that choice. 

I tried to explain to him that if they really had a hard time landing a job they could always go to the States. I tried to tell him that as full time preachers of the good news they are employed. He did not understand and I ended the conversation stating that as Americans they have options that Indians do not have easily. 

I look forward to joining together in pure worship and to guiding them closely. People back in Lucknow do not fully understand that it is returning to Jehovah full hearted that helped me, motivated me to make these changes. In our family in Lucknow, I was the only one who might take a stern stance, or even raise my voice. I tried to do this very carefully. The result? Mom and Dad said "You have changed and become so humble and loving". I really hope they remember those words and my answer: that I am following bible principles. 

They read their Bible daily, yet the peace of their house surges and then ebbs. When it ebbs it is like the peace was never there before with shouting and on occasion violence becoming a possibility. 

So with Jehovah's aid we will be together again and like Korea our mission stays the same. We put the kingdom first knowing that Jehovah God will sustain us!

/tata

God's way or Man's?

 Since the beginning of man-made governments, people have suffered. Some people feel that this is just a normal part of life. 

I find it strange, as they will complain about rules, laws, and taxation. All the while living in a world where those with money can circumvent all of those laws. Call it bribery or lobbying; it is all extremely unfair, with some very strict rules for entry.

Sometimes these rules were put in place hundreds of years ago. Others are put in place by successive governments, and if you look closely, they are strict and unfair. The laws are so confusing when dealing with large sums of money that many who get entry into the club of the wealthy end up in jail. 

God's way or rather, we should use his name, which he wants us to use, Jehovah's way, is perfect. 

In South Korea, many students commit suicide when they score poorly on their version of the SAT. The government response? In many areas, law enforcement distorts suicide deaths, calling them "accidents".

One student told me on a Monday, looking very disturbed, that he saw a person jump from an apartment. We found out later that it was a female student who was "studying" in a hallway in the apartment. She wanted to "get some fresh air" and moved a chair next to the window as it was high up. She then stood on this chair to "get some fresh air" and fell to her death. 

It was explained to me that this was done to protect property values and the image of the local society. 

Jehovah is love. In the Bible, we are given guidelines and basically told what we should and should not do. We are given so many examples of people who did wrong or practiced what is right. We can see it as an open-book test where, if you follow the faithful and discreet slave, the answers are well outlined for you. 

In this man-dominated world, tests never have the answers given freely. If you can afford it or if you are in one of those groups that are privileged. These are some of man's rules even though they are unlawful nonetheless they are rules that govern how things happen in this system of things.

I am sure it the workplace in South Korea and India, there are groups that make sure their kids get the nice positions, while a "token number" of normal high scorers are allowed in the door. You can see this when people in government jobs simply do not know their job. This is so unfair. We work around this in different ways, but it means they have to work harder and, in many cases, take time away from family to maintain or get that good job.

Man's way leaves people feeling empty on a regular basis. It leaves people with a false sense of security that is easily cracked and undermined. For myself, I was always very close to anger, frequently taking my frustrations out on my wife and children. In my family publicly it looked nice. But in reality it was rotten.

Now, I am following Jehovah's way (not perfectly) and I have a true sense of peace, meaning in life, I am no longer raging or close to intense anger. I often find myself using Jehovah's word when I am upset with my wife over something. THIS DOES NOT MEAN I DO NOT MAKE MISTAKES! However, peace is always with us. I am learning to not be so prideful, and assume I know a lot. I am in a mode of wanting to learn and use what I learn in a positive way. 

/tata

Modern education sucks!

 Recently, a young man came to the school and gave sweets to all of the teachers and staff. The reason? He was accepted into a very nice university with a bright future ahead of him. But there are some issues with this. Today, across India, many people in IT fields are losing their once-good and stable jobs. 

Years ago when I was a kid high paid jobs fled the USA. This was due to better robots. Automation reached such a point that these workers were not needed any more. 

In the 1990's another job that employed millions of Americans but was lost due to cheaper labor in other countries was call center jobs. Basically, you have a problem with your order from the shopping magazine you talk to them on the 1-800 number provided. Your computer is acting strangely? Back in 1995, call that 1-800 number and they will help you. If your order is late, or there is some issue with it yeah, call that number. You are booking a flight, hotel, rental car or some other service...you get the idea. These people worked in cubicles answering phones all day and night. 

