Lusim Dadi —Faendem Wanfala Dadi

DADI bilong mi hem born long Graz, Austria, long 1899. So taem World War I hem gohed, hem young boy nomoa. No longtaem bihaen World War II hem start long 1939, hem joinim army bilong Germany. Hem dae long war long 1943 taem hem faet long Russia. Taem dadi bilong mi dae, mi tu year nomoa. Mi no garem chance for savve long hem, and mi sorre from mi no garem wanfala dadi, especially taem mi luksavve staka boy long skul garem dadi. Bihaen, taem mi wanfala teenager, mi hapi tumas for lane abaotem Dadi bilong iumi long heven, wea hem no savve dae.—Hab. 1:12.

TAEM MI JOINIM OLKETA BOY SCOUT

Taem mi seven year, mi joinim Boy Scout. Olketa Boy Scout hem wanfala organization evriwea long world wea wanfala bigman bilong British army, Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, hem startim long Great Britain long 1908. Long 1916, hem startim nara organization wea olketa young boy olsem mi savve joinim, wea olketa kolem Wolf Cub (or nara nem hem Cub Scout).

Mi savve enjoyim olketa taem wea mifala savve go camping, wea mifala savve sleep insaed olketa tent, werem uniform, and march followim beat bilong drum. Samting wea mi barava enjoyim nao hem for stap witim olketa nara Scout, sidaon raonem fire and singsing long evening, and plei long bush. Mifala lanem tu staka samting abaotem nature, wea datwan mekem mi tinghae long olketa samting wea God wakem.

Rul wea olketa Boy Scout trae for followim hem for duim wanfala gud samting for narawan evriday. Taem olketa Boy Scout meetim each other, olketa savve sei “Always Prepared.” Mi laekem tumas datfala toktok. Grup wea mi long hem garem winim wan handred boy. Staka long olketa Catholic, staka olketa Protestant, and wanfala hem Buddhist.

Start long 1920, olketa savve garem bigfala meeting bilong Scout, wea olketa kolem jamboree, wea olketa savve holem evri fofala year. Long August 1951, mi attendim mek-seven World Scout Jamboree long Bad Ischl, long Austria, and long August 1957, mi attendim mek-naen World Scout Jamboree long Sutton Park, klosap Birmingham, long England. Long datfala meeting long England, samting olsem 33,000 Scout from 85 difren kantri nao olketa attend. And tu, samting olsem 750,000 pipol kam for lukim mifala long datfala jamboree, and Queen Elizabeth from England tu hem kam. Long tingting bilong mi, hem olsem mi insaed wanfala famili wea kam from evri part long world. Bat no longtaem bihaen datwan mi lane abaotem wanfala spiritual famili wea winim Boy Scout.

FIRST TAEM FOR MI MEETIM WANFALA JEHOVAH’S WITNESS

Long 1958, mi redi for finisim training bilong mi olsem wanfala waiter long Grand Hotel Wiesler, long hom bilong mi long Graz, Austria. Long datfala taem, Rudolf Tschiggerl, wea waka witim mi long datfala hotel savve preach long mi. Datwan hem firstaem for mi herem samfala samting abaotem truth. First samting hem storyim hem Trinity and hem sei datwan no teaching wea kam from Bible. Mi sei Trinity hem trufala teaching and mi laek for pruvim long hem samting wea hem talem hem no tru. Long tingting bilong mi, Rudolf hem gudfala man and mi plan for encouragem hem for kam bak long Catholic Church.

Rudolf, wea mifala savve kolem hem Rudi, sei bae hem givim mi wanfala Bible. Mi askem hem for tekem kam Bible wea Catholic Church nao wakem. Taem mi kasem datfala Bible and start for readim mi lukim wanfala pepa wea Rudi putim insaed wea Watchtower Society nao printim. Mi no hapi long diswan bikos long tingting bilong mi, wanem olketa raetem insaed long kaen pepa olsem maet here stret, bat maet hem no stret. Rudi garem gudfala tingting so bihaen datwan hem no givim mi eni literature moa. For samting olsem thrifala month, tu-thri taem mifala storyim Bible gogo hem leit naet nao.

