“Diswan Nao Hem Road. . . . Wakabaot Followim”

Story Bilong Emilia Pederson

Ruth E. Pappas Nao Talem Disfala Story

MAMI bilong mi, Emilia Pederson, hem born long 1878. Nomata hem wanfala skul teacher, hem laek tumas for helpem pipol for fren gud witim God. For helpem hem duim datwan, hem peim wanfala big box wea stap yet long haos bilong mifala long smolfala taon long Jasper, Minnesota, U.S.A. Hem peim for karem evri samting bilong hem for tekem go long China, wea hem laek duim missionary waka. Bat taem mami bilong hem dae, hem mas lukaftarem nao smol brata and fofala sista bilong hem and hem no duim missionary waka nao. Long 1907, hem maritim Theodore Holien. Mi born long December 2, 1925, wea mi nao last wan long sevenfala pikinini.

Mami trae hard for faendemaot ansa long samfala Bible kwestin. Hem garem kwestin abaotem disfala teaching hao hellfire hem wanfala ples wea rabis pipol safa. Hem askem wanfala bigman long Lutheran Church wea long Bible nao hem pruvim disfala teaching. Hem talem mami for no warim wanem Bible talem, bat pipol mas savve abaotem disfala teaching hao hellfire hem ples wea rabis pipol safa.

Hem Kasem Ansa for Olketa Kwestin

Long samting olsem 1900, sista bilong mami, Emma, hem go long Northfield, Minnesota, for studyim music. Hem stap long haos bilong teacher bilong hem Milius Christianson wea waef bilong hem, hem wanfala Bible Student, wea hem nao nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bifor. Emma talem hao sista bilong hem barava interest long Bible. Kwiktaem nomoa Mrs. Christianson raetem wanfala leta long mami for ansarem olketa Bible kwestin.

Gogo wanfala Bible Student, Lora Oathout, kam from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for preach long pipol long Jasper. Mami studyim olketa buk wea hem kasem from Lora, and long 1915 hem start for storyim long pipol olketa trufala teaching and givimaot olketa buk hia.

Long 1916, mami herem hao Charles Taze Russell bae story long wanfala convention long Sioux City, Iowa. Hem laek for go herem. Long datfala taem, Mami garem faevfala pikinini finis and Marvin hem faev month nomoa. Nomata olsem, hem tekem evri pikinini 160 kilometer long train for go long convention long Sioux City. Hem herem olketa tok bilong Brata Russell and lukim disfala “Photo-Drama of Creation,” and then hem baptaes. Taem hem kam bak long hom, hem raetem wanfala story abaotem datfala convention and olketa printim long Jasper Journal.

Long 1922, Mami hem wanfala long 18,000 wea hipap long Cedar Point, Ohio convention. Bihaen long datfala convention hem gohed for talemaot Kingdom bilong God. Samting wea hem duim hem olsem hem talem mifala “Diswan nao hem road. . . . Wakabaot followim.”​—Isa. 30:21.

Gud Samting wea Kamaot From Preaching

Long 1920 olsem, mami and dadi bilong mi go stap long wanfala haos klosap long Jasper. Dadi garem gudfala bisnis and bigfala famili for lukaftarem. Hem no studyim Bible tumas olsem Mami, bat hem barava sapotim preaching waka and hem letem olketa traveling overseer for stap long haos bilong mifala. Taem olketa traveling brata givim tok long haos bilong mifala, staka taem samting olsem handred pipol nao hipap and fulimap evri rum.

Taem mi seven year, aunty bilong mi Lettie, hem talem kam hao neiba bilong hem Ed Larson and waef bilong hem laek studyim Bible. Olketa kwiktaem acceptim olketa trufala Bible teaching and olketa askem Martha Van Daalen, mami wea garem eitfala pikinini, for kam study tu. Martha and full famili bilong hem kamap olketa Bible Student.a

Klosap long datfala taem, Gordon Kammerud, wanfala young man wea no stap farawe tumas start for waka witim Dadi. Samfala warnim Gordon finis for: “Keakea long olketa gele bilong boss bilong hem. Religion bilong olketa hem barava difren.” Bat Gordon start for studyim Bible tu and kwiktaem nomoa hem luksavve hem faendem nao olketa trufala teaching. Thrifala month bihaen, hem baptaes. Gogo, mami and dadi bilong hem baptaes tu, and mifala olketa Holien, Kammerud, and Van Daalen famili kamap olketa gudfala fren.

