1-2. Wetin be some problems wey Israel people face when them go back to Jerusalem, wey resemble the ones wey we de face today? (Check the box “ The Time of Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra.”)

 SOMETIMES, you de worry about wetin fit happen for future? E fit be say you no get work again and you de worry about how you go care for your family. Or, e fit be say problem dey your area because of politics matter, or them de suffer you because you de worship Jehovah or them ban our preaching work and this one de make you worry about how e fit affect your family. If you de worry because of any of this problem, the example of how Jehovah help Israel people when them de face this kind problem, go really help you.

² Israel people wey don live all their life for Babylon need strong faith to fit leave their business and the kind life wey them get for there, and travel go where them no know. After them reach Jerusalem, e no tey before them start to get problem of how them go care for their family. Government of Persia no allow the area get peace, and people for other land wey dey around them, de trouble them. Because of this one, e hard some Israel people to fit put their mind for the work to build Jehovah temple again. So, for around 520 B.C.E., Jehovah send prophet Haggai and Zechariah to help them get strong mind for the work. (Hag. 1:1; Zech. 1:1) We go talk about how the work wey this two prophet do, really help Israel people. But around 50 years after this two prophet don encourage them, Israel people no come put mind for the work again. But Jehovah send Ezra, wey sabi copy book well-well, from Babylon go Jerusalem, to help them put Jehovah worship as number one thing for their life.—Ezra 7:1, 6.

3. Which question we go answer for this article? (Proverbs 22:19)

 ³ Wetin prophet Haggai and Zechariah talk help God people for their time continue to trust Jehovah when them de face problem. Wetin them talk fit still help us trust Jehovah, say e go help us when we de face serious problem. (Read Proverbs 22:19.) For this article, we go talk about the message wey Jehovah give prophet Haggai and Zechariah, and the example of Ezra. As we de talk about them, we go answer this questions: How the problems wey Israel people face affect them? Why e dey important make wetin God want, be number one thing for our life, even when we de face serious problem? And wetin go help us fit trust Jehovah more-more when we de face serious problem?

4-5. Wetin fit don make Israel people no want build the temple again?

⁴ When Israel people wey comot from Babylon reach Jerusalem, them see say plenty work de wait for them. Quick-quick them build Jehovah altar again and make the foundation of the temple. (Ezra 3:1-3, 10) But because of the problems wey them face, e no come de hungry them to do the work again. Another thing be say, them get other work, like to build their own house, do farm work, and give their family wetin them need. (Ezra 2:68, 70) Them still face problem from wicked people wey plan to stop the work, so that them no go fit complete the temple.—Ezra 4:1-5.

⁵ Another problem wey them face, na politics matter and money problem. Now wey them don come back, them dey under Persia government. After Cyrus wey be king of Persia die for 530 B.C.E., the next king wey be King Cambyses start to fight war with Egypt people to take over Egypt. When im soldiers de go Egypt, e fit be say them pass Jerusalem and tell Israel people say make them give them food, water, and where them go stay. This one go don add join the problem wey Israel people de face. By the time wey Darius I, take over from King Cambyses, plenty country wey dey under Persia government, de fight against the government and them no de gree obey the government. All this problem go don make Israel people worry about how them go fit care for their family. And e go don make them feel say that time no be the correct time to build the temple again.—Hag. 1:2.

6. As e dey for Zechariah 4:6, 7, which other problem Israel people face, and wetin prophet Zechariah tell them?

⁶ Read Zechariah 4:6, 7. Another problem wey them face be say, people wey hate Jehovah work try to stop them make them no build the temple again. For 522 B.C.E., their enemy them succeed to make government stop their work. But prophet Zechariah help them see say, Jehovah go use im holy spirit help them continue to build the temple, no matter the problem wey them de face. For 520 B.C.E., King Darius talk say make Israel people continue to build the temple again, and e even give them money, and tell their enemy to give them anything wey them need to fit complete the work.—Ezra 6:1, 6-10.