Bihaen mi finisim training bilong mi long datfala hotel long Graz, mami bilong mi sendem mi go long wanfala skul for lanem hao for ranem hotel. So mi muv go long taon wea nem bilong hem Bad Hofgastein, wea datfala skul hem stap. Datfala taon hem stap long area wea garem olketa maunten. Wanfala hotel nao ranem datfala skul so samfala taem mi savve waka long there for kasem moa training.

TUFALA MISSIONARY SISTA KAM LUKIM MI

Rudi sendem niu address bilong mi go long branch office long Vienna, and olketa givim long tufala missionary sista wea nem bilong tufala Ilse Unterdörfer and Elfriede Löhr.a Wanfala day, man wea waka long reception long datfala hotel talem mi tufala woman weitim mi aotsaed long wanfala car and laek for story witim mi. Nomata mi no savve hu nao kam for lukim mi, mi go for lukim tufala. Bihaen nao mi faendaot tufala sista hia savve tekem olketa pablikeson for olketa nara Witness long Germany taem gavman tambuim waka long there bifor long World War II. Gestapo police long Germany kasholem tufala and sendem tufala long Lichtenburg prison bifor World War II hem start. Then taem war gohed, police sendem tufala go long prison long Ravensbrück, wea klosap long Berlin.

Tufala sista hia sem age olsem mami bilong mi, so datwan mekem mi respectim tufala. From datwan, mi no laek for tekem tumas taem bilong tufala for story witim mi, nogud nao samfala week or month bihaen bae mi talem tufala mi no laek gohed moa long story bilong mifala. So mi askem tufala for tekem kam list bilong olketa scripture abaotem teaching bilong Catholic church wea sei olketa bigman long church kam from laen bilong olketa aposol. Mi talem tufala bae mi tekem datfala list and go story abaotem witim priest bilong mifala. Long tingting bilong mi, datwan bae helpem mi for savve sapos datfala teaching hem tru or nomoa.

LANEM STAKA SAMTING ABAOTEM TRUFALA DADI LONG HEVEN

Roman Catholic church sei tu evri pope kam from laen bilong Peter. (Church hem minim rong toktok bilong Jesus long Matthew 16:18, 19.) Olketa sei tu eni samting wea pope talem abaotem olketa teaching bilong church, hem no savve rong, hem evritaem stret. Mi bilivim datwan, so mi tingse sapos pope, wea olketa Catholic kolem hem Holy Father, sei Trinity teaching hem tru, then hem mas tru nao. Bat sapos pope savve rong, then maet datfala teaching hem rong tu. Dastawe, datfala teaching wea sei olketa bigman long church kam from laen bilong olketa aposol hem teaching wea staka Catholic tingim hem important tumas, bikos sapos datfala teaching hem tru, evri nara teaching hem tru tu, bat sapos hem no tru, maet staka nara teaching bilong Catholic church no tru tu!

Taem mi story witim priest, hem no savve ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mi, bat hem givim mi wanfala buk wea storyim datfala teaching bilong Catholic church wea sei olketa bigman long church kam from laen bilong olketa aposol. Mi tekem and readim, then mi go bak and askem hem samfala kwestin moa. From datfala priest no savve ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mi, hem sei: “Mi no savve changem tingting bilong iu, and iu no savve changem tingting bilong mi. . . . Okay, lukim iu!” Hem no laek for mifala story moa.

Bihaen datwan, mi willing for studyim Bible witim Ilse and Elfriede. Tufala teachim mi staka samting abaotem trufala Dadi long heven, Jehovah God. (John 17:11) Long datfala taem, no eni kongregeson stap long datfala area, so tufala sista hia holem olketa meeting long haos bilong wanfala famili wea interest. Tu-thri nomoa savve kam long olketa meeting hia. Klosap evri part long meeting, tufala sista hia storyim tugeta bikos no eni baptaes brata stap for tekem olketa meeting hia. Samfala taem wanfala brata from nara kongregeson savve kam for givim tok long wanfala ples wea olketa rentim.