Olketa Convention Strongim Mifala

Convention long Cedar Point Ohio strongim mami gogo hem no laek for missim eni convention nao. Mi tingim hao taem mi smol mifala savve gogo farawe for hipap long olketa convention hia. Convention long Columbus, Ohio, long 1931 hem spesol bikos long datfala taem nao iumi start for iusim disfala nem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. (Isa. 43:10-12) Mi tingim yet datfala convention long Washington, D.C., long 1935, wea wanfala spesol tok storyim “bigfala sekson,” or datfala “big crowd,” wea Revelation storyim. (Rev. 7:9; King James Version) Tufala sista bilong mi, Lilian and Eunice joinim winim 800 wea baptaes long there.

Famili bilong mi go long olketa convention long Columbus, Ohio long 1937, Seattle Washington long 1938, and New York City long 1939. Olketa Van Daalen and Kammerud famili savve gogo witim mifala. Eunice maritim Leo Van Daalen long 1940, and tufala kamap pioneer. Lilian maritim Gordon Kammerud long datfala sem year and tufala tu kamap pioneer.

Convention long St. Louis, Missouri, long 1941 hem spesol tu. Long datfala taem, staka thousand young pipol kasem buk Children. Datfala convention hem olsem wanfala big change for mi. No longtaem bihaen, long September 1, 1941, mi, brata bilong mi Marvin and waef bilong hem, mifala start for pioneer. Datfala taem mi 15 year nomoa.

Long ples bilong mi, staka wakem olketa big garden or farm and hem hard for evri brata go long olketa convention bikos staka taem olketa convention kamap long taem for harvest. So bihaen long olketa convention, mifala bae garem wanfala review long haos bilong mifala for helpem olketa wea no go long convention. Hem olketa hapitaem for mifala.

Gilead and Missionary Waka

Long February 1943, olketa startim Gilead Skul for trainim olketa pioneer for duim missionary waka. Firstfala class garem sixfala long Van Daalen famili: Emil, Arthur, Homer, Leo, and kasin bilong olketa Donald, and sista bilong mi Eunice wea hem waef bilong Leo. Taem mifala baebae long olketa, mifala hapi and sorre tu from mifala no savve wanem taem nao mifala bae lukim olketa moa. Bihaen olketa skul finis long Gilead, olketa go long Puerto Rico, wea long datfala taem tu-thri Witness nomoa stap.

Wanfala year bihaen, Lilian and Gordon and Marvin and Joyce go long mek-thri Gilead class. Olketa tu go long Puerto Rico. Long September 1944, taem mi 18 year, mi go long mek-foa Gilead class. Taem class hem finis long February 1945, mi go long Puerto Rico witim olketa brata and sista bilong mi. Start long datfala taem, mi start duim staka niu samting. Nomata Spanish languis hem hard for lanem, kwiktaem nomoa samfala long mifala garem winim 20-fala Bible study. Jehovah blessim disfala waka. Distaem, samting olsem 25,000 Witness nao stap long Puerto Rico!

Trabol Kasem Famili Bilong Mifala

Leo and Eunice stap long Puerto Rico bihaen tufala garem pikinini boy bilong tufala Mark, long 1950. Long 1952, olketa mekem plan for visitim samfala relative long ples bilong olketa. Long April 11, olketa flae long aeroplane. Bat sorre tumas, no longtaem bihaen olketa go nomoa, plane ia hem foldaon long sea. Leo and Eunice dae nao. Wanfala man faendem Mark wea tu year hem float long sea. Hem pullim Mark insaed long boat for mekem hem brith and laef.b

Faevfala year bihaen, long March 7, 1957, Mami and Dadi draev go for Kingdom Hall, bat tyre long trak hem flat. Taem Dadi changem tyre long saed road nomoa, nara trak kam and bangam hem and hem dae semtaem tu. Samting olsem 600 pipol nao kam long dae bilong hem and datwan givim bigfala witness long datfala ples wea pipol tinghae long hem.

