Transcripts: Interviews and Experiences

Transcript: The Garcias: Teaching Our Children by Example
Dad: We already had our firstborn, Renita. And then I was told that we were going to have twins. We were new in the truth and inexperienced. So, I was saying to myself: ‘How can I take care of my children, not only physically but more so spiritually? ‘How will I be able to teach them to love Jehovah, to worship Jehovah?’ And 1 Corinthians 3:10 shows us the importance of raising a family by using good quality materials.
Mom: So having a spiritual routine is very important for the children.
Dad: My wife and I would have to lay a good spiritual foundation. We would have to set a good example for our children.
[Twin One]
Twin 1: As long as I could remember, I would always see my parents studying, doing personal Bible study.
[Manita]
Manita: I remember Dad, one time, he came to us in the living room, and he said, “You know, I was reading Psalm 1:2, “where it said we should find ‘delight in the law of Jehovah and read in an undertone day and night.’” He said, “What if we do this as a family project, like, we read the Bible every day out loud together?”
[Twin Two]
Twin 2: And my parents were very simple, you know. They didn’t require a lot of fancy things. They were content.
Manita: Mom and Dad always worked part-time. Dad pioneered, so money was limited. Sometimes the car we had wasn’t the most reliable, and it would break down right before the meeting.
Twin 1: I remember when our car broke down. Initially I thought, ‘Oh, we’re not going to go to the meeting.’
Manita: Mom and Dad would say: “Well, the car broke down. There’s a meeting tonight, so let’s walk.”
Twin 1: So, there are the five of us, my dad in his suit, the four women would be in our dresses with our book bags. And so that taught me not to let obstacles and anxieties prevent me from going to my meetings.
Twin 2: Spending quality time was very important to my parents, especially after the meetings.
Twin 1: We would change into our pajamas, grab a snack, go to the living room, and just start talking about how our day went and how the meeting went.
[They laugh and chat around their coffee table. As time passes, the girls grow into pre-teens
Twin 2: Just those special moments, they brought us closer together.
Manita: I saw that dad, no matter how busy he was, would drop what he was doing and look at me and talk. I knew I was more important to him than what he was doing.
Twin 2: I remember a time when I had a crush on a boy. My parents reasoned with me. I felt very comfortable, you know, after that point, to maybe talk about other things because I could see that my parents were not going to be angry at me. You know, they were going to listen to me and what I was feeling.
Manita: One of the blessings that Mom and Dad gave me was teaching me how to think and meditate on scriptures.
Twin 1: They encouraged us to set full-time service, or pioneering, as a goal.
Twin 2: We all worked part-time, me and my siblings. And I remember one close family friend said to me: “You know, your parents are getting older. “You know, you’re their daughter, and you should probably work full-time. That way they’d have more of an easy life.” After that sister’s conversation, I almost gave up on pioneering, but I knew deep down that my parents would not be happy about that. They wanted us to spend our youth serving Jehovah.
Manita: My husband and I were invited to attend the 145th class of Gilead, and that was like a dream come true. I have to thank my parents for that because they always supported me through the years. I couldn’t have done it without them, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
Twin 2: I really do thank my parents for the upbringing that they gave me. I have a very happy life.
Twin 1: I’m thankful that I was able to avoid a lot of heartache, and that’s because my parents raised me in the truth and in Jehovah’s way.
Dad: Children are born imitators, and they’re going to imitate our example.
Mom: I want to thank Jehovah for what our family is now.
Dad: To see all of us in the pioneer work, all five of us are pioneering, thank you, Jehovah.
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