Laef Story

Serve Witim Spirit for Sakrifaesim Seleva

STORY BILONG DON RENDELL

Mami bilong mi dae long 1927 taem mi faev year nomoa. Nomata olsem, faith bilong hem barava affectim laef bilong mi. Hao nao olsem?

MAMI bilong mi hem strongfala member bilong Church of England taem hem maritim dadi bilong mi, wea hem wanfala soldia. Datwan hem bifor World War I. World War I hem start long 1914, and Mami againstim wei wea pastor iusim church olsem ples wea man savve joinim army. Wanem nao ansa bilong datfala pastor? “Go bak long haos, and no wari abaotem kaen samting olsem!” Mami nating satisfae long datwan.

Long 1917, taem war go ahed, Mami go for lukim “Photo-Drama of Creation.” From hem barava biliv hem faendem truth, hem stretawe lusim church bilong hem and start for kaban witim Olketa Bible Student, nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long datfala taem. Hem attendim olketa meeting witim wanfala kongregeson long Yeovil, taon wea klosap long vilij bilong mifala long West Coker, long Somerset, England.

Stretawe Mami sharem niufala faith bilong hem witim thrifala sista bilong hem. Olketa olo member bilong Yeovil kongregeson bin story long mi hao mami bilong mi witim sista bilong hem Millie, strong for raedem bicycle raonem bigfala territory bilong mifala for givimaot olketa Bible study buk Studies in the Scriptures. Bat, sorre tumas, for lastfala 18 month long laef bilong hem, Mami leidaon long bed from hem kasem sik tuberculosis, wea no garem cure long datfala taem.

Trufala Example Bilong Wei for Sakrifaesim Seleva

Aunty Millie, wea stap witim mifala long datfala taem, hem lukaftarem Mami taem hem sik and hem lukaftarem mi and sista bilong mi Joan wea seven year. Stretawe bihaen Mami hem dae, Aunty Millie offer for lukaftarem mitufala pikinini. From dadi bilong mifala hapi for free from disfala responsibility, hem willing for Aunty Millie stap olowe witim mifala.

Mifala lovem aunty and hapi hem bae stap witim mifala. Bat why nao hem disaed for duim diswan? Planti year bihaen, Aunty Millie talem mifala hao hem savve hem mas build antap long faondeson wea Mami putim finis—for teachim truth bilong Bible long mitufala Joan—from hem luksavve dadi bilong mifala bae nating duim, bikos hem no interest long religion.

From diswan, mifala lanem tu hao Aunty Millie mekem narafala barava spesol disison. For lukaftarem mifala gud, hem disaed for no marit. Datwan hem bigfala wei for sakrifaesim seleva! Mitufala Joan barava thankiu long hem. Mifala no forgetim evri samting wea Aunty Millie teachim mifala and nambawan example bilong hem.

Taem for Disaed

Mitufala Joan attendim Church of England vilij skul wea Aunty Millie tok stret long hedmistress abaotem education bilong mitufala saed long religion. Taem olketa nara pikinini march go long church, mifala go bak long haos, and taem pastor hem kam long skul for religious instruction, mifala sidaon long difren ples and lane for baeheartim olketa Bible scripture. Diswan barava helpem mi, from kam kasem distaem mi still tingim olketa scripture hia.

Taem mi 14 year mi lusim skul for duim training for fofala year long wanfala cheese factory. Mi lane tu for pleim piano, and mi laekem tumas music and dance. Bible truth, nomata hem insaed heart bilong mi, no muvim mi for duim eni samting yet. Then wanday long March 1940, wanfala olo Witness invaetem mi for go witim hem long wanfala assembly long Swindon, wea hem samting olsem 110 kilometer from hom. Albert D. Schroeder, presiding minister for Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Britain, givim pablik tok. Datfala assembly changem laef bilong mi.

World War II hem go ahed. Mi feel olsem mi shud iusim laef bilong mi for duim gudfala samting. Mi disaed for go bak long Yeovil Kingdom Hall. Long first meeting wea mi attendim, olketa startim wei for duim street witnessing. Nomata mi no garem bigfala savve, mi volunteer for share long disfala waka. Diswan mekem olketa fren bilong mi sapraes fogud and mekfani long mi taem olketa wakabaot go pas!

Long June 1940, mi baptaes long taon bilong Bristol. Wanfala month bihaen mi kamap regular pioneer—wanfala wea preach full-taem. No longtaem bihaen, mi hapi tumas taem sista bilong mi tu showimaot dedication bilong hem long wei for baptaes long wata!

