Jehovah Barava Helpem Mi

NOMATA mifala nomoa attendim datfala tok wea mi givim long 1957, mi no feel nogud nomoa. Hem bikos mi man for shame. Taem mi smol boy, mi savve haed taem eniwan kam visitim mifala long haos, nomata sapos mi savve long olketa.

So maet iu sapraes for savve hao staka assignment wea mi kasem long organization bilong Jehovah nao mekem mi for mas deal witim staka pipol, samfala olketa fren bilong mi and samfala mi no savve long olketa. Nomata olsem, mi still garem disfala wei for shame and daotem miseleva, so mi no fit for kasem praise for eni gud samting wea mi duim long olketa assignment hia. Bat mi lukim disfala promis bilong Jehovah hem tru: “Mi bae strongim iu. Mi bae barava helpem iu. Mi bae barava hol strong long iu witim raet hand bilong mi.” (Isa. 41:10) Wanfala main wei wea Jehovah helpem mi nao hem iusim olketa brata and sista for sapotim mi. Mi bae storyim samfala wea helpem mi start taem mi smol boy.

HEM IUSIM BIBLE AND WANFALA SMOL BLAK BUK

Long samting olsem 1944, long wanfala Sunday morning, Elsie Huntingford kam long farm bilong mifala long southwestern Ontario. Mami bilong mi go chek long door for lukim hu nao kam, bat Dadi, wea savve shame olsem mi, sidaon witim mi insaed and lisin. Gogo, from Dadi tingse Sista Huntingford hem laek salem samting, and hem tingse Mami maet baem samting wea mifala no needim, hem go long door for sei mifala no interest. Sista Huntingford sei: “Waswe, iufala no interest for studyim Bible?” Dadi bilong mi sei: “Nomoa, mifala interest long datwan.”

Sista Huntingford kam long barava gud taem. Bifor, Dadi and mami bilong mi strong long United Church long Canada, bat no longtaem bifor Sista Huntingford visit, tufala disaed finis for lusim datfala church. Why nao olsem? Bikos insaed church, minister long church putim list wea showim evriwan wea givim selen followim haomas nao olketa givim. From dadi and mami bilong mi no garem staka selen, staka taem nem bilong tufala savve stap klosap long botom bilong list, and olketa bigman long church evritaem askem tufala for givim samfala selen moa. Nara minister long church sei, from hem no laek lusim waka bilong hem, hem teachim olketa samting wea hem no bilivim. So mifala lusim datfala church, bat mifala still laek for worshipim God.

From gavman tambuim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Canada long datfala taem, Sista Huntingford iusim Bible and wanfala smol blak buk wea garem samfala note insaed for study witim famili bilong mifala. Bihaen, taem hem luksavve mifala bae no reportim hem long police, hem givim samfala Bible pablikeson long mifala. Evritaem mifala savve haedem gud olketa pablikeson hia bihaen mifala study.a

Sista Huntingford gohed strong for preachim gud nius nomata hem no isi and pipol againstim hem. Mi tinghae long wei wea hem strong for preach and datwan mekem mi disaed for worshipim Jehovah. Wanfala year bihaen dadi and mami bilong mi baptaes, and kamap Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mi tu dedicate and baptaes. Mi baptaes long February 27, 1949 insaed wanfala big metal container wea olketa farmer iusim for givim wata for olketa animal. Mi 17 year long datfala taem. Bihaen mi baptaes, mi barava laek for duim full-taem service.

JEHOVAH HELPEM MI FOR NO FRAET

Firstaem mi hol bak lelebet for duim pioneer waka. Mi waka lelebet taem long bank and long wanfala office, bikos mi tingse mi mas kasem samfala selen for helpem mi taem mi pioneer. Bat from mi young and no garem gudfala tingting, mi spendem evri selen wea mi kasem. So wanfala brata wea nem bilong hem Ted Sargent, encouragem mi for trustim Jehovah and no fraet. (1 Chron. 28:10) From datwan, mi start pioneer long November 1951. Mi garem nomoa 40 dollar, second hand baesikol, and wanfala niu basket. Bat Jehovah evritaem provaedem wanem mi needim. Mi barava hapi long wei wea Ted encouragem mi for duim pioneer waka! Datwan mekem mi for kasem staka nara blessing.