Poof today they are mostly gone in the USA. 

Tracking the exact cumulative number of U.S. call center jobs lost to overseas outsourcing is difficult due to changing definitions and decentralized corporate tracking, but labor unions and industry estimates place the losses in the hundreds of thousands over specific multi-year periods. The Communications Workers of America reported a loss of 500,000 U.S. customer service and contact center jobs over a four-year period alone as operations shifted to countries like the Philippines, India, and Latin America.

These are also lost to A as well. By the way AI provided the information above.

Basically, no job is safe when it comes to A.I. There will always be people working BUT there will be a need for far fewer workers. 

So, that young man who visited the campus was smiling, but his eyes were red. He looked very tired. What will happen in 3 to 5 years when he is ready to look for work and well out of 100 classmates only 15 get really good paying jobs. 50% stay home and study some more, while the remaining ones seek any jobs to at least help out at home.

These jobs are service jobs mostly. Call center jobs in India are everywhere BUT few have the skills to take those jobs. This I know from experience. Most can not stand the hours, others are older workers but they lack the skills the needed accent training and so there are always openings.

India, like South Korea has a problem with young people ending their lives because the education they worked so hard to get isn't worth the paper the degree is printed on. 

Recently, over 100 million students need to retake an extremely stressful exam when it was found that test papers were leaked. This will effect when they graduate and can start looking for jobs later. AI helped me get this information as well. I did not need to search the internet for this information. The AI bot just collated it and gave me an answer with links to where it found the information.

My nephew Enoch will be in for a rude awaken when the field he wants to join is dominated by 10 humans controlling thousands of bots, more likely monitoring them. There are loads of jobs now to help train these AI bots in MANY DIFFERENT FIELDS. These jobs pay well too! But they are temporary. Maybe today they need 2 million bot tests. Tomorrow they will need 20000. With 5000 others monitoring the bots. 

Modern education sucks!!! The future we will more of what we see in the USA. Young people staying home because it is hard to find a good job. I mean it is already here in India, and South Korea. Tomorrow, it will be worse!

/tata

Money matters

 I was talking to the students last week here in Kerala, and they told me that people are becoming more and more like those in the West. 

What do I mean by this? Well, due to testing and preparations for yet another event, there were a few students in the class. They asked me about my smartphone. They were very impressed, as it is considered extremely expensive here.

In the past I would have basked the adoration and their impressed expressions. Not anymore! I saw it as a potential stumbling block for them and myself. I quickly told them that while it might seem so special here it actually isn't. I told them about how they depreciate in value very rapidly. (I love this as I can get older folding phones cheaply). I explained that all smartphones are amazing. I then explained how a large portion of the USA is actually poorer than they think. I explained how in USA and South Korea based on my own experiences how people are actually poor but they look rich. 

I am teaching my sons these things as well. Actually, patience helps here as well. Today, that thing we like 100 dollars. But 6 months later they release a newer version and boom you can get it for only 30 dollars. Second hand markets are one way we can deal with these times that are critical and hard to deal with. 

In, South Korea in 2024 14872 people killed themselves. I am sure the actual number is much higher, and I am sure the love of money hurt a number of these people. I hope Jehovah gives them a chance to see the real life we have in store under his tent. 

I am constantly looking at ways to reduce costs. I am currently looking at second hand desktops that are cheap that when you add a GTX 1070 or GTX 1060 6gb card plus plenty of extra ram over time you get a cheap but very solid system. I need to over haul George's smart phone (new battery), and replace Jeyo's with a solid second hand unit. In the coming months likely near the end of this year the fold 6 and fold 3 will be looked into. But, we will see at this time they are on lower priority. High priority is setting this place up here and getting the boys here. All the while being busy in the ministry, making meetings, and spending time with our brothers and sisters. 

I must put the kingdom first! If I do not I am just wasting time. 

/tata

Update time!

