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Tuesday, September 1 Keep testing whether you are in the faith.—2 Cor. 13:5. We must exert ourselves not only to reach maturity but also to maintain it. This requires that we avoid overconfidence. (1 Cor. 10:12) We should “keep testing” ourselves to make sure that we are continuing to make progress. In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul again highlights the need to remain mature. Even though they had become full-grown Christians, Paul warned them against being ensnared by worldly thinking. (Col. 2:6-10) And Epaphras, who evidently knew those in the congregation well, prayed constantly that they might “finally stand complete,” or mature. (Col. 4:12) The point? Both Paul and Epaphras understood that maintaining maturity requires personal effort and God’s support. They wanted the Colossians to remain mature, or full-grown, Christians despite any challenges they were facing. w24.04 6-7 ¶16-17

Nepal–Tibet Flood Disaster: Rescue Effort Moves Underground The disaster along the Nepal–Tibet border continues to deepen. More than 950 people are now reported dead, with more than 4,400 still missing. Six days after the August 26 flood sent an enormous mass of ice, rock, mud and water through the Himalayan valleys, attention has increasingly turned underground, where rescuers are racing to reach hundreds of workers feared trapped inside hydropower tunnels. apnews.com More than 900 workers remain unaccounted for at 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, and officials believe approximately 500 may be inside the tunnels. These are enormous passages—some large enough for trucks—but entrances and sections have been buried beneath mud, rock and flood debris. Rescue crews have begun using excavators, pumps, drilling equipment and even controlled explosions to force their way inside. There has been some progress. About 250 people were rescued from the Upper Trishuli project area over the weekend, and rescuers have now penetrated hundreds of feet into some of the tunnels. But the news from inside has also been difficult: four bodies have been recovered from three mud-filled tunnels. Officials say some trapped workers may have access to oxygen, but after nearly a week, the race to reach them has become increasingly urgent. The search extends far beyond those tunnels. Thousands remain missing throughout Nepal and Tibet, including hundreds of foreign nationals. Bodies continue to be recovered far downstream, showing just how far the flood carried its victims. Roads and more than 40 bridges have been destroyed or damaged, making some communities accessible primarily by helicopter. For those of us who have been following this from the beginning, the numbers have become almost difficult to comprehend. What began last Wednesday as a sudden wall of water and debris has become one of the worst disasters this region has faced. And now, nearly a week later, hundreds of families are waiting on one thing: whether rescuers can get through those tunnels in time. This report includes information from Reuters, The Associated Press, Nepalese authorities and other published sources. Casualty and missing-person figures continue to change as search operations proceed.

🇯🇵 Record Rain Continues to Batter Central Japan The record rainfall that flooded rivers and isolated communities in Ishikawa and Toyama on Thursday has now spread into Fukui Prefecture, where another round of extraordinary rain brought Japan's highest Level 5 emergency warning over the weekend. In Fukui, five observation stations recorded their highest 24-hour rainfall ever, with as much as 300 mm — nearly 12 inches — falling in 24 hours. ntv.co.jp Rivers again spilled over their banks. Fukui authorities have confirmed flooding or other damage at 26 locations along 23 rivers, with homes and farmland inundated. At least two people were injured there. Fortunately, the emergency warnings and evacuation instructions in Fukui had all been lifted by Monday morning. Farther north, communities hit by Thursday's flooding are still recovering. That earlier rainfall reached more than 360 mm — over 14 inches — in 24 hours in Himi, setting another record. Landslides and damaged roads left some mountain communities isolated, and drones have now been used to carry food and daily necessities to residents who remain cut off by road. So while the worst of the rain has moved on for now, this has become several days of record-breaking rainfall across central Japan rather than a single flooding event. And for many of the affected families, the work now is simply getting the water and mud out of their homes and beginning again. Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism — August 27 flooding updates Nippon TV — Latest Fukui flooding and rainfall totals Associated Press — Ishikawa and Toyama flooding

Grand Canyon — The death toll from Saturday’s flash flood has risen to two, after a second body was recovered Monday. The number still missing or unaccounted for has dropped slightly, from roughly 15 to 14, as search and recovery efforts continue in the Grand Canyon.

