Laef Story

Garem Simpol Laef for Servem Jehovah

STORY BILONG CLARA GERBER MOYER

Distaem mi 92 year and no savve wakabaot gud, bat tingting bilong mi klia yet and mi tingim planti samting. Mi barava hapi for garem privilege for servem Jehovah from taem mi pikinini! From mi garem living wea simpol, diswan barava helpem mi kasem datwan.

MI BORN long August 18, 1907, long Alliance, Ohio, U.S.A., mi nao firstborn long faevfala pikinini. Taem mi eit year, wanfala full-taem minister bilong olketa Bible Student, wea hem nao nem bilong Olketa Witness Bilong Jehovah long datfala taem, kam kasem farm bilong mifala long bicycle bilong hem. Hem meetim mami bilong mi, Laura Gerber, long door and askem hem sapos hem savve why nao wicked fasin hem stap. Planti taem mami tingting abaotem datwan.

Bihaen Mami story witim Dadi, wea waka aotsaed, Mami orderim wanfala set long sixfala volume bilong Studies in the Scriptures. Mami barava hapi long olketa buk hia and olketa Bible truth wea hem lanem barava muvim hem. Hem studyim Volume 6, The New Creation, and minim klia why wanfala Christian mas baptaes andanit long wata. From hem no savve hao for faendem olketa Bible Student, hem askem Dadi for baptaesim hem long wanfala smol wata long farm, nomata hem cold taem long March 1916.

No longtaem bihaen datwan Mami lukim wanfala announcement long niuspepa wea storyim wanfala tok long Daughters of Veterans Hall long Alliance. Tok hia garem title “The Divine Plan of the Ages.” From Volume 1 bilong Studies in the Scriptures garem sem title olsem disfala tok, Mami interest long diswan. Mifala redy­im horse and cart and full famili go for first meeting bilong mifala. Bihaen datwan mifala attendim olketa meeting long haos bilong olketa brata long olketa Sunday and Wednesday evening. No longtaem bihaen datwan, wanfala brata from Christian kongregeson baptaesim Mami moa. Gogo, Dadi, wea busy olowe witim waka long farm, hem interest for studyim Bible, and hem baptaes tu-thri year bihaen.

Meetim Olketa wea Lead

Long June 10, 1917, J. F. Rutherford, wea president bilong Watch Tower Society long datfala taem, kam visit long Alliance for storyim disfala subject “Why Nao Olketa Nation Faet?” Mi naen year and mi attendim witim dadi, mami, and tufala brata bilong mi, Willie and Charles. Winim wan handred pipol nao attendim. Bihaen Brata Rutherford givim tok, planti long olketa wea attend tek foto aotsaed long Columbia Theater, ples wea disfala tok kamap. Long sem ples long week bihaen, A. H. Macmillan givim wanfala tok long disfala topic “Kingdom Bilong God Wea Bae Kam.” Hem wanfala privilege for olketa brata hia visitim smol taon bilong mifala.

Olketa Spesol Convention Bifor

Firstfala convention wea mi attendim nao long 1918 long Atwater, Ohio, tu-thri kilometer from Alliance. Mama askem man wea stand for Society long there sapos mi fit for baptaes. Mi ting mi mekem stretfala dedication long God for duim will bilong hem, so olketa letem mi for baptaes long wanfala smol wata klosap long wanfala farm bilong apple. Mi changem kaleko bilong mi long tent wea olketa brata wakem for datwan and mi werem wanfala olo, hevi kaleko for baptaes.

Long September 1919, dadi, mami, and mi tekem train go long Sandusky, Ohio, long Lake Erie. Long there mifala go insaed wanfala boat, and no longtaem mifala kasem Cedar Point wea spesol convention for mifala kamap. Taem mifala aot from boat, wanfala smol ples for peim lunch hem stap. Mi tekem wanfala hamburger, wea long datfala taem for mi hem samting wea naes tumas. Hem teist gud tumas! Namba bilong pipol wea attendim disfala eit-day convention hem 7,000. No eni saond system stap, so mi mas lisin gud.

Long disfala convention olketa releasem nara magasin wea go witim Wastaoa wea garem title The Golden Age (distaem Wekap!). For attendim datfala convention, mi no go long skul for wan week, nomata olsem mi kasem barava gud samting. Cedar Point hem ples wea pipol savve holiday long hem, and olketa garem olketa wea kuki long ples for kaikai wea redyim kaikai for olketa delegate. Bat from samfala reason, olketa wea kuki and waitress strike, so olketa Christian brata wea garem savve long wei for kuki tekova and redyim kaikai for olketa delegate. For planti year bihaen, olketa pipol bilong Jehovah wakem kaikai bilong olketa seleva long olketa assembly and convention.