Niufala Waka

No longtaem bifor Dadi hem dae, olketa askem mi for go preach long Argentina. Long August 1957, mi kasem bigfala taon Mendoza, long botom long olketa Andes Maunten. Long 1958, George Pappas wea hem go long mek-30 Gilead class hem kam long Argentina. Mitufala George kamap gudfala fren and long April 1960 mitufala marit nao. Long 1961 Mami hem dae taem hem 83 year. Hem barava faithful long trufala worship and hem helpem staka for duim sem samting.

For tenfala year mitufala George waka tugeta witim olketa nara missionary long samfala difren missionary haos. Then mifala duim circuit waka for sevenfala year. Long 1975, mifala go bak long America for helpem samfala long famili wea sik. Long 1980, olketa askem olo bilong mi for duim circuit waka long olketa Spanish languis kongregeson. Samting olsem 600 Spanish languis kongregeson nao stap long America long datfala taem. Mifala visitim staka long olketa kongregeson hia for 26 year and lukim namba bilong olketa kamap big winim 3,000.

Olketa Wakabaot Long Datfala “Road”

Mami hapi tu for lukim olketa young wan long famili for duim preaching waka full-taem. Olsem Carol, gele bilong big sista bilong mi Ester, hem start pioneer long 1953. Hem maritim Dennis Trumbore and tufala gohed long full-taem waka kam kasem distaem. Nara pikinini bilong Ester, wea hem nao Lois, maritim Wendell Jensen. Olketa go long mek-41 Gilead class and duim missionary waka long Nigeria for 15-fala year. Sista bilong Leo, wea hem nao Ruth La Londe and hasband bilong hem Curtiss, adoptim nao Mark wea mami and dadi bilong hem dae taem plane hem foldaon. Mark and waef bilong hem Lavonne pioneer for staka year and lanem fofala pikinini bilong olketa for followim datfala “road.”​—Isa. 30:21.

Brata bilong mi Orlen, hem winim 95 year. Mitufala nomoa laef distaem. Hem gohed faithful for worshipim Jehovah. Mitufala George gohed for duim preaching waka full taem.

Samting wea Mami Leavim

Distaem mi garem wanfala tebol bilong Mami wea hem tinghae long hem. Hem wanfala present wea dadi givim hem taem tufala marit. Insaed long wanfala drawer long datfala tebol, mami keepim olketa oldfala pepa olsem olketa leta and niuspepa story wea hem raetem wea givimaot bigfala witness abaotem Kingdom. Samfala long olketa olo pepa hia hem from 1900 yet. Insaed long datfala tebol Mami keepim tu olketa leta wea olketa missionary pikinini bilong hem sendem kam. Mi laekem tumas for readim olketa evritaem! And olketa leta wea hem savve raetem for mifala evritaem garem gudfala toktok for strongim man. Mami no duim datfala missionary waka wea hem laek for duim. Bat strong wea hem garem for missionary waka mekem staka narawan for duim datwan. Mi barava hapi for tingim taem long paradaes wea mifala evriwan long famili bae lukim moa Mami and Dadi!​—Rev. 21:​3, 4.

[Olketa Footnote]

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Emilia Pederson

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1916: Mami, Dadi (hem holem Marvin); long daon, left saed go long raet saed: Orlen, Ester, Lilian, Mildred

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Leo and Eunice, no longtaem bifor olketa dae

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1950: Left saed go long raet saed, antap: Ester, Mildred, Lilian, Eunice, Ruth; long daon: Orlen, Mami, Dadi, and Marvin

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George and Ruth Pappas long circuit waka, 2001