Pioneer Waka Long Taem Bilong War

Long mek-tu year bilong war, gavman chusim mi for joinim army. From mi talem olketa finis long Yeovil hao wei for join insaed war hem againstim conscience bilong mi, mi mas go front long wanfala kot long Bristol. Mi pioneer witim John Wynn long Cinderford, Gloucestershire, and bihaen long Haverfordwest and Carmarthen, Wales.a Bihaen, kot long Carmarthen putim mi long prison long Swansea for thrifala month, and sei mi mas peim SI$200 fine—big selen long datfala taem. So, from mi no peim datfala fine mi stap long prison for thrifala month moa.

Long mek-thri kot case, olketa askem mi: “Waswe, iu no savve hao Bible hem sei, ‘Givim long Caesar olketa samting wea bilong Caesar’?” Mi ansa, “Yes, mi savve, bat mi laek for talem end bilong datfala verse: ‘and long God olketa samting wea bilong God.’ Hem nao samting wea mi duim.” (Matthew 22:21, King James Version) Tu-thri week bihaen, mi kasem wanfala leta wea sei mi no need for duim service long army.

Long start bilong 1945, mi kasem invitation for joinim London Bethel famili. Long winter bihaen, Nathan H. Knorr, wea lead for organizem preaching waka raonem world, and secretary bilong hem, Milton G. Henschel, visitim London. Mi wanfala long eitfala young brata from Britain wea joinim mek-eit class bilong Watchtower Bible Skul bilong Gilead for missionary training.

Olketa Missionary Assignment

Long May 23, 1946, mifala travel go from smolfala port bilong Fowey long Cornwall long wanfala kago ship wea olketa bin iusim long war. Harbormaster, Captain Collins, hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, and taem mifala lusim wharf, hem mekem horn krae. Mifala feel hapi, bat lelebet sorre tu taem mifala lukim England hem gogo farawe. Datfala gogo akrosim Atlantic Ocean hem raf tumas, bat 13-fala day bihaen mifala arrive sef long United States.

For attendim datfala eit-day international Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly long Cleveland, Ohio, from August 4 go kasem 11, 1946, hem wanfala nambawan experience. Eiti thousand brata attend, and insaed diswan 302 from 32 difren kantri. Long datfala convention evriwan hapi for kasem niu release bilong Awake!b magasin, and Bible study buk “Let God Be True.”

Mifala graduate from Gilead long 1947, and mi witim Bill Copson kasem assignment for go long Egypt. Bat bifor mitufala go, mi kasem samfala gud office training from Richard Abrahamson long Brooklyn Bethel. Mifala arrive long Alexandria, and kwiktaem mi getius long living long Middle-East. Bat, hem wanfala challenge for lanem Arabic languis, and mi mas iusim olketa testimony card long fofala difren languis.

Bill Copson hem stap long there for sevenfala year, bat bihaen datfala first year mi no savve kasem niu visa, so mi mas lusim datfala kantri. Mi ting go bak long datfala year long missionary service olsem year wea mi duim staka samting winim eni narataem long laef bilong mi. Mi kasem privilege for conductim winim 20 hom Bible study evri week, and samfala wea lanem truth long datfala taem still go ahed busy for praisem Jehovah. Taem mi lusim Egypt, mi kasem assignment long Cyprus.

Cyprus and Israel

Mi start for studyim wanfala niu languis, Greek, and for savve long languis bilong area wea mi stap. No longtaem bihaen, taem Anthony Sideris muv go long Greece, mi kasem assignment for kamap overseer bilong waka long Cyprus. Long datfala taem, branch office long Cyprus lukaftarem Israel tu, and samfala taem mi and samfala nara brata kasem chance for visitim smol sekson bilong olketa Witness long there.

Long firstfala gogo bilong mi long Israel, mifala garem smol assembly insaed wanfala restaurant long Haifa, and 50 or 60 pipol attend. Mifala divaedem evriwan long olketa grup followim olketa difren kantri and duim datfala assembly program long sixfala difren languis! Narataem, long Jerusalem mi showim wanfala film wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wakem, and givim pablik tok wea kasem gud report long English niuspepa.

Samting olsem 100 Witness stap long Cyprus long datfala taem, and olketa mas faet hard for faith bilong olketa. Samfala raf sekson wea olketa priest bilong Greek Orthodox Church leadim, spoelem olketa assembly bilong mifala, and hem first taem for mi experiencem wei wea pipol sutim mi witim ston taem mi witness long olketa area aotsaed long taon. Mi mas lane for kwiktaem ranawe! From pipol againstim mifala long raf wei long datfala taem, hem strongim faith bilong mifala taem samfala moa missionary kasem assignment long datfala island. Dennis and Mavis Matthews witim Joan Hulley and Beryl Heywood joinim mi long Famagusta, and Tom and Mary Goulden witim Nina Constanti, woman bilong Cyprus wea born long London, go long Limassol. Long semtaem, Bill Copson tu kasem assignment long Cyprus, and bihaen, Bert and Beryl Vaisey joinim hem.

