Laef Story
Hapi and Thankiu Nomata Bigfala Sorre
STORY BILONG NANCY E. PORTER
Hem June 5, 1947, wanfala hot evening long Bahamas, olketa island wea stap klosap long southeast saed bilong United States. Mifala sapraes for lukim wanfala bigman bilong immigration visitim mi and hasband bilong mi George. Hem givim wanfala leta wea sei mifala no welkam for stap moa and orderim mifala for “lusim datfala ples stretawe!”
MITUFALA George nao first tufala missionary bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for kam long Nassau, bigfala taon long Bahamas. Mifala kasem assignment long hia bihaen mifala graduate from mek-eit class bilong Gilead, wanfala missionary skul long New York. Wanem nao mifala duim for kasem problem olsem bihaen thrifala month nomoa wea mifala stap? And hao nao bihaen winim 50 year, mi stap yet long hia?
Training for Ministry
Dadi bilong mi, Harry Kilner, barava affectim wei wea mi iusim laef bilong mi. Hem putim nambawan example for mi, and hem mekem planti sakrifaes for kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Nomata hem no garem gudfala health, hem go preaching klosap evri weekend, witim strong for putim olketa samting bilong Kingdom firstaem. (Matthew 6:33) Mifala garem lelebet selen nomoa, bat shoe stoa bilong dadi bilong mi hem olsem main ples bilong spiritual waka long Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, long olketa year bilong 1930. Memory from taem mi smol yet hem abaotem olketa full-taem minister bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, olketa pioneer, wea visitim haos bilong mifala and sharem olketa experience.
Long 1943, mi startim pioneer service klosap long Fort Macleod and Claresholm, Alberta. Long datfala taem preaching waka hem tambu long Canada from laea toktok wea olketa enemy spreadim long taem bilong World War II. From wansaed go kasem narasaed long territory bilong mifala hem 100 kilometer, bat from mifala young and strong mifala hapi for raedem bicycle or wakabaot kasem olketa smol community and farm long datfala area. Long datfala taem, mi kasem chance for story witim samfala wea skul finis long Gilead, and olketa experience bilong olketa muvim mi for want for kamap missionary.
Long 1945, mi maritim George Porter, from Saskatchewan, Canada. Start kam from 1916, parents bilong hem olketa strongfala Witness, and hem tu chusim full-taem ministry olsem laef waka bilong hem. Firstfala assignment bilong mitufala hem Lynn Valley, wanfala naesfala ples long North Vancouver, Canada. No longtaem bihaen mifala kasem invitation for go long Gilead.
Long olketa year wea go pas, taem mi story witim olketa wea skul long samfala difren lotu college, mi lukim hao training wea olketa kasem hem spoelem faith bilong olketa long God and Word bilong hem, Bible. Long wei wea difren evribit, olketa samting wea mifala lanem long Gilead hem helpem mifala kamap moabeta long hao for tingting and winim evriting, hem strongim faith bilong mifala long Jehovah God and Word bilong hem. Olketa wea skul witim mifala kasem olketa assignment long China, Singapore, India, samfala kantri long Africa, South America, and samfala ples moa. Mi still rememberim hapi feeling taem mifala herem assignment bilong mifala hem long olketa island bilong Bahamas.
Why Mifala Fit for Stap
Gogo bilong mifala for kasem Bahamas hem short nomoa taem iu markem gogo bilong olketa narawan long class. No longtaem bihaen, mifala enjoyim naes weather, blue skae, braet blue wata, olketa laet color building, and staka bicycle. Bat first samting wea mi remember hem smol grup bilong faevfala Witness wea weitim mifala taem ship hem arrive. Kwiktaem mifala lanem hao kastom long hia hem difren evribit from samting wea mifala getius long hem. Olsem example, olketa askem hasband bilong mi for no kolem mi darling long pablik, bikos pipol iusim datfala toktok for olketa extra partner wea olketa no maritim.
No longtaem bihaen, luk olsem from olketa bigman bilong church wari hao mifala gogo midolwan long olketa pipol, olketa laea for sei mifala olketa Communist. From diswan nao mifala kasem order for lusim kantri hia. Bat olketa Witness—namba hem no winim 20 long olketa island long datfala taem—stretawe mekem pepa wea planti thousand saenem for sei olketa laekem mifala for stap. Long wei olsem, olketa aotem datfala order.
