“Angel Bilong Jehovah Stap Raonem Olketa wea Fraet Long Hem”
Story bilong Christabel Connell
Mifala busy for ansarem olketa Bible kwestin bilong Christopher gogo mifala no savve hao hem midolnaet nao; and hao Christopher gohed lukluk aotsaed. Gogo hem luk kam long mifala and sei, “Iufala savve go, hem gud nao.” Hem wakabaot witim mifala go long ples wea mifala putim baesikol and talem gudnaet for mifala. Wanem nao hem lukluk aotsaed for hem wea danger tumas?
MI BORN long Sheffield, England, long 1927, and olketa nemim mi Christabel Earl. Long World War II, bomb foldaon long haos bilong mifala, so mi go stap witim grani taem mi gohed skul. Taem mi go skul long wanfala skul bilong olketa Catholic, mi evritaem askem olketa nun abaotem why staka nogud samting happen. Mi nating hapi long ansa wea olketa nun and bigman long religion talem.
Taem World War II hem finis, mi go skul for nurse. Mi go long London for waka long Paddington General Hospital, bat mi lukim staka nogud samting gohed long datfala taon. No longtaem bihaen brata bilong mi go faet long datfala Korean War, wanfala big faet tu happen aotsaed long hospital wea mi waka. No eniwan helpem wanfala man wea olketa killim hem, wea bihaen hem kamap blind. Long datfala taem tu, mi and mami bilong mi savve go long wanfala grup wea sei olketa savve story witim man wea dae finis, bat no eniwan minim long mi why nao staka nogud samting gohed for happen.
Studyim Bible
Wantaem, big brata bilong mi John wea hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness kam lukim mi. Hem askem mi olsem: “Iu savve why nao olketa nogud samting gohed?” Mi talem hem, “mi no savve.” Hem readim kam Revelation 12:7-12 long Bible bilong hem. Long datfala taem nao, mi luksavve hao Satan and olketa demon bilong hem nao bihaenem olketa rabis samting wea happen long world. Mi duim wanem John talem, and mi start for studyim Bible nao. Bat long datfala taem mi no baptaes bikos mi fraet long pipol.—Prov. 29:25.
Sista bilong mi Dorothy tu kamap wanfala Witness. Taem hem kam bak from international convention long New York (1953) witim Bill Roberts wea hem bae maritim, mi talem tufala hao mi tu studyim Bible. Bill askem mi olsem: “Waswe, iu readim evri scripture and andalaenem olketa ansa long datfala buk wea iu studyim?” Taem mi talem hao mi nating duim datwan, hem sei: “Datwan minim iu nating study nomoa! Lukaotem datfala sista and study moa!” Long datfala taem nao olketa demon start for spoelem mi. Mi tingim hao mi barava askem Jehovah for protectim mi long datfala taem, mekem olketa demon no spoelem mi.
Pioneer Long Scotland and Ireland
Mi baptaes long January 16, 1954 and finis waka olsem nurse long May. Then mi start pioneer long June. Eitfala month bihaen, mi go spesol pioneer long Grangemouth, Scotland. Taem mi preach seleva long datfala farawe ples, mi savve olketa angel bilong Jehovah ‘stap raonem mi.’—Ps. 34:7.
Long 1956, mi go pioneer long Ireland. Mi and tufala nara sista nao kasem assignment for go long datfala taon, Galway. Long firstfala day, mi meetim wanfala priest. No longtaem bihaen nomoa, wanfala policeman kam and tekem mi and partner bilong mi long police station. Taem hem savve long nem and ples wea mifala stap, semtaem nomoa hem go ring nao. Mifala herem hem sei, “Ia Father, mi savve ples wea olketa stap.” Priest nao talem hem for kam! Olketa talem long man wea mifala rentim haos bilong hem for raosem mifala go aot, so branch office talem mifala for go from datfala taon. Mifala leit lelebet for kasem train station. Bat taem mifala kasem long there, train hem stap yet and wanfala man nao lukluk weitim mifala for mek sure mifala go. Datwan happen bihaen mifala stap long Galway for thrifala week nomoa!
Mifala kasem nara assignment for go long Limerick, wanfala taon wea staka Catholic nao stap long hem. Evritaem olketa raf sekson singaot and tok spoelem mifala. Staka pipol no laek openem door long haos bilong olketa. Wanfala year bifor, olketa killim nogud wanfala brata long smol taon Cloonlara. Mifala barava hapi for meetim Christopher, wea mi storyim long start bilong disfala story, and hem askem mifala for kam bak and story moa long hem abaotem Bible. Long datfala taem nao wanfala priest kam insaed long haos and forcem Christopher for raosem mifala. Christopher tok stret long datfala priest olsem: “Mi nao askem olketa woman hia for kam and olketa noknok bifor olketa kam insaed. Mi no askem iu for kam, and iu nating noknok tu.” Priest hia barava kros and go aot.
Mifala no savve, bat datfala priest hipimap wanfala big sekson aotsaed long haos bilong Christopher and olketa weitim mifala. From Christopher savve olketa laek for killim mifala, hem duim nao samting wea mi storyim antap. Hem talem mifala for stap go kasem taem olketa man hia go. Mifala herem bihaen hao olketa forcem hem and famili bilong hem for ranawe and olketa go long England.
Go Long Gilead
Mi plan finis for go long New York for attendim 1958 Divine Will International Assembly taem olketa askem mi for go long mek-33 class long Gilead. Bihaen datfala assembly, mi no go bak long hom, bat mi go preach long Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, and stap long there go kasem taem Gilead Skul hem start long 1959. Long datfala assembly nao mi meetim Eric Connell. Hem kamap wanfala Witness long 1957 and start pioneer long 1958. Bihaen datfala assembly, hem raet long mi evriday taem mi stap long Canada and taem mi skul long Gilead. Mi tingting nao long wanem bae happen long mitufala bihaen mi skul finis.