Mifala garem privilege for go bak moa long Cedar Point long September 1922 for convention wea go ahed for naen day wea garem peak bilong winim 18,000 wea attend. Long there nao Brata Rutherford encouragem mifala for “talemaot, talemaot, talemaot, King and kingdom bilong hem.” Bat, mi start finis for givimaot olketa tract and The Golden Age samfala year bifor.

Tinghae Long Ministry

Long start bilong 1918, mi tekpart for givimaot long samfala farm wea stap klosap, disfala tract The Fall of Babylon. Long taem bilong cold mifala savve mekem hot long stove long haos wanfala stone wea olsem soap and tekem witim mifala insaed cart for mekem leg bilong mifala hot. Mifala werem olketa big kaleko and hat, from cart garem ruf nomoa witim curtain long saed bat no eniting for keepim hot. Nomata olsem mifala hapi.

Long 1920 olketa releasem wanfala spesol edition bilong The Finished Mystery, wea olketa kolem ZG, olsem wanfala magasin.a Dadi, mami, and mi givimaot disfala pablikeson long Alliance. Long datfala taem evriwan savve go seleva long olketa door, so mi seksek lelebet and go ap long wanfala varanda wea samfala pipol sidaon. Bihaen mi talem story bilong mi, wanfala woman sei: “Toktok bilong hem naes,” and hem acceptim pablikeson hia. Mi offerim 13-fala ZG long datfala day, firstaem bilong mi for givim longfala story from haos tu haos.

Taem mi samting olsem 15 year, Mami bilong mi kasem pneumonia and hem leidaon long bed for winim wan month. Smol sista bilong mi, Hazel, hem baby, so mi finis skul for help keepim farm and for lukaftarem olketa pikinini. Nomata olsem, famili bilong mi tinghae long Bible truth, and mifala evritaem attendim olketa kongregeson meeting.

Long 1928 long Memorial long dae bilong Christ, evriwan wea attend kasem disfala tract “Where Are the Nine?” Hem storyim Luke 17:11-19, wea Bible sei wanfala long tenfala man wea garem leprosy nomoa hambol for sei thankiu long Jesus for mirakol healing wea hem kasem. Datwan muvim mi. Mi askem miseleva, ‘Waswe long mi?’

From evriting go ahed gud long haos and mi garem gudfala health and no eniting stopem mi, mi disaed for lusim haos and joinim pioneer service, nem bilong full-taem ministry. Dadi and mami encouragem mi for duim olsem. So, partner bilong mi, Agnes Aleta, and mi kasem assignment bilong mitufala, and long August 28, 1928, mifala go insaed train long 9:00 p.m. Mitufala wanwan garem nomoa wanfala suitcase and wanfala basket for karem Bible literature. Long station, olketa sista witim dadi and mami bilong mi go ahed for krae, and mitufala tu. Mi ting bae mi nating lukim olketa moa, bikos long datfala taem mifala biliv Armageddon barava klosap. Long next morning, mifala arrive long assignment bilong mifala long Brooksville, Kentucky.

Mitufala rentim wanfala smol rum long wanfala resthaos and peim olketa tin kaikai and wakem olketa sandwich. Evri day mitufala savve wakabaot go long difren ples, waka seleva and offerim faevfala buk long olketa haosholder for contribution bilong $8.41. Gogo mitufala duim full taon and meetim planti pipol wea interest long Bible.

Insaed samting olsem thri month, mifala story finis witim evriwan long Brooksville and taon bilong Augusta tu. So mitufala go waka long olketa taon bilong Maysville, Paris, and Richmond. Long next thrifala year, mifala waka long planti province insaed Kentucky wea no eni kongregeson stap. Planti taem olketa fren and famili member from Ohio savve draev kam and helpem mifala long ministry for wan week or winim datwan.

Samfala Nara Spesol Convention

Convention long Columbus, Ohio, July 24-30, 1931, hem barava spesol. Long datfala taem olketa announcem nem bilong mifala wea kam from Bible nao Olketa Witness Bilong Jehovah. (Isaiah 43:12) Bifor datwan, taem pipol askem mifala bilong wanem religion, mifala sei, “International Bible Students.” Bat datwan no barava mekem mifala difren, from olketa nara Bible student stap tu bilong nara religion.

