John Lindsay Barltrop

When I went down to post my letters at the local post office, I happened to see the postage stamp book on the counter and sitting on top of it were the A$2.95 International Economy Air Mail stamps. The Post Mistress asked, "What is going on? I have had numerous requests for these stamps this morning." She does know that I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, because I do that Post Office when I do business territory.
I explained to her what was going on in the Russian Federation concerning our brothers, and how they are supposed to have freedom of religion, etc., she did not know anything about it............well she does now!!!
 

@Kurt With the Rain and Thunder comes Rainbows! Soft spoken and a gift from Jehovah! ???⛈⛈⛈?? 
Thank you, ???????

Listen!!!...........I am nearly 77 years old..........this modern technology is rather confusing to me.........when we moved into a new college in the mid 90's i came up from the workshop to my office, and there were 2 admin young women installing a computer on my desk..........I said to them take it away, because I can guarantee it will have a nasty accident within a week.........when I came up for lunch - behold no computer..............I heard later, the girls went to ask the Principal what they should do.........they were told in no uncertain terms, don't do it because it will have an accident (the Principal knew that I would keep my word)
To cut a long story "shorter".....hahaha......we had been using overheads in our teaching, (I do not know how we managed???).  When the subject that I was teaching, (marine engineering), went over to private industry, I went with it.........i soon learnt how to produce power point programs.......WOW! what a difference..........I can handle "word"  alright because i wrote and printed student resources in word........I can surf the net......I have a mobile phone that I us as a phone and I can text, even if I am slow........I also have a Apple iPad for witnessing and I can show interested householders a video..........even if I may take a bit longer than I should........."all due to situations beyond my control".........that's my story and I am sticking to it!!!!!
Hey!..........Donald Duck.........or should I say President Donald Duck..........he twitters or tweets........or whatever it is, doesn't he?????
Fancy that a president carrying on like a "teenager"!!!!

Repetition is, when learning most things, is an advantage, (especially to us as JW's when studying God's Word). We in our imperfect state do tend to forget things and the Brothers kindly remind us of many of the important things, by repetition and we can be truly thankful for that.
Its like when we use a number of specific scriptures in the preaching work.........once we use have used them a quite a few times we tend to remember them.........even years later, we can generally call them to mind, if the need arises........and, this is why it is important to try to use scriptures in, for example in the segment "Teach the Truth" in our Christian Life and Ministry meetings........it enlarges our repertoire of scriptures.

Noooooo!!!..........not really.........sorry 'bout that???
I will say that you have done a very good job all that together.........thank you, again a job well done.

Bye.........must get a couple of letters written tonight......time 2140 Sunday 26th ...........just as well I am a night owl....

.........Donald Duck and his three nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie.........and of course Uncle Scrooge........methinks Donald Duck has all those, plus a few more!!!!

Hahahahahaaaaaa....  I  must  so  laughing  about  DONALD  "DUCK"  YES   Thats  a  GREAT  name  for  that  man  -  long  time  not  heard,   but  my  son  was  a  fan  of  these  booklets  in  the  past !  The  Climate  Change  a  hoax?   what  a  silly  man !   Take  care  by  that  hot  weather,  ok?   Make  all  little  slowly...   We  had  last  Sept.  in  Germany  2 heat - waves  between  30 & 40' C.  thats  for  Sept.  very  hot !   It  was  Maldives  weather  here !  Our  summer  was  little  colder,  yes  -  exactly  a  BIG  Change    DONALD  DUCK  HAS  ALOT  TO  LEARN,  hahaha 

Thank you my dear Sister............the day we are having today could have been a little better..........my car thermometer registered 380C and it is very humid...........we used to have a very dry heat in South Australia, but the last few years, particularly this year, it has been very humid......tropical, is probably a better expression...........BUT, Donald Duck says that Climate Change is all a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese,.............well I have news for Donald Duck..........and none of it is good............Even with my groaning about the weather, its always a wonderful day, when we can attend meetings and/or go out into the fields!

"......... blind leading the blind."
.........and of course........they "will both (or in this case ALL) fall int the pit" Matthew 15:14
There was an article that I happened to just glance at that said, (I think), according to Donald Duck, this is Keystone XL pipeline, is the most technologically advanced ever to be built.............BUT, what is it going to transport, Dilbit (diluted bitumen or tar),.........probably the worst polluting "oil" on this planet............let the Canadians keep it!!!!!  