Long Wanfala Niu Territory
Bible truth hem kwiktaem grow long olketa heart wea lovem God, so moa Gilead missionary kam long Bahamas. Then, long 1950, wanfala branch office hem kamap. Tenfala year bihaen, Milton Henschel, wanfala member bilong headquarters long Brooklyn, New York, visitim Bahamas and askem olketa missionary sapos eniwan willing for go and startim preaching waka long narafala island bilong Bahamas. Mitufala George volunteer, and startim wanfala 11-year assignment long Long Island.
Disfala island, wanfala long planti long Bahamas, hem 140 kilometer long and 6 kilometer waed, and long datfala taem hem no garem eni really taon. Kapitol hem Clarence Town, wea garem samting olsem 50 haos. Living hem simpol—no electric, no wata supply, no eni kitchen or bathrum insaed long haos. So mifala mas change fitim living long island. Long datfala island main samting wea pipol laek storyim hem health bilong olketa. Taem mifala sei hello, mifala lane for no askem kwestin olsem, “Hao nao iu tuday?” bikos ansa bae wanfala longfala story abaotem full medical history bilong datfala man.
Main witnessing waka bilong mifala hem long olketa kitchen bikos hem nao ples wea iu savve faendem pipol, long olketa kitchen aotsaed wea garem leaf ruf and fire ples. Klosap evriwan long olketa community olketa farmer or fisherman wea poor bat olketa barava kaen. Planti long olketa followim religion bat garem olketa kastom biliv tu. Enikaen difren samting wea happen olketa tingse hem olketa saen.
Olketa bigman bilong church no hol bak for go stret insaed olketa haos bilong pipol, nomata olketa no invaetem, and pisisim Bible literature wea mifala leavim long there. Long wei olsem samfala kwaet wan fraet, bat no evriwan fraetem olketa. Olsem example, wanfala strong 70-year-old woman hem nating fraet. Hemseleva want for minim Bible, and gogo hem kamap wanfala Witness witim samfala narawan tu. Taem mifala faendem moa pipol wea interest, George mas draev 300 kilometer long samfala Sunday for helpem olketa attendim olketa meeting bilong mifala.
For keepim strong long spiritual wei insaed long first tu-thri month wea no eni nara Witness stap, mitufala George nomoa duim evri Christian meeting. And tu, mifala strong for followim schedule for studyim Wastaoa evri Monday naet and duim Bible reading bilong mifala. Mifala readim tu evri Wastaoa and Wekap! magasin stretawe bihaen mifala kasem.
Dadi bilong mi dae taem mifala stap long Long Island. Bihaen, long hot season bilong 1963, mifala arrangem wei for mami bilong mi for kam and stap klosap long mifala. Nomata hem olo, hem isisi getius and hem stap long Long Island go kasem taem hem dae long 1971. Distaem, Long Island garem wanfala kongregeson witim niu Kingdom Hall.
Challenge wea Givim Bigfala Sorre
Long 1980, George luksavve hao health bilong hem start for nogud. Datwan hem start bilong wanfala experience bilong laef bilong mi wea kosim bigfala pain—for lukim hasband wea mi lovem, wea wakfren and fren, safa long Alzheimer’s disease. Fasin bilong hem change evribit. Last fofala year bifor hem dae long 1987 hem barava worse taem. Hem go witim mi long ministry and long olketa meeting taem hem fit, bat staka taem for lukim wei wea hem trae hard tumas mekem mi krae. Love wea olketa Christian brata showim long mi bihaen hem dae givim bigfala comfort, bat mi still barava missim hem.
Wanfala spesol part long marit bilong mitufala George hem wei bilong mitufala for evritaem story gud tugeta. From George hem no stap nao, mi barava thankiu long Jehovah winim bifor hao hem invaetem olketa servant bilong hem for “prea evritaem,” for “go ahed for prea,” and for mekius long “evrikaen wei for prea.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18) Hem barava givim comfort for savve hao Jehovah hem kea abaotem iumi. Mi barava feel olsem man wea raetem Psalm wea sing: “Blessim Jehovah, wea evriday savve karem lod for iumi.” (Psalm 68:19) For feisim each day, acceptim haomas samting mi savve duim, and for thankiu long olketa blessing bilong evriday, olsem advaes bilong Jesus, hem barava best wei bilong laef.—Matthew 6:34.
Olketa Hapi Reward Bilong Ministry
For busy long Christian ministry hem helpem mi for no tingting tumas abaotem taem wea go pas finis. And so mi fit for winim kaen feeling wea savve lead go long bigfala sorre. For teachim nara pipol truth bilong Bible hem wanfala spesol samting wea givim hapi. Hem givim mi wanfala spiritual schedule wea mekem laef bilong mi organize and stedy.—Philippians 3:16.
