Stand Strong and Garem Strong Biliv

Olketa Convention—Hapi Samting wea Showimaot Wan Mind Bilong Iumi

JOSEPH F. Rutherford, wea hem fifti year old and wea health no mas gud bihaen hem stap long prison for klosap wan year, hapi for karem olketa basket and helpem olketa Christian fren for go long hotel rum bilong olketa. Tufala long olketa wea prison witim hem—olketa Bible Student—markem accommodation for bigfala sekson wea weitim ples for stap. Olketa busy tumas witim evri samting go kasem bihaen midolnaet. Hapi feeling showaot long evriwan. Hem taem bilong wanem?

Year hem 1919, and olketa Bible Student (Olketa Jehovah’s Witness distaem) start for kamap gud moa from barava raf persecution. For strongim olketa moa, olketa holem wanfala convention long Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A., from September 1 go kasem 8, 1919. Long lastfala day bilong datfala convention, wanfala bigfala hapi sekson bilong 7,000 pipol barava lisin gud taem Brata Rutherford encouragem each wan long olketa wea kam long convention witim disfala toktok: “Iufala nao olketa wea stand for King bilong olketa king and Lord bilong olketa lord, wea talemaot long pipol . . . datfala nambawan kingdom bilong Lord bilong iumi.”

Midolwan pipol bilong Jehovah, olketa convention olsem start kam long taem bilong Israel bifor. (Exodus 23:14-17; Luke 2:41-43) Olketa big hipap olsem hem taem bilong hapi, wea helpem evriwan wea hipap for keepim Word bilong God insaed mind bilong olketa. Long sem wei, olketa convention bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long taem bilong iumi mekhae long olketa spiritual samting. Long olketa wea lukluk kam olketa hapi hipap olsem givim strongfala pruv hao olketa Witness wan mind insaed wan famili.

Trae Hard for Attend

Olketa Christian distaem luksavve hao olketa convention bilong olketa hem taem for kasem spiritual strong and instruction insaed Word bilong God. Olketa ting long olketa bigfala meeting hia olsem wanfala barava important samting for helpem olketa for “standap evribit witim biliv wea strong long full will bilong God.” (Colossians 4:12) Dastawe, olketa Witness saportim olketa hipap hia witim full heart, and trae hard for attendim olketa.

For samfala, olketa need for showimaot strongfala faith and for winim olketa big problem for kam long olketa convention olsem. Olsem example, tingim wanfala olo Witness long Austria. Nomata hem garem diabetes and need for nila evriday, hem mek sure hem attendim evri day bilong distrik convention long kantri bilong hem. Long India, wanfala bigfala Witness famili wea poor faendem hard tumas for attendim wanfala convention. Wanfala member bilong datfala famili provaedem help. Hem sei, “Mi no want for missim disfala important samting, so mi sellim olketa gold earring bilong mi for peim disfala gogo. Sakrifaes wea mi mekem hem fitim, from wei for kaban tugeta and olketa experience strongim faith bilong mifala.”

Long Papua New Guinea, wanfala grup pipol wea interest wea no baptaes yet disaed strong for attendim distrik convention long kapitol taon. Olketa go long wanfala man long vilij wea ownim trak and askem haomas nao hem kostim for tekem olketa go long convention. From kost hem hae winim selen wea olketa garem, olketa arrange for waka long haos bilong datfala man, for wakem gud moa kitchen bilong hem. From diswan, olketa fit for go long distrik convention and kasem gud samting from wei wea olketa attendim full program.

Wei wea ples hem farawe hem no big problem for olketa Witness bilong Jehovah wea ting strong for mas attendim convention. Long 1978, for hem attend convention long Lille, France, wanfala young man from Poland travel 1.200 km long bicycle insaed sixfala day. Long summer bilong 1997, tufala Witness from Mongolia travel 1,200 km for attendim Christian hipap long Irkutsk, Russia.

Trufala Wei for Garem Wan Mind Duim Samting

Wei wea olketa Witness garem wan mind and stap olsem wan famili long olketa convention showaot klia long pipol wea garem gudfala tingting. Planti barava lukim hao no eni fasin for teksaed stap midolwan olketa wea kam long convention and trufala love stap nomata midolwan olketa wea maet hem firstaem bilong olketa for meet.

Long wanfala international convention long Australia no longtaem go nomoa, wanfala tour guide bilong olketa wea kam for convention wea go ahed for wan week want for stap longtaem lelebet for enjoyim wei for kaban witim olketa. From hem sapraes tumas long love and wan mind bilong olketa, hem hard for bilivim wei wea olketa stap gud tugeta olsem, nomata planti long olketa stranger. Taem hem redy for lusim olketa, hem kolem kam olketa. Hem kolem olketa “olketa brata and sista,” then hem start for thankiu long olketa bat hem hard for finisim toktok bilong hem, from strongfala feeling mekem hem no savve toktok nao and hem start for krae.

Long 1997, Sri Lanka holem first thri-languis distrik convention bilong hem long wanfala bigfala stadium. Olketa mekem full program long English, Sinhalese, and Tamil languis. Long world wea ethnic raoa hem big tumas, wei for hipimap grup pipol bilong thrifala languis hem samting wea barava mekem pipol sapraes. Wanfala policeman askem wanfala brata: “Hu nao arrangem disfala convention—olketa Sinhalese, Tamil, or English?” “No eniwan long grup hia arrangem disfala convention,” brata hia ansarem hem. “Mifala evriwan nao duim diswan tugeta.” Datfala policeman barava sapraes nao. Taem thrifala grup evriwan join tugeta for lastfala prea and evriwan long datfala stadium sei “Amen,” evriwan long datfala convention klapim hand bilong olketa. Audience hard for holem bak wata from eye bilong olketa. Tru nao, olketa convention hem showimaot wei wea iumi wan mind.—Psalm 133:1.a

[Footnote]