Laef Story
“Mi Bae Nating Changem Eniting!”
STORY BILONG GLADYS ALLEN
Samtaem pipol askem mi, “Sapos iu fit for startim bak laef bilong iu, wanem nao bae iu changem?” Mi tok tru taem mi ansa, “Mi bae nating changem eniting!” Mi bae explainim why nao mi feel olsem.
LONG hot season long 1929, taem mi tu year, Dadi bilong mi, Matthew Allen, kasem wanfala nambawan samting. Hem kasem datfala buklet Millions Now Living Will Never Die!, wea International Bible Students, wea hem nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bifor, olketa pablisim. Bihaen hem readim tu-thri page nomoa, Dadi sei, “Diswan hem winim eni samting wea mi bin readim bifor!”
No longtaem bihaen, Dadi kasem olketa nara pablikeson bilong Olketa Bible Student. Hem kwiktaem start for sharem samting wea hem lanem witim olketa neiba. Bat, no eni kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness stap long community bilong mifala. From Dadi luksavve hao mifala need for evritaem kaban witim olketa Christian, long 1935 Dadi muvim full famili for go long taon bilong Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, bikos wanfala kongregeson stap long there.
Long datfala taem, olketa no encouragem olketa pikinini for attendim olketa kongregeson meeting; planti taem olketa plei aotsaed ples for meeting go kasem taem olketa full-grown man finis meeting. Dadi no laekem diskaen wei. Hem ting olsem: “Sapos olketa meeting fitim mi, hem fitim tu olketa pikinini bilong mi.” So nomata hem wanfala niu wan, Dadi talem mi witim brata bilong mi Bob, and tufala sista bilong mi, Ella and Ruby, for join insaed olketa meeting witim olketa full-grown wan, so mifala duim datwan. Gogo olketa nara pikinini bilong olketa Witness attendim meeting tu. Wei for attendim meeting and for ansa hem kamap wanfala important part long laef bilong mifala.
Dadi barava lovem Bible, and hem garem wanfala naes wei for actim olketa Bible story. Thru long diskaen wei, hem putim insaed heart bilong mifala olketa important leson wea mi still rememberim witim feeling. Wanfala wea mi tingim hem wei wea Jehovah blessim olketa wea obeyim hem.
Dadi teachim mifala tu hao for iusim Bible for defendim faith bilong mifala. Mifala savve duim olsem wanfala game, Dadi maet sei, “Mi biliv hao taem mi dae bae mi go long heven. Iufala mas pruvim long mi hao diswan hem no tru.” Mitufala Ruby bae lukluk insaed concordance for faendem olketa scripture wea mitufala bae iusim for showimaot hao datfala teaching hem no tru. Bihaen mitufala readim olketa scripture wea mitufala faendem, Dadi bae sei: “Datwan hem barava interesting, bat, mi no biliv yet.” So mitufala openem bak concordance for lukaot moa. Planti taem mifala bae duim diswan for samfala hour go kasem taem Dadi satisfae witim ansa wea mifala talem. From diswan, mitufala Ruby kamap fit for explainim biliv and for defendim faith bilong mifala.
Winim Wei for Fraetem Man
Nomata mi kasem nambawan training long haos and long olketa kongregeson meeting, for tok stret, mi faendem hao for live olsem wanfala Christian hem hard long samfala wei. Olsem klosap evri young pipol, mi no laek for difren from olketa narawan, especially olketa skulfren bilong mi. Wanfala firstfala test bilong faith bilong mi hem taem mifala duim wanem mifala kolem olketa information march.
Wei wea mifala duim, hem for wanfala grup bilong olketa brata and sista for karem olketa saen wea olketa raetem message long hem and wakabaot isisi go daon long main road bilong taon. Insaed taon wea samting olsem 3,000 pipol stap, evriwan savve long each other. Wantaem mifala duim wanfala information march, mi wakabaot bihaen olketa narawan and mi karem wanfala saen wea garem toktok “Religion Hem Wanfala Trap and Laea Samting.” Samfala skulfren bilong mi lukim mi, and olketa kwiktaem kam laenap bihaen mi and go ahed for singim “God Save the King.” Hao nao mi deal witim diswan? Mi prea strong for no givap. Gogo taem march hem finis, mi kwiktaem go bak long Kingdom Hall for go lusim saen bilong mi and go bak long haos. Bat, brata wea lukaftarem datfala waka talem hao narafala march hem redy for start and olketa needim samwan moa for karem saen. So mi go aot moa, distaem mi prea moa strong winim bifor. Bat, kasem datfala taem, olketa skulfren bilong mi olketa taed nao so olketa go bak long haos bilong olketa. Olketa prea bilong mi for strong kamap prea for sei thankiu!—Proverbs 3:5.
