Laef Story
Spiritual Laet Shaen Long Middle East
STORY BILONG NAJIB SALEM
Long first century C.E., laet bilong Word bilong God shaen kam from Middle East and go kasem olketa farawe kona bilong earth. Insaed mek-20 century, datfala laet kam bak moa for shaen long datfala part long world. Mi laek for talem iu hao diswan hem happen.
MI BORN long 1913 long taon bilong Amioun, long north Lebanon. Datfala year hem lastfala year wea laef hem lelebet stedy and kwaet insaed world, bikos World War I start long year bihaen. Taem war finis long end bilong 1918, Lebanon, wea pipol kolem pearl bilong Middle East, barava katdaon saed long selen and politik.
Long 1920, taem post office start for waka bak long Lebanon, mifala kasem olketa leta from pipol bilong Lebanon wea stap long nara kantri. Midolwan olketa hia hem tufala uncle bilong mi Abdullah and George Ghantous. Olketa raet kam long dadi bilong tufala, Habib Ghantous, grandadi bilong mi, and talem hem abaotem Kingdom bilong God. (Matthew 24:14) Nomata grandadi storyim nomoa wanem tufala son bilong hem raetem long hem, olketa man long taon barava mekfani long hem. Pipol long taon mekem story go raon hao olketa son bilong Habib encouragem dadi bilong tufala for sellim land bilong hem and peim wanfala donkey and go preach.
Firstaem Laet Hem Go Aot
Long 1921, Michel Aboud, wea bin stap long Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., hem kam bak long Tripoli, Lebanon. Hem kamap wanfala Bible Student finis, wea hem nao wanem olketa kolem Jehovah’s Witness bifor. Nomata planti long olketa famili and fren bilong Brata Aboud no acceptim Bible message, tufala man wea staka pipol savve long tufala acceptim, wanfala hem professor, Ibrahim Atiyeh, and wanfala hem dentist, Hanna Shammas. Dr. Shammas letem olketa iusim haos and clinic bilong hem for olketa Christian meeting.
Mi young boy yet taem brata Aboud and Brata Shammas visitim Amioun, ples wea mi stap. Visit bilong olketa hem barava affectim mi, and mi start for joinim Brata Aboud insaed preaching waka. For 40 year mitufala waka tugeta long ministry, go kasem taem Brata Aboud dae long 1963.
From 1922 go kasem 1925, laet bilong Bible truth go kasem planti vilij long north Lebanon. Samting olsem 20 or 30 pipol savve hipap tugeta for story abaotem Bible long haos bilong olketa brata, olsem long haos bilong mifala long Amioun. Olketa bigman bilong church savve sendem kam olketa pikinini for hammerim olketa tin and singaot big for spoelem olketa meeting bilong mifala, so mifala samtaem go meeting long bush.
Taem mi young, strong wea mi garem for ministry—and for attendim evri Christian meeting—mekem pipol kolem mi Timothy. Hedmasta bilong skul hem komandim mi for no attendim wanem hem kolem “olketa meeting olsem.” Taem mi no willing, olketa aotem mi from skul.
Witnessing Insaed Olketa Bible Land
No longtaem bihaen mi baptaes long 1933, mi joinim pioneer service, hem nao wanem Jehovah’s Witness kolem full-taem ministry. Nomata mifala no staka long dat taem, mifala no preach nomoa long planti vilij long north part bilong Lebanon bat mifala kasem Beirut and olketa area wea stap raonem go kasem south bilong Lebanon tu. Insaed olketa first year hia, taem mifala travel mifala mas wakabaot or raedem donkey, olsem hao Jesus Christ and olketa follower bilong hem duim long first-century.
Long 1936, Yousef Rahhal, wanfala Witness from Lebanon wea bin stap long United States for planti year, hem kam bak long Lebanon for visit. Hem tekem kam witim hem saond system and tufala phonograph. Mifala putim olketa samting hia antap wanfala 1931 Ford car and travel evriwea long Lebanon and Syria, mifala tekem disfala message bilong Kingdom go kasem olketa farawe ples. Nomata pipol wea stap 10 kilometer from mifala savve herem. Pipol go sidaon antap ruf bilong haos bilong olketa for here long samting wea olketa sei hem voice wea kam from heven. Olketa wea waka long field lusim waka bilong olketa and kam klosap for lisin.
