Laef Story
Serve Witim Full Soul Nomata Olketa Test
STORY BILONG RODOLFO LOZANO
Mi born long Mexico, long taon bilong Gómez Palacio, Durango State, long September 17, 1917. Mexican Revolution go ahed long datfala taem. Nomata datfala revolution hem end long 1920, olketa trabol long area wea mifala stap go ahed for planti year bihaen, wea mekem laef barava hard.
WANTAEM, taem mami savve wanfala faet bae kamap midolwan army and olketa wea againstim gavman, hem keepim mi and thrifala brata and tufala sista bilong mi insaed haos for tu-thri day. Mifala no garem staka kaikai, and mi remember mi haed witim smol sista bilong mi andanit bed. Bihaen datwan, Mami disaed for tekem mifala pikinini go long United States, wea dadi bae joinim mifala bihaen.
Mifala kasem California long 1926, no longtaem bifor datfala Great Depression kasem United States. Mifala muv go long eni ples wea mifala faendem waka long hem, long olketa ples olsem San Joaquin Valley, Santa Clara, Salinas, and King City. Mifala lane for waka long garden and for harvestim enikaen frut and vegetable. Nomata young laef bilong mi hem taem bilong hard waka, hem wanfala barava naes taem long laef bilong mi.
Kasem Bible Truth
Long March 1928, wanfala Bible Student, nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bifor, visitim mifala. Hem wanfala olo man wea story long Spanish languis wea nem bilong hem Esteban Rivera. Title bilong buklet wea hem givim mi, “Where Are the Dead?,” mekem mi interest, and toktok insaed tu. Nomata mi young, mi go ahed for studyim Bible and for kaban witim olketa Bible Student. Gogo, mami and sista bilong mi Aurora kamap olketa wea strong for praisem Jehovah tu.
Insaed olketa year raonem 1935, olketa buildim wanfala Kingdom Hall long San Jose for English kongregeson. From staka Spanish pipol waka long olketa farm long area, mifala start for preach long olketa and holem Wastaoa Study. Mifala duim diswan witim help bilong olketa Spanish Witness from San Francisco, samting olsem 80 kilometer awe. Gogo, samting olsem 60-fala nao attendim olketa Spanish meeting long Kingdom Hall long San Jose.
Gogo, long February 28, 1940, mi showimaot wei wea mi dedicate long Jehovah taem mi baptaes long wata long wanfala assembly long San Jose. Long year bihaen, olketa appointim mi olsem pioneer, wanfala full-taem minister bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Then long April 1943, olketa invaetem mi for muv go long Stockton, wanfala big taon wea stap samting olsem 130 kilometer awe, for startim wanfala Spanish kongregeson. Long datfala taem, mi serve olsem presiding overseer insaed English kongregeson long San Jose, and mi lukaftarem olketa Witness wea iusim Spanish languis long there tu. Bihaen mi arrangem narawan for lukaftarem olketa responsibility hia, mi muv go long Stockton.
Faithful Fasin Kasem Test
Start long 1940, staka taem olketa wea garem paoa for sendem pipol long war kolem mi, bat evritaem olketa respectim mi olsem man wea followim biliv bilong hem. Bihaen United States joinim mek-tu world war long December 1941, olketa putim moa hevi for sendem mi long war. Gogo, long 1944, olketa putim mi long prison. Taem mi weit for olketa talem panis bilong mi, olketa putim mi long rum andanit prison witim olketa criminal. Taem olketa savve mi wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, staka long olketa ask hao nao nogud samting wea olketa duim bae affectim wei wea God ting long olketa.
Olketa Witness long San Jose nao aotem mi from prison for weitim kot case. Wanfala lawyer long Los Angeles, wea faetem olketa case bilong freedom wea man fit for kasem, hem acceptim case bilong mi for free. Judge disaed for mekem mi free sapos mi stop pioneer, waka for selen, and report go long gavman evri month. Mi no acceptim datfala disison, so mi kasem panis bilong tufala year long McNeil Island prison long Washington State. Long there mi iusim taem for barava studyim Bible. Mi lane for type tu. Bifor tu year hem ova, mi kamap free from gud fasin bilong mi. Stretawe mi arrange for go ahed long pioneer ministry.
Waka wea Moa Big
Long cold taem bilong 1947, mi kasem assignment for waka witim wanfala pioneer partner long area bilong Spanish pipol long Colorado City, Texas. From hem cold tumas mitufala go long San Antonio for hot weather. Bat, long there, hem rain tumas gogo hem spoelem haos-tu-haos ministry. Selen bilong mitufala kwiktaem finis. For tu-thri week mitufala laef long raw kabis sandwich and alfalfa tea. Partner bilong mi go bak hom, bat mi stap. Taem olketa Witness wea iusim English languis luksavve long physical need bilong mi, olketa start for helpem mi.
