1. As e dey 1 Peter 5:2, which important work elders get?

 JEHOVAH don give elders the work to care for e people wey dey precious to-am. Them value this work wey Jehovah don give them and them de work hard to be “shepherds wey . . . really care.” (Jer. 23:4; read 1 Peter 5:2.) We really happy to get this kind brothers for our congregation!

2. Which kind problem some elders de face?

² As elders de do the work wey Jehovah give them, them de face different-different problem. The truth be say, no be small work to care for congregation. Brother Tony wey be elder for United States talk say e learn to know where e power reach so that e no go accept work for congregation wey pass wetin e fit do. E talk say: “When coronavirus start, I accept plenty work for congregation, some of the work na to de arrange congregation meeting part and how preaching go be. But no matter how I work reach, I de see say work still plenty. After sometime, I see say I no too get time again for my Bible reading, personal study and prayer.” Brother Ilir wey be elder for Kosovo face another problem. When e dey one area wey people de fight war, e no easy for-am to obey wetin Jehovah organization talk. E talk say: “Fear catch me when branch office send me to go help brothers and sisters for one area wey things really bad because of the war. Fear really catch me, and wetin them say make I do no really make sense to me.” Brother Tim na missionary for Asia, e own problem be say e de hard-am to do everything wey e need to do everyday. E talk say: “Sometimes, I de really tire sotey I no de get power again to care for congregation.” Wetin fit help elders wey de face this kind problems?

3. How all of us fit gain from the example of Judge Gideon?

³ Elders fit learn from the example of Judge Gideon. (Heb.  6:12; 11:32) Jehovah use-am protect and lead E people. (Judg. 2:16; 1 Chron. 17:6) Just like Gideon, Jehovah don choose elders to care for e people when things really hard. (Acts 20:28; 2 Tim. 3:1) We fit learn from Gideon example as e carry body down, obey Jehovah and know where e power reach. As e de do the work wey Jehovah give-am, e face plenty problems wey no easy to endure. Whether we be elder or we no be elder, the example of Gideon fit help us value the work wey our elders de do. We go fit do our best to support this brothers wey de work hard to care for us.—Heb. 13:17.

4. How Gideon show say e know where e power reach and say e de carry body down?

⁴ Gideon know where e power reach and e de carry body down. b When Jehovah angel tell Gideon say Jehovah don choose-am to save Israel people from Midian people hand, wetin Gideon talk show say e carry body down. E talk say: “Na my family group small pass for the tribe of Manasseh and na me small pass for my papa house.” (Judg. 6:15) Gideon feel say e no go fit do the work wey Jehovah give-am, but Jehovah know say e go fit do-am. And Jehovah help-am succeed for the work.

5. Give example of things wey fit make-am no easy for elder to show say e de carry body down and e know where e power reach?

⁵ Elders de do their best to show say them know where their power reach and say them de carry body down. (Mic. 6:8; Acts 20:18, 19) Them no de boast about wetin them don do or wetin them sabi do. And them no de feel like say them no get value again because of their mistake. But sometimes, e fit no easy for elder to know where e power reach and to carry body down. For example, e fit accept plenty work for congregation pass wetin e fit handle. Or e fit hard-am to show say e de carry body down when people praise-am or talk bad about wetin e do. Wetin elders fit learn from Gideon example when this kind thing happen?

6. Wetin elders fit learn from Gideon about to know where their power reach? (Still check the picture.)

⁶ Allow people make them help you. Person  wey know where e power reach, know wetin e fit do and wetin e no fit do. Gideon show say e know where e power reach as e tell other people to help-am. (Judg. 6:27, 35; 7:24) Elders de do their best to copy Gideon example. Brother Tony wey we talk about before, talk say: Because of the way I grow, I de accept plenty work pass wetin I fit do. So I decide say we go study about how person fit know where e power reach for our family worship, and I ask my wife wetin e notice. I still watch the video for jw.org wey the title na “Train, Trust, and Empower Others, as Jesus Does.” So Brother Tony give some of the work wey e de do for congregation, to other people. Wetin come happen? Tony talk say: “The work for congregation de go well, and now I get time to study to make my friendship with Jehovah strong.”

