Importance of Language
Preaching or teaching the Bible’s message to people in a language that is not their first language or the language of their birth may reach their mind. However, in order to touch the heart of individuals, it is often better to use their mother tongue—the language that speaks to their deepest aspirations, motives, and
hopes. —Luke 24:32
Many Jehovah's Witnesses are extending themselves to learn or become familiar with the various foreign languages spoken in their territory. One of the primary reasons Stephanie and George decided to relocate to the Jacksonville Florida area and later the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area was due to the large influx of languages spoken in those locations.
The McZeal's
Annie and Anthony McZeal
Brother and Sister McZeal have served for many years as regular pioneers, and also in the special pioneer ministry. Their spiritual background includes years of supporting French and French Creole foreign language congregations. Sister McZeal spent years in the missionary work. Brother McZeal endured the persecution of 3 years in prison due to taking a faithful stand of neutrality during World War II.
Brother McZeal delivers a public lecture in the French Creole language congregation. Both of the McZeal's were instrumental in supporting Stephanie and George's goal to serve with a foreign language congregation upon their relocation to the Jacksonville Florida area. Through their faithful record of serving Jehovah for many decades they have served as spiritual mentors to not only Stephanie and George but to many other Christians.
"House to House" Foreign Language Witnessing in the state of Georgia
A Field Service Group crosses state lines from Florida to Georgia to assist another
congregation's foreign language territory via the "house to house" preaching work.
George and Stephanie have found the need to constantly use various online tools designed by Jehovah's Witnesses such as the former "JW Language App" in their ministry after their relocation to the Dallas/Forth Worth area. In their first week in the ministry after their move they met individuals whose mother tongue included the following languages: Twi, Amharic, Vietnamese, Korean, Yoruba, Swahili, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, Creole, and Hindi. There are well over 200 plus languages currently spoken in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.