Philippines Flood Disaster Worsens as More Rain Threatens Millions The disaster unfolding across the Philippines continues to grow. As of Monday, August 31, 33 people have died, three remain missing and 19 have been injured, while the number of people affected by weeks of tropical cyclones and relentless monsoon rains has climbed to more than 8.8 million. About 165,000 people are still living in evacuation centers, unable to return home as flooding and the threat of landslides continue. Those numbers have continued to rise since our previous reports. The disaster has now affected about 2.5 million families across 10 regions of the country. Some 3,300 homes have been damaged, including more than 400 that were completely destroyed. Damage to agriculture is estimated at 2.32 billion Philippine pesos, while infrastructure losses have also reached into the billions. This has not been one storm. The Philippines has been dealing with the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng, together with the southwest monsoon—the habagat. Each round of rain has fallen on ground already saturated by what came before it. Flooding and rain-triggered landslides have followed, and millions of people have now been caught somewhere in that succession of storms. And unfortunately, it isn't over. Another tropical system, Tropical Depression Pilandok, remains east of the Philippines. Pilandok itself is not presently forecast to make landfall, but it is strengthening the southwest monsoon and pulling additional moisture across the country. PAGASA warned Monday evening that strong to gale-force gusts could affect much of the Philippines, with hazardous conditions continuing into Wednesday. Some areas of Luzon could receive another 100 to 200 millimeters of rain—roughly four to eight inches—in just a day, on top of everything that has already fallen. With rivers swollen and hillsides saturated, authorities are warning that additional flooding and landslides are likely in vulnerable areas. The scale is difficult to take in: 8.8 million people affected. Behind that number are families who have watched water enter their homes, people sleeping in evacuation centers, rescue workers continuing through the rain, and communities that have barely had time to recover before another round begins. The Philippine government remains at its highest disaster-response alert level. Relief supplies have been positioned throughout the country, and assistance continues to be distributed to affected families. pia.gov.ph For our brothers and sisters watching events there, the important point tonight is that this is still an active disaster. The storms that began it may have moved on, but the monsoon has not. With another tropical system strengthening that flow of moisture, millions of people who have already endured weeks of flooding are facing still more rain. Sources Philstar — Latest national casualty, evacuation and damage totals GMA News — Office of Civil Defense national update PAGASA — Tropical Depression Pilandok bulletin Philippine Information Agency — National disaster response and relief preparations

Looks like someone has already started the party before the due date 😂🤣

I met a man on door to door on a Monday afternoon. He seemed nice and has a belief in God. I wanted to go back on him so I tried at different times on different days for months but it was always his wife I had in. I preached to her when I met her and she listened well and she agreed with many scriptural points in raised. Then after about 4 months of trying every week, I found the man in! It was an evening on a Friday and he’d just got back in from work. He said “Would you mind calling back tomorrow at 12pm?” I said “sure.” I kept my appointment and he was in! He said “come on in.” He said that his wife had told him about every time I called when he wasn’t at home and he felt bad for keep missing me, so he was super pleased that I called when he was in. It turns out he is a born-again Christian and became one in his twenties. He had a few bibles open on his table when I went in and he tries to spend a bit of time that he has when he’s not working. He’s also dyslexic so he says he was able to get better at reading because of reading the Bible regularly. I just listened to what he was going through. A lot in his family is going through illness at the moment, including his wife. I mentioned that I would keep him in his prayers. That first visit, I spent three hours there. We exchanged numbers and arranged another day at a specific time. One of the issues he raised was the blood issue. I mentioned about recent clarifications on use of your own blood during medical procedures and I also added “I think you’d benefit greatly by seeing bloodless surgery in real time, rather than me talking about it. It’s really eye opening when you see it yourself.” So the next visit, I took the blood alternatives DVD and we watched it all together at his home. He would pause and ask questions on certain procedures and he added “This is phenomenal. I was quite ignorant about blood, but seeing this is amazing and how doctors are specialising in surgeries like this. It’s opened my eyes. Is there a chance I could write out my own DPA that I could use if I had to go into hospital?” I explained that he could write his wishes on what procedures he wanted on paper, sign it and date it and to keep it on his person. That way, doctors have to view that as a legally binding document. That was another 4 hours with him. On the next visit, I invited him to my house. We spent time talking about his religious background, talking about what hopes there are for the future and the divine name. He left his religion due to mainly the hypocrisy he could see compared to where the Bible was point in to. I got the website on my TV and we read scriptures from the NWT that spoke about those who had the earthly and heavenly hope. When I read scriptures in Romans 2, he said “Do you know, this is my favourite book of the Bible? And yet all the times I’ve read it, I’ve never seen that about what it really means to be a Jew. That is phenomenal.” I highlighted that the divine name is preserved in this translation and we watched the video of Geoffrey Jackson explaining the reasons why and the history behind how translators of the past took that name out. He said “What gives people the right to take his name out when he wanted people to remember it according to Exodus 3?” I agreed with him. We arranged that the next time we get together, we’ll have a look at the history of the organisation and how Jehovah has used them through the years. That was another 5 hours we spent together. Today, he came round and we watched Part 1 of the history of the organisation from Russell to Rutherford. He loved the title “Bible Students,” he said that really captured where they were getting their teachings from. He was shocked at the long sentences Judge Rutherford and his associates had when “The Finished Mystery” was published. Many times, he was ahead of where the video was concluded that “some of those Bible students were worshipping the creature and not the Creator” when Russell died. I commended him for seeing that. He was amazed that Russell had been writing about the year 1914 40 years before it happened as a time of anarchy! He wasn’t offended by the brothers finding out that the trinity, hellfire and the immortality of the soul were false teachings. He agreed! He said “You’ve got to go where the Bible is taking you.” He was also impressed with the Photo Drama of Creation. He asked a few questions about the year 1914 and how the brothers got to that date, which I said we could look at for the next visit. We also agreed to watch Part 2 of the history on the next visit. That was another 5 hours together. He said to me “Tom, I’ve had interactions with witnesses in the past and didn’t think much of them but I remember the first time you called at my door and I could see something different in you. I can see your light shining for Jesus. The knowledge you have of the scriptures is unbelievable, and do you know what impressed me too? You let your yes mean yes. You came at the times I asked for and honoured. That really impressed me because you make the time to visit me and that makes me make time for you. You’ve been able to open my eyes to things that are new to me and I’m able to process them, thing’s I’d never seen in the Bible more. I’ve told people at work about you and they’ve said ‘so are you going to become a JW now?’ I said to them ‘well, you can’t be dismissive of these people. It’s blatant ignorance if you do.’ You’re a real friend to me.” I pray for him and his family every night to help them endure but also to open their heart to the truth even more.This has all happened without even starting in the book yet! I said that the all credit goes to Jehovah and the training through his organisation that have helped me see the truth. But, why does Jehovah use me? He could use anyone, why me? I’m just pleased that he can see the value in the truth through how I’m able to preach and teach. One thing it teaches me though is that persistence pays off. Any good we see in a person, keep going back. Even when they aren’t there, keep going. Only stop going when they tell you to stop. For as long as they want to talk, stay. If it’s 5 minutes or 5 hours, stay as long as they want to talk. I thank the angels for directing me to him and for Jesus for helping me reflect the Father to people and becoming real friends to the people I preach too.