7. How Jehovah bless Israel people as them put im work as number one thing for their life?

 ⁷ Jehovah use prophet Haggai and Zechariah promise im people say e go support them if the work to build the temple, na the number one thing for their life. (Hag. 1:8, 13, 14; Zech. 1:3, 16) Wetin the two prophet tell them really encourage them and them start to build the  temple again for 520 B.C.E., and e no reach five years wey them take finish the work. Because them put Jehovah work as number one thing for their life even as them de face plenty problem, Jehovah give them wetin them need to fit care for theirself and their family, and help them continue to worship-am well. This one help them continue to happy as them de worship Jehovah.—Ezra 6:14-16, 22.

8. How Haggai 2:4 fit help us put Jehovah worship as the number one thing for our life? (Still check footnote.)

⁸ As we de near great tribulation more-more, e dey important make we obey God command to preach. (Mark 13:10) But e fit no easy for us to put mind for the preaching work if things hard for us, or people dey against our preaching work. Wetin go help us fit put wetin Jehovah want as number one thing for our life? We must believe with all our heart say “Jehovah of armies” b dey with us. And say e go support us, if im worship dey important pass any other thing for our life. So, nothing suppose make us fear.—Read Haggai 2:4.

9-10. Wetin happen to one brother and im wife wey show say wetin Jesus talk for Matthew 6:33 na true?

⁹ Make we see the example of Brother Oleg and im wife Irina, c wey be pioneers. After them pack go another area to support one congregation for there, them no come get work again because of the condition of the country. For almost one year, them do different-different work as them no see better work. And for that hard time, them see how Jehovah support them and sometimes, brothers and sisters help them. Wetin help them when them de face this problem? Even  though say Brother Oleg no happy when all this things start to happen, e talk say: “As we do our best to spend more time for preaching, e help us put mind for wetin dey important pass for our life.” As e and im wife de look for work, them continue to do their best for the preaching work.

¹⁰ One day, when them come back from preaching, them see two bag wey plenty food dey inside. Their neighbor tell them say na their friend wey come from far place (about 160 kilometers or 100 mi) bring-am for them. Brother Oleg talk say: “That day, we see again say Jehovah and our brothers and sisters for congregation de really care for us. We dey sure say Jehovah no go ever forget im servants, no matter how their condition bad reach.”—Matt. 6:33.

11. Wetin we fit expect if we continue to put all our mind for the work wey Jehovah give us?

¹¹ Jehovah want make we continue to preach and help people become im servants. As we see for  paragraph 7, prophet Haggai encourage God people say make them start to build the temple again. If them do wetin e tell them, Jehovah go really bless them. (Hag. 2:18, 19) Na so Jehovah go still bless us, if we put all our mind for the work wey e give us.

12. Why Ezra and other Israel people wey de go back to Jerusalem need strong faith?

¹² For 468 B.C.E., Ezra and the second group of Israel people travel from Babylon to Jerusalem. Ezra and the people wey de travel with-am really need strong faith to fit start the journey and reach where them de go. Why? Because plenty danger dey the road wey them go pass reach Jerusalem and them carry plenty gold and silver wey the king give them to use build the temple. This one fit make thief attack them for road. (Ezra 7:12-16; 8:31) Another thing be say as the fence and gate of the city don scatter and people no plenty for the city, bad people fit attack them for there. Wetin we fit learn from Ezra about how to make our trust for Jehovah strong more-more?

13. Wetin help Ezra trust Jehovah more? (Still check footnote.)

¹³ Ezra don see how Jehovah help Im people before when them de face problem. For the year 484 B.C.E., King Ahasuerus make one law say make them kill all Israel people wey dey under Persia government. That time, Ezra dey Babylon and Babylon dey under Persia government. (Esther 3:7, 13-15) This one mean say even Ezra life dey for danger. Because of this one, all Israel people wey dey all the place wey Persia government de rule, pray to Jehovah for help. (Esther 4:3) Just think about how Ezra and other Israel people go don feel when Jehovah help them and instead make their enemy kill them, na them come kill their enemy. (Esther 9:1, 2) Wetin happen that time go don help Ezra fit ready for other problem wey fit come for future. And e still help-am trust Jehovah more say E get the power to protect Im people. d

14. Wetin one sister learn as Jehovah help-am when e de face problem?

¹⁴ When we see how Jehovah de care for us when we de face problem, e go make our trust for-am strong pass before. See the example of one sister for Eastern Europe, wey im name na Anastasia. E decide to stop im work when some of im workmates de try force-am to put  hand for politics matter. E talk say: “This na the first time wey money dry for my pocket. But I leave everything for Jehovah hand and I see how e sofri care for me. If I face this kind problem again, I no go fear, because if Jehovah fit care for me today, e go still care for me tomorrow.”

