Laef Story
Wanfala wea Karem Laet Long Planti Nation
STORY BILONG GEORGE YOUNG WEA RUTH YOUNG NICHOLSON NAO TALEM
“Why nao iufala no talem insaed church bilong iumi? . . . Wanem kaen man nao iumi sapos iumi no talemaot bihaen iumi pruvim hao olketa samting wea mi raet abaotem hem tru? Iumi mas no haedem from pipol, bat iumi mas talemaot truth stret.”
OLKETA toktok hia part long 33-page leta wea Dadi raetem for askem olketa for aotem nem bilong hem from church. Year hem 1913. From dat taem, hem startim wanfala laef wea fulap witim enikaen samting wea mekem hem serve olsem man for karem laet go long planti nation. (Philippians 2:15) From taem mi smol girl, mi hipimap olketa story abaotem olketa experience bilong Dadi from olketa relative and nara information long history, and olketa fren helpem mi for putim tugeta story abaotem laef bilong hem. Long planti wei laef bilong Dadi mekem mi tingim laef bilong aposol Paul. Olsem datfala “aposol long olketa nation,” Dadi hem redy evritaem for go long nara ples for talemaot message bilong Jehovah long pipol bilong evri kantri and island. (Romans 11:13; Psalm 107:1-3) Letem mi talem iu abaotem dadi bilong mi, George Young.
Olketa Firstfala Year
Dadi hem last son bilong John and Margaret Young, wea kam from Scotland and tufala bilong Presbyterian Church. Hem born long September 8, 1886, no longtaem bihaen famili hem muv from Edinburgh, Scotland, for go long British Columbia long western saed bilong Canada. Thrifala big brata bilong hem—Alexander, John, and Malcolm—born long Scotland long samfala year bifor. Marion, smol sista bilong olketa, wea olketa boy kolem hem Nellie, hem born tufala year bihaen long Dadi.
Olketa pikinini growap long wanfala farm long Saanich, wea no farawe from Victoria, British Columbia, and olketa enjoyim olketa seleva. Long semtaem, olketa lane for lukaftarem responsibility tu. So taem dadi and mami bilong olketa kam bak from wanfala gogo long Victoria, olketa waka aotsaed hem finis and haos hem klin.
Gogo, Dadi and olketa brata bilong hem interest long mining and long timba bisnis. Olketa Young brata garem gud nem olsem sekson wea lukaotem timba (olketa wea lukluk long land for timba) and wea peim and sellim timba. Dadi nao lukaotem saed bilong selen.
Gogo, feeling bilong Dadi for olketa spiritual samting muvim hem for disaed for kamap wanfala Presbyterian minister. Bat, long datfala taem, olketa sermon bilong Charles Taze Russell, first president bilong Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society, wea stap insaed niuspepa, barava affectim laef bilong hem. Samting wea Dadi lanem hem muvim hem for raetem datfala leta for resign wea iumi storyim long start.
Long kaenfala bat kliafala wei Dadi iusim olketa Bible verse for pruvim hao olketa teaching bilong church abaotem wei wea soul bilong man hem kanduit dae and wei wea God bae mekem soul bilong pipol safa for olowe insaed hellfire, hem rong. Hem showimaot tu hao teaching bilong Trinity hem no start kam from Christian Wei and Bible barava nating saportim. Start from dat taem hem duim Christian ministry followim Jesus Christ, hambol for iusim savve and strong bilong hem for givim glory long Jehovah.
Long 1917, anda long lead bilong Watch Tower Society, Dadi start for serve olsem wanfala pilgrim, hem nao nem bilong olketa traveling overseer bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long dat taem. Long olketa taon long Canada, hem givim olketa tok and showim movie and slide program wea garem nem “Photo-Drama Bilong Creation.” Olketa ples wea Dadi visitim fulap taem hem visit. Schedule for olketa pilgrim visit bilong hem kamaot insaed English Wastaoa go kasem 1921.
Wanfala niuspepa long Winnipeg sei Evangelist Young story long 2,500 pipol and planti no savve go insaed bikos datfala hall hem fulap tumas. Long Ottawa, hem story abaotem topic “Go Long Hell and Kam Bak.” Wanfala olo man sei olsem abaotem datwan: “Taem datfala tok hem finis, George Young invaetem samfala bigman bilong church for go long platform and storyim datwan witim hem, bat no eniwan long olketa muv. Dat taem mi savve mi faendem truth nao.”