Wanfala evening klosap long end bilong August 1952 mi kasem telephone kol from Toronto. Branch office bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Canada invaetem mi for start waka long Bethel long September. Nomata mi shame and no enitaem mi visitim branch office, mi hapi bikos olketa nara pioneer storyim staka gud samting abaotem Bethel. Taem mi kasem long there mi hapi nao for stap.

‘SHOWIM OLKETA BRATA IU LOVEM OLKETA’

Tufala year bihaen mi arrive long Bethel, mi kamap kongregeson servant (wea distaem olketa kolem chairman bilong olketa elder) long Shaw Unit long Toronto.b Bill Yacos nao duim datfala waka bifor mi kam. Long datfala taem mi 23 year nomoa, and mi feel olsem mi no fit for duim datfala waka. Bat Brata Yacos hem hambol and showimaot love taem hem helpem mi duim datfala waka. And Jehovah barava helpem mi.

Brata Yacos hem wanfala short brata wea savve smile evritaem, and hem interest tumas long pipol. Hem lovem olketa brata, and olketa brata tu lovem hem. Hem evritaem visitim olketa long haos bilong olketa, no long taem wea olketa garem problem nomoa. Bill Yacos encouragem mi for duim sem samting and for waka witim olketa brata and sista long ministry. Hem sei: “Ken, showim long olketa brata iu lovem olketa. Datwan bae mekem olketa willing for forgivim eni mistek wea iu duim.”

WAEF BILONG MI SHOWIMAOT LOVE

Start long January 1957 Jehovah helpem mi long nara spesol wei. Long datfala month mi maritim Evelyn, wea graduate long mek-14 class bilong Gilead Skul. Bifor mitufala marit Evelyn serve long Quebec, wanfala province wea pipol story long French languis. Long datfala taem Roman Catholic Church nao kontrolem staka samting wea gohed long Quebec province. So assignment bilong Evelyn hem no isi, bat hem faithful long datwan and hem faithful tu long Jehovah.

Evelyn faithful tu for sapotim mi. (Eph. 5:31) Tingim samting wea happen stretawe bihaen mitufala marit. Mitufala plan for go holiday long Florida, U.S.A., bat long day bihaen wedding, branch office askem mi for attendim wanfala meeting long Canada Bethel for wan week. Datfala meeting spoelem nao plan bilong mitufala, bat mi and Evelyn laek for duim eni samting wea Jehovah askem mifala for duim. So, mitufala no go honeymoon nao. Long datfala week, Evelyn duim preaching waka klosap long branch office. Nomata datfala territory barava difren from Quebec, Evelyn no givap.

Long end bilong datfala week, mi sapraes for kasem assignment for duim circuit waka long north part bilong Ontario. Mi just marit, mi 25 year nomoa and mi no garem bigfala savve, bat mitufala trustim Jehovah and mitufala go. Long datfala taem hem barava cold long Canada, and mitufala go long train long naet witim samfala wea duim traveling waka for longfala taem finis, wea go bak long assignment bilong olketa. Olketa barava encouragem mitufala! Wanfala brata talem mitufala for iusim bed bilong hem long datfala train, mekem mitufala no sidaon full naet long chair long datfala train. Long morning, 15-fala day bihaen mitufala marit, mitufala arrive long Hornepayne and visitim datfala smol grup wea mi storyim antap.

Samfala nara change kamap for Evelyn and mi. Taem mifala duim distrik waka klosap long end bilong 1960, mi kasem invitation for attendim mek-36th class bilong Gilead Skul long Brooklyn, New York, wea bae start long February 1961 and gohed for tenfala month. Mi hapi for kasem datfala invitation, bat mi sorre tu from Evelyn no kasem invitation for kam witim mi. Olketa askem Evelyn for raetem wanfala leta for talem hem willing for mitufala no stap tugeta for winim tenfala month. Olketa nara waef wea hasband bilong olketa go tu mas duim datwan. Evelyn krae, bat hem willing for mi attendim datfala skul, and hem hapi mi bae kasem gudfala training long Gilead.