Change Fitim Samting wea Happen

Kasem end bilong 1957, mi kasem sik and no fit for go ahed long missionary assignment bilong mi. Witim sorre heart mi disaed mi mas go bak long England for kamap moabeta long health, and mi go ahed for pioneer long there go kasem 1960. Sista bilong mi and hasband bilong hem kaen tumas for letem mi stap witim olketa, bat samfala samting hem change. Laef hem kakamap moa hard for Joan. Long 17 year wea mi no stap hem lukaftarem hasband and young dota bilong hem, and tu long loving wei hem lukaftarem dadi bilong mifala and Aunty Millie, wea olo and sik long datfala taem. Wei wea mi mas followim example bilong aunty bilong mi for sakrifaesim seleva hem showaot klia, so mi stap witim sista bilong mi go kasem taem aunty and dadi bilong mi dae.

Bae hem isi tumas for setol daon long England, bat bihaen shortfala rest, mi feel olsem mi mas go bak long assignment bilong mi. Organization bilong Jehovah spendem finis bigfala selen for trainim mi. So long 1972, miseleva peim pasis for go bak long Cyprus for pioneer moa long there.

Nathan H. Knorr hem arrive for arrangem wanfala convention wea bae kamap long year bihaen. Taem hem savve mi kam bak, hem recommendim appointment bilong mi for serve olsem circuit overseer for datfala full island, privilege wea mi garem for fofala year. Bat, from datwan minim mi mas story long Greek languis klosap evritaem, hem assignment wea mekem mi seksek lelebet.

Taem Bilong Trabol

Mi sharem haos long vilij bilong Karakoumi, lelebet long east saed bilong Kyrenia long north coast bilong Cyprus, witim Paul Andreou, wanfala witness from Cyprus wea savve long Greek languis. Cyprus branch office hem stap long Nicosia, south long olketa Kyrenia Maunten. Long start bilong July 1974, mi long Nicosia taem wanfala grup tekova long kantri for aotem President Makarios, and mi lukim haos bilong hem bone long fire. Taem hem sef for travel, mi kwiktaem go bak long Kyrenia, wea mifala redyim wanfala circuit assembly. Tufala day bihaen mi herem firstfala bomb bosta long harbor, and mi lukim skae fulap witim olketa helicopter wea tekem kam army from Turkey.

From mi wanfala citizen bilong Britain, olketa soldia from Turkey tekem mi klosap long Nicosia, and olketa man bilong United Nations kwestinim mi and bihaen olketa story witim branch office. Then mi feisim wanfala samting wea mekem mi fraet tumas taem mi mas wakabaot thru olketa telephone and electric wire wea foldaon, for katkros midol long tufala army for kasem olketa emti haos long narasaed. Mi hapi tumas no eniting savve stopem wei wea mi story witim Jehovah God! Prea nao strongim mi for deal witim datfala hardfala experience long laef bilong mi.

Evri samting bilong mi lus, bat mi hapi for stap sef long branch office. Bat, kwiktaem diswan hem change. Tu-thri day bihaen, olketa army kontrolem north bilong datfala island. Mifala mas ranawe from Bethel go long Limassol. Mi hapi for waka long there witim wanfala komiti for lukaftarem 300 brata wea disfala trabol affectim, from planti long olketa no garem eni haos nao.

Samfala Nara Assignment

Long January 1981, Governing Body askem mi for muv go long Greece for joinim Bethel famili long Athens, bat long end bilong datfala year, mi stap moa long Cyprus and kasem appointment olsem Branch Komiti coordinator. Andreas Kontoyiorgis and waef bilong hem, Maro, tufala from Cyprus bat wea stap kam long London, tufala kamap wanfala “help for strongim” mi.—Colossians 4:11.

Long end bilong zone visit bilong Theodore Jaracz long 1984, mi kasem wanfala leta from Governing Body wea sei: “Taem Brata Jaracz finisim visit bilong hem, mifala laekem iu for go witim hem long Greece.” Olketa no explainim why nao olsem, bat taem mifala arrive long Greece, olketa readim nara leta from Governing Body long Branch Komiti, wea appointim mi olsem Branch Komiti coordinator long datfala kantri.

