My Journey From Shyness to Missionary Service

I was born in 1951 in Vienna, Austria, to a Catholic family. I was timid, but I believed in God and prayed often. When I was nine, my father started studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses; my mother joined him a little later.

We soon became part of the Döbling Congregation in Vienna. As a family, we did a lot together. We read and studied the Bible, attended congregation meetings, and served as volunteers at assemblies. Early on in my childhood, my father instilled in me a deep love for Jehovah. In fact, my father’s prayer was that my sister and I become pioneers. But back then, that was not my goal.

STARTING FULL-TIME SERVICE

I got baptized in 1965, at the age of 14. However, I found it difficult to approach strangers in the ministry. I also struggled with feelings of inferiority and desperately wanted to be accepted by other young people. So not long after my baptism, I started associating with those who didn’t serve Jehovah. Although I liked their company, my conscience bothered me because I spent so much time with non-Witnesses. But I did not have the strength to change. What helped me?

About that time, a 16-year-old girl named Dorothée joined our congregation. Her zeal for the house-to-house work impressed me. I was a little older than she was, but I was not very active in the ministry. I thought to myself: ‘My parents are Witnesses, but Dorothée has no family in the truth. She lives with her sick mother, and yet she is always out in the ministry!’ Her example motivated me to do more for Jehovah. Soon thereafter, Dorothée and I became pioneer partners. First, we were auxiliary pioneers, then called vacation pioneers, and later, we served together as regular pioneers. Dorothée’s enthusiasm was contagious. She helped me to start my first Bible study. In time, I began to feel a little more relaxed about approaching people at the door, on the street, and in other situations.

During my first year as a regular pioneer, an Austrian brother named Heinz came to our congregation. He had learned the truth in Canada while visiting his brother, who was a Witness. Heinz was assigned to our congregation in Vienna as a special pioneer. I liked him right from the start. But he wanted to become a missionary, and I had no intention of serving as a missionary. So at first, I hid my feelings for him. Later, though, Heinz and I started dating, got married, and began pioneering together in Austria.

MISSIONARY WORK AS A GOAL

Heinz would often speak to me about his desire to become a missionary. Although he never pressured me, he would ask motivating questions, such as, “Since we do not have children, could we do more in Jehovah’s service?” Because of my shy personality, I was afraid to be a missionary. True, I pioneered, but the whole idea of a missionary assignment seemed overwhelming. Yet, Heinz patiently kept the goal alive. He also encouraged me to focus more on caring about people than on worrying about myself. His advice really helped.

Gradually, I developed the desire to enter the missionary work, so we applied for Gilead School. However, the branch servant suggested that I first improve my English. After three years of striving to improve my English, we were surprised to receive an assignment to a Yugoslavian congregation in Salzburg, Austria. We worked in that field for the next seven years, including one year in circuit work. The Serbo-Croatian language was difficult, but we had many Bible studies.