Due to the pandemic, Pioneer Service Schools around the globe were held via videoconference during the 2021 service year for the first time. Motivated by their appreciation for this spiritual provision, the students did all they could to attend. The following experiences show how Jehovah helped some of the pioneers overcome unique challenges to be able to attend the school.

Sister Mieko Yoshinari in Japan has served as a regular pioneer for 30 years. (See opening image.) Although she struggles with operating electronic devices and is coping with failing eyesight, she was determined to attend the virtual pioneer school. She says: “I prepared to make comments by writing down my own research in large letters so that I could read it easily. Jehovah warmly encouraged me and built me up through the pioneer school.”

Sister Anita Kariuki, who lives in Thika, a town near Nairobi, Kenya, supports her pioneering as a self-employed beautician. To attend the school, she needed to close her business for an entire week. Anita was initially anxious about this but trusted fully that Jehovah would help her. She explains: “I just petitioned Jehovah, left the matter to him, and continued with my ministry.” On the weekend prior to the start of the school, she was able to make enough money to cover the majority of her expenses. Despite still being short by $30 (U.S.), she attended the school. After the Wednesday session, a client called Anita to pay off their balance. It was exactly the amount Anita needed to cover her expenses!

The home of Sister Laurenth Madrigales in Yoro, Honduras, flooded and was filled with three feet of mud from Hurricanes Eta and Iota. Her family lost nearly all of their possessions and was temporarily displaced at the time that Laurenth received her invitation to attend pioneer school. She was excited to be invited, but she was concerned that her family would not be able to clean up their home in time for the school. Laurenth relates: “We had to start cleaning early in the morning and finished late each night. This went on for days. I was exhausted. I felt that I did not have the energy to study in preparation for the school and declined the invitation.” She prayed to Jehovah about how sad the situation made her feel. To her surprise, a few days before the school started, the Disaster Relief Committee offered to help clean the home. This allowed her time to prepare and made it possible for her to attend the school in her home.

Brother Spencer Stash and his wife, Alexandra, are regular pioneers serving in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Before the school began, Spencer’s widowed father, Robert, was hospitalized. The couple was unsure if they should attend. Robert encouraged them to do so. Sadly, two days before the school was to start, he passed away. Although heartbroken, Spencer and Alexandra only missed the first day of class. Fervent prayer strengthened them to continue. Spencer says they felt at peace knowing that they had followed through on his father’s wishes. Spencer adds: “We look forward to telling him that we were able to go to the school and to share with him some of the things we learned. The support of our classmates and instructors was just what we needed.”

Brother Jung Dae-sik in South Korea has been living in a nursing home for the past ten years. He relies on a wheelchair after a stroke left him partially paralyzed. He attempted to attend previous pioneer schools, but because of his health condition, he was never able to attend more than one day. When he got this invitation to attend the virtual school, he was overjoyed. “I was so appreciative of this arrangement that I could not hold back my tears. Without it, there would have been no way for me to attend pioneer school,” he recalls. “I felt so much joy to be able to participate in the course.”

Brother Eddy El Bayeh and his wife, Cherise, live in New South Wales, Australia. “I felt that my ministry had become stagnant,” says Cherise, “like I was stuck in a rut, not sure how to move forward.” But the pioneer school was just what she needed. “I saw many areas where I can expand my ministry even with limited circumstances.”

Eddy explains how the school encouraged him: “This was a giant hug from the Sovereign himself, a gentle tap on the shoulder to say: ‘Keep going! I am with you, I love you, and I care about you!’”

More virtual classes are scheduled for later this year. How encouraged we are that Jehovah’s people continue to be educated despite challenges. It reminds us of the words of Job: “Look! God is exalted in his power; what instructor is like him?”—Job 36:22.

The images below show instructors and students in other lands who likewise benefited from the virtual pioneer school.