1-2. (a) Wat Christians should tink about befoa dey start dating? (b) Wat we mean by “dating”? (Go look “Wat Dis Mean.”)

 YOU like get married? Even tho you no need be married fo be happy, plenny single Christians, young o old, like get married. Az importan fo make shua dat befoa you date somebody you get one strong relationship wit Jehovah, you know yoaself real good, an you able fo take kea of da money stuffs dat come wit getting married. a (1 Cor 7:36) Wen you do dat, you get moa chance fo have one happy marriage.

² But not always easy fo find somebody good fo marry. (Smart Guys 31:10) An even wen you find somebody you like fo get fo know moa betta, sometimes az not easy fo start dating dem. b In dis lesson, we going talk about wat can help single Christians fo find somebody good fo marry an how fo start dating. An we going learn how oddas in da local hui can help guys dat like get married.

 WAT CAN HELP YOU FIND SOMEBODY GOOD FO MARRY

3. Wat one single Christian should tink about wen dey looking fo somebody good fo marry?

³ If you like get married, is good fo know wat you stay looking fo in one partna befoa you start dating. c Cuz if you no do dat, maybe you going miss out on somebody dat was good fo marry o you going date somebody dat no stay good fo you. Somebody you choose fo marry should be one baptized braddah o sistah. (1 Cor 7:39) But dat no mean jus cuz dey stay baptized dey going be one good match fo you. So you can ask yoaself, “Wat kine goals I get in my life? Wat kine qualities da person I like marry gotta have? Wat I stay looking fo is asking too much?”

4. Wass some tings peopo had pray about fo find somebody fo marry?

⁴ Garans, if you like get married, you awready wen pray about finding somebody. (Php 4:6) Of course, not automatic Jehovah going give you somebody fo marry. But he does kea about how you feel an wat you need, an he can help you wen you trying fo find somebody. So keep telling him wat you looking fo an how you feel. (Songs 62:8) Pray fo be patient an akamai. (Jam 1:5) John, d one single braddah from da United States, tell wat he say in his prayers, “I tell Jehovah da qualities I stay looking fo in somebody fo marry. I pray fo da chance fo meet somebody dat stay good  fo marry. An I ask Jehovah fo help me work on qualities so dat I can be one good husband.” Tanya, one sistah from Sri Lanka, tell, “Wen I stay looking fo somebody marry, I ask Jehovah fo help me stay faithful, positive, an happy.” Even if you no find somebody dat maybe stay good fo marry right away, Jehovah promise fo keep showing you love an he going take kea eryting you need.​—Songs 55:22.

5. How can single guys get chance fo meet somebody who love Jehovah too? (1 Fo Da Corint Peopo 15:58) (Go look da picha.)

⁵ Da Bible tell az good fo do “plenny good kine stuffs fo [Jehovah] erytime.” (Read um 1 Fo Da Corint Peopo 15:58.) Going be real good fo you wen you stay busy doing stuff fo Jehovah an spen time wit all kine braddahs an sistahs, an you going get chance fo meet odda guys dat stay single dat love doing stuff fo Jehovah too. Wen you do yoa bes fo make Jehovah happy, you going be real happy.

6. Wat single guys gotta rememba wen looking fo one mate?

⁶ We gotta watch out dat we no make looking fo one mate da main ting. (Php 1:10) Fo be happy it no matta if you stay married o not, but it matta how close you stay to Jehovah. (Mat 5:3, NWT) An wen you stay single, you probly get moa time fo do moa fo Jehovah. (1 Cor 7:32, 33) So use yoa time good. Jessica, one sistah from da United States who wen get married wen she was almos 40 tell, “Staying busy wit da ministry had help me be okay wit being single, even tho I wanted fo get married.”

TAKE TIME FO LEARN ABOUT UM

7. How come is akamai fo take time fo learn about somebody firs befoa you go tell um how you feel? (Smart Guys 13:16)

⁷ Wat if you tink you found somebody good fo marry? You tink you should tell da person how you feel right away? Da Bible tell somebody dat stay akamai, try fo know tings firs befoa dey do someting. (Read um Smart Guys 13:16.) So would be smart fo take yoa time an scope um out fo learn about dem, befoa you tell dem you like um. “Feelings can come an go fas,” Aschwin from da Netherlands tell. “So wen you no rush an check um out firs, you not going start dating somebody witout tinking um thru.” Wen you take time fo learn about dem, you might see dat dey no stay right fo you.

8. How one single guy can learn about somebody dey tink dey like marry? (Go look da picha.)

⁸ How you can learn about somebody? At meetings o wen da frenz get togedda, you might see tings like how much dey love Jehovah, how dey ack, an wat kine person dey stay. Who his frenz stay an wat he like fo talk about? (Luk 6:45) You guys get da same goals? Maybe good fo talk to da eldas in his local hui o odda solid Christians dat know him good. (Smart Guys 20:18) You can ask about dea rep an wat kine qualities dey get. (Rut 2:11) Wen you learn about dis person, make shua fo no make um feel weird. Respeck how dey feel, dea space, an no get too niele.