Olketa full-taem servant savve kam olowe long haos bilong mifala. Olketa wanfala hapi grup and mifala hapi for story witim olketa. Mi remember hao parents bilong mifala olowe mekhae long full-taem ministry olsem hem best laef waka.
Long 1945, mi followim samting wea olketa encouragem mi for duim, mi startim laef waka bilong mi insaed full-taem ministry. Bihaen mi go joinim sista bilong mi Ella wea pioneer long taon bilong London, long Ontario. Taem mi kasem there mi lanem wanfala part bilong ministry wea mi tingse mi bae no savve duim. Olketa brata savve go from tebol tu tebol long olketa ples for peim alcohol and offerim olketa copy bilong Wastaoa and Consolation (distaem Wekap!) long pipol long there. Bat gud nao olketa duim diswan long olketa Saturday aftanun, so mi savve prea for full week for strong for go joinim olketa! Tru nao, waka hia hem no isi for mi, bat hem garem olketa reward.
And tu mi lane hao for offerim olketa spesol copy bilong Consolation wea story abaotem persecution bilong olketa brata bilong iumi long olketa Nazi concentration camp, especially wei for offerim long olketa important bisnisman bilong Canada, insaed diswan hem olketa president bilong olketa barava big company. Long olketa year wea go pas mi faendem hao Jehovah evritaem saportim iumi sapos iumi depend long hem for strong. Olsem Dadi bilong mi savve talem, Jehovah blessim olketa wea obeyim Hem.
Ansarem Invitation for Serve Long Quebec
Long July 4, 1940, gavman tambuim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Canada. Nomata olketa aotem datfala tambu, bihaen, mifala still kasem persecution long Quebec, wanfala Roman Catholic province. Wanfala spesol campaign for iusim disfala tract Quebec’s Burning Hate for God and Christ and Freedom Is the Shame of All Canada, hem barava tok strong for mekem pipol luksavve long wei wea olketa long Quebec treatim nogud olketa brata bilong iumi. Nathan H. Knorr, wanfala member bilong Governing Body bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, hipap witim planti handred pioneer long taon bilong Montreal for explainim samting wea bae kamap from wanem mifala redy for duim. Brata Knorr talem mifala hao sapos mifala agree for duim disfala campaign, mifala mas expectim hao olketa bae arrestim mifala and putim mifala long prison. Datwan hem barava tru! Gogo, olketa arrestim mi 15 taem. Taem mifala go aot long field service, mifala mek sure mifala karem toothbrush and kom bilong mifala, nogud mifala mas sleep insaed prison.
Firstaem mifala savve duim disfala waka long naet mekem no tumas pipol lukim mifala. Mi savve karem samfala extra tract insaed wanfala basket wea mi hangem long nek bilong mi andanit long coat bilong mi. Basket hia wea fulap witim olketa tract mekem mi luk olsem mi babule. Datwan hem barava gud taem mi go insaed wanfala streetcar wea fulap fogud for go long territory. Planti taem olketa kaenfala man savve standap and letem disfala “babule” woman for sidaon long chair bilong olketa.
Gogo, mifala start for duim disfala waka long daytaem. Mifala savve leavim olketa tract long thri or fofala haos, and then mifala go long nara territory. Planti taem, wei for duim olsem hem gud. Bat, sapos wanfala Roman Catholic priest faendaot mifala insaed datfala area, mifala mas expectim trabol for kamap. Wantaem, wanfala priest mekem wanfala grup bilong samting olsem 50 go kasem 60 full-grown man and pikinini for torowem olketa tomato and egg long mifala. Mifala haed long haos bilong wanfala Christian sista, and gogo mifala mas stap full naet long there and sleep long floor.
Bigfala need stap for olketa pioneer for preach long pipol long Quebec wea iusim languis bilong France, so long December 1958, mi and sista bilong mi Ruby start for lanem languis bilong France. Bihaen datfala taem olketa assignim mitufala for go long olketa area bilong pipol wea iusim languis bilong France long datfala province. Long each assignment mitufala kasem olketa difren experience. Long wanfala ples, mitufala go from door tu door for eitfala hour evriday and insaed tufala year no eniwan openem door for mifala! Olketa pipol kam long door, lukim mifala, then satem olketa curtain. Bat mifala nating givap. Distaem, tufala kongregeson stap long datfala taon.
