Mifala No Fraet Bikos Jehovah Nao Helpem Mifala

Story bilong Egyptia Petridou

Long 1972, olketa Witness long Cyprus go long Nicosia for herem wanfala spesol tok wea Brata Nathan H. Knorr hem tekem. Long datfala taem, Brata Knorr hem leadim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Taem hem lukim mi, semtaem nomoa hem askem mi: “Waswe, iu herem eni nius from olketa brata long Egypt?” Mi meetim Brata Knorr samting olsem 20 year bifor, taem mi stap long hom bilong mi long Alexandria, wanfala taon long Egypt.

MI BORN long Alexandria long January 23, 1914. Mifala fofala pikinini long famili and mi nao firstborn. Haos bilong mifala stap klosap long saedsea. Alexandria hem barava naesfala taon wea garem olketa oldfala building and hem ples wea pipol stap long hem from bifor kam yet. From pipol long Europe kam stap witim olketa Arab, mifala olketa pikinini lanem olketa nara languis. Mifala lanem Arabic, English, French, Italian, and tu, languis bilong famili bilong mifala, Greek languis.

Bihaen mi skul finis, mi waka long wanfala ples for sewim kaleko. Mi sewim olketa naesfala dress for olketa rich woman. Mi gogo olowe long church tu and mi laekem tumas for readim Bible nomata mi no minim gud samting wea mi readim.

Long olketa year midolwan long 1930 and 1940, mi meetim wanfala young man wea kam from Cyprus, wea nem bilong hem Theodotos Petrides. Hem man wea savve tumas for duim datfala sport, wrestling. Bat from hem savve tu hao for wakem olketa loli and cake, hem waka long wanfala bakery. Theodotos barava lovem mi. Plande taem hem savve singim olketa Greek song long mi. Mitufala marit long June 30, 1940, and mifala barava hapi long datfala taem. Mitufala stap long wanfala haos andanit long haos bilong mami bilong mi. Mi bornem firstborn bilong mitufala long 1941, and mifala nemim hem John.

Mifala Lanem Truth

For longtaem lelebet, Theodotos hem no hapi long religion wea mitufala insaed, and hem savve askem olketa kwestin abaotem Bible. Hem start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, bat mi no savve hem duim olsem. Wanday, taem mi stap long haos seleva witim baby bilong mitufala, wanfala woman hem noknok long door. Hem givim mi wanfala card wea storyim wanfala message from Bible. Mi no laek talem hem for go so mi readim datfala message. Then woman hia hem showim mi samfala buk wea storyim Bible. Mi sapraes tumas, bikos hem nao olketa sem buk wea Theodotos hem tekem kam long haos bilong mitufala!

Mi sei long datfala woman: “Mi garem finis olketa buk hia. Plis, iu kam insaed long haos.” Mifala go insaed nomoa then mi askem staka kwestin long datfala Witness, wea nem bilong hem Eleni Nicolaou. Hem iusim Bible for ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mi. Mi hapi tumas from hem duim datwan. Long datfala taem nao mi start for minim message insaed Bible. Taem mifala sidaon Eleni lukim nao wanfala foto bilong hasband bilong mi and hem sei: “Mi savve long disfala man!” Mi just savve nao wanem Theodotos hem duim. Mi sapraes tumas. Theo hem gogo long olketa meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bat hem nating talem mi! Hem no askem mi for go witim hem tu! Taem Theodotos kasem haos, mi talem hem: “Bae mi go witim iu long ples wea iu go long hem last Sunday!”

Samting olsem tenfala pipol nao stap long firstfala meeting wea mi go long hem. Olketa storyim Bible buk bilong Micah. Mi barava lisin gud long evri samting wea olketa storyim! Start long datfala taem, evri Friday evening George and Katerini Petraki kam long haos bilong mifala for study witim mifala. Dadi bilong mi and tufala brata bilong mi no laekem mifala for study witim olketa Witness, bat sista bilong mi no againstim mifala nomata hem no kamap wanfala Witness. Bat mami bilong mi nao kam insaed long truth. Long 1942, mami bilong mi, Theodotos, and mi, mifala evriwan baptaes long saedsea long Alexandria for showimaot mifala dedicate finis long Jehovah.

Laef Bilong Mifala Change

Long 1939, World War II hem start, and no longtaem bihaen hem big go moa. No longtaem bihaen 1940, wanfala bigman bilong army long Germany, Erwin Rommel, hem kam witim army bilong hem long El Alamein, wanfala taon wea klosap long mifala. Staka army bilong England stap long Alexandria. Mifala baem staka kaikai. Then boss bilong Theodotos askem hem for lukaftarem niu stoa bilong hem for salem olketa loli wea stap long Port Taufiq, wanfala taon klosap long Suez. So mifala muv go long there. Wanfala hasband and waef wea Witness wea savve story long Greek languis lukaotem mifala. Olketa no savve wea nao mifala stap, so olketa preach long haos tu haos gogo olketa faendem mifala.

Taem mifala stap long Port Taufiq, mifala study witim Stavros and Giula Kypraios, witim boy bilong tufala Totos, and gele bilong tufala Georgia. Mifala barava fren gud. Stavros laekem tumas for studyim Bible. Taem mifala go long haos bilong hem, hem savve mekem klok bilong hem wan hour leit, mekem mifala savve gohed story witim hem and missim transport bilong mifala. Mifala savve story gogo hem big naet nao.

Mifala stap long Port Taufiq for 18 month, then bihaen mifala mas go bak long Alexandria from mami bilong mi hem sik. Mami bilong mi faithful long Jehovah go kasem taem hem dae long 1947. Long datfala taem tu, mifala luksavve Jehovah strongim mifala taem mifala hipap witim olketa Christian brata and sista. Taem olketa missionary kam long Alexandria bifor olketa go long assignment bilong olketa, mifala askem olketa for stap witim mifala firstaem.

