Laef Story

Olketa Smol Sakrifaes Givim Bigfala Blessing

STORY BILONG GEORGE AND ANN ALJIAN

Mi and waef bilong mi nating tingim hao wanday mitufala bae konfiusim word for “teacher” witim “rat.” Mitufala nating tingse taem mitufala winim 60 year, mitufala bae stragol for lane for readim raeting wea barava luk difren, mekem mifala savve story witim pipol bilong Asia. Bat, hem nao wanem mitufala Ann duim long olketa year klosap end bilong 1980. Mifala laek for storyim hao olketa smol sakrifaes wea mifala mekem long laef bilong mifala hem mekem mifala kasem staka blessing.

FAMILI bilong mi kam from Armenia and olketa joinim Armenian Church. Bifor, Ann hem Roman Catholic. Taem mitufala marit long 1950, mifala mekem wanfala agreement saed long religion bilong mitufala. Mi 27 year, and Ann hem 24. Mitufala disaed for stap long haos antap long stoa wea mi ranem bisnis bilong mi for klinim kaleko long Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.A. Go kasem datfala taem mi ranem datfala bisnis for fofala year finis.

Long 1955 mitufala peim wanfala barava naes haos wea garem thrifala bedroom long Middletown, New Jersey. Haos hia hem samting olsem 60 kilometer from bisnis bilong mi wea mi waka sixfala day evri week. Evri naet mi savve kam bak leit. Only taem mi meetim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hem taem olketa kam long stoa bilong mi and givim olketa Bible buk. Mi barava interest for readim olketa buk hia. Nomata mi iusim staka taem for bisnis, mi start for garem deep respect for Bible.

Then no longtaem mi faendaot hao Watchtower radio station, WBBR, hem savve storyim olketa Bible topic long semtaem wea mi draev from haos go long waka and kam bak. Mi lisin gud long olketa tok hia, and interest bilong mi hem grow gogo mi askem olketa Witness for visitim mi. Long November 1957, George Blanton kam long haos and startim wanfala Bible study witim mi.

Famili Bilong Mifala Kamap Wan Mind Long Klin Worship

Wanem nao feeling bilong Ann abaotem diswan? Bae hem nao storyim datwan.

“Firstaem mi barava againstim disfala study. Mi savve disturbim study hia gogo hasband bilong mi George, disaed for go study long difren ples, hem duim diswan for eitfala month. Insaed datfala taem, George start for attendim olketa meeting long Sunday long Kingdom Hall. Mi savve hem barava ting strong long study bilong hem from Sunday nomoa hem no waka. Bat, hem go ahed for olsem wanfala gudfala hasband and dadi​—⁠really hem kamap moabeta​—⁠and datwan mekem tingting bilong mi start for change. Samfala taem, taem mi duim klining and tingse no eniwan lukluk kam, mi savve readim Wekap! magasin wea George evritaem putim long wanfala smol tebol. And long olketa narataem, George savve readim kam long mi olketa article wea no storyim olketa teaching bat wea mekhae long Creator.

“Wanfala evening, taem George go for study witim Brata Blanton, mi pikimap wanfala pablikeson wea George, son bilong mitufala wea tu year nomoa, hem putim long tebol saed long bed bilong mi. Datfala pablikeson hem storyim hope for olketa wea dae. Nomata mi taed, mi lei daon and start for readim bikos granmami bilong mi dae no longtaem go nomoa, and mi still feel sorre yet. Mi kwiktaem luksavve and minim tru teaching long Bible wea showimaot olketa wea dae finis no safa and hao olketa bae laef bak long future thru long resurrection. Gogo mi no laek lei daon nao from mi barava interest for read and andalaenem olketa point wea mi laek showim long George taem hem kam bak from study.

“Hasband bilong mi barava sapraes, from mi olsem difren woman nao. Taem hem lusim haos mi againstim hem, and taem hem kam bak mi barava hapi long olketa nambawan tru teaching bilong Bible wea mi lanem! Mifala storyim Bible gogo winim midolnaet. George explainim purpose bilong God for earth. Long datfala sem naet mi askem hem for study bak long haos mekem mi savve join insaed tu.