Partner bilong mi, Agnes, hem marit, and mi stap seleva; so mi barava hapi taem announcement kamap wea sei olketa wea lukaotem pioneer partner mas go long wanfala ples. Long there mi meetim Bertha and Elsie Garty and Bessie Ensminger. Olketa garem tufala car and lukaotem mek-foa pioneer sista for waka witim olketa. Mifala lusim convention tugeta, nomata mifala nating meet bifor.

Long midol bilong year mifala waka long Pennsylvania. Then gogo for end long year, mifala ask for go long south long North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. Long March mifala go bak long north. Hem nao wanem olketa pioneer savve duim long datfala taem. Long 1934, John Booth and Rudolph Abbuhl, wea duim diswan, tekem witim tufala Ralph Moyer and smol brata bilong hem Willard go long Hazard, Kentucky.

Mi meetim Ralph planti taem, and mitufala start for savve gud long mitufala long big convention long Washington, D.C., wea kamap long May 30–June 3, 1935. Mi and Ralph sidaon tugeta long taem bilong tok abaotem “datfala bigfala sekson,” or “great crowd.” (Revelation 7:9-14) Go kasem datfala taem mifala biliv olketa bilong bigfala sekson olketa member bilong sekson wea bae go long heven wea no barava faithful olsem 144,000. (Revelation 14:1-3) So mi no want for kamap wanfala long olketa!

Taem Brata Rutherford minim hao olketa bilong bigfala sekson olketa wanfala sekson wea bae stap long earth wea faithful and winim Armageddon, planti sapraes. Then hem invaetem olketa bilong bigfala sekson for standap. Mi no standap, bat Ralph standap. Bihaen, evriting kamap klia long mind bilong mi, so 1935 nao last year wea mi kaikaim bred and drinkim wine long Memorial bilong dae bilong Christ. Bat, Mami go ahed for kaikaim go kasem dae bilong hem long November 1957.

Wanfala Partner for Olowe

Mi go ahed for raet long Ralph and hem raet kam long mi. Mi serve long Lake Placid, New York, and hem long Pennsylvania. Long 1936 hem buildim wanfala smol trailer wea car bilong hem savve pullim. Hem muvim from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, go kasem Newark, New Jersey, for convention wea kamap long there from October 16-18. Bihaen program long wanfala evening, tu-thri long mifala pioneer go lukim niu trailer bilong Ralph. Mitufala standap insaed trailer saed long wanfala sink taem hem ask, “Waswe, iu laekem disfala trailer?”

Taem mi sekem hed bilong mi, hem ask, “Waswe, iu laek stap insaed?”

“Yes,” mi sei, and hem kissim mi long kaenfala wei, wea bae hard for mi forgetim. Tu-thri day bihaen, mitufala kasem license wea letem mifala for marit. Long October 19, wan day bihaen long convention, mifala go long Brooklyn and tour long printing sekson bilong Watch Tower Society. Then mifala ask for territory assignment. Grant Suiter nao lukaftarem territory, and hem ask hu nao bae waka. Ralph sei, “Mitufala sapos mifala savve marit.”

Brata Suiter sei, “Sapos iufala kam bak long 5:00 p.m., iumi savve arrangem.” So long datfala evening mifala marit long haos bilong wanfala Witness long Brooklyn Heights. Mifala go kaikai witim samfala fren long wanfala ples for kaikai and then mitufala go for trailer bilong Ralph long Newark, New Jersey.

Lelebet taem bihaen datwan, mitufala gogo for Heathsville, Virginia, first pioneer assignment bilong mitufala tugeta. Mifala waka long Province Bilong Northumberland and then muv go for province bilong Fulton and Franklin long Pennsylvania. Long 1939, Ralph kasem invitation for duim zone waka, wanfala waka wea bae mifala gogo raon and visitim planti kongregeson. Mifala servem olketa kongregeson insaed Tennessee. Long year bihaen son bilong mifala, Allen, hem born, and long 1941 zone waka hem stop. Mifala kasem assignment long Marion, Virginia, olsem spesol pioneer. Long datfala taem, diswan minim mifala mas iusim 200 hour long wan month insaed ministry.