Dadi trae for duim planti spiritual waka taem hem go long olketa pilgrim visit bilong hem. Bihaen, hem hariap for kasem train for go long next ples. Sapos hem go long car, planti taem hem go long next assignment long barava early morning. Witim strong wea hem showimaot, planti savve long Dadi olsem man wea kaen, and duim olketa Christian waka and willing for give.
Long olketa convention wea hem attendim, wanfala spesol wan nao long Edmonton, Alberta, long 1918. Full famili bilong hem stap long there for lukim taem Nellie hem baptaes. Hem last taem tu wea olketa boy stap tugeta. Tufala year bihaen, Malcolm dae from sik pneumonia. Olsem thrifala brata and dadi bilong hem, Malcolm garem hope for laef long heven, and evriwan faithful long God go kasem dae.—Philippians 3:14.
Go Long Difren Kantri
Bihaen Dadi hem finisim wanfala preaching gogo long Canada long September 1921, Joseph F. Rutherford, president bilong Watch Tower Society long dat taem, askem hem for go long olketa island bilong Caribbean. Long evri ples Dadi hem showim “Photo-Drama Bilong Creation,” and pipol laekem tumas. From Trinidad, hem raet olsem: “Ples hem fulap, and planti mas go bak. Long mek-tu naet building hem fulap witim pipol.”
Then, long 1923, Dadi kasem assignment for go long Brazil. Long there hem story long staka pipol, samfala taem hem haerem man for transleit for hem. English Wastaoa bilong December 15, 1923 sei olsem: “From June 1 go kasem September 30, Brata Young hem duim 21 pablik meeting, wea total bilong 3,600 nao attendim; 48 kongregeson meeting, wea 1,100 nao attendim; hem givimaot 5,000 copy bilong free literature long languis bilong Portugal.” Planti pipol interest taem Dadi givim tok “Planti Million Wea Stap Laef Distaem Bae Nating Dae.”
Taem olketa dedicatem olketa niu building long Brazil long March 8, 1997, dedication brochure sei olsem: “1923: George Young arrive long Brazil. Hem organizem wanfala branch office midol long Rio de Janeiro.” Nomata Bible literature stap long languis bilong Spain, need stap tu for garem long languis bilong Portugal, wea hem nao main languis long Brazil. So, long October 1, 1923, olketa start pablisim Wastaoa long languis bilong Portugal.
Dadi hem meetim difren kaen pipol long Brazil. Wanfala nao hem wanfala rich man from Portugal wea nem bilong hem Jacintho Pimentel Cabral, wea givim haos bilong hem for olketa meeting. Jacintho acceptim truth bilong Bible and kamap wanfala member bilong Bethel famili. Narawan hem Manuel da Silva Jordão, wanfala young man wea waka long garden. Hem herem wanfala pablik tok wea Dadi givim wea muvim hem for go bak long Portugal for serve olsem wanfala colporteur, nem bilong olketa full-taem minister bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long dat taem.
Dadi go long planti ples long Brazil long train, and hem faendem pipol wea interest. Long wanfala gogo bilong hem, hem meetim Bony and Catarina Green, and hem stap witim olketa for samting olsem tufala week, and explainim olketa Scripture long olketa. Sevenfala long famili hia baptaes long wata for showimaot dedication bilong olketa long Jehovah.
Narawan wea hem meetim long 1923 nao Sarah Bellona Ferguson. Long 1867, olsem wanfala young girl, hem and brata bilong hem Erasmus Fulton Smith and full famili, muv go long Brazil from United States. Start from 1899 hem evritaem kasem English Wastaoa thru long post. Visit bilong Dadi givim chance for Sarah, fofala pikinini bilong hem, and wanfala wea Dadi kolem Aunty Sallie for baptaes. Datwan hem long March 11, 1924.
No longtaem bihaen, Dadi preach long olketa nara kantri long South America. Long November 8, 1924, hem raet olsem from Peru: “Mi just finis for givimaot 17,000 tract long Lima and Callao.” Then hem go nao long Bolivia for givimaot olketa tract long there. Hem raet olsem abaotem visit bilong hem: “Dadi bilong iumi hem blessim disfala waka. Wanfala man from datfala ples helpem mi. Haos bilong hem long hedwata bilong Amazon. Hem tekem 1,000 tract and samfala buk go bak witim hem.”