Evelyn waka long Canada branch office taem mi long Gilead. Hem garem privilege for sharem rum witim Margaret Lovell, wea hem wanfala anointed sista. Mi and Evelyn barava missim mitufala. Nomata olsem, Jehovah helpem mitufala for enjoyim assignment wea mitufala kasem. Wei wea Evelyn willing for mitufala no stap tugeta for lelebet taem mekem Jehovah savve iusim mitufala for duim moa samting long organization bilong hem, barava mekem mi tinghae long hem.

Bihaen mi stap long Gilead for samting olsem thri month nomoa, Brata Nathan Knorr, wea leadim waka long organization long datfala taem, invaetem mi for duim wanfala spesol waka. Hem askem mi sapos mi willing for leavim Gilead Skul long datfala taem and go bak long Canada for teach long Kingdom Ministry Skul long branch office for lelebet taem. Brata Knorr sei mi no need for go sapos mi no laekem. Hem sei sapos mi laek mi savve finisim Gilead Skul and then maet mi kasem assignment for duim missionary waka. Hem sei tu, sapos mi disaed for go bak long Canada maet bae mi no kasem invitation moa for go long Gilead and gogo maet mi kasem assignment for gohed stap long Canada for duim preaching waka. Hem sei mi nao bae disaed bihaen mi story witim waef bilong mi abaotem datwan.

From mi savve finis long tingting bilong Evelyn abaotem olketa theocratic assignment, mi stretawe talem Brata Knorr: “Mitufala hapi for duim eni samting wea organization bilong Jehovah laekem mitufala for duim.” Nomata wanem nao mitufala seleva laekem, mitufala laek for go long eni ples wea organization bilong Jehovah askem mitufala for go.

So, long April 1961, mi lusim Brooklyn and go bak long Canada for teach long Kingdom Ministry Skul. Bihaen, mitufala waka long Bethel. Then, mi sapraes for kasem invitation for attendim mek-40 class bilong Gilead wea start long 1965. So Evelyn mas raetem nara leta for talem hem willing for mitufala no stap tugeta. Bat tu-thri week bihaen, mitufala hapi from hem tu kasem invitation for attendim skul witim mi.

Taem mitufala arrive long Gilead Skul, Brata Knorr talem mitufala, olketa student wea duim course long French languis, olsem mitufala, bae kasem assignment for go long Africa. Bat taem mifala graduate, mitufala kasem assignment for go bak long branch office long Canada! Mi kasem appointment for kamap niu branch overseer (wea distaem olketa kolem Branch Komiti coordinator). From mi 34 year nomoa, mi sei long Brata Knorr: “Mi young tumas.” Bat hem talem mi for no wari. And start long taem wea mi duim datfala waka, mi evritaem askem advaes from olketa mature brata long Bethel bifor mi mekem olketa important disison.

BETHEL HEM PLES FOR LANE AND FOR TEACHIM NARAWAN

Taem mi waka long Bethel, mi garem chance for lanem staka samting from olketa narawan. Mi respectim and tinghae long olketa nara brata long Branch Komiti. And tu, mi lanem staka gudfala samting from staka Christian brata and sista wea young and olo wea mifala meetim and savve long olketa long Bethel and long olketa kongregeson wea mifala visitim.

Taem mi waka long Bethel, mi garem chance tu for teachim olketa narawan and strongim faith bilong olketa. Aposol Paul talem Timothy: “Gohed for followim olketa samting wea iu lanem.” Hem sei tu: “Olketa samting wea iu herem from mi and wea olketa narawan tu herem, teachim olketa samting hia long olketa man wea faithful wea bae mekem olketa fit for teachim datwan long narawan tu.” (2 Tim. 2:2; 3:14) Samfala taem olketa nara Christian savve askem mi for talem eni leson wea mi lanem long 57 year wea mi stap long Bethel. Mi savve talem olketa olsem: “Iu mas willing and kwiktaem for duim eni samting wea organization bilong Jehovah askem iu for duim, and depend long Jehovah for helpem iu.”

Taem mi kam long Bethel mi man for shame and no garem bigfala savve, and taem mi tingim first day wea mi kam hem olsem yesterday nomoa. For staka year finis Jehovah hem ‘barava hol strong long raet hand bilong mi.’ Taem olketa brata kaen long mi and sapotim mi long taem wea mi needim, hem olsem Jehovah gohed sei long mi: “Iu no fraet, bae mi helpem iu.”—Isa. 41:13.