Mifala Hapi, Bat Mifala Kasem Hard Taem Tu

Long 1952, mi bornem mek-tu pikinini bilong mifala, James. From mitufala luksavve hem bae gud tumas for tufala boy bilong mifala kaban witim olketa brata and sista, mifala garem olketa meeting long haos bilong mifala, and plande taem mifala invaetem olketa wea insaed full-taem service long haos tu. From mifala duim olsem, son bilong mifala John barava lovem truth and taem hem teenager, hem start for pioneer. Taem hem pioneer, hem go long skul long evening mekem hem finisim education bilong hem.

No longtaem bihaen datwan, Theodotos kasem sik long heart and olketa doctor talem hem for no duim kaen waka wea hem duim. Long datfala taem, son bilong mitufala James hem foa year nomoa. Wanem nao bae mifala duim? Mifala tingim disfala promis bilong Jehovah: “No fraet, bikos mi stap witim iu.” (Isa. 41:10) Long 1956, mifala barava sapraes tumas and hapi bikos mifala kasem assignment for pioneer long Ismailia, wea klosap long Suez Canal! Olketa year bihaen datwan, olketa bigfala problem kamap long Egypt, and olketa Christian brata and sista bilong mifala long there needim encouragement.

Long 1960 mifala mas ranawe from Egypt and mifala wanwan savve tekem nomoa wanfala box kaleko. Mifala go long Cyprus, hom bilong hasband bilong mi. Long datfala taem, Theodotos hem barava sik and no fit for waka nao. Nomata olsem, wanfala hasband and waef wea Witness kaen tumas long mifala and letem mifala stap long wanfala haos bilong tufala. Bat sorre samting nao happen. Tufala year bihaen, hasband bilong mi dae, and mitufala James nomoa stap tugeta. Nara son bilong mi John hem kam long Cyprus tu, bat hem marit finis and mas lukaftarem famili bilong hemseleva.

Mifala Kasem Help Long Olketa Hard Taem

Then Stavros and Dora Kairis askem mitufala for stap witim olketa. Mi prea long Jehovah and thankiu long hem from hem lukaftarem mifala moa. (Ps. 145:16) Taem Stavros and Dora disaed for salem haos bilong tufala and buildim niu haos wea garem Kingdom Hall andanit, olketa buildim tufala smol rum for mitufala James tu.

Gogo James hem marit, and tufala pioneer go kasem taem waef bilong hem bornem firstfala pikinini bilong tufala. Olketa garem thrifala boy and wanfala dota. Long 1974, tufala year bihaen Brata Knorr hem kam long Cyprus, gavman long there hem brekdaon.a Staka pipol, and samfala Witness tu, mas lusim haos bilong olketa and go stap long difren ples. Son bilong mi John tu hem wanfala long olketa. Hem and waef bilong hem witim thrifala pikinini bilong hem, olketa muv go long Canada. Nomata staka brata lusim Cyprus, mifala hapi for lukim namba bilong olketa pablisa long Cyprus hem kamap moa big.

From mi olo, mi kasem lelebet selen from gavman, and datwan helpem mi for duim samfala samting moa long preaching waka. Bat tu-thri year go finis, stroke kasem mi and mi mas go stap witim son bilong mi James and famili bilong hem. Bihaen datwan mi sik big and mi mas stap long hospital for staka week. Then mi mas go stap long haos wea olketa olo stap wea olketa nurse lukaftarem olketa. Nomata body bilong mi soa olowe, mi preach evritaem long olketa nurse, olketa nara sikman, and olketa wea kam lukim mi. Staka hour long week mi study seleva, and olketa Christian brata helpem mi for go long Kongregeson Buk Study wea klosap long ples wea mi stap.

Nomata Mi Olo, Mi Hapi

Mi savve hapi tumas taem mi herem nius abaotem pipol wea mitufala Theodotos helpem. Plande pikinini bilong olketa and grani bilong olketa tu, olketa duim full-taem service. Samfala hia stap long Australia, Canada, England, Greece, and Switzerland. Distaem son bilong mi John witim waef bilong hem, tufala stap long Canada witim son bilong tufala. Firstborn dota bilong tufala witim hasband bilong hem, tufala pioneer. Nara dota bilong tufala witim hasband bilong hem, Linda and Joshua Snape, tufala go long mek-124 class bilong Gilead Skul.

Son bilong mi James witim waef bilong hem, tufala stap long Germany distaem. Tufala son bilong tufala waka long Bethel. Wanfala waka long Bethel long Athens, Greece, and narawan hem waka long Bethel long Selters, Germany. Nara son bilong tufala and dota bilong tufala witim hasband bilong hem, thrifala pioneer long Germany.

Mi garem staka samting for storyim long mami bilong mi and Theodotos taem tufala laef bak long future! Tufala bae hapi tumas for lukim gudfala spiritual samting wea olketa givim go for famili bilong olketa.b

[Olketa Footnote]

[Blurb long page 24]

Long datfala taem tu, mifala luksavve Jehovah strongim mifala taem mifala hipap witim olketa Christian brata and sista

[Map long page 24]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

CYPRUS

NICOSIA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

EGYPT

CAIRO

El Alamein

Alexandria

Ismailia

Suez

Port Taufiq

Suez Canal

[Credit Line]

Based on NASA/​Visible Earth imagery

[Piksa long page 23]

Theodotos and mi long 1938

[Piksa long page 25]

Son bilong mi James witim waef bilong hem

[Piksa long page 25]

Son bilong mi John witim waef bilong hem