“Brata Blanton hem sei for olketa pikinini tu sidaon witim mifala taem mifala study. Mitufala tingse tufala no fitim, from wanfala hem tu year and narawan hem foa year. Bat, Brata Blanton showim long mifala Deuteronomy 31:​12, wea sei: ‘Hipimap olketa pipol, olketa man and woman and olketa smol pikinini. . . , mekem olketa savve lisin and lane.’ Mifala tinghae long datfala instruction and mifala arrangem for olketa pikinini for givim koment insaed study tu. Mifala savve preparem olketa koment tugeta, bat olketa seleva nao mas talem ansa. Mifala tingim hao diswan helpem olketa pikinini for mekem truth kamap samting bilong olketa seleva. Mifala bae evritaem thankiu long datfala wei wea Brata Blanton helpem famili bilong mifala for grow long spiritual wei.”

Olketa Challenge wea Needim Sakrifaes

Nomata mifala wan mind for studyim Bible, mifala kasem olketa narafala challenge. From stoa bilong mi hem farawe, planti taem mi kasem bak haos long naen klok long evening. From diswan, mi no savve attendim olketa meeting wea kamap insaed long week, bat mi fit for attend long Sunday nomoa. Long datfala taem, Ann hem attendim evri meeting and muv ahed kwiktaem. Mi tu laek for attendim evri meeting and conductim gudfala famili study. Mi savve mi mas mekem samfala sakrifaes. So mi disaed for klosim bisnis early, nomata datwan minim mi bae lusim samfala kastoma.

Arrangement hia hem waka gud. Mifala tingim famili study hem important olsem olketa nara faevfala meeting wea kamap long Kingdom Hall evri week. Mifala savve kolem diswan mek-six meeting. Datwan minim mifala mas markem wanfala day and taem​—⁠evri week long Wednesday 8:00 p.m. Samfala taem bihaen mifala kaikai, taem mifala wasim pleit finis, wanfala long mifala bae sei, “Hem klosap taem for ‘meeting’ nao!” Ann savve startim study sapos mi leit, and mi savve conductim study taem mi arrive bak long haos.

Nara samting wea keepim famili for go ahed strong and wan mind hem wei for readim text evriday long morning. Bat, wanfala problem hem kamap. Evriwan savve wekap long olketa difren taem. Mifala story abaotem diswan tugeta and disaed for evriwan wekap long semtaem, and kaikai long haf pas six long morning and duim text tugeta. Disfala arrangement hem waka gud. Bihaen olketa son bilong mitufala big, olketa chus for duim Bethel service. Mifala ting diskaen wei for duim text evriday nao helpem olketa long spiritual saed.

Olketa Privilege Bihaen Baptism Needim Olketa Sakrifaes wea Moa Big

Mi baptaes long 1962, and nomata mi bin ownim bisnis bilong mi for 21 year, mi sellim and kasem wanfala waka klosap long ples famili stap mekem mifala savve servem Jehovah tugeta. Diswan mekem planti blessing kamap. Mifala markem goal for duim full-taem ministry. Diswan start long olketa firstfala year bilong 1970 taem Edward, first son bilong mitufala, kamap wanfala regular pioneer, bihaen hem finisim hae skul. No longtaem bihaen, George nara son bilong mitufala hem start for pioneer, then Ann tu joinim olketa. Mi kasem bigfala encouragement from thrifala, taem olketa storyim olketa experience bilong olketa long field service. Mifala famili story tugeta for lukim hao nao mifala savve mekem laef simpol mekem mifala evriwan savve insaed full-taem service. Mifala disaed for sellim haos. Mifala bin stap insaed datfala haos for 18 year and hem nao ples wea pikinini growap long hem. Mifala barava lovem haos bilong mifala, nomata olsem Jehovah blessim wei wea mifala disaed for sellim.

Edward kasem invitation for waka long Bethel long 1972, and George long 1974. Nomata mitufala Ann missim tufala, mifala no tingting tumas hao hem bae naes sapos olketa stap klosap long mifala, marit, and garem pikinini. Bat, mitufala hapi from olketa son bilong mitufala servem Jehovah long Bethel.a Mifala agree witim Proverbs 23:​15, wea sei: “Son bilong mi, sapos heart bilong iu kamap wise, heart bilong mi bae hapi.”

Mifala Duim Spesol Pioneer Service

From tufala son bilong mifala stap long Bethel, mitufala go ahed pioneer. Then wanday long 1975, mifala kasem wanfala leta wea invaetem mifala for duim spesol pioneer waka long wanfala farawe territory long Clinton County, Illinois. Mifala sapraes fogud! Diswan minim mifala mas lusim New Jersey, wea hem lelebet klosap long olketa son bilong mifala long New York and wea mifala garem staka fren and relative. Nomata olsem mifala ting long diswan olsem assignment from Jehovah and mekem olketa sakrifaes wea lead go long samfala niu blessing.