9. Befoa you go up to somebody dat you like, wat you should know fo shua?

⁹ How long you should wait an learn about somebody befoa you tell um how you feel? If you rush fo tell um how  you feel, dey going tink you da kine person dat jus do stuff an no tink. (Smart Guys 29:20) On da flip side, if da odda person know you like dem an you wait too long fo tell um, maybe dey going tink you no can make up yoa mind. (Teacha 11:4) Befoa you go up to somebody dat you like, you no need be shua you going marry dem. But you should be shua dat you stay ready fo get married an dat da odda person would be good fo marry.

10. Wat you should do if you tink somebody like get fo know you betta but you no feel da same way?

¹⁰ Wat if you tink somebody like get fo know you betta? If you no like date dem, try make um clear dat you no like date dem. Cuz it would be real bad fo lead dem on an dey keep tinking dey get chance fo date you.​—1 Cor 10:24; Efe 4:25.

11. In some places wea oddas set um up fo date o get married, wat tings you should rememba fo tink about?

¹¹ In some places, normal fo da parents o odda olda ones fo choose somebody fo marry fo da single guys in dea ohana. An in odda places, da family o frenz find somebody fo dem date, an set dem up so dey can see if dey like get fo know each odda moa betta. If somebody ask you fo set dem up fo date o fo get married, make shua you tink about wat both of dem like an need. If you tink of somebody good fo yoa fren o family memba, get fo know dem real good, get fo know dea qualities, but mos importan see if dey solid spiritual kine. Being tight wit Jehovah is way moa importan den money, how much school dey went, o wat social status dey get. Rememba dat is up to da single braddah an single sistah fo choose wedda fo get married o not.​—Gal 6:5.

HOW FO START DATING

12. If you like start dating somebody, how you can tell dem?

¹² If you like start dating somebody, how you going tell dem? e You could  make one plan fo talk wit dem, eidda in one public place o on da phone. Make it clear you like dem an like get fo know dem betta. (1 Cor 14:9) If dey need time fo ansa, give dem time fo tink about it. (Smart Guys 15:28) An if da person no like date you, respeck dea feelings.

13. Wat you can do if somebody like date you? (Fo Da Colosse Peopo 4:6)

¹³ Wat if somebody tell dey like date you? Garans wen take a lot fo dem tell you how dey feel, so be nice an show dem respeck. (Read um Fo Da Colosse Peopo 4:6.) If you need time fo give dem one ansa, tell dem. But no leave um hanging, tell dem yoa ansa az soon az can. (Smart Guys 13:12) If you no feel da same way, tell um in one nice way an be clear. Try look how Hans, one braddah from Austria, wen ansa one sista, “I wen ansa her in one nice kine way but still made um clear how I wen feel. I wen tell her right away cuz I neva like her tink maybe we was going be togedda. Dass why I wen watch wat I say an do aroun her, so I no make her tink we maybe get chance.” On da flip side, if you like get fo know dem betta too, tell um an den talk togedda about wat fo expeck if you guys start dating. Wat you tink about dating might be diffren from wat dey tink, cuz of how you was raised o odda tings.

HOW ODDAS CAN HELP SINGLE BRADDAHS AN SISTAHS?

14. How we can help oua single braddahs an sistahs wit wat we say?

¹⁴ Wat all us can do fo help single braddahs an sistahs dat like get married? One ting we can do is watch wat we say to dem. (Efe 4:29) Try ask yoaself, “Do I tease dose guys who like get married? Wen I see one single braddah an sistah talking togedda, do I tink automatic dey like each odda?” (1 Tim 5:13) One odda ting is, we should neva eva make single guys feel dat dey stay missing out o someting wrong wit dem cuz dey not married. Hans, from befoa tell, “Some braddahs tell, “How come you no stay married yet? You not getting any younga.” Saying stuff lidat can make dem feel junk an ony going put moa presha on dem fo get married.” Going be way moa betta fo look fo ways fo give good  kine words to oua single braddahs an sistahs!​—1 Tess 5:11.

15. (a) Befoa we help somebody find one mate, wat we can tink about? (Fo Da Rome Peopo 15:2) (Go look da picha.) (b) Wat tings from da video you wen learn?

¹⁵ Wat if we tink get one braddah an sistah dat would be good togedda? Da Bible tell us fo tink about how oua braddahs an sistahs feel. (Read um Fo Da Rome Peopo 15:2.) Plenny single guys no like oddas fo try set dem up wit somebody, an we should respeck dat. (2 Tess 3:11) Oddas might like you help dem find somebody, but no go rush in if dey neva ask you fo help. f (Smart Guys 3:27) Some single braddahs an sistahs no like meet somebody dat way. Lydia, one single sistah from Germany, wen tell, “You could invite da braddah an sistah fo come hang out wit a bunch of frenz. Dat going give da braddah an sistah one chance fo meet an den leave da res to dem.”

16. Wat single braddahs an sistahs should rememba?

¹⁶ Wedda we single o married we can have one happy life! (Songs 128:1) So if you like get married but you neva find somebody yet, keep going all out fo Jehovah. One sistah named Sin Yi from Macao wen tell, “Wen you tink about da time you going spen wit yoa odda half in Paradise, den da time you going be single is not dat long. Enjoy da time you stay single, an no wase um.” But wat if you wen find somebody an wen start dating dem. Da nex lesson we going talk about how you can be akamai wen dating.