Finding Real Hope in Times of Trouble

Diane Dickinson has been battling lung cancer and brain tumors for the past six years. She continues to need treatment: chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries and drug regimens.

“It was a total shock,” said the 68-year-old from Lincoln, Rhode Island. Dickinson has no family history of lung cancer and never smoked cigarettes, so the diagnosis came as a complete surprise to her. “At first, I was just numb,” she said. “It was devastating.”

Since her initial diagnosis, Dickinson has clung tighter than ever to the hope from the Scriptures that she’s cherished since becoming one of Jehovah’s Witnesses some 50 years ago. “That’s the source of real comfort — just knowing that there’s a wonderful hope for the future,” she said.

Dickinson said she looks forward to the Bible’s promise of a paradise earth when she won’t have to worry about health issues anymore. “Just to wake up and feel good, the freedom of having no pain, that would be wonderful,” said Dickinson.

During March and April, Dickinson joins millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, including nearly 3,000 in Rhode Island, inviting all to hear about that hope in a Bible-based lecture held during the week of April 4, 2022.

“The Bible describes a future without pain, without suffering — even without death, right here on earth,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “While many religious people look to a better future in a heavenly place, God’s original purpose has never changed: perfect people living in a paradise on earth. While it is difficult to conceive, there’s sound reason to have faith in this promise.”

“The Bible describes a future without pain, without suffering — even without death, right here on earth.”

– Robert Hendriks

U.S. SPOKESMAN FOR JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

Faith in that coming reality proved life-changing for Las Vegas teen Hailey-Ann Seavey.

By her sophomore year of high school, painful memories of past trauma left Seavey unable to envision a future worth living for. “I kept cycling through the same negative feelings over and over,” she said. “I thought, ‘If this is how my life is going to be, what’s the point?’”

Seavey confided in a classmate, who comforted her with the Bible’s promise of a future time when pains of the past will plague no one.

Hope began to rise in Seavey’s heart. She started an in-depth study of the Bible and accepted her schoolmate’s invitation to attend congregation meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses; soon, she was sharing her newfound hope with others.

“Learning what the Bible teaches gave me something to look forward to,” said Seavey, now 18. “I feel refreshed and uplifted, and I want others to have that too.”

Mike O’Connell, 70, of Marietta, Georgia, finds comfort in the same Bible promises.

His wife, Dee, contracted COVID-19 last year while hospitalized with a stroke and died just days before their 39th wedding anniversary. “I miss everything about her,” said O’Connell.

Picturing how he will welcome her back in the global resurrection to life on earth as described in Scripture helps O’Connell endure the pain of Dee’s absence.

“I have no doubt I’ll see her again,” he said. “Staying focused on that time keeps my hope alive.”

Valerie Angelo of Honokaa, Hawaii (LEFT), Hailey-Ann Seavey of Las Vegas, Nev., (TOP RIGHT), and Mike O’Connell of Marietta, Ga. (BOTTOM RIGHT) all found comfort in the Bible’s message of hope. – PHOTO COURTESY OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

The 30-minute program “Where Can You Find Real Hope?” will be hosted worldwide by congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The public is also invited the following week to the annual Memorial observance of Jesus Christ’s death on the evening of Friday, April 15, 2022. Both gatherings will be held in person at local Kingdom Halls with live speakers.

Admission to both programs is free, and no registration is required. Information on attending locally is available at www.jw.org.

“In times like these, we need hope more than ever,” said Hendriks. “Hope helps a person look ahead with courage and confidence to the fulfillment of God’s beautiful promises. That’s why attending one of these special programs can be life-changing.”