Kasem Strong From Jehovah Long Evri Samting
Mifala start for duim spesol pioneer waka long 1965. Long wanfala spesol pioneer assignment, mifala just minim toktok bilong Paul long 1 Timothy 6:8: “Sapos iumi garem kaikai and kaleko, iumi mas satisfae witim olketa samting hia.” Mifala mas garem wanfala budget mekem mitufala savve lukaftarem need bilong mitufala. So mitufala markem selen for peim heat, rent, electric paoa, and kaikai. Taem mifala markem finis evri samting hia, mitufala garem nomoa 25 cents for peim eniting moa wea mitufala maet needim insaed datfala month.
From mifala garem lelebet selen nomoa, mifala savve peim heat for tu-thri hour nomoa long naet. So bedroom bilong mitufala no enitaem hem winim 15 degrees Celsius and samtaem hem barava cold winim datwan. Wantaem son bilong wanfala Bible study bilong Ruby hem visitim mifala. Taem hem go bak long haos hem masbi talem mami bilong hem hao mitufala cold fogud from, bihaen datfala taem, woman hia sendem ten dollar evri month for mitufala peim oil mekem mifala savve onem heater olowe. Mitufala no feel mitufala missim eni samting. Mitufala no rich, bat mifala olowe garem samting wea mifala needim. Taem mifala kasem eniting extra, mitufala tingim diswan olsem blessing. Toktok wea stap long Psalm 37:25 hem barava tru: “Mi nating lukim eniwan wea raeteous hem no garem eni samting, or pikinini bilong hem lukaotem bred”!
Nomata mifala mas feisim wei wea pipol againstim mifala, mi hapi for lukim samfala long olketa wea mi studyim Bible witim olketa kasem savve abaotem truth. Samfala chusim full-taem ministry olsem laef waka bilong olketa, diswan mekem mi barava hapi.
Winim Olketa Niu Test
Long 1970 mifala garem niu assignment long Cornwall, Ontario. Bihaen mifala stap long Cornwall for wan year, Mami bilong mi kasem sik. Dadi dae finis long 1957, so mi and tufala sista bilong mi share for lukaftarem Mami go kasem taem hem dae long 1972. Olketa spesol pioneer partner bilong mifala, Ella Lisitza and Ann Kowalenko help for balancem mifala and givim loving saport insaed datfala taem. Olketa lukaftarem olketa Bible study bilong mifala and olketa nara responsibility taem mifala no stap. Toktok long Proverbs 18:24 hem tru: “Wanfala fren stap wea fren gud winim wanfala brata”!
Laef hem fulap witim planti hardfala test. Witim loving saport bilong Jehovah, mi bin winim olketa. Mi still go ahed hapi insaed full-taem service. Bob, wea dae long 1993, hem pioneer for winim 20 year, for 10-fala year hia hem pioneer witim waef bilong hem, Doll. First sista bilong mi, Ella, wea dae long October 1998, hem bin pioneer for winim 30 year and hem olowe garem pioneer spirit. Long 1991 nara sista bilong mi, Ruby, hem garem cancer. Nomata olsem, hem iusim lelebet strong wea hem garem for preachim gud nius. Hem keepim wei bilong hem for hapi go kasem morning wea hem dae long September 26, 1999. Nomata distaem mi no garem olketa sista bilong mi, mi still garem olketa brata and sista insaed spiritual famili bilong mi for helpem mi go ahed hapi.
Taem mi luk go bak long laef bilong mi, wanem nao bae mi laek changem? Mi no marit, bat mi garem loving dadi and mami, wanfala brata, and olketa sista wea putim truth first long laef bilong olketa. Mi luk forward for klosap lukim olketa moa long resurrection. Disfala hope hem barava stap klia long mind bilong mi. Mi savve feelim Dadi huggim mi and lukim mami krae taem mitufala huggim each other. Ella, Ruby, and Bob bae hapi fogud.
Bat go kasem datfala taem, mi disaed strong for go ahed iusim lelebet health and strong wea mi still garem for givim praise and honor long Jehovah. Full-taem pioneer service hem wanfala nambawan laef wea givim reward. Hem barava olsem samting wea man for raetem psalm hem sei abaotem olketa wea wakabaot long wei bilong Jehovah: “Iu bae hapi and evriting bae gud for iu.”—Psalm 128:1, 2.
[Olketa Piksa long page 26]
Dadi lovem Bible. Hem teachim mifala for iusim for defendim faith bilong mifala
[Piksa long page 28]
Left go kasem raet: Ruby, mi, Bob, Ella, Mami, and Dadi long 1947
[Piksa long page 28]
Long Front, left go kasem raet: Mi, Ruby, and Ella long Distrik Convention, 1998