Wanfala last gogo bilong mi witim Yousef Rahhal hem taem mifala go long Aleppo, Syria, long winter bilong 1937. Bifor hem go bak long United States, mifala go tu long Palestine. Long there mifala visitim taon bilong Haifa and Jerusalem, and olketa vilij long datfala area. Wanfala man wea mifala meetim hem Ibrahim Shehadi, wea mi savve long hem thru long wei wea mitufala savve raet leta. Ibrahim muv ahed finis long wei for kasem savve bilong Bible, so taem mifala visit long there, hem start for joinim mifala long haos-tu-haos ministry.—Acts 20:20.
And tu mi barava laek for meetim Professor Khalil, wanfala strong Catholic wea bin studyim Bible witim Jehovah’s Witness thru long wei for raet leta. Hao nao hem kasem address bilong olketa Witness long Lebanon? Long wanfala stoa long Haifa, stoakeeper hem pasolem olketa samting wea Khalil peim witim pepa wea olketa brekem from wanfala pablikeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Datfala pepa hem garem address bilong mifala long hem. Mifala enjoyim wei for visitim hem, and bihaen, long 1939, hem kam long Tripoli for baptaes.
Long 1937, Petros Lagakos and waef bilong hem arrive long Tripoli. Insaed olketa year wea kam bihaen, mifala thrifala witness long planti part bilong Lebanon and Syria, visitim pipol long haos bilong olketa witim message bilong Kingdom. Kasem taem Brata Lagakos hem dae long 1943, olketa Witness karem go finis spiritual laet kasem klosap evri taon and vilij bilong Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Samfala taem, samting olsem 30-fala long mifala mas wekap long 3:00 a.m. for go long car or bas for mekem mifala kasem olketa farawe ples.
Long olketa year bilong 1940, Ibrahim Atiyeh transleitim Wastaoa long Arabic languis. Bihaen, mi savve raetem fofala copy bilong disfala magasin and sendem go long Olketa Witness long Palestine, Syria and Egypt. Long datfala taem insaed World War II, wei for againstim mifala hem kamap big bat nomata olsem mifala go ahed for kasem olketa wea lovem truth bilong Bible wea stap long Middle East. Miseleva drawim olketa map bilong taon and vilij wea stap raon, and mifala trae hard for mas kasem olketa witim gud nius.
Long 1944, taem World War II hem still go ahed, mi maritim Evelyn, dota bilong Michel Aboud wea mitufala bin pioneer tugeta. Gogo mitufala garem thrifala pikinini, wanfala girl and tufala boy.
Waka Witim Olketa Missionary
No longtaem bihaen war hem end, olketa first missionary from Gilead Skul bilong olketa missionary arrive long Lebanon. From datwan, first kongregeson hem kamap long Lebanon and olketa appointim mi olsem company servant. Then, long 1947, Nathan H. Knorr and secretary bilong hem, Milton G. Henschel, visitim Lebanon and givim staka encouragement long olketa brata. No longtaem moa samfala nara missionary arrive, and olketa barava helpem mifala for organizem ministry bilong mifala and for conductim olketa kongregeson meeting.
Long wanfala gogo bilong mifala long wanfala farawe ples long Syria, wanfala bishop long datfala area hem againstim mifala. Hem accusim mifala for givimaot wanem hem kolem olketa pablikeson bilong Zion. Hem lelebet fani, from bifor, olketa bigman bilong church staka taem kolem mifala “olketa Communist.” Long disfala taem, olketa arrestim mifala and kwestinim mifala for tufala hour, insaed long datfala taem mifala givim barava gudfala witness.
Kasem end, judge wea lisin long datfala case hem sei: “Nomata mi cursim beard [wanfala tokpiksa wea minim bishop] wea accusim iufala, mi laek for thankiu long hem for givim mi disfala chance for meetim iufala and for lane abaotem olketa teaching bilong iufala.” Then hem sei sorre long mifala.
Taem mifala gogo for Beirut long wanfala bas tenfala year bihaen, mi start story long wanfala man wea sidaon saed long mi, hem wanfala engineer bilong agriculture. Bihaen hem lisin long biliv bilong mifala for samfala minute, hem sei hao hem herem semkaen story from fren bilong hem long Syria. Hu nao datfala fren? Hem nao judge wea lisin long case bilong mifala ten year go pas finis!
Long olketa year bilong 1950, mi visitim Olketa Witness long Iraq and join witim olketa long witnessing from door tu door. And tu mi go staka taem long Jordan and long West Bank. Long 1951, mifala fofala Witness go long Bethlehem. Mifala celebratem Evening Kaikai Bilong Lord long there. Early long sem day evriwan wea kam long datfala taem go long bas long Jordan River, wea 22 baptaes for showimaot olketa dedicate long Jehovah. Enitaem olketa long wanfala area againstim mifala, mifala savve sei long olketa: “Mifala kam for talem iufala hao wanfala son bilong iufala bae kamap King ovarem disfala full earth! Why nao iufala feel nogud? Iufala shud hapi!”
