Wei for Readim Bible Evritaem Strongim Mi

Story Bilong Marceau Leroy

“LONG start, God wakem skae and earth.” Mi readim datfala toktok taem mi stap seleva long rum. Mi read haed bikos mi readim Bible and dadi bilong mi no biliv long God. Mi savve dadi bilong mi bae no laekem mi for readim Bible.

Long firstaem wea mi readim Bible, mi barava sapraes long wanem mi readim long buk bilong Genesis. Mi luksavve reason why evri samting long nature no olobaot! Mi interest tumas long wanem mi readim so mi start read from 8 klok long naet go kasem 4 klok long morning. Start long datfala taem mi gohed for readim Bible. Bae mi storyim why nao wei for duim datwan hem strongim mi.

“Iu Bae Readim Evriday”

Mi born long 1926 long Vermelles, wanfala vilij long north France wea olketa duim coal mining. Long World War II, coal nao main samting wea kantri savve tek selen long hem. So from mi waka long coal mine, gavman no forcem mi for joinim army. Bat mi laek garem gudfala laef so mi skulim olketa samting saed long radio and electric. Datwan mekem mi tinghae long wei wea olketa law saed long nature no olobaot. Taem mi 21 year, wanfala skulfren givim Bible long mi and sei: “Diswan hem nambawan buk for readim.” So mi start for readim Bible. Taem mi finis for readim, mi luksavve Bible hem Word bilong God and message for olketa man.

Mi tingse olketa neiba bilong mi bae interest for readim Bible so mi tekem eitfala copy moa. Bat mi sapraes olketa mekfani and againstim mi. Olketa relative sei: “Taem iu start for readim datfala buk, iu bae readim evriday!” Bat mi gohed for readim Bible and mi nating sorre. Hem wei bilong mi for readim evritaem.

From samfala neiba lukim mi interest long Bible, olketa givim mi olketa buk wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness givim long olketa. Olketa buk olsem One World, One Governmenta (piksa long buk long French languis) explainim why Bible sei Kingdom bilong God nomoa savve givim hope long olketa man. (Matt. 6:10) Mi laekem tumas for storyim datfala hope long olketa narawan.

Wanfala wea acceptim Bible from mi nao hem Noël. Hem fren bilong mi taem mi smol. From hem Catholic, hem mekem arrangement for mitufala go lukim wanfala man wea skul for kamap priest. Mi fraet lelebet, bat from mi readim Psalm 115:4-8 and Matthew 23:9, 10, mi savve God les for iumi iusim idol long worship and for iusim olketa title taem iumi story long bigman long church. Datwan mekem mi for no fraet for storyim biliv bilong mi. Gud samting wea kamap, Noël acceptim truth and hem gohed faithful kam kasem distaem.

Mi go visitim tu big sista bilong mi. Hasband bilong hem garem olketa buk wea join witim devildevil and datwan mekem olketa demon spoelem hem. Firstaem mi fraet, bat olketa scripture olsem Hebrews 1:14 mekem mi luksavve olketa angel bilong Jehovah helpem mi. Taem brata-in-law bilong mi followim olketa Bible principle and lusim evri samting wea join witim devildevil, olketa demon stop for spoelem hem. Hem and sista bilong mi kamap Witness.

Long 1947, wanfala Witness long America wea nem bilong hem Arthur Emiot, preach long mi. Mi hapi tumas for meetim wanfala Jehovah’s Witness so mi askem wea nao olketa savve hipap. Hem talem mi wanfala grup savve hipap long Liévin wea stap samting olsem 10 kilometer from ples wea mi stap. For staka month mi mas baeleg go long olketa meeting bikos hem hard for faendem baesikol for baem. Gavman tambuim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long France for eitfala year finis. Long datfala taem 2,380 Witness nomoa stap long France and staka long olketa kam from Poland. Bat long September 1, 1947, gavman long France registerim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness moa. Olketa brata startim moa waka long branch office long Villa Guibert, Paris. Kingdom Ministry Bilong Iumi long December 1947 wea bifor hem Informant encouragem olketa wea fit for kamap regular pioneer bikos no eni pioneer stap long France. Long datfala taem hour bilong regular pioneer for wanfala month hem 150. (Long 1949, hour bilong olketa regular pioneer hem 100.) From mi bilivim toktok bilong Jesus long John 17:17 wea sei ‘toktok bilong God hem tru,’ mi baptaes long 1948 and long December 1949, mi start pioneer.