Thru long hard waka bilong Dadi, olketa seed bilong truth long Bible start for kasem planti kantri long Central and South America. English Wastaoa bilong December 1, 1924, sei olsem: “George Young hem stap long South America for winim tufala year finis. . . . Hem privilege bilong disfala brata for tekem message bilong truth long Punta Arenas, long Magellan Pasis.” Dadi leadim preaching waka long olketa kantri olsem Costa Rica, Panama, and Venezuela. Hem go ahed nomata hem kasem malaria and diswan affectim health bilong hem.
Go Long Europe
Long March 1925, Dadi go for Europe, wea hem hope for givimaot 300,000 Bible tract long Spain and Portugal and for arrange for Brata Rutherford for givim pablik tok. Bat, bihaen hem kasem Spain, Dadi sei hem no really sure sapos hem gud for Brata Rutherford givim olketa tok hia bikos pipol no acceptim difren religion.
Brata Rutherford talem toktok long Isaiah 51:16 taem hem givim ansa: “Mi putim toktok bilong mi insaed mouth bilong iu, and mi kavarem iu long shadow bilong hand bilong mi, mekem mi plantim heven, and leim faondeson bilong earth, and sei long Zion, Iufala pipol bilong mi.” (King James Version) From datwan, Dadi hem sei: “Hem will bilong Lord nao for mi go ahed and leavim ansa long hem nao.”
Long May 10, 1925, Brata Rutherford givim tok bilong hem thru long wanfala man for transleit long Novedades Theater long Barcelona. Winim 2,000 nao attend, and wanfala bigman bilong gavman and bodygard bilong hem tu. Sem samting happen long Madrid, wea 1,200 nao attend. Interest wea kamap from olketa tok hia openem wei for wanfala branch office stap long Spain, wea olsem 1978 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses hem talem, “anda long gaedens bilong George Young.”
Long May 13, 1925, Brata Rutherford givim tok long Lisbon, Portugal. Hem kasem gud samting taem hem visit long there, nomata olketa bigman bilong religion trae for spoelem meeting taem olketa singaot and smasem olketa chair. Bihaen olketa tok bilong Brata Rutherford long Spain and Portugal, Dadi go ahed for showim “Photo-Drama,” and hem arrange tu for printim and givimaot Bible literature long olketa ples hia. Long 1927, hem talem report hao gud nius “hem kasem evri taon long Spain.”
Preach Long Soviet Union
Next missionary assignment bilong Dadi hem long Soviet Union, wea hem kasem long August 28, 1928. Wanfala leta wea hem raetem long October 10, 1928, sei olsem:
“Start from taem mi kam long Russia, mi prea strong, ‘Letem kingdom kam’ witim full heart bilong mi. Mi lanem languis, bat mi slow nomoa. Man bilong mi for transleit hem narawe, hem wanfala Jew, bat hem biliv long Christ and hem lovem Bible. Mi garem samfala interesting experience bat mi no savve hao long nao bae olketa letem mi for stap. Last week olketa givim mi notice for go aot insaed 24 hour bat mi stretem for mi stap moa.”
Hem kasem samfala Bible Student long Kharkov, wanfala big taon long Ukraine distaem, and meeting wea kamap hem mekem olketa krae witim hapi. Olketa holem wanfala smol convention evri naet go kasem midolnaet. Taem hem raet abaotem datfala meeting witim olketa brata, Dadi sei: “Sorre tumas long olketa brata hia, gavman tekem tu-thri buk olketa garem and raf long olketa, bat olketa hapi.”
Ministry bilong Dadi long Soviet Union hem kamaot insaed wanfala spesol brochure for olketa wea attendim dedication bilong niu branch long St. Petersburg, Russia, long June 21, 1997. Datfala brochure sei Dadi hem go long Moscow, and hem ask for “wakem 15,000 copy bilong tufala buklet Freedom for Olketa Pipol and Wea Nao Olketa Wea Dae? for givimaot long Russia.”