Mekem Samfala Change

Long 1943, mi ting mi mas finis from spesol pioneer ministry. From mifala stap long smol trailer, mi mas lukaftarem smol pikinini, redyim kaikai, wasim and stretem kaleko, mi fit for iusim nomoa 60 hour evri month long ministry. Bat Ralph go ahed for spesol pioneer.

Mifala muv go bak long Alliance, Ohio, long 1945, sellim trailer wea hem kamap olsem haos bilong mifala for naen year finis, and muv go long farmhaos witim dadi and mami bilong mi. Long varanda bilong datfala haos nao hem ples wea mi bornem dota bilong mifala, Rebekah. Ralph garem part-taem waka long taon and go ahed for regular pioneer. Mi waka long farm and duim wanem mi fit for duim for helpem hem go ahed pioneer. Nomata famili bilong mi willing for givim kam free land and haos, Ralph no acceptim. Hem laekem mifala for no garem hevi mekem mifala savve go ahed for lukaotem samting bilong Kingdom long wei wea moa big.

Long 1950 mifala muv go long Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and rentim wanfala haos for $120 long wan month. Insaed next 30 year, rent go ap kasem $360 nomoa. Mifala feelim olsem Jehovah helpem mifala for garem simpol laef. (Matthew 6:31-33) Ralph waka for thrifala day insaed wan week olsem man for katem hair. Evri week mifala studyim Bible witim tufala pikinini bilong mifala, attendim kongregeson meeting, and preachim gud nius bilong Kingdom olsem wanfala famili. Ralph serve olsem presiding overseer bilong kongregeson. From mifala garem simpol laef, mifala fit for duim planti samting long service bilong Jehovah.

Lusim Partner wea Mi Lovem

Long May 17, 1981, mifala sidaon insaed Kingdom Hall, and lisin long wanfala pablik tok. Ralph feel sik, so hem wakabaot go bihaen long hall, and hem askem wanfala attendant for tekem kam long mi smol note wea sei hem go bak long haos. Ralph hem no savve olsem so mi askem samwan for kwiktaem tekem mi go long haos. Insaed long wan hour Ralph hem dae from wanfala heart attak. Long end bilong Wastaoa study long datfala morning, olketa announcem long kongregeson hao Ralph hem dae finis.

Insaed datfala month Ralph iusim winim 50 hour long ministry. Hem go ahed olsem wanfala full-taem pioneer for winim 46 year finis. Hem studyim Bible witim winim wan handred pipol wea gogo olketa kamap baptaes Witness bilong Jehovah. Olketa spiritual blessing wea mifala kasem hem winim eni sakrifaes wea mifala mekem insaed olketa year.

Hapi Long Olketa Privilege Bilong Mi

Insaed 18 year wea go pas, mi stap seleva, attendim meeting, preach long pipol taem mi fit for duim, and studyim Word bilong God. Distaem mi stap long haos for olketa olo. Mi garem tu-thri tebol and chair nomoa and mi disaed for no garem television. Bat laef bilong mi hem full and rich long spiritual wei. Dadi, mami and tufala brata bilong mi stap faithful go kasem taem olketa dae, and tufala sista bilong mi go ahed for faithful long wei bilong truth.

Mi hapi from son bilong mi, Allen, hem serve olsem Christian elder. For planti year hem putim olketa saond system long olketa Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall and long taem bilong convention tu. Waef bilong hem wanfala loyal servant bilong God, and tufala son bilong olketa serve olsem elder. Dota bilong mi, Rebekah Karres, stap insaed full-taem ministry for winim 35 year, wea insaed diswan hem fofala year long world headquarter bilong Olketa Witness Bilong Jehovah long Brooklyn. Long 25 year wea go pas, hem witim hasband bilong hem duim traveling waka long difren ples long United States.

Jesus sei Kingdom hem olsem rich samting wea stap haed wea iumi savve faendem. (Matthew 13:44) Mi hapi from famili bilong mi faendem datfala rich samting insaed planti year wea go pas finis. Hem wanfala privilege for luk bak long winim 80 year insaed service bilong God—and mi nating sorre! Sapos mi mas disaed moa long living mi garem, bae mi duim sem samting bikos, for tok stret, ‘loving-kaeness bilong God hem moabeta winim laef.’—Psalm 63:3.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 23]

Mifala herem tok bilong Brata Rutherford long 1917 long Alliance, Ohio

[Piksa long page 23]

Witim Ralph front long trailer hem buildim

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Witim tufala pikinini bilong mi distaem