Gabriel Vázquez, of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, found a “priceless pearl” at a decisive time as a young adult. Since then, his life has never been the same.
When faced with a crossroads, he left behind a promising career as a performing violinist and followed a more meaningful path in life by spending most of his time helping others draw close to God. While Gabriel continues to appreciate and love music, “nothing compares to the long-lasting happiness of sharing God’s truths with others,” he said.
Gabriel is not alone. In this time of pandemic when many have lost the things they thought were of the highest value, some have made their spirituality a priority. They feel like the merchant in an ancient parable who found a pearl of such great worth that he sold everything he had to obtain it.
“Have You Found a ‘Pearl of High Value’?” is the theme of a global virtual event to which Jehovah’s Witnesses are inviting the community in March. In the Gospel account, Jesus Christ used the parable of the pearl to illustrate the motivating value of the truth about God’s Kingdom, the solution to mankind’s problems.
This free 30-minute program unlocks the meaning of thatparable, explaining what the Kingdom of the heavens is and how that valuable knowledge can help us attain peace and a sense of security even now.
“The pandemic changed our lives within weeks, bringing the economic, educational, and social systems to their knees,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “What has not changed is spirituality and its powerful effect on people’s lives.”
That proved true for Kaya Madison, who was raised Catholic but became agnostic when she couldn’t find answers to the myriad of questions she had about God. “I was really searching,” she said.
Early in the pandemic, a coworker prompted the 23-year-old college student from San Diego to read an article about the four horsemen of the Apocalypse on jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As an aspiring writer who loved to pen the mythological and magical, Madison found the horsemen intriguing—from the charging white horse with its royal rider to the pale sickly horse saddled by a skeleton.
“I wanted my questions answered,” said Madison who soon started studying the Bible with Witnesses every morning at 8 a.m. via videoconference. Bible prophecy came to life for her, revealing a brighter future. “I’m just happier than I’ve ever been in my life,” she said.
She was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in August 2020. Now instead of writing about myths and magic, she plans to write about something spiritual—the Biblical hope of a global paradise.
Alex Maldonado too saw how COVID-19 brought down businesses and bank accounts—crushing a sense of security for many.
As a college student, he started studying the Bible and quickly understood that great benefits could be obtained from making volunteer work a priority in his life. That is why, even though he was the director of a major construction project, when presented with the opportunity to help support and supervise the spread of Bible teachings, he decided to put everything behind him.
“There was no reason to say no to Jehovah”, Alex explains. “He would take care of any necessity that could arise”.
And he has been reaping the benefits ever since, as he enjoys a peaceful life with his wife in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, while sharing with others the message of comfort found in the Bible.
The presentation about the valuable pearl will be held on select dates during the first three weeks of March through local congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It preludes another event that the Witnesses are also inviting people to attend: the annual observance of the Memorial of Jesus Christ’s death on March 27.
“We invite anyone searching for peace, security, comfort and hope to attend,” Hendriks said. “This special talk and the Memorial of Jesus Christ’s death will show people how they can obtain something priceless that will make their lives better, not only now, but also in the future, even forever.”
Due to the pandemic, congregations around the world will host both events virtually. There are no fees to attend, and no registration is required.
To learn more about how to attend locally, ask one of Jehovah’s Witnesses or visit www.jw.org.
