WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!
DO 2741 11/91
--A Message of Encouragement to Peter and Gary and All of Our CROs and NOs!--And All of You!
(A farewell meeting for Peter and Gary, who was visiting)
1. (After a very touching time in which everyone took their turn to publicly express their love and appreciation to Peter and Gary, Dad expressed his in the following talk:)
2. Well, Peter and Gary, you're probably wondering now what I'm going to say about you, and what you mean to me. I'm not only going to tell you what I feel is most important to give you as you go on your way to this Summit meeting, but I also want to give a message that you can take to the dear folks you're going to be seeing there. So what do I most appreciate about you? Would you like to know? Oh, you know already! You both have been a great blessing to me.
What Dad Is Most Thankful to Peter, Gary and Our Top Leaders For!
3. Do you want to hear what I'm most thankful for? Well, honestly, I've greatly appreciated your representation, your ambassadorships, and I suppose I should really be the most thankful for the good impression you have made on our worldwide work and our worldwide workers! And I am very thankful for what good representatives you have been, and what a blessing you've been out there to them! But maybe I'm most thankful for something else just because it's more personal. Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord! (Tongues)
4. The thing I'm most thankful for is what a blessing you've been to Mama, and what a help you've been to her! She's like a little girl suddenly dropped into the midst of the huge responsibility of trying to carry on our worldwide work!--And you have lifted the burden off of her! Especially since she's become virtually blind, your help has been invaluable!
5. This is a message not only for you, but this message is also for those you're going to see.--Our leaders and representatives who shoulder the great responsibility for our different areas and fields. God bless you all, every one of you! You've each taken care of work that we couldn't take care of on our own! We lean on you, and we couldn't have done without you. You have been such a blessing and help to Mama and to me and to all of us!
6. I can't thank you enough for what a blessing you've been to her, and what a help that's been to me. Because if you didn't do it, I'd have to try to do it, and then I'd probably get nothing else done. Those are big jobs you carry, big responsibilities, to be Mama's assistants, her viceroys, her ambassadors, her administrators, her undershepherds to help her with all the work she has to do. Morning, noon and night she's on the intercom, or she's talking to somebody, or she's dictating. She's asking you about this or that, or she is listening to your report tapes.
7. So if you want to know how you've helped me the most, and what I personally appreciate the most, it's not only that you've helped the whole world and been a blessing to them and helped us to be a blessing to them, but it's the blessing that you've been to Mama, and the help that you've been to her.--To hold up her hands and to be her eyes and to help her to do her job, because she couldn't have done without you! So I couldn't have done without you! And I couldn't have done what you've done! If you hadn't been there to give her a hand with running the whole world, there would be a lot less Letters getting out.
Mama's Great Responsibilities!
8. As it is, I can trust her with anything!--Because I know God has given her the necessary wisdom and the talent. They say that if you want to make a Leo woman really happy, make her a queen. Well, I've found that that's true. I've entrusted Mama with tremendous responsibilities and tasks, particularly of governing the worldwide work and its personnel and making decisions about worldwide issues, moves, our publications, etc. Of course, she never makes final major decisions without my stamp of approval. But that's about all it takes now.
9. She's usually already got it all figured out. She's gotten it from the Lord and from you and from our dear CROs and NOs, who also give her wise counsel, and the Lord has given her wisdom. She's always saying, "Oh, I just learned it all from you, Sweetheart." I say, "Come on! Ha! I know you've learned a lot from me, but there's a lot I haven't told you, and there's a lot that you've gotten from Peter and Gary, and from our dear CROs and NOs, and of course, from the Lord!" Often all I have to do is say, "Okay, fine. It sounds like a good idea! Go ahead! Praise the Lord! Let's try it!"
By Helping Mama, You're Helping Dad and Our Worldwide Family!
10. So that's what each one of you means to me and what I most appreciate you for.--For the great help you've been to Mama. Because without her we couldn't have kept this Kingdom running!--This amazing worldwide work with all these thousands of people! I couldn't have done it! And she couldn't have done it without you!
11. So it's your help to her that I have appreciated the most, which has also taken a big load off my back. You have seen to the workings of the world!--Of our worldwide work and all its machinery and its personnel and its policies and its operation. You're what makes the wheels go round! Of course, the Lord does it all, but He uses each of you as His instruments and part of His machinery, His giant clockwork! It wouldn't be what it is today if it hadn't been for some of you big wheels and little wheels! Praise the Lord?
12. So that's what you've meant to me! Thank you for helping Mama by helping her administrate this big worldwide work! Thank you for each doing your specific jobs of shepherding and administration; that's a big responsibility! I'm so thankful that you've taken so much of that off my back so I could devote my time to the ministry of the Word! (Acts 6:4). In that sense, you're real deacons; you've been tending the tables while I have devoted myself to prayer and to ministering His Word through you and through all of the others who work in pubs. God bless them!
13. So I just want to thank you for all you've done!--Not only for me, but for her!--And through her, for the world! It's been a big job! You are literally responsible for this worldwide work, which neither she nor I could have done without you!
14. So praise the Lord, is that enough? Does that help you feel sufficiently to blame? (Everybody laughs.) Does that help you realize how important the Lord has made you and what essential components you are, vital members of this tremendous body? We couldn't have done it without you!
15. Just keep looking to the Lord, and He will guide you! He has all the answers. You don't have to know all the answers!--Because you have the Answer Man! Thank You Lord!
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