Nomata Mi Wik, Mi Savve Strong

Mi ting go bak long taem wea mi smol and mi savve rememberim hao mi hapi taem mifala dadi and mami stap long wanfala smol naes haos long south France. Dadi wakem swingswing for mi, and mi pleiplei and ranran long bigfala area raonem haos bilong mifala. Long 1966, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness savve kam long haos and dadi bilong mi savve story longfala taem witim olketa. Bihaen sevenfala month nomoa, hem disaed for kamap wanfala Witness. Gogo mami bilong mi tu duim sem samting. Mi growap insaed wanfala hapi famili.

Taem mifala go bak for stap long Spain wea hem hom bilong dadi and mami, hand and leg bilong mi start for pain tumas. For tufala year mifala lukim staka doctor. Bihaen datwan, mifala faendem wanfala doctor wea savve long sik bilong mi. Hem sei, “Hem hard nao.” Taem mifala herem datwan, mami bilong mi hem krae. Doctor sei nem bilong sik wea mi garem hem “autoimmune chronic illness” and “juvenile polyarthritis.”a Long datfala taem mi ten year nomoa, and mi no minim staka samting wea doctor storyim, bat mi luksavve mi kasem nogud sik.

Datfala doctor sei for mi go stap long wanfala kaen hospital wea olketa pikinini savve kasem medical treatment. Taem mi kasem datfala ples, mi lukim wanfala building wea mekem mi fraet bikos hem nating naes nomoa. Mi mas duim evri samting wea olketa nun talem. Olketa katem hair bilong mi and mi mas werem uniform wea luk rabis nomoa. Mi laek krae and mi ting, ‘Mi les for stap long disfala ples.’

JEHOVAH LUKAFTAREM MI

Taem olketa long datfala hospital duim samting wea join witim worship bilong olketa Catholic, mi no duim datwan bikos mami and dadi lanem mi for worshipim Jehovah. Olketa nun no minim why nao mi no savve worship witim olketa. Mi prea long Jehovah for no lusim mi, and gogo mi luksavve Jehovah hem olsem wanfala dadi wea protectim and lukaftarem mi.

Olketa letem mami and dadi visitim mi evri Saturday, bat for lelebet taem nomoa. Tufala tekem kam olketa Bible pablikeson for mekem mi gohed garem strongfala faith. Olketa nun no letem olketa nara pikinini for garem buk bilong olketa seleva, bat olketa letem mi for keepim olketa buk hia witim Bible, wea mi readim evri day. Mi story tu long olketa nara gele abaotem hope wea mi garem for laef olowe long Paradaes long earth wea no eniwan bae sik. (Revelation 21:3, 4) Samfala taem mi sorre and lonely. Nomata olsem, mi lane for trustim Jehovah and garem faith long hem.

Bihaen sixfala month, olketa doctor sei mi savve go bak long dadi and mami. Mi sik yet, bat mi hapi for stap moa witim tufala. Olketa join long body bilong mi bend nogud, and hem barava pain tumas. Taem mi teenager, body bilong mi hem barava wik. Nomata olsem, taem mi 14 year mi baptaes bikos mi barava laek for duim best bilong mi for worshipim Dadi bilong mi long heven. Bat samfala taem mi no hapi long hem. Mi savve sei long hem, “Why nao mi kasem disfala nogud sik? Mi safa tumas. Plis, healim mi.”

Hem no isi for mi taem mi teenager. Mi mas acceptim hao mi no savve kamap gud moa. Mi sorre taem mi lukim olketa fren bilong mi barava healthy and enjoyim laef. Mi feel iusles, and mi start for no laek story witim pipol. Nomata olsem, famili and olketa fren bilong mi encouragem mi. Mi no savve forgetim Alicia wea hem gud fren bilong mi, nomata hem 20 year winim mi. Hem helpem mi for no evritaem tingim sik bilong mi bat for tingim olketa narawan.

