Not only is this the week of Thanksgiving, but it is also National Bible Week.

While the Bible is centric to many religions, one group is bringing a message of hope to communities around the world focusing on the Bible’s message.

Utah County will be one of the thousands of communities around the globe that will receive a message of hope this November as Jehovah’s Witnesses embark upon a special campaign focusing attention on the Bible’s hope for a better world.

The goal of the campaign is to distribute a special edition of The Watchtower magazine containing the cover series “A Better World Is Near.” More than 36 million printed copies of the magazine are expected to be distributed in some 230 languages to communities in 240 lands around the globe.

In addition, the digital publication is available on various platforms in nearly 400 languages.

“People are longing to hear a positive message and this is the best news possible,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “A better world is not just a dream; it’s inevitable. In fact, it is the central theme of the entire Bible.”

The magazine addresses the age-old “doomsday” question “Is this world going to end?” with a comforting answer that may surprise many readers. While many religions have predicted the “end of the world,” the magazine purports to reveal the Bible’s clear message: The earth is here forever and will never end, according to press information.

However, the magazine also states that wickedness will soon be gone, quoting the Bible book of Psalms where it promises that the “lawless one” will be no more.

Jessica Murillo, of Salt Lake City, first learned the Bible’s positive message of hope from her parents. But as a teenager, she remembers feeling disconnected from it.

“I was basically just focused on having fun.” After graduating from college, her focus changed. “My goal was to rise up the ranks,” said Murillo, who was a merchandiser for several big companies in New York City.

Murillo described the fashion industry as competitive, fun and exciting. Yet, something was missing.

“A sense of spirituality tugs at you,” she said. “In my heart … I knew that there was a solution.” As an adult living in Manhattan, Murillo attended meetings for worship at the local place of worship for Jehovah’s Witnesses from time to time.

When she decided to study the Bible’s message again, it changed her course in life, she said.

“Before, if I wouldn’t have (gotten) the promotion or … raise or the job offer or the apartment that I wanted, it would have been heartbreaking because that was all I was focusing on. … I have so much more to look forward to (now),” Murillo said.

Having that Bible teaching of a better tomorrow helped Murillo cope with what happened shortly after moving to Salt Lake City.

“My father and I found my mom dead in her bed,” said Murillo, whose mother had suffered a stroke. Sadly, her grandmother passed away from cancer shortly after, and then two weeks later her 35-year-old cousin was murdered. “I’m not 100% OK. I’m still grieving,” she said, reflecting on the last year.

“Having courage doesn’t mean you’re not scared, and having faith and hope doesn’t mean you’re not sad or depressed at times. I still have my moments,” she added.

Without her hope for a better world, Murillo said, “I don’t think that I would have been able to go through it.”

Returning to what she learned as a child, Murillo concluded this about the Bible’s solution: “It was the perfect message for me.”

For information about the Bible, Watchtower or Jehovah’s Witnesses, visit http://jw.org.

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