 The boys are still in Lucknow, but they have been getting ready by packing and looking into the papers Oscar needs to travel with. Yogita and I have been getting things ready here by seeing how systems work here. Shopping is a breeze, and shops will bring chicken, beef, seafood, or mutton to your doorstep. The price? Very affordable. In fact, prices here are much better than in the North. We will get a desk and cot with mattresses for the boys soon. I might do this as they are heading down here via train. It would give me more time to find something nice and even have a shop keeper order something that meets our needs.

So right now we have completed about 1.5 months here and the next phase will be getting the boys down here while learning more and more about this region and passing that information on to the boys.

I am happy that they are excited to come but I am also happy that this experience is helping them to practice patience. If this were South Korea, we would have moved together. Here, patience is needed. Even for myself, I have to practice this fruitage of the Spirit. When I rushed and did things, I failed. When I took time, things turned out so much better.

For example, my GPU. I always wanted this graphics card. I learned it is better to just wait and keep an eye out. During COVID, that is back in 2020 GPU prices jumped to crazy levels. I was walking through the neighborhood and saw a pc shop that was always closed. This time I walked in with Yogita and saw that he was selling GPUs of course not the one I wanted. But it was cheap! I bought it and it will be used in the boys next desktop. It took about 10 years for me to finally get the GPU I wanted. I even bought it at the same price I got the gtx 1060 I bought on that walk with Yogita. By the way I got those back in 2019 the GTX 1060s. So they are sill running strong seven years later. Patience really does pay off.

So unlike South Korea's rush rush culture here in India things take more time. It is not like 13 years ago, but still what can be done on the spot in South Korea or the next business day. India, it might take two or three days to complete. 

So phase one is complete and phase two is underway. 

/tata

Jehovah supports us all. An encouraging visit.

So it was a Sunday and after the meeting a couple invited us over to their home. 

They have a very nice comfortable home. They never once bragged about it or told us how much it is worth. They were very down to Earth. 

We ate a very tasty lunch together and talked at length about thier experience. I wanted to share ours but I discerned it was not the time for our story to be told.

Our sister has a background that would make is difficult to learn the truth about the bible and Jehovah's will for us on Earth.

She prayed to Jehovah to help her. She received the help she needed. But she had to really work hard and think outside of the box to take advantage of the help she was given.

She then had to make a choice to give up her comfort at that time, rely on Jehovah and take a leap of faith. She did this and every prayer was answered.

Every, single, one, was answered. The prayers were not only answered in a timely way others were taken care of before she made the request of Jehovah. 

This experience has taught me by yet another living account that our prayers are answered. Just not always in the way that our lower level of thinking and knowledge feels it needs to be answered. At the end of her story she was living comfortably with her husband thankful to the true source of her comfort.

/tata

Teaching here shows us a reality.

Teaching in South Korea is good way to support oneself or a family.l

In, South Korea there was a prestige that came along with it. The community gave a lot of respect to teachers. Now, over 26 years later teachers are getting little to respect. They are bullied by students and parents. 

Today there have been a few famous cases where teachers have committed sucide. They did so in such a way that the school authorities could not cover it up 

Now, we do not work for private institutions. We work for a private English Medium School.  

The education is terrible. There are so many events that take time away from education. Frequently, we have to pause what we are.doing. Many of these events have no real educational purpose. Teachers often use the time to chew the fat and just relax.

In South Korea many private schools rely on what I call a script. As students learn it or rather memorize it they become like parrots. They seem to understand but ask them anything outside of that script and they are like a person who never never spoken English before.

Here, teachers have such poor English, they pass poor English speaking habi5s to the students. It is crazy. The principal sees it and tries to turn things around.

This tells me one thing; we do not know what we are.doing. The bible tells us that learning needs to be at home. Most kids I see really want to spend time w8th thier families. 

Where I was in South Korea wasting class time checking homework here I am in another broken system. We need Jesus's kingdom to show us how to live.

We have no clue!

/Tata 

When will the end come?

 The funny thing is, the end has already come for many millions of people. The end that crept on them came in the form of death. Yet, the bible speaks of an ending of a system of things. That Satan is very angry because of this. He misleads many, and in fact, his activity has been intensified. 

Many people around the world have read Matthew chapter 24, and other passages that accurately show us the season we are living in.