Wantaem, wanfala woman wea mi sharem gud nius witim 47 year bifor hem telephone kam long mi. Hem dota bilong wanfala first Bible student bilong mifala taem mifala arrive long Bahamas long 1947. Mami, dadi, and evri brata and sista bilong hem kamap Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and planti long olketa pikinini and granpikinini bilong olketa tu. Winim 60 member bilong famili bilong hem olketa Witness. Bat hemseleva no acceptim truth bilong Bible. Bat, distaem, hem redy nao for kamap wanfala servant bilong Jehovah God. Hem wanfala hapi samting for lukim smol grup bilong olketa Witness long Bahamas wea stap taem mitufala George arrive grow kasem winim 1,400!
Samfala taem pipol askem mi sapos mi sorre from mi no garem eni pikinini. Hem tru, for garem olketa pikinini hem savve wanfala blessing. Bat, love wea olketa spiritual pikinini, granpikinini and great-granpikinini showim long mi evritaem maet hem samting wea no evri really dadi and mami kasem. Tru tumas, olketa wea “duim gudfala samting” and wea “rich long olketa gudfala waka” olketa nao barava hapi pipol. (1 Timothy 6:18) Dastawe mi go ahed busy long ministry fitim health bilong mi.
Wanday long office bilong dentist, wanfala young woman kam long mi and hem sei, “Iu no savve long mi, bat mi savve long iu, and mi just laek for mekem iu savve mi lovem iu.” Then hem go ahed for talem hao hem kasem savve long truth bilong Bible and hao hem barava thankiu for mifala olketa missionary wea kam long Bahamas.
Long narataem, taem mi kam bak from holiday bilong mi, mi faendem wanfala rose long door long rum wea mi stap distaem long branch office bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Nassau. Hem garem wanfala note, “Mifala hapi iu kam hom.” Heart bilong mi fulap witim thankiu, and hem mekem mi barava lovem Jehovah taem mi lukim kaen pipol wea kamap from Word, organization, and spirit bilong hem! Hem tru, wei wea Jehovah hem saportim iumi hem planti taem showaot thru olketa wea stap raonem iumi.
Barava Fulap Witim Thankiu
Laef bilong mi no evritaem bin isi, and samfala part bilong hem no isi distaem. Bat mi garem staka samting for thankiu long hem—hapi long ministry, love bilong planti Christian brata and sista, loving kea bilong organization bilong Jehovah, olketa truth bilong Bible wea barava naes tumas, datfala hope for stap moa witim olketa wea iumi lovem taem olketa resurrect, and olketa memory bilong 42 year wea mi marit long wanfala faithful servant bilong Jehovah. Bifor mitufala marit, mi prea for mi evritaem helpem hasband bilong mi for go ahed long full-taem ministry, wea hem lovem tumas. Jehovah hem kaen tumas for ansarem datfala prea. So mi want for showimaot thankiu bilong mi long Jehovah thru long wei for faithful long hem for olowe.
Bahamas hem wanfala ples wea olketa tourist laekem tumas, and wea spendem planti thousand dollar for kam and enjoyim evri naes samting long hia. From mi chus finis for servem Jehovah long eni ples wea organization bilong hem talem, mi hapi from mi travel evriwea long olketa island long hia, for talemaot gud nius bilong Kingdom bilong God. Bat moa important, mi experiencem and tinghae long love bilong olketa best pipol bilong kaenfala pipol bilong Bahamas.
Mi barava thankiu long olketa wea tekem kam truth long parents bilong mi, and olketa tu for putim strongfala feeling insaed long young heart and mind bilong mi for lukaotem firstaem Kingdom bilong God. Olketa young servant bilong Jehovah distaem tu savve kasem planti blessing sapos olketa go insaed long datfala “bigfala door” wea lead go long olketa nambawan chance for wanfala ministry wea moa big. (1 Corinthians 16:9) Iu tu savve fulap tumas witim feeling for thankiu sapos iu iusim laef bilong iu for givim honor long “God bilong olketa god,” Jehovah.—Deuteronomy 10:17; Daniel 2:47.
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Long street waka long Victoria, B.C., long 1944
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Mitufala George attendim Gilead Skul long 1946
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Witim George front long missionary hom long Nassau, Bahamas, long 1955
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Missionary hom long Deadman’s Cay, wea mitufala serve from 1961 go kasem 1972