Long spring, mi go bak long assignment bilong mi long Colorado City, and gogo wanfala smol Spanish kongregeson hem start. Then mi muv go long Sweetwater, Texas, wea mi help for startim narafala Spanish kongregeson. Taem mi long Sweetwater, mi kasem invitation for attendim mek-15 class bilong Watchtower Bible Skul Bilong Gilead for missionary training wea start long February 22, 1950. Bihaen graduation long datfala international convention long Yankee Stadium long New York City, mi go ahed for stap thri month long world hedquarter bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Brooklyn. Long there mi kasem training for assignment bilong mi long Mexico branch office.
Waka Long Mexico
Mi kasem Mexico City long October 20, 1950. Samting olsem tu week bihaen, olketa appointim mi olsem branch overseer, wanfala assignment wea mi duim for foa and haf year. Experience wea mi kasem long pioneer service, long prison, long Gilead, and long Brooklyn hem barava helpem mi. Taem mi kasem Mexico, mi kwiktaem lukim need for buildimap spiritual fasin bilong olketa brata and sista bilong mifala long Mexico. Especially nao hem need for mifala helpem olketa keepim hae standard bilong Word bilong God saed long fasin.
Long olketa Latin-American kantri, and Mexico tu, hem kastom for man and woman stap tugeta nomoa and no marit saed long law. Olketa religion bilong Christendom, especially Roman Catholic Church, hem letem disfala kastom wea no followim Bible for go ahed. (Hebrews 13:4) Dastawe, samfala kamap member bilong kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, nomata olketa no marit saed long law. So olketa mekem arrangement wea givim olketa hia six month for stretem living bilong olketa. Sapos nomoa olketa bae no stap moa olsem Jehovah’s Witness.
For staka, wei for stretem living bilong olketa hem isi. Olketa need for marit nomoa for stretem wei wea olketa stap tugeta saed long law. Bat hem moa hard for samfala. Olsem example, samfala marit tu taem, and thri taem tu, bat nating kasem divorce. Taem pipol bilong Jehovah stretem marit bilong olketa for followim olketa teaching bilong Word bilong God, olketa kongregeson kasem olketa nambawan spiritual blessing.—1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
Long datfala taem, staka long Mexico no kasem education. Nomata bifor mi kasem there long 1950, branch office start finis for organizem read and raet class long olketa kongregeson. So olketa organizem moa olketa class hia, and olketa arrangem for olketa register witim gavman. Start from 1946, taem wea olketa start for keepim olketa record, winim 143,000 pipol long Mexico kasem savve for read and raet from olketa class wea olketa Witness holem!
Olketa law long Mexico garem staka tambu saed long religion. Bat, insaed olketa year wea just go pas, olketa important change kamap long diswan. Long 1992 olketa pasim wanfala niu law saed long religion, so long 1993, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Mexico register olsem wanfala religion organization.
Olketa change hia hem samting wea givim mi bigfala hapi, samting wea sapos mi bin tingim bifor, mi no ting bae hem happen. Insaed staka year, mi evritaem visitim olketa gavman office and feisim pipol wea luk olsem nating trustim mi. Bat, hem naes tumas for lukim Legal Department long branch office bilong mifala stretem evriting hia, so distaem hard taem wea mifala feisim bifor hem katdaon.
Serve Witim Marit Partner wea Missionary
Taem mi kasem Mexico, staka wea skul long Gilead stap long kantri. Wanfala long olketa hia hem Esther Vartanian, wanfala Armenian Witness wea start pioneer long Vallejo, California, long 1942. Mitufala marit long July 30, 1955, and bihaen diswan go ahed long assignment bilong mitufala long Mexico. Esther go ahed long missionary waka long Mexico City, and mitufala stap long branch, wea mi go ahed for serve insaed.
Long 1947, Esther kasem firstfala missionary assignment bilong hem long Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Wanfala kongregeson nomoa wea garem 40-fala Witness stap dat taem long Monterrey, bat taem hem muv go long Mexico City long 1950, fofala kongregeson nao stap. Long branch bilong mifala klosap long Mexico City, tufala young wan stap wea kam from olketa famili wea Esther studyim Bible witim taem hem serve long Monterrey.
Bifor, long 1950, big haf bilong Mexico City hem preaching territory bilong olketa missionary. Olketa baeleg or iusim olketa barava olo bas wea fulap long pipol for kasem territory bilong olketa. Taem mi kasem there long gogo for end bilong 1950, sevenfala kongregeson nao stap. Distaem diswan hem grow kasem samting olsem 1,600, witim winim 90,000 Kingdom pablisa long Mexico City, and last year, winim 250,000 pipol attendim Memorial bilong dae bilong Christ long there! Insaed olketa year wea go pas, Esther and mi kasem privilege for serve insaed staka long olketa kongregeson hia.