"........# To Russia with Love"
It will not be James Bond who fixes the problem.............it will of course be Jehovah of Armies......if that is His will at this particular time..........our letters and prayers are with all of our Brothers in Russia. 

"AGAIN,  Jehovah has  HIS  plan.  Lets wait and see !  To force is useless...  We can pray for the NW, the Brothers and more, thats all, but alot"
How true that is Queen Esther.............we leave it all to Jehovah........and we do know that Jehovah answers his peoples prayers, if it it is in his divine purpose.
As an example take this weeks WT Study when the unnamed prophet of Jehovah delivered the scathing message to Jeroboam.........Jehovah caused the king's hand to wither..........after the prophet prayed to Jehovah to restore his hand........this Jehovah did, because it fitted in with his will, even though Jeroboam had lacked real faith in Jehovah and even instituted false worship in the 10 tribe kingdom

The colourful illustration of Jehovah's Chariot, outlined in Ezekiel's vision, brought back pleasant memories of when we studied the Ezekiel book..........BUT, please do not remind me of how long ago that was..........YES!  The Nations Shall Know That I Am Jehovah! How?...........HOW, they will find out in the not too distant future, because, we know that ALL that Jehovah promises WILL come true........without fail.

THANK  YOU  DEAR  JEHOVAH,  OUR  FATHER, GOD  AND  FRIEND ❤

The  Nations  Will  Recognize,  I  AM  JEHOVAH  -  MY  plan's  have  ALWAYS  SUCCESS !

YES,  VERY ANGRY.... ????? Grrrrrrrr..........

Queen Esther..........I must say I love your little black thunder clouds!!!!!!!
We could always let "the powers that be" Know what will happen next if the continue their harassment of Jehovah's people in Russia...........BOOM!!!!????

MARCH 21, 2017
RUSSIA,
Jehovah’s Witnesses Mobilize Global Response to Threat of Ban in Russia !
Make your participation a matter of prayer.—1 Tim. 2:1-4.
Personal letters should be mailed no later than April 1, 2017.
Send a personal letter to one or more of the officials listed  at  the  end of these instructions.   You may send more than one letter to the same official:      scroll  down  to  the  ADDRESSES....
NEW YORK—Threatened with an imminent ban on their worship in Russia, Jehovah’s Witnesses are responding with a direct appeal to Kremlin and Supreme Court officials for relief through a global letter-writing campaign. The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is inviting the over 8,000,000 Witnesses worldwide to participate.
On March 15, 2017, Russia’s Ministry of Justice filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to label the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia as extremist and liquidate it. The claim also seeks to ban the activities of the Administrative Center. If the Supreme Court upholds this claim, the Witnesses’ national headquarters near St. Petersburg will be shut down. Subsequently, some 400 registered Local Religious Organizations would be liquidated, outlawing the services of over 2,300 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. The branch property, as well as places of worship used by Witnesses throughout the country, could be seized by the State. Additionally, individual Jehovah’s Witnesses would become subject to criminal prosecution for merely carrying out their worship activities. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the claim on April 5.
“The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses wants to heighten attention to this critical situation,” states David A. Semonian, a spokesman at the Witnesses’ world headquarters. “Prosecuting non-violent, law-abiding citizens as if they were terrorists is clearly a misapplication of anti-extremist laws. Such prosecution is based on completely false grounds.”
The Witnesses’ global campaign is not without precedent. Nearly 20 years ago, Witnesses wrote to defend their fellow worshippers in Russia in response to a smear campaign by some members of the government in power at the time. Additionally, Witnesses have initiated past letter-writing campaigns to motivate government officials to end persecution of Witnesses in other countries, including Jordan, Korea, and Malawi.
“Reading the Bible, singing, and praying with fellow worshippers is clearly not criminal,” adds Mr. Semonian. “We hope that our global letter-writing campaign will motivate Russian officials to stop this unjustifiable action against our fellow worshippers.”
Letter-Writing Campaign Supporting Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
Instruction Sheet March 20, 2017

Format
 If you own a personal business, you may use business letterhead.
 Use your own language. There is no need to have letters translated into Russian. If you are fluent in Russian, you may write letters in Russian.

 Letters should be one page in length and should be typewritten or neatly handwritten.
 Give attention to proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.—be pp. 71-73.

 Add your personal signature to the letter.

 No copies of letters need to be sent to the elders, to the branch office, or to anyone else.