Mi hapi tumas taem mi go long Gilead Skul. Dorothy and hasband bilong hem tu long sem class. Tufala kasem assignment for go long Portugal. Mi sapraes taem mi kasem assignment for go long Ireland. Bat mi sorre from mi no go witim sista bilong mi! Mi askem wanfala brata wea teachim mifala sapos mi duim eni samting wea no stret. Hem talem olsem: “Nomoa, iu and partner bilong iu Eileen Mahoney laek for go long eni ples long world,” and Ireland hem wanfala long olketa ples hia.
Go Bak Long Ireland
Mi kasem bak Ireland long August 1959 and mi kasem assignment for go long Dun Laoghaire Kongregeson. And Eric hem go bak long England, so hem hapi tumas from mi stap klosap nomoa long hem. Hem tu laek for kamap missionary. Hem sei from olketa missionary savve go long Ireland, hem bae go pioneer long there tu. Hem kam long Dun Laoghaire and mitufala marit long 1961.
Sixfala month bihaen, Eric hem kasem wanfala big accident long motorbike. Hed bilong hem krak and olketa doctor no savve sapos hem bae laef or dae. Bihaen hem stap long hospital for thrifala week, mi lukaftarem hem long haos for faevfala month go kasem taem hem gud bak. Mi gohed for preach fitim wanem mi fit for duim.
Long 1965, mitufala kasem assignment for go long wanfala kongregeson wea garem eitfala pablisa long Sligo, wea garem wharf long north west coast long Ireland. Thrifala year bihaen, mifala go moa long nara smol kongregeson long Londonderry wea stap long north. Wanfala day, taem mifala kam bak from preaching, olketa blokem road bilong mifala witim barb-wire. Long datfala taem nao olketa trabol start long Northern Ireland. Samfala grup bilong olketa young pipol bonem olketa car. Taon hem divaed finis, wan saed hem bilong olketa Protestant and narasaed hem bilong olketa Catholic. Hem no sef nao for go long narasaed long taon.
Gohed Stap and Preach Long Taem Bilong Trabol
Bat for duim preaching waka, mifala mas go long evri ples long datfala taon. Mifala luksavve hao olketa angel gohed for stap raonem mifala. Taem mifala kasem ples wea faet kamap long hem, mifala kwiktaem go aot and kam bak long narataem moa. Wantaem olketa faet klosap nomoa long ples wea mifala stap, and samfala asis from fire wea bonem wanfala paint stoa flae kam long window bilong mifala. Mifala fraet nogud olketa bonem building wea mifala stap insaed, so mifala nating sleep long naet. Taem mifala stap long Belfast long 1970, mifala herem hao wanfala petrol bomb hem bonem datfala paint stoa and datfala building wea mifala stap long hem bifor.
Narataem, mi preach witim wanfala sista and mitufala lukim wanfala haf pipe front long wanfala window. Bat mitufala no savve hem wanfala bomb and mitufala gohed wakabaot nomoa. Tu-thri minute bihaen pipe hia bosta nao. Olketa pipol wea stap long datfala ples tingse mitufala nao putim datfala bomb! Semtaem nomoa wanfala sista wea stap long datfala ples kolem mitufala for go long haos bilong hem. Datwan mekem olketa neiba bilong hem no garem nogud tingting abaotem mitufala.
Long 1971, mifala go bak long Londonderry for lukim wanfala sista. Taem mifala storyim kakam bilong mifala and hao mifala mas kam pas long wanfala checkpoint, hem askem mifala olsem: “Waswe, no eniwan standap long datfala checkpoint?” Taem mifala talem hao, “samfala man stap bat olketa no warim mifala nomoa,” diswan mekem hem barava sapraes. Why nao olsem? Bikos tu-thri day go nomoa olketa stopem car bilong wanfala doctor and wanfala policeman and bonem car bilong olketa.
Mifala go long Cork long 1972. Bihaen, mifala go preach long Naas, then mifala go long Arklow. Then long 1987, mitufala kasem assignment for go long Castlebar and mifala stap long there kam kasem distaem. Mifala barava hapi for garem chance for help long waka for wakem wanfala Kingdom Hall. Eric kasem wanfala big sik long 1999. Bat from Jehovah hem helpem mi and love wea kongregeson showimaot, datwan mekem mi for lukaftarem Eric go kasem taem hem gud bak.
Mi and Eric go long Pioneer Service Skul tufala taem finis. Hem wanfala elder long kongregeson yet. Mi safa from arthritis and olketa changem tufala join long hip and tufala join long knee bilong mi and putim olketa niu wan. Mi kasem hard taem from olketa pipol long religion and mi stap long taem bilong olketa trabol, bat samting wea mi faendem hard tumas hem for mi mas stop for draev. Datwan hem wanfala test bikos hem stopem mi for go long eni ples wea mi laekem. Kongregeson barava helpem and sapotim mi. Distaem mi iusim stik for wakabaot and for go long olketa farawe ples, mi iusim battery motorbike wea garem thrifala tyre.
Kam kasem distaem, mitufala Eric spesol pioneer for winim 100 year finis and 98 long olketa year hia hem long Ireland. Bat mifala nating ting for finis for duim disfala waka. Mifala no depend long eni mirakol, bat mifala biliv hao olketa strongfala angel bilong Jehovah “stap raonem” olketa wea fraet long hem and gohed strong for worshipim hem.