In many countries, the rising cost of living is making life difficult for people, including Jehovah’s Witnesses. But instead of getting overwhelmed with anxiety, the Witnesses take comfort in knowing that Jehovah “will never abandon” his servants. (Hebrews 13:5) Time and again, he has lived up to that promise. He did so in the Philippines, a land where many people continue to live in poverty. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, however, that country went through especially hard times.

 “Sometimes I cried because of a lack of food,” recalls a sister named Vicky a. “There were occasions when we had nothing but rice, salt, and water.” A brother named Florencio could not find work. He relates: “I had just three shirts and three pairs of pants, which I used in rotation when attending meetings and assemblies.” How did Jehovah’s people cope? What helped them to remain spiritually strong? And how can their example help us today as we face uncertain times?

 The Witnesses in the Philippines were confident that Jehovah would care for them during that difficult time. (Hebrews 13:6) And he did, often in unexpected ways. For example, a sister named Cecille recalls: “After we cooked our last cup of rice for breakfast, our family of four had nothing left to eat. So we prayed for our needs for that day. While we were still eating breakfast, a brother arrived with five kilograms (11 lb) of rice. We shed tears of gratitude and joy for this blessing from Jehovah. We had many more experiences like this.”

 Also, God’s people applied the practical wisdom found in the Bible. (Proverbs 2:6, 7) For example, a newly baptized sister named Arcelita, who was single at the time and struggling to make a living, poured her heart out to Jehovah. She then reflected on Proverbs 10:4, which states: “Idle hands will cause poverty, but diligent hands bring riches.” Acting on those words, she decided to cultivate a garden. “Jehovah really blessed my efforts,” she says. “In fact, I was able to harvest enough to satisfy my food needs and to cover my transportation costs.”

 The brothers also lacked the funds to purchase land and build Kingdom Halls. But that did not deter them from obeying the command to meet together to encourage one another. (Hebrews 10:24, 25) They simply adapted. For example, a sister named Deborah recalls: “About six of us attended our meetings in a little hut that my pioneer partner and I built. We used the leaves of nipa palms for the roof, the fronds of coconut palms for the walls, and the trunks of palm trees for the seats.”

 In most cases, however, private homes served as meeting places. “Our tiny house was made of grass and bamboo,” says a sister named Virginia. “We had to move our furniture every Saturday to make space for the meeting the next day.” In another home, the roof leaked. “When it rained,” recalls a brother named Noel, “we used buckets to collect the water. But we hardly noticed these inconveniences because we were assembled with our spiritual family.”

 Not having much materially did not dampen the Witnesses’ zeal for the ministry. Lindina, who lives on the island of Negros, recalls: “Since my family was large and Father was the only one working, we did not always have money for transportation. So we often walked to the territory. But it was fun because we were a big group. We also knew that our efforts pleased Jehovah.”

 One of the biggest challenges was getting to the remote, mountainous territories in order to preach, since there was little or no public transportation. Esther, who lives on the island of Luzon, relates: “Our group of 6 to 12 Witnesses would set off early because we had to walk many kilometers. We would spend the entire day preaching. For food, we brought cooked meals, which we ate in the shade of the trees. That said, some of our brothers and sisters had nothing to eat, but they came anyway. ‘Don’t worry,’ we would say. ‘We have enough food for everyone.’”

 Jehovah richly blessed that self-sacrificing spirit. For example, in 1970, there were 54,789 publishers in the Philippines. By 1989, the number nearly doubled to 102,487. In 2023, the number of Kingdom proclaimers in the Philippines reached 253,876.

 Despite the severe economic difficulties, the Witnesses thrived spiritually. “Being poor did not hinder us from loving Jehovah,” states a brother named Antonio. Sister Fe Abad observes: “When my husband and I faced economic hardships, we stuck close to Jehovah and experienced the joys of living a simple life. As a result, our children also learned to trust in him.”

 “Being poor is not a problem when we serve Jehovah,” reflects Lucila, who lives on Samar Island. She adds that “when we put God first, we can be content and maintain a positive spirit. Indeed, I had the joy of seeing my Bible students come to know Jehovah and later join me in the pioneer service.”

 In view of the uncertain times that lie ahead, let us take to heart the words of an elder named Rodolfo, who wrote: “Having lived through the difficult times of the 1970’s and 1980’s, I have felt the hand of Jehovah in my life. Despite having very little money, I did not feel deprived. Jehovah took good care of me. I have truly lived the best life now, and I look forward to ‘the real life’ in the Paradise to come.”—1 Timothy 6:19.