Bihaen samfala month wea mifala duim datfala farawe territory, mifala start for garem olketa meeting long wanfala community hall long Carlyle, Illinois. Bat mifala luk aotem wanfala ples wea mifala fit for hipap long hem evritaem. Wanfala brata witim waef bilong hem wea kam from datfala ples, faendem wanfala pis land wea garem smol haos long hem wea mifala fit for rentim. Mifala klinim datwan​—⁠nomata toilet wea stap aotsaed tu⁠—⁠and iusim for olketa meeting. Mifala still rememberim hao wanfala horse hem interest tumas long mifala. Planti taem hem savve putim kam hed bilong hem insaed long window for lukluk long meeting!

Gogo, Carlyle garem wanfala kongregeson, and mifala hapi from mifala help for mekem diswan kamap. Mifala kasem help tu from tufala young pioneer hasband and waef, Steve and Karil Thompson, wea kam for serve tu long datfala farawe territory. Tufala stap long there for samfala year and bihaen olketa go long datfala Watchtower Bible Skul Bilong Gilead and muv go long wanfala missionary assignment long East Africa, wea olketa duim traveling waka.

Gogo smol ples bilong mifala for meeting hem no fit nao, and mifala need for kasem wanfala ples wea moa big. Tufala sem brata and sista from datfala ples faendem and olketa peim wanfala area wea fitim wanfala Kingdom Hall. Mifala hapi tumas hao bihaen tu-thri year mifala kasem invitation for go long dedication bilong wanfala niu Kingdom Hall long Carlyle! Mi kasem privilege for givim dedication tok. Assignment bilong mitufala long there hem barava nambawan, hem wanfala blessing from Jehovah.

Kasem Niu Assignment

Long 1979 mifala kasem wanfala niu assignment, long Harrison, New Jersey. Mifala serve long there for samting olsem 12 year. Insaed datfala taem mifala startim wanfala Bible study witim wanfala Chinese woman, and diswan lead go long wei for study witim olketa nara Chinese pipol. Long datfala taem, mifala faendaot hao staka thousand Chinese student and olketa famili stap long datfala area. From diswan, mitufala kasem encouragement for lanem Chinese languis. Nomata diswan minim each day mifala mas spendem taem for lanem datfala languis, diswan mekem mifala garem staka Bible study witim Chinese pipol wea stap long datfala area.

Insaed olketa year hia, staka fani samting kamap, especially taem mifala trae for lanem Chinese languis. Wantaem, taem Ann kasem wanfala haos hem kolem hemseleva wanfala Bible “rat” no wanfala Bible “teacher.” Olketa word hia klosap here semsem nomoa. Datfala haosholder hem smile and sei: “Plis kam insaed. Mi no enitaem story long wanfala Bible rat.” Mitufala still stragol yet for iusim datfala languis.

Then olketa assignim mifala go long wanfala ples long New Jersey wea mifala go ahed for preach long olketa Chinese. Bihaen, mifala kasem invitation for muv go long Boston, Massachusetts, wea wanfala Chinese grup hem stap for samting olsem thrifala year. Hem privilege bilong mifala for sapotim disfala grup for sevenfala year wea go pas finis and mifala hapi tumas from datfala grup kamap wanfala kongregeson long January 1, 2003.

Olketa Blessing From Wei for Sakrifaesim Seleva

Long Malachi 3:​10, iumi readim hao Jehovah invaetem pipol bilong hem for tekem kam olketa offering and sakrifaes mekem hem bae pourim go olketa blessing bilong hem go kasem taem man no wantem eni moa samting. Mifala lusim bisnis wea mi barava interest long hem. Mifala sellim haos, wea mifala lovem tumas. And mifala lusim staka nara samting tu. Bat, sapos mifala markem diswan witim olketa blessing wea mifala kasem, olketa sakrifaes hia hem smol nomoa.

Tru tumas, Jehovah givim mifala olketa barava rich blessing! Mifala barava satisfae from mifala lukim olketa pikinini bilong mifala followim truth, mifala hapi tumas from mifala savve join insaed full-taem ministry wea sevem laef, and mifala lukim hao Jehovah hem lukaftarem olketa need bilong mifala. Tru tumas, olketa smolfala sakrifaes mekem mifala kasem olketa bigfala blessing!

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 25]

Ann witim Louise and George Blanton, long 1991

[Piksa long page 26]

Kingdom Hall long Carlyle, wea olketa dedicatem long June 4, 1983

[Piksa long page 27]

Witim niu Chinese kongregeson long Boston

[Piksa long page 28]

Witim Edward, Connie, George, and Grace