But when will it come? The Bible tells us! It gives us a word picture. It is written that it will come like a thief in the night. I still remember a friend of mine telling me that certain prophecies have not come true yet. He then told me, exiting my car with a grin, "Brother, we have time!" 

If I am to stay awake and keep a watch for the thief who will in the end surprise me, which mindset should I have? I think listening to the faithful and discreet slave and the elders is the way forward. They point to the bible and remind us that one: there are things about the prophecies we do not understand at this point in time. We are also told that this is ok not to get stressed out about it. 

It is dangerous to think we can accurately track Jehovah's movements. What is to prevent me from focusing on matters of making more money? Or perhaps go back to my old way of life, just for a short time. I would be making a snare for myself based on my own sinful desires and neatly placing my neck in it and then locking it tight. I am sure that friend of mine will come to his senses. 

/tata

Bible principles and Jehovah's law

Bible principles pull from the foundations of Jehovah's laws. Today, many people play around with immoral acts, thinking that they are not violating the Bible law.

Under the law, a man and a woman once married are allowed to have sexual relations. 

The world's view using the penis to physically enter the vagina violates this law if the two people are not married.

Bible principle: sex outside of marriage is wrong. When people engage in behavior that results in both persons feeling sexual release outside of marriage, this too is wrong!

One way I saw this is when a family relative told me it is ok to engage in these sexual like practices. I then asked that person, "How would you feel if they did the same thing with someone else?" 

The response was a strong view that the act itself, being done with someone else, would upset them the most. Ah, so we can see if it was OK, why feel bad if others are doing the same thing with the person we did the act with initially? This tells us that marriage and sexual relations belong only there! 

These things are all of a sexual nature. The law stands strong, the principles makes us think of similar situations in which we should or should not do something.

There is another area where, when we meditate on biblical principles, we can help others around us and even ourselves. 

Drinking in moderation is one that comes to mind. In, South Korea, it is a point that people are proud of if they can drink a few or more bottles of soju without "feeling or looking drunk".

The bible tells us to use moderation, and that there is a time for everything under the sun.

If my friend can only drink one bowl of rice wine, and I can drink five. I will drink one bowl slowly with him. Then, once finished a short time later return to my home with my family. 

The world's view? Drink and be merry, for tomorrow we will die. 

The result? That friend gets sick drunk, and causes a scene. I then go home and cause even more problems for my family.

Moderation? I go home enjoy some leftovers from our pot luck party. Maybe drink some more with my wife and sons (moderation is the key). 

The result? The next day we are all happy recalling the events from the day before. The next day we all carry on our regular activities with no ill effects. I remember Sunday mornings having breakfast with my family, then making our way to our Sunday meeting in a peaceful manner. Then after the meets sometimes going on in the ministry, or returning home and enjoying our evening. 

I am happy to obey and eager to learn more about bible principles. With out them...it is truly a nightmare!

/tata

Kerala a beautiful place!

We have been  here over 3 weeks. We went to the local kingdom hall last Sunday. It felt like home. Our brothers and sisters helped us to get to a store to buy some groceries. Later we ordered burgers ...it was not all that good. I know the boys will not enjoy it. The French fries were good. The pizza was not good at all. We could have made it more delicious at home. 

The place we're we live is really nice and cool. The weather is much better than lucknow! I think the hottest months here will pass much easier than the 40 to 44 degree weather in lucknow. We don't even need an AC, just the ceiling fan.

In this area we are surrounded by forests which are rich in greenery. Here are some pictures: 

The last picture is of the event being held today.

The food is very interesting as well. I will be posting some pictures of the food of Kerela here as well.

The boys are still in Lucknow and will join us in about a month or two. They will enjoy it here as well.

Ok I have.to go.

the road pauses in Kerela

Wow what a roller-coaster these past two monthes have been. First we got a good offer but there were no kingdom halls in the area. So we had to turn that offer down. Then we got a very good offer with a Korean company. However, then location was just.too isolated. In the future when we have a car that location could work out. 

So then the original people who we had to politely refuse before found another place that needed tow teachers urgently. Apparently, the teachers who were here before got caught drinking and partying on school grounds. 