Aot From Prison, Then Go Bak Long Dunkerque

Mi no stap longtaem long first assignment bilong mi long Agen, south France. From mi no gohed waka long coal mine, gavman laekem mi for joinim army. Mi les for duim datwan so olketa putim mi long prison. Nomata olketa no letem mi for garem Bible, mi kasem tu-thri page long buk bilong Psalms and wei for readim datwan strongim mi. Taem mi aot from prison, mi mas disaed sapos bae mi gohed for duim full-taem service or faendem waka for selen and garem haos. Samting wea mi readim long Bible helpem mi long diswan tu. Mi ting raonem toktok bilong Paul long Philippians 4:11-13 wea sei: “Nomata wanem samting hem kasem mi, paoa wea mi kasem from God nao hem strongim mi for gohed.” So mi disaed for gohed pioneer and long 1950 mi kasem niu assignment long Dunkerque, wanfala taon wea mi preach long hem bifor.

Mi no garem eni samting taem mi kasem Dunkerque. Hem no isi for faendem ples for stap bikos pipol spoelem datfala taon long World War II. So mi disaed for visitim wanfala famili wea mi preach long olketa bifor. Taem woman long haos lukim mi, hem sei: “Mr. Leroy, iu aot from prison nao! Hasband bilong mi sei sapos staka man garem wei olsem iu, bae no eni war.” From olketa garem rest haos olketa letem mi stap go kasem taem wea olketa tourist savve kam for holiday. Long sem day tu, brata bilong Arthur Emiot, Evans, givim mi waka.b Waka bilong Evans long ports hem for transleit go long nara languis and hem givim mi waka for security long ship. Mi meetim wanfala bigman long ship long datfala day tu. Datfala man lukim mi thin tumas. Evans talem hem mi just aot from prison, so hem talem mi for tekem eni kaikai wea mi laekem from fridge. Long datfala day, mi garem ples for stap, waka, and kaikai! Toktok wea Jesus talem long Matthew 6:25-33 barava strongim mi.

Taem olketa tourist kam for holiday, mi and pioneer partner bilong mi Simon Apolinarski mas lukaotem nara ples for stap, bat mitufala no laek lusim assignment bilong mitufala. So nara man letem mifala for stap long haos for keepim olketa horse bifor and mifala sleep long grass wea mifala hipimap. Evriday mitufala preach. Mifala preach long man wea ownim ples wea mifala stap, and hem tu wanfala long staka wea acceptim truth. No longtaem bihaen, wanfala niuspepa warnim pipol long Dunkerque hao staka Jehovah’s Witness preach long there. Bat mi and Simon witim samfala nara Witness nomoa stap long there! Nomata mifala kasem olketa hard taem, samting wea strongim mifala nao hem for ting raonem hope wea mifala garem and wei wea Jehovah lukaftarem mifala. Taem mi kasem niu assignment long 1952, samting olsem 30 pablisa nao stap long Dunkerque.

Strong for Duim Nara Assignment

Bihaen mi stap lelebet taem long Amiens, mi kasem assignment for spesol pioneer long Boulogne-Billancourt, wanfala ples long Paris. Mi garem staka Bible study and gogo samfala duim full-taem service and samfala kamap missionary. Wanfala young man, Guy Mabilat acceptim truth and gogo hem kamap circuit overseer and bihaen hem distrik overseer. Gogo hem overseer long construction for wakem printery long Bethel long Louviers, wea stap farawe lelebet from Paris. Wei for storyim Bible evritaem long ministry mekem mi for no forgetim Word bilong God. Datwan mekem mi for hapi and kamap gud long wei for teach.