15. Wetin help Ezra continue to trust Jehovah? (Ezra 7:27, 28)

¹⁵ Ezra remember how Jehovah don de help-am. As Ezra think deep about the different-different time wey Jehovah help-am, this one help-am continue to trust Jehovah more-more. Ezra talk say: “Jehovah dey with me.” (Read Ezra 7:27, 28.) Ezra talk wetin resemble this one for five other place for the Bible book wey e write.—Ezra 7:6, 9; 8:18, 22, 31.

16. Give example of wetin fit happen wey fit help us see Jehovah hand for our life. (Still check the picture.)

¹⁶ Jehovah get the power to help us when we de face problem. For example, when we beg our oga for work say make e allow us go convention or say make e arrange our work so that we go fit de attend all our congregation meeting, we de give Jehovah the chance to show im power for our life. And the way Jehovah go handle-am fit really surprise us. This one go make our trust for-am strong more-more.

17. How Ezra show say e trust Jehovah when e de face problem? (Check picture for front cover.)

¹⁷ Ezra pray to Jehovah make e help-am. Anytime wey e de worry about the work wey Jehovah give-am, e go pray to Jehovah make e help-am. (Ezra 8:21-23; 9:3-5) The way Ezra trust Jehovah make people support-am and copy im example. (Ezra 10:1-4) When we de worry about our family or about how we go get the things wey we need, make we always remember to pray to Jehovah and trust-am say e go help us.

18. Wetin fit help us trust Jehovah more say e go help us?

¹⁸ If we pray to Jehovah make e help us, and allow Jehovah use our brothers and sisters to help us, e go make our trust for Jehovah strong more-more. One sister wey get three children and wey im name na Erika, show say im trust for Jehovah really strong even when e face serious problem. Im pikin wey dey im belle die, and e no tey im husband die. See wetin e talk about this problems wey e face. E talk say: “You no go know how Jehovah go take help you. E go surprise you how Jehovah go help you. I don see say Jehovah don use  my friends answer plenty of my prayers, e fit use wetin them talk or wetin them do. And e dey easy for my friends to help me when I tell them my problem.”

19-20. Wetin we learn from Israel people wey no go back to Jerusalem?

¹⁹ We go fit learn important lesson from Israel people wey no fit go back to Jerusalem. Some of them no fit go back to Jerusalem because of old age, sickness or family matter. Even with all this one, them contribute plenty things to support the work for the temple. (Ezra 1:5, 6) E fit be say 19 years after the first group of Israel people go back to Jerusalem, the ones wey remain for Babylon still de send gift to support the people for Jerusalem.—Zech. 6:10.

²⁰ Even though say na small thing we fit do as we de worship Jehovah, make we get-am for mind say Jehovah value-am, if we do-am with all our heart. How we take know this one? For the time of Zechariah, Jehovah tell the prophet say make e use some of the gold and silver wey them send from Babylon, take make crown. (Zech. 6:11) The crown go help them remember how Israel people for Babylon, use all their heart contribute to support Jehovah work. (Zech. 6:14, ftns.) We fit really trust Jehovah with all our heart, say e no go ever forget the way we use all our heart worship-am, even when we de face problem.—Heb. 6:10.

21. Wetin go help us fit trust Jehovah more for the problems wey we fit face for future?

²¹ The truth be say, wahala no de finish for Satan world, and e go de even bad more-more as the end de near. (2 Tim. 3:1, 13) But we no go allow worry-worry finish us. Remember wetin Jehovah tell Israel people for prophet Haggai time. E talk say: “I dey with una. . . . Make una no fear.” (Hag. 2:4, 5) We go fit dey sure say Jehovah go dey with us, as far say we continue to do our best as we de worship-am. If we continue to use wetin we don learn from this story of prophet Haggai and Zechariah, and the example of Ezra, we go continue to trust Jehovah no matter the problem wey we face for future.