The principal really had many doubts about us and I am sure she still does in her heart. But, over time she will understand that we are not like that at all. 

We have been teaching here since yesterday and it has been much better than South Korea in some ways. However, in others South Korea can not be beaten.

If return to South Korea I will try to work at a kindergarten or public school. It allows more time for the more important things. Like making meetings, family worship and evening ministry. The typical hogwon jobs are too rigid in that whike ministry is possible in the mornings, the mid week meeting is hard to attend or even impossible. 

So I should say public schools verus private schools are the issue here.

South Korea even with its frozen wages a teacher can earn more than enough (if they teach on the side). 

This school has been challenging but I feel that I am learning from mistakes I made in South Korea. If I do return to South Korea it will be even easier that before. Just avoid schools that do things in extremely odd ways, and make sure the school does it's papers correctly and is stable. Finding such a school is even harder today which is why public schools are the best bet!

/Tata

I love our meetings more now...

 Worshiping is something built into us as humans. Leave us to our own designs, and we will worship a tree. Heck, we might even worship our bowels! We see this all around the world in different ways. People worship people, money, demons, themselves, or statues. 

Some people hate to admit this. But it is true. 

As we are preparing the final stages to leave Lucknow (this will be in two parts), I am thinking about how I love our worship of Jehovah.

An Elder does NOT go on and on and on about himself or who we should vote for. We do not get lorded over by elders or ministerial servants who give Bible-based talks. Bible-based talks that give glory to Jehovah. Words that teach us and guide us. At times those words discipline us. There are so many reminders! I now understand we need those reminders!! Oftentimes we forget things we studied or read two days ago. 

So I love our worship of Jehovah. It is not heavy and stressful. We get daily reminders of the day we are living in and ways to deal with this time. Some parts of our worship are training for preaching work.  

Sometimes we learn new things about bible verses that were not so well understood before. 

I look at others here on a hot or cold Sunday, complaining about the length of the worship at the church they attended. Sometimes they are upset because the message was in part hypocritical. 

It is stressful in this world but still we can enjoy the spiritual nation we have here on Earth. 

/tata

Moving soon...

 So, major update time, Yogita got the job in Chennai with a Korean company. As it is in Chennai, we will have many congregations around us. There are two English congregations located there. In South Korea, the nearest English congregation was more than 100 kms away. 

So this will be good for us for a few big reasons. One language barrier goes away. Two, many more of our people are there. For us, this is a big help. As I have only recently returned to Jehovah and his people, it is needed for me to associate more with them. In Lucknow it was ok, but the language issue caused a distance.

Three supporting ourselves is easier in this southern coastal city. 

However, there is a bigger, more important reason...distractions! Here in Lucknow, where we are staying, there are many distractions. Of course, playing video games, or listening to music, watching reels, these are there, and we do well to reduce and manage our time doing these things as much as possible.

Yet, with two other families who do not make the kingdom a number one priority, there are other hidden distractions. Politics, false religions, holidays, not actively putting on the new personality, and the mind of Christ. This causes a hidden, dangerous distraction. One member talks about immoral things and bad practices openly! We informally witness to this person, but there comes a time when it becomes yet another distraction. 

I am not saying moving to Chennai or moving to another rental property in Lucknow will solve the issue of distractions. But, it will be easier to be conscious of our spiritual need without those distractions.

In both families there is much shouting that can goes on. In one family much more than the other. There is a constant loss of peace. So when we do leave we will use the examples that we saw see clearly why Jehovah's way is the best way.

Personally, I need to fight against the distraction of reels, short videos that really pull you in and wastes dangerous amounts of time!

Ok now I will try to comment during the watch tower study.

/tata

How can one tell if they have a truth while attending church or a Kingdom hall of Jehovah's witnesses

 Which one does Jehovah use? Does Jehovah use both? No! Jesus stated that those who show love among each other and have unity would be the ones we should seek out. In addition, when someone is on the stage, ministering is ONLY about the word or that person's will or opinions. 

Jesus always gave praise to his father, Jehovah. He never called himself father or Jehovah. He stated that they are one in the way that when people are united, they are indeed one in spirit. When a man and woman marry, they become "one flesh". Do we merge into one organism? No! We live in harmony with Bible-based principles. 