Bihaen hem kam bak from Russia, Dadi kasem assignment for duim pilgrim waka long United States. Long South Dakota hem visitim haos bilong Nellena and Verda Pool, tufala really sista wea kamap missionary long Peru bihaen. Tufala tokhae long wei wea Dadi strong long ministry and sei: “Olketa brata long dat taem barava garem pioneer spirit taem olketa go aot long olketa difren ples hia witim lelebet material samting nomoa bat witim heart wea fulap witim love for Jehovah. Datwan nao samting wea muvim olketa for duim samting wea olketa duim.”
Marit and Mek-tu Gogo
Long olketa year hia Dadi hem bin raet long Clara Hubbert wea kam from Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Tufala evriwan stap long convention long Columbus, Ohio, long July 26, 1931, taem olketa Bible Student tekem nem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. (Isaiah 43:10-12) Wanfala week bihaen, tufala marit. No longtaem bihaen, Dadi go moa, long mek-tu missionary gogo bilong hem thru long olketa island bilong Caribbean. Long there hem help for organizem olketa meeting and for trainim olketa nara pipol long haos-tu-haos ministry.
Mami kasem olketa piksa, card, and leta from Suriname, St. Kitts, and planti nara ples. Olketa leta bilong hem story abaotem wei wea preaching waka go ahed and samfala taem hem storyim olketa bird, animal, and plant long kantri wea hem kasem. Long June 1932, Dadi finisim assignment bilong hem long Caribbean and, olsem hem duim evritaem, hem kam bak long ship, long Canada. Bihaen datwan, hem and Mami share insaed full-taem preaching waka tugeta, olketa duim bigfala area long Ottawa long cold taem bilong 1932/33 witim big sekson bilong olketa nara full-taem minister.
Shortfala Famili Laef
Long 1934, brata bilong mi, David, hem born. Taem hem smol yet, hem savve standap long box bilong Mami for putim olketa hat bilong hem and practice for givim “olketa tok.” Olsem dadi bilong hem, hem showimaot strong for Jehovah long full laef bilong hem. Thrifala long olketa savve go long car, witim saond system bilong olketa long ruf bilong car, taem olketa visitim olketa kongregeson from east bilong Canada go kasem west. Mi born long 1938 taem Dadi hem serve long British Columbia. David rememberim taem Dadi putim mi long bed and Dadi, Mami, and David nildaon raonem taem Dadi prea for sei thankiu for mi.
Long cold taem bilong 1939, mifala stap long Vancouver taem Dadi visitim olketa kongregeson long datfala area. Insaed long planti leta wea mifala kolektem long olketa year hem wanfala wea bilong January 14, 1939, wea hem raetem from Vernon, British Columbia. Dadi raet for Clara, David, and Ruth, and sei: “Diswan hem smol kiss and hug nomoa.” Wanfala message stap insaed for mifala wanwan. Hem story abaotem wei wea harvest hem big bat wakman no staka.—Matthew 9:37, 38.
Wanfala week bihaen hem kam bak long Vancouver from assignment bilong hem, Dadi hem foldaon haf dead long wanfala meeting. Olketa faendaot hem garem cancer long brain. Long May 1, 1939, hem finisim laef bilong hem long earth. Mi naen month, and David klosap faev year. Mami bilong mitufala, wea garem hope for go long heven tu, hem stap faithful long God go kasem taem hem dae long June 19, 1963.
Feeling bilong Dadi abaotem privilege wea hem garem for tekem gud nius long planti kantri hem stap insaed wanfala leta wea hem raetem for Mami. Hem sei: “Jehovah kaen tumas for letem mi go long olketa kantri hia olsem wanfala laet for tekem Kingdom message. Holy nem bilong hem mas kasem praise. Thru long wik samting and wei for no garem savve, glory bilong hem shaen.”
Distaem olketa pikinini, granpikinini, and great granpikinini bilong George and Clara Young olketa servem tu loving God bilong iumi, Jehovah. Mi herem hao Dadi hem evritaem talem toktok long Hebrews 6:10, wea sei: “God hem no wicked mekem hem forgetim waka bilong iufala and love wea iufala showimaot for nem bilong hem.” Mifala tu no forgetim waka wea Dadi duim.
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Dadi bilong mi, long raet saed, witim thrifala brata bilong hem
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Dadi (standap) witim Brata Woodworth, Rutherford, and Macmillan
Long daon: Dadi (long barava left saed) insaed wanfala grup witim Brata Russell
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Dadi and Mami
Long daon: Wedding day bilong tufala
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Witim David and Mami samfala year bihaen Dadi hem dae