Taem Esther and mi startim wanfala Bible study, mitufala evritaem trae for kasem interest bilong dadi bilong famili mekem full famili nao join insaed. Long wei olsem, mitufala lukim staka big famili kam for servem Jehovah. Mi biliv wanfala reason why tru worship long Mexico hem grow kwiktaem hem from staka taem olketa full famili nao wan mind for followim tru worship.
Jehovah Blessim Datfala Waka
Waka long Mexico barava muv ahed start long 1950, saed long increase and olketa change insaed organization. Mi barava hapi tumas for share long smol wei long disfala increase, for waka witim pipol wea kaen tumas and hapi.
Karl Klein, wea serve olsem member bilong Governing Body bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and waef bilong hem Margaret, visitim mifala taem tufala holiday samfala year bifor. Brata Klein laek savve gud long waka long territory bilong mifala long Mexico, so hem and Margaret kam long San Juan Tezontla Kongregeson, klosap long Mexico City, wea mitufala attendim long datfala taem. Smolfala hall bilong mifala hem samting olsem 4.5 meter waed and 5.5 meter long. Taem mifala kasem there, samting olsem 70-fala long there finis, and klosap no eni spes stap moa for eniwan standap. Olketa olo sidaon long olketa chair, olketa wea moa young long olketa bench, and smol pikinini long olketa brik or long floor.
Brata Klein sapraes tumas for lukim evri pikinini redy witim Bible bilong olketa, and olketa openem Bible followim speaker. Bihaen pablik tok, Brata Klein storyim Matthew 13:19-23 and sei staka long olketa “gudfala graon” wea Jesus story abaotem hem stap long Mexico. Distaem, sevenfala long olketa pikinini wea attend long datfala day olketa waka long bigfala project for mekem big moa branch bilong mifala klosap long Mexico City. Narawan serve long Bethel, and samfala moa olketa pioneer!
Taem mi kam long Mexico City, branch bilong mifala garem 11-fala member nomoa. Distaem mifala garem samting olsem 1,350 wea 250 long olketa duim construction bilong olketa niu branch building. Taem evri waka hia finis, maet long 2002, mifala bae savve garem samting olsem 1,200 moa pipol long olketa building hia. For tingim hao long 1950, mifala garem no winim 7,000 Kingdom pablisa long full kantri, bat distaem mifala garem winim 500,000! Heart bilong mi fulap witim hapi taem mi lukim wei wea Jehovah hem blessim hard waka bilong olketa hambol brata long Mexico, wea barava strong for praisem hem.
Feisim Big Challenge
Bigfala challenge bilong mi distaem hem saed long sik. Mi no savve sik tumas bifor. Bat long November 1988, mi kasem wanfala stroke wea barava affectim body bilong mi. From help bilong Jehovah, mi kamap gud lelebet thru long exercise and nara treatment, bat samfala part bilong body no kamap gud evribit. Mi go ahed for kasem treatment and medical help for stopem olketa barava nogud hedsoa and samfala moa samting wea kamaot from datfala stroke.
Nomata mi no savve duim planti samting olsem bifor, mi satisfae from wei for savve mi helpem finis staka for lane abaotem olketa purpose bilong Jehovah and for kamap olketa servant bilong hem wea dedicate. Mi hapi tu for story witim staka Christian brata and sista taem olketa visitim branch bilong mifala; mi feel mifala evriwan kasem encouragement.
Wei for savve Jehovah hem tinghae long service bilong iumi for hem and hao waka wea iumi duim hem no hard waka nating hem barava strongim mi. (1 Corinthians 15:58) Nomata long olketa samting wea stopem mi and sik bilong mi, mi followim datfala toktok bilong Colossians 3:23, 24: “Nomata wanem iufala duim, duim witim full soul for Jehovah, and no for man, from iufala savve hao thru long Jehovah nao iufala bae kasem reward bilong promis.” Taem mi followim disfala gudfala kaonsel, mi lane for servem Jehovah witim full soul nomata olketa test.
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Long 1942 taem mi wanfala pioneer
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Waef bilong mi startim missionary assignment long Mexico long 1947
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Witim Esther distaem
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Antap left: Mexico Bethel famili long 1952 witim mi long front
Antap: Winim 109,000 hipap long disfala Mexico City stadium for wanfala distrik convention long 1999
Daon left: Olketa niu branch building wea olketa klosap buildim finis