DUIM OLKETA SAMTING WEA MEKEM MI HAPI

Taem mi 18 year, sik bilong mi hem kamap worse and mi savve feel taed tumas taem mi go long olketa Christian meeting. Nomata olsem, taem mi stap long haos mi savve studyim gud Bible. Job and Psalms helpem mi for luksavve Jehovah God lukaftarem iumi long spiritual wei winim wei for stopem nogud samting for kasem iumi. From mi evritaem prea long Jehovah, mi kasem “strong wea winim strong bilong man” and “peace bilong God wea winim nao wanem man savve minim.”—2 Corinth 4:7; Philippi 4:6, 7.

Taem mi 22 year, mi mas acceptim hao mi no savve wakabaot and mi mas iusim wheelchair. Mi wari nogud pipol lukim nomoa wanfala gele wea sik long wheelchair and no interest for laek savve long mi. Bat mi sapraes disfala wheelchair helpem mi for duim samfala samting seleva. Isabel, wanfala fren bilong mi encouragem mi for duim 60 hour long preaching waka witim hem for wanfala month.

Firstaem mi tingse hem hard tumas for mi duim datwan. Bat mi askem Jehovah for helpem mi, and famili and olketa fren bilong mi sapotim mi for duim datwan. Month hia kwiktaem finis from mi busy, and disfala preaching waka helpem mi for no fraet and no shame. Mi enjoyim tumas disfala waka, so long 1996 mi disaed for regular pioneer. Diswan minim evri month mi preach for winim 70 hour. Mi hapi tumas mi mekem datfala disison bikos datwan helpem mi for fren gud witim God and body bilong mi feel strong lelebet. Taem mi duim preaching waka, mi storyim wanem mi bilivim long staka pipol and helpem samfala for fren witim God.

JEHOVAH NO LUSIM MI

Long 2001, mi brekem tufala leg bilong mi long wanfala car accident. Taem mi leidaon long bed long hospital, body bilong mi pain tumas and mi prea olsem: “Jehovah, plis no lusim mi!” Then nomoa, wanfala woman long nara bed askem mi, “Iu wanfala Jehovah’s Witness?” From mi wik, mi mek saen nomoa for ansarem hem. Hem sei: “Olketa Jehovah’s Witness savve visitim mi. Mi savve readim olketa magasin bilong iufala.” Toktok hia barava encouragem mi. Nomata mi sik fogud, mi savve mekhae long Jehovah. Mi hapi tumas mi savve duim datwan!

Bihaen olketa cementim tufala leg bilong mi, mi laek for preach long olketa narawan. So evriday mami bilong mi pushim mi long wheelchair and mitufala go story long tu-thri nara sikman and givim samfala Bible pablikeson long olketa. Taem mi duim olsem, mi savve taed tumas bat Jehovah strongim mi.

Distaem sik bilong mi big go moa, and tu, dadi bilong mi hem dae and mi sorre long datwan. Bat mi no laek for sorre tumas. Long taem wea fitim mi, mi laek story witim olketa fren and relative and datwan helpem mi for no tingting tumas abaotem sik bilong mi. And taem mi stap seleva, mi read, studyim Bible, or iusim telephone for preach long pipol.

Mi trae for hapi long olketa smol samting, olsem for feelim wind long feis bilong mi or for enjoyim naes smel bilong olketa flaoa. Olketa samting hia mekem mi hapi from mi laef. Wei for no serious tumas helpem mi for no warim evri samting. Wanfala day, taem mi and fren bilong mi go preaching, hem stop for raetem samting. Seknomoa mi rola go daon long road long wheelchair bilong mi and bangam wanfala car wea park long there. Mitufala evriwan seke tumas, bat taem mitufala luksavve mi olraet nomoa, mitufala laf long datwan.

From mi no savve duim staka samting, hem olsem mi garem list bilong olketa samting wea mi laek for duim long future. Staka taem mi savve satem eye bilong mi and tingim laef long niu world wea God promisim. (2 Peter 3:13) Mi tingim taem wea mi bae healthy, mi savve wakabaot, and mi bae barava enjoyim laef. Mi laek for followim disfala toktok bilong King David: “Trustim Jehovah, no fraet, and gohed strong.” (Psalm 27:14) Nomata body bilong mi barava wik distaem, Jehovah nao strongim mi. Mi gohed strong, nomata mi wik.