Preach Long Olketa Hardfala Taem
Klosap evri pipol long Middle East planti taem olketa garem gud heart, hambol and garem fasin for welkamim man. Staka interest for lisin long message bilong Kingdom bilong God. Tru nao, no eni samting savve duim moa samting for strongim iumi winim wei for savve hao disfala Bible promis hem klosap fulfill: “God bae stap witim [pipol bilong hem]. And hem bae aotem evri wata from eye bilong olketa, and dae bae nomoa, sorre and krae and pain bae nomoa tu.”—Revelation 21:3, 4.
Mi faendem hao planti pipol wea againstim waka bilong mifala no really minim waka and message wea mifala talemaot. Olketa bigman bilong Christendom talem staka samting wea no tru abaotem mifala! So, insaed taem bilong war wea start long Lebanon long 1975 and wea go ahed for winim 15 year, Olketa Witness feisim planti hardfala samting.
Long wantaem, mi conductim Bible study witim wanfala famili wea bifor olketa strong for go long church olowe. Wei wea olketa muv ahed for lanem truth bilong Bible hem mekem olketa bigman bilong church feel kros. From diswan, wan naet wanfala lotu grup long datfala area hem encouragem olketa member bilong hem for go attakim stoa bilong disfala famili, and olketa bonem olketa kago wea kost bilong hem maet winim $10,000, U.S. Long sem naet olketa kam and kasholem mi. Nomata olsem, mi story gud witim leader bilong olketa, and minim long hem hao sapos olketa really tru Christian, bae olketa no duim olketa nogud samting olsem. Taem hem herem mi tok olsem, hem komandim car for stop and talem mi for go aot.
Long narafala taem, fofala man bilong army kasholem mi. Bihaen olketa sei bae olketa sutim mi, leader bilong olketa seknomoa changem tingting bilong hem and releasem mi. Tufala long olketa man hia stap long prison distaem from olketa killim man and steal and nara tufala olketa killim dae finis.
Samfala Nara Chance for Witness
Mi planti taem kasem chance for flae go long olketa nara kantri. Wantaem taem mi flae from Beirut go long United States, mi sidaon saed long Charles Malek, wea hem minister bilong foreign affairs for Lebanon bifor. Hem lisin gud and barava tinghae long evri verse wea mi readim long hem from Bible. Gogo, hem sei taem hem skul long Tripoli, teacher bilong hem nao Ibrahim Atiyeh, datfala man wea dadi-in-law bilong mi hem showim truth bilong Bible long hem! Mr. Malek sei Ibrahim hem teachim hem for respectim Bible.
Long narataem wea mi go long aeroplane, mi sidaon saed long man bilong Palestine wea stand for United Nations. Mi garem chance for talem gud nius bilong Kingdom bilong God long hem. Gogo hem introducem mi long famili bilong brata bilong hem long New York, and planti taem mi visitim olketa. Wanfala wantok bilong mi tu waka insaed building bilong United Nations long New York. Wanday taem mi visitim hem long office bilong hem mitufala story for thri hour, and mi witness long hem abaotem Kingdom bilong God.
Distaem mi kasem 88 year, and mi still savve share for lukaftarem olketa responsibility long kongregeson. Waef bilong mi, Evelyn, hem still servem Jehovah witim mi. Dota bilong mitufala hem maritim wanfala traveling overseer bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, wea distaem hem serve olsem elder insaed wanfala kongregeson long Beirut. Dota bilong tufala hem wanfala Witness tu. Lastborn son bilong mitufala and waef bilong hem olketa Witness, and dota bilong tufala tu long truth. Long saed bilong firstborn son bilong mitufala, mitufala putim Christian faith insaed heart bilong hem and mi hope bae long future hem acceptim.
Long 1933, olketa appointim mi for kamap pioneer—first wan long Middle East. Hem hard tumas for mi duim eni samting long laef bilong mi wea moabeta winim wei wea mi servem Jehovah olsem pioneer for 68 year. And mi disaed strong for go ahed for wakabaot long spiritual laet wea hem givim.
[Piksa long page 23]
Najib long 1935
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Witim saond car long olketa Maunten long Lebanon, 1940
[Olketa Piksa long page 25]
From antap long left: Najib, Evelyn, dota bilong tufala, Brata Aboud and first son bilong Najib, 1952
Andanit (front laen): Brata Shammas, Knorr, Aboud, and Henschel long haos bilong Najib, Tripoli, 1952
[Piksa long page 26]
Najib and waef bilong hem, Evelyn