7. If person talk bad about elder, how e fit copy Gideon example? (James 3:13)

⁷ No vex if person talk bad about you. Another thing wey fit make-am no easy for elders to carry body down na when people talk bad about them. Gideon example go still help when this kind thing happen. When Ephraim people talk bad about Gideon, e no quarrel with them because e know say e no dey perfect. (Judg. 8:1-3) Gideon no use vex answer them. E show say e carry body down as e listen to them when them de complain, and e use sense calm them down. Elder fit show say e de do e best to copy Gideon example when e use sense sofri listen and answer for kind way when people talk bad about-am. (Read James 3:13.) This one de make peace dey congregation.

8. Wetin elder suppose do when them praise-am? Give example.

⁸ When them praise you, make you praise Jehovah. When people praise Gideon because e win Midian people, e give the praise to Jehovah. (Judg. 8:22, 23) How elders fit follow Gideon example? Make them de praise Jehovah for the things wey them do. (1 Cor. 4:6, 7) For example, if them praise elder because e sabi give talk well, the brother fit praise Jehovah as e de use Bible and e organization teach all of us. Sometimes, elders need to check whether the way them de teach na to honor Jehovah or na to make people praise them. See the example of one elder wey e name na Timothy. When them just make-am elder, e like to give public talk. E talk say: “I de use long example wey no easy to understand, start my talk. This one de make people praise me for my talk, instead to put mind for wetin Bible de teach and praise Jehovah.” After sometime, Brother Timothy see say e need to change the way e de give talk so that people no go de put mind for-am instead of wetin Bible teach. (Prov. 27:21) Wetin happen after e change the way e de give talk? E talk say: “Plenty brothers and sisters de tell me how my talk help them to fit endure their problem or near Jehovah more-more. This one sweet me pass the time wey them de praise me for my talk.”

9. Wetin be some things wey fit make-am no easy for Gideon to obey Jehovah and get strong mind? (Check picture for front cover.)

⁹ After Jehovah choose Gideon make e lead Israel people, some things happen wey fit make-am no easy for-am to get strong mind and obey everything wey Jehovah tell-am. Jehovah tell-am say make e destroy the altar wey e papa de use worship Baal, and them fit kill-am because of this one. (Judg. 6:25, 26) Later, after Gideon don gather soldiers wey go  join-am fight, Jehovah tell-am two times to reduce the soldiers. (Judg. 7:2-7) Then Jehovah tell-am say make them attack their enemy for midnight.—Judg. 7:9-11.

10. Sometimes, wetin fit make-am hard for elders to obey?

¹⁰ Elders always need to “ready to obey.” (Jas. 3:17) When elder de do e best to quick do wetin Bible and Jehovah organization talk, this one show say e “ready to obey.” This one de help-am fit be good example for other people. But, sometimes e fit still no easy for-am to obey. Sometimes e fit be say e receive plenty direction from Jehovah organization or them change direction quick-quick. This one fit make-am no easy to fit quick do wetin e suppose do. Or e fit de wonder if the direction go really work or if e make sense. Or them fit give-am work wey fit make police arrest-am. How elders fit copy the way Gideon obey Jehovah when this kind things happen to them?

11. Wetin fit help elders to obey wetin Jehovah organization talk?

¹¹ Listen well-well to wetin Jehovah organization say make you do and do-am. Jehovah tell Gideon how e go take destroy e papa altar, where e go build new altar for Jehovah, and the animal wey e go sacrifice to Jehovah for the altar. Gideon no talk bad about wetin Jehovah say make e do, e just do-am the way Jehovah say make e do-am. Today, Jehovah organization de use letters, announcements, and guidelines tell elders wetin them go do to help everybody for congregation continue to hold Jehovah tight and no put their life for danger. We love our elders because them de do their best to do all the things wey Jehovah organization say make them do. Everybody for congregation de gain because of this one.—Ps. 119:112.

