Religion Today: Finding Real Hope in Times of Trouble

April 9, 2022 Trevor Montgomery

The call came while she was on the road racing to see her husband one last time. Sylvia and Charles Hargis of Temecula had been apart for three weeks since he had been hospitalized for complications due to COVID-19. When the hospital called to allow a single visitor, Sylvia and their children rushed to the hospital to see him, but it was too late.

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“I won’t forget it; you can never forget something like that,” Sylvia said of the sudden loss of her husband. Despite her grief, today Sylvia’s eyes glimmer with hope when she talks about her Bible-based belief of an earthly resurrection.

“I have the hope that I’m going to see him again,” she said, “and that has given me peace of mind.”

This spring, Sylvia joins millions of Witnesses worldwide inviting all to hear about that hope in a Bible-based lecture held during the week of April 4, 2022.

Despite losing her husband to COVID-19 complications last year, Sylvia Hargis of Temecula says her belief in God and her faith as a Witness has left her at peace knowing that she will someday be reunited with him.

“The Bible describes a future without pain, without suffering — even without death — right here on earth,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “While many religious people look to a better future in a heavenly place, God’s original purpose has never changed: perfect people living in a paradise on earth. While it is difficult to conceive, there’s sound reason to have faith in this promise.”

Mike O’Connell, 70, of Marietta, Georgia, finds comfort in the same Bible promises.

His wife, Dee, contracted COVID-19 last year while hospitalized after suffering a stroke and died just days before their 39th wedding anniversary. “I miss everything about her,” O’Connell said.

Picturing how he will welcome her back to life on earth during the global resurrection described in Scripture helps O’Connell endure the pain of Dee’s absence.

“I have no doubt I’ll see her again,” he said. “Staying focused on that time keeps my hope alive.”

The 30-minute program “Where Can You Find Real Hope?” will be hosted worldwide by congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The public is also invited the following week to the annual Memorial observance of Jesus Christ’s death on the evening of Friday, April 15, 2022.

Admission to both programs is free, and registration is not required. Information on attending locally is available at jw.org.

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“In times like these, we need hope more than ever,” Hendriks said. “Hope helps a person look ahead with courage and confidence to the fulfillment of God’s beautiful promises. That’s why attending one of these special programs can be life-changing.”

Submitted by Jehovah’s witnesses – Public Information Desk

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Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.