I have an idea,what if we bring the choloates here,online 🤗

I don’t know yet. Give me a couple of days to figure this out.

Yes, the transition to renewables is upending the old calculations. Now a lot of it is not about generation but the distribution networks and battery storage capacity. Here in Australia, the government has mandated that Distribution Network Service Providers and their electricity retailers offer 3 hrs of free electricity (24kWh total) between 11:00-14:00, to soak up some of the excess solar/wind being produced atm. I believe Australia has the largest uptake of rooftop solar in the world, at roughly 1 in 3 households. Guess gone a bit off topic here. But when I decided to install solar/batteries, it was in part because I was thinking of the future re: grid reliability during the GT

Yes, does depend time of year and your latitude. Mid-winter I see up to a ~70% drop on rainy overcast days, but in summer only ~40%, at same latitude as Austin Tx in Nth hemisphere.

Grand Canyon — roughly 15 people still need to be accounted for. 1 death reported.

Philippines — 🔴 33 dead, 8.8 million affected The official toll has increased to 33 dead, 19 injured and three missing from the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng. The number affected has climbed to approximately 8.8 million people — 2.5 million families. Tropical Depression Pilandok is expected to strengthen the southwest monsoon and bring additional rain. Status: major ongoing disaster; further flooding possible.

Bring where?

I have very small solar panels -1kw. When it is cloudy it produces only 10% energy. Daily,now, when it is sunny I have 4.3khw

ED: Busy weekend for Space watchers: Watch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's launch NASA broadcast the event live on August 30. Here is the lift off highlights:

I think that new homes are required to have solar panels, so I wonder if all of the new construction is factored into the existing power grid.

Even on the cloudiest of rainy days, you still produce solar, but at reduced level. On those sorts of days my solar output can drop up to ~70%. Can't speak for other countries, but you're not loading the grid with extra draw if for some reason your solar/battery system failed. Your dwelling has already been factored into the grid load by design, whether you're using it or not. You'll only experience blackouts if the grid generation output is degraded for some reason and overall load exceeds generation capacity.

It was dated August 31, 2025. You are right, we may have received it Monday morning. It still seems likely we may hear something tomorrow, at least I hope so.

Wasn’t that a Sunday? Seems odd to put it out then

I have always wondered if it could rain long enough in a big enough area that no one in that area could get solar power, so then they draw from the grid and it can't handle the extra load, leading to a total blackout in that area.