We have our roles within the family as outlined in the Bible. 

I feel bad for Mom and Dad; they listen to people prattle on about themselves. Often, it is hypocritical and self-serving. Meetings can last for a very long time in the heat or cold. 

Our meetings are focused and to the point. Providing much for mediation in the days after the meeting.  When we come home, we feel light. We have just finished examining some portion of the bible with valuable reminders. When Dad and my brother-in-law and his family return, I often hear them complain how long some part of the program took. 

In Jehovah's Kingdom halls, you do not hear anyone praising one political party over another. Or someone praising themselves or another in the congregation. We receive reminders and thought-provoking Bible-based discussions. Even our songs are taken from the bible or giving praise to Jehovah. 

Our meetings are short and sweet not long and drawn out with useless information coming from men. Some of these men are even paid large sums of money to "minister" things that were given to use free from Jesus, God's first born son. 

When Jesus comes again many will be in big trouble but the religions of the world many of them actually know the truth but train their priests to not teach it to congregations. 

/tata

To the south?

 So we got a very good offer in Chennai, and unlike the previous offer, this location is perfect for our family. I can see Jehovah helping us. Now things are not set in stone as of yet. But they are looking very, very promising.

One Yogita will be working with a Korean company as a translator. So this places us in a familiar language and culture. Of course, just because it is Korean culture does not mean it is not full of nonsense, like all cultures here on Earth. 

In the Korean work culture, they are hamstrung when it comes to problem-solving. We saw many cases where an assembly line was shut down. They had an engineer on site who could have replaced a spare part. But due to company policy, they HAD to wait for the support engineer to arrive from another city in South Korea. So the entire management staff was just sitting around playing on their cell phones.

This is just one of many examples we saw while in South Korea working for over 25 years.

Another major positive is that there are two English language congregations and I think two or three Hindi language congregations. 

I am excited to see the new episodes of The Good News According to Jesus in English.

Also this area is a costal area with wonderful beaches and seafood. There is also a Korean town there. There are many Korean companies operating factories in Chennai. 

I must say the thing that excited me the most was the number of available Kingdom halls.

We will see what happens very soon.

/tata

An offer turned down...an update

 So now we are in May, and we are looking to relocate for work. Maybe we will stay here in Lucknow, or move to South India. Personally, my entire family is leaning towards going south. The areas are cleaner, people are more literate, jobs are more comfortable, and they pay more. The roads are better. 

The food is amazing all over India. But, Kingdom Halls are everywhere in the South. In the Northern regions, there are fewer English congregations. Depending on the region very few Hindi congregations as well.

In our hunt for a job, Yogita was able to find two jobs that came with housing for the entire family! We had the interviews they went really well. An offer is to come on Monday. Then we felt we needed to look closer at the exact location. To our dismay, we found that there are no kingdom halls in that region. The nearest one is in a language we do not know. Yogita can not translate for us. I felt a feeling of worry. Without this, there is no way we can go there. It could cause us to become far from Jehovah. This is scary. It means that without regular meetings, field service activity would take a major hit. Yogi and the boys would not be able to pioneer. Many who have left Jehovah have truly missed out on the fellowship we get from attending meetings, field service, and parties with fellow brothers, which builds faith. This is a part of rooting ourselves in the truth. If we went there, we would be isolated and end up spending time with others who do not share our beliefs. Actually, this danger is everywhere, even within the congregation. But in that location Gujrat there are no congregations we could join. Bad association waits at the door! 

So today I will send a message stating we can not take their offer as the location is too remote. We have no kingdom halls in that area. My old personality I would have jumped for joy! Now! It frightens me! 

We are by no means out of woods so to say we are still in this system of things. George and Jeyo will enter the work force so this will be a new challenge for them. 

Some things I like about the second offer and the location Chennai is that is it costal region so great seafood beautiful beaches. Here in Lucknow seafood well there isn't much variety and it will not be very fresh. Seeing the ocean is something we have all enjoyed in South Korea. Also there is a large number of Koreans living and working in Chennai as many South Korea companies are located there. 

Looking forward to the interview tomorrow as it will help see what challenges we will face there. 

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