Then long 1953, mi sapraes for kasem assignment for kamap circuit overseer long Alsace-Lorraine, wanfala ples wea Germany tekovarem tufala taem long olketa year midolwan long 1871 and 1945. So mi mas lanem German languis. Taem mi start for duim circuit waka, staka pipol no garem car, TV, or typewriter, and no eniwan garem radio or computer. Nomata olsem, mi hapi tumas and laef bilong mi no boring. Long datfala taem, hem isi nomoa for garem ‘simpol’ laef bikos no staka samting stap wea savve mekem man no strong for worshipim Jehovah.—Matt. 6:19-22.

Mi no forgetim assembly wea kamap long 1955 long Paris wea garem theme “Triumphant Kingdom.” Long there nao mi meetim Irène Kolanski, wea start for duim full-taem service 1 year bifor mi. Dadi and mami bilong hem from Poland, and olketa worshipim Jehovah for longtaem finis. Adolf Weber nao visitim olketa long France. Brata Weber lukaftarem garden bilong Brata Russell and hem kam long Europe for preachim gud nius. Mitufala Irène marit long 1956 and gohed for duim circuit waka. Irène barava helpem mi kam kasem distaem!

Tufala year bihaen, mi sapraes for kasem assignment for kamap distrik overseer. Bat from no staka brata stap wea fit for duim circuit waka, mi gohed duim circuit waka long samfala kongregeson tu. Mi barava busy! Nomata mi mas preach 100 hour evri month, evri week mi mas givim olketa tok, visitim thrifala buk study grup, chekim olketa record, and raetem olketa report. Nomata olsem, mi duim wanfala samting mekem mi savve readim Bible evriday. Mi katemaot olketa page from old Bible and tekem witim mi. Taem mi weitim samwan wea mi mekem appointment witim, mi readim olketa page hia. Datwan strongim mi for gohed long assignment.

Long 1967, mitufala Irène start waka long Bethel long Boulogne-Billancourt. Mi waka long Service Department and duim datfala waka for 40 year finis. Samting wea mi enjoyim hem for ansarem olketa kwestin abaotem Bible wea pipol askem. Mi hapi tumas for duim research long Bible and ‘defendim gud nius’! (Phil. 1:7) Mi hapi tu for conductim morning worship long Bethel. Long 1976, mi kamap member bilong Branch Komiti long France.

Best Samting for Duim Long Laef

Nomata mi kasem olketa hard taem, samting wea no isi long mitufala nao hem wei wea mitufala olo and garem samfala health problem. Mitufala no savve duim staka samting olsem bifor. Nomata olsem, samting wea strongim hope bilong mitufala nao hem wei for readim and studyim Bible tugeta. Mitufala hapi taem mitufala go long bas for kasem territory and storyim hope wea mitufala garem witim narawan. Full-taem service wea mitufala duim tugeta hem winim 120 year. Taem mitufala tingim datwan, mitufala laek encouragem narawan for duim full-taem service bikos hem mekem man hapi and garem gudfala laef. King David hem “olo” taem hem raetem Psalm 37:25. Mi tu “nating lukim God lusim eniwan wea raeteous.”

Mi luksavve Jehovah strongim mi taem mi readim Bible. Winim 60 year wea go finis, olketa relative sei taem mi start for readim Bible, mi bae readim evriday. Datwan hem tru tumas. Mi readim evriday and mi nating sorre long datwan!

[Olketa Footnote]

[Piksa long page 5]

Mitufala Simon

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Bible wea semsem olsem first Bible wea mi kasem

[Piksa long page 5]

Taem mi distrik overseer

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Taem mitufala marit

[Piksa long page 6]

Mitufala laekem tumas for readim and studyim Bible