 Literature should not be included.

 Use your personal return address on the envelope. Be sure that the address of the official you are writing to matches that listed at the end of these instructions.

 Send by postal mail with sufficient international postage. Do not use e-mail.
Content.

 You are writing to the official to request his intervention. Express the hope that the Russian authorities will stop the legal action being taken against the branch office and the congregations in Russia so that our brothers and sisters can continue to gather peacefully for Christian meetings without interference. You could express appreciation for the laws of the Russian government that guarantee freedom of religion to all citizens.

 Letters should be candid but respectful. Summarize key facts in your own words. Letters may refer to one or two facts listed below or more recent information published on jw.org. Keep in mind that “a mild answer turns away rage,” and “a gentle tongue can break a bone.”—Prov. 15:1; 25:15.

 You could briefly mention how our meetings and publications have benefited you personally and your family. Do not mention the names of individuals in Russia who are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Facts

 On March 15, 2017, the Ministry of Justice in Russia filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation seeking “to declare the religious organization, the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, extremist, ban its activity, and liquidate it.” A decision by the Supreme Court in favor of this claim will have dire consequences for all of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. The Administrative Center and 400 local legal entities used to own or rent Kingdom Halls would be dissolved. This means that the branch
Instruction Sheet
March 20, 2017


Page 2
property in St. Petersburg and Kingdom Halls throughout the country could be seized by the State. In addition, each of the more than 170,000 Witnesses could be criminally prosecuted merely for meeting for worship, reading the Bible together, or talking to others about their faith.

 Russia’s “Federal Law on Extremist Activity” is being misapplied to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to be good citizens. We are known worldwide for our peaceful activities, and under no circumstances would we ever resort to any activity that could legitimately be construed as “extremist” or criminal in nature.

 The activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the publications that we produce encourage love of God and neighbor, love for family, and respect for government. There is absolutely nothing “extremist” or criminal in such Bible-based publications.

Addresses:
 President of Russia
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin 23 Ilyinka Str.   -  Moscow Russian Federation 103132
 Prime Minister of Russia
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev 2 Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya Moscow Russian Federation 103274
 Prosecutor General
Yury Yakovlevich Chayka Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation 15A Bolshaya Dmitrovka Str. Moscow Russian Federation GSP-3 125993
 Minister of Justice
Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation 14 Zhitnaya Str. Moscow Russian Federation GSP-1 119991
 Minister of Foreign Affairs
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation 32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square Moscow Russian Federation 119200
 The Chairman of the Supreme Court
Viacheslav Mikhailovich Lebedev
Supreme Court of Russian Federation 15 Povarskaya Str. Moscow Russian Federation 121069
 

Is this what they call.........."your swan song"?????
 

"Intrepid traveller" You are what one calls an "Internet Troll"............defined as, (by Wikipedia): In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1]extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion,[3] often for the troll's amusement............
My comment still stands "get a life"

Sister Arauna, I for one would not be offended, because..........(a) I used to be conceited, but; (b) I am now perfect...........well, I will be one day.........????

Sister Arauna..............or it could be G'day cobber..........although the word cobber (or mate) is not used as much as it was years ago.

My thoughts are "intrepid traveller" (quite a misnomer I feel - there appears to be nothing intrepid at all about him - unless of course it is in the humorous sense - even then, he is not funny), ought to get a life, instead of casting aspersions against Jehovah and his people. Galatians 6:7 and 5:10(b) carry a warning for those who mock God and, of course, there is the warning example of Haman, who despised God's people in his day.........and there are many more scriptures that support what I have mentioned.
What he needs to realise is that we know that we are not perfect and we would be the first to admit, and some have seen how trusting Jehovah's people are and take advantage of that fact, an are adept in carrying out many forms of deceit, and others may have been led astray or seduced by their own immoral desires, just like Eve..........and she was perfect.......and that of course is the reason the world is in such a mess.

You are right Queen Esther..........here in "little old Adelaide (in a suburban area)" I was talking to one of the Brothers and his wife on the carts, outside a railway station and in the half an hour that I was there 29 pieces of literature were taken by passers-by......this was a little exceptional from the norm, but, it is very successful most days........but Thursday evenings has not been very productive...........possibly, because I have been on the carts then!!!!! 
In the territory, it has been very productive...........in the last two and a half months I have picked up 50 return visits, so I certainly have seen that the fields are white for harvesting (re Congregation Bible Study).