Long datfala taem, mifala long Greece feisim samfala problem witim olketa apostate. And tu, planti accusim mifala long wei for preach and olketa sei datwan brekem law. Evriday, olketa arrestim pipol bilong Jehovah and tekem olketa long kot. Hem spesol privilege for savve gud long olketa brata and sista wea stand strong and keepim faithful fasin taem olketa kasem test! European Court of Human Rights herem kot case bilong samfala hia, and barava gud samting kamaot from diswan wea helpem preaching waka long Greece.c

Taem mi serve long Greece, mi attendim olketa convention long Athens, Thessalonica, and long olketa island bilong Rhodes and Crete. Fofala year wea mi stap long there mi hapi and kasem gudfala frut, bat nara change hem kamap—mi go bak long Cyprus long 1988.

Cyprus and Go Bak Long Greece

Taem mi no stap long Cyprus, olketa brata bin muvim branch long niu building long Nissou, tu-thri kilometer from Nicosia, and Carey Barber, from Brooklyn headquarters bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, givim dedication tok. Long datfala taem island hem kwaet, and mi hapi for stap moa long there—bat no longtaem bihaen diswan change.

Governing Body appruvim olketa plan for buildim niu Bethel hom long Greece, samfala kilometer long north saed bilong Athens. From mi savve long English and Greek languis, mi kasem invitation for joinim waka long datfala niu building long 1990 olsem man for transleit for datfala famili bilong olketa international servant wea waka long there. Mi still tingim hapi feeling mi kasem long olketa summer morning long six klok, taem mi welkamim planti handred brata and sista from Greece wea volunteer for waka witim datfala construction famili! Bae mi nating forgetim hapi and willing spirit bilong olketa.

Olketa Greek Orthodox priest and olketa wea saportim olketa trae for kam insaed datfala construction area and stopem waka bilong mifala, bat Jehovah herem olketa prea bilong mifala, and mifala stap sef. Mi stap long there for lukim dedication bilong niufala Bethel hom long April 13, 1991.

Saportim Kaenfala Sista Bilong Mi

Year bihaen, mi holiday long England and stap witim sista bilong mi and hasband bilong hem. Sorre tumas, taem mi long there brata-in-law bilong mi kasem tufala heart attak and hem dae. Joan hem no enitaem hol bak for saportim mi long missionary service. Klosap evri week hem raetem leta for encouragem mi. Datwan hem bigfala blessing for eni missionary! Distaem hem kamap widow, health bilong hem go daon and hem needim saport. Wanem nao mi shud duim?

Long datfala taem dota bilong Joan, Thelma, and hasband bilong hem lukaftarem nara faithful widow woman long kongregeson bilong olketa, wanfala kasin bilong mifala wea kasem bigfala sik. So, bihaen mi prea strong abaotem diswan, mi disaed for stap for help lukaftarem Joan. Datfala change hem no isi, bat mi kasem privilege for serve olsem elder long Pen Mill, wanfala long tufala kongregeson long Yeovil.

Olketa brata wea mi serve witim long narafala kantri evritaem raet long mi and story kam long telephone, and mi barava hapi long datwan. Sapos enitaem mi laek go bak long Greece or Cyprus, mi savve olketa bae kwiktaem peim pasis bilong mi. Bat distaem mi 80 year, and eye and health bilong mi no olsem bifor. Hem hard for deal witim wei wea mi no savve duim planti samting olsem bifor, bat olketa year wea mi serve long Bethel teachim mi planti samting wea helpem mi distaem. Olsem example, mi evritaem readim text bilong day bifor mi kaikai long morning. Mi lane tu for stap gud witim pipol and for lovem olketa—key for win long missionary service.

Taem mi ting go bak long samting olsem 60 nambawan year wea mi praisem Jehovah, mi savve hao full-taem ministry hem best protection and givim best education. Mi savve talem witim full heart bilong mi toktok bilong David long Jehovah: “Iu nao wanfala strongfala hae ples for mi and wanfala ples for ranawe, long taem wea mi kasem trabol.”—Psalm 59:16.

[Olketa Footnote]

[Olketa Map long page 24]

(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)

GREECE

Athens

CYPRUS

Nicosia

Kyrenia

Famagusta

Limassol

[Piksa long page 21]

Mami long 1915

[Piksa long page 22]

Antap long ruf bilong Brooklyn Bethel long 1946, mi (mek-foa from left saed) and samfala brata from mek-eit class bilong Gilead

[Piksa long page 23]

Witim Aunty Millie bihaen firstaem wea mi go bak long England