12. How elders fit follow wetin dey Hebrews 13:17 if something change for Jehovah organization?

¹² Ready to follow any new way wey Jehovah organization say make we de do things. Remember say Jehovah tell Gideon say make e send almost all e soldiers go house. (Judg. 7:8) E fit don ask e self say, ‘We really need to reduce the number of our soldiers? We go fit win if we reduce-am?’ But Gideon still obey. Today, elders de copy Gideon example as them de follow any new way wey Jehovah organization say make we de do things. (Read Hebrews 13:17.) For example, see wetin happen for 2014 when Governing Body change the way congregation de pay for Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall construction. (2 Cor. 8:12-14) Before, if our organization build Kingdom Hall for any congregation, the congregation go pay back any money wey the organization use build the Kingdom Hall, na so e be for Assembly Halls too. But now, na from money wey congregations for the whole world contribute, them de use build  Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall anywhere them need-am, whether the congregation get money or them no get. When Brother José hear-am, e feel say this new way no go work. E tell e self say: ‘We no go fit build even one Kingdom Hall. No be like this we de do things for this side.’ But wetin help Brother José to fit support this new way to build Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall? E talk say: “Wetin dey Proverbs 3:5, 6 help me see say I need to trust Jehovah. This new way don help get better result! Now, we de build more Kingdom Hall, and we don get new way to contribute so that e go allow Jehovah people for everywhere to fit get Kingdom Hall.”

13. (a) Wetin Gideon dey sure say Jehovah go do? (b) How elders fit copy e example? (Still check the picture.)

¹³ Use strong mind do wetin Jehovah want. Gideon do the work wey Jehovah give-am even when e de fear and the work fit put e life for danger. (Judg. 9:17) After Jehovah help Gideon know say e go dey with-am, Gideon come dey sure say Jehovah go help-am to fit protect E people. Elders wey dey area wey them ban our work go fit copy Gideon example. Even though say them fit arrest them, sack them for work, beat them or do them other bad things, them de still use strong mind arrange how them go do meeting and preaching. c For great tribulation, elders go need strong mind to fit do wetin our organization go say make them do even when e fit put their life for danger. For example, our organization fit tell them how we go preach strong judgment message and wetin we need to do to survive when the plenty country wey join together go attack Jehovah people.—Ezek. 38:18; Rev. 16:21.

14. Why e no easy for Gideon and e men to fit endure?

¹⁴ Na really big work Jehovah give Gideon when e choose-am to lead Israel people. When Gideon and e 300 soldiers attack Midian  for midnight, them run, so Gideon and e men pursue them from Valley of Jezreel sotey go reach River Jordan and na area wey bush full. (Judg. 7:22) Gideon and e men stop when them reach River Jordan? No! Even though say them don tire, them continue to pursue Midian people until them catch Midian people and win them for the war.—Judg. 8:4-12.

15. Sometimes, why e fit no easy for elder to endure?

¹⁵ Sometimes, elder fit tire as e de care for e family and e work for congregation. How elders fit copy Gideon example when this kind thing happen?

16-17. Wetin help Gideon to fit endure, and wetin elders fit dey sure of? (Isaiah 40:28-31) (Still check the picture.)

¹⁶ Trust Jehovah say e go give you power. Gideon trust Jehovah say E go give-am power, and Jehovah really give Gideon the power wey e need. (Judg. 6:14, 34) E get one time wey Gideon and e men use leg pursue two king of Midian people wey de use camel run. (Judg. 8:12, 21) But God help Gideon and e men to fit catch and win them. For the same way, elders fit trust Jehovah as God wey “no de ever tire.” And e go give them power when them need-am.—Read Isaiah 40:28-31.

¹⁷ See the example of Brother Matthew, wey be member of Hospital Liaison Committee. Wetin de help-am fit endure? Brother Matthew talk say: “I don get power from Jehovah just as Philippians 4:13 talk. When I don tire and I feel say I no fit continue my work, I go pray to Jehovah and beg-am well-well make e give me the power wey I need to fit continue to support my brothers and sisters. And when I pray, I de feel-am say Jehovah de give me power wey I need and help me fit endure.” Just like Gideon, our elders de face plenty problem as them de work hard to care for Jehovah sheep. The truth be say, them need to know where their power reach and no do pass wetin them fit do. But, them fit trust Jehovah say e go hear their prayer, and give them the power wey them need to fit endure.—Ps. 116:1; Phil. 2:13.

18. From everything wey we don talk about, wetin elders fit learn from Gideon?

¹⁸ Elders fit learn plenty things from the example of Gideon. Elders need to know where their power reach before they accept any work for congregation, and them need to de carry body down when people praise them or talk bad about them. They must show say them de obey and them get strong mind, especially as the end of Satan world de near. And them need to trust Jehovah say no matter the problem wey them de face, e go give them power to endure. True-true, we love our elders as them de work hard to care for us and we value them.—Phil. 2:29.