START FOR DUIM MINISTRY

Ilse and Elfriede start for studyim Bible witim mi long October 1958, and mi baptaes thrifala month bihaen long January 1959. Bifor mi baptaes mi askem tufala sapos hem olraet for mi go witim tufala long preaching waka for lukim hao nao for duim datfala waka. (Acts 20:20) Long firstaem wea mi go preach witim tufala, mi askem tufala for givim mi wanfala territory for miseleva go duim. Tufala talem mi for go preach long wanfala vilij, and mi savve go seleva and preach and duim olketa return visit long there. Firstfala brata wea mi waka witim long haos tu haos hem circuit overseer taem hem kam visitim mifala.

Long 1960, bihaen mi finisim training bilong mi for ranem hotel, mi go bak long Graz for preach long olketa relative bilong mi. Nomata kam kasem distaem, no eniwan long olketa kam insaed long truth, bat samfala start for interest lelebet.

DUIM FULL-TAEM SERVICE

Long 1961, olketa kongregeson kasem wanfala leta wea encouragem evriwan for pioneer. Mi singol and garem gudfala health, so long tingting bilong mi, mi no garem eni excuse for no pioneer. Mi plan for waka for tu-thri month mekem mi peim wanfala car for iusim long pioneer waka, so mi askem circuit overseer, Kurt Kuhn, hao nao hem ting long plan bilong mi. Hem sei long mi: “Waswe, Jesus and olketa aposol needim wanfala car for duim full-taem service?” Datfala toktok mekem mi disaed for start pioneer stretawe! Bat from mi waka 72 hour evri week long restaurant long wanfala hotel, mi mas changem samfala samting saed long waka firstaem.

Mi askem boss sapos mi savve waka for 60 hour nomoa. Hem letem, and pei bilong mi stap semsem nomoa. Bihaen, mi askem hem sapos mi savve waka for 48 hour nomoa evri week. Hem letem tu, and pei bilong mi still stap semsem. Then mi askem hem for mi savve waka 36 hour nomoa evri week, wea hem 6-fala hour evri day for 6-fala day. Hem letem mi for duim datwan tu, and sapraesing samting, pei bilong mi stap semsem yet! Hem luk olsem boss bilong mi no laekem mi for finis waka. Long datfala taem nao mi start for regular pioneer. Long datfala taem hour for olketa regular pioneer kasem hem 100 hour evri month.

Fofala month bihaen, mi kasem assignment for kamap spesol pioneer, and tu, mi kamap kongregeson servant long wanfala smol kongregeson long taon wea nem bilong hem Spittal an der Drau, wea stap long Carinthia province. Long datfala taem, hour for olketa spesol pioneer kasem hem 150 hour evri month. Mi no garem pioneer partner, bat mi tinghae long wei wea sista Gertrude Lobner sapotim mi long ministry. Long datfala taem datfala sista hem assistant kongregeson servant long kongregeson bilong mifala.b

KASEM SAMFALA NARA ASSIGNMENT

Long 1963, mi kasem assignment for duim circuit waka. Samfala taem mi iusim train for go visitim olketa kongregeson, and mi garem olketa hevi suitcase. Staka brata no garem trak, so no eniwan savve kam pikim mi long train station. Bat mi no tekem taxi nogud olketa tingse mi laek show-off. So mi karem olketa suitcase and baeleg go long haos wea mi bae stap.

Long 1965, taem mi singol yet, mi kasem invitation for attendim mek-41 class bilong Gilead Skul. Staka wea mifala skul olketa singol tu. Mi tingse bae mi go long difren kantri bihaen mi graduate bat mi barava sapraes taem olketa sendem mi go bak long Austria for gohed long circuit waka. Bat bifor mi go bak, olketa askem mi for waka tugeta witim wanfala circuit overseer, wea nem bilong hem Anthony Conte, long United States for fofala week. Hem kaenfala brata wea laekem and savve tumas hao for duim preaching waka, and mi enjoyim wei wea mitufala waka tugeta. Mitufala waka tugeta long Cornwall, wanfala area wea stap long north saed long New York.

Taem mi kasem bak long Austria, insaed long circuit bilong mi hem wanfala naesbola sista wea nem bilong hem Tove Merete. Hem growap long truth start long taem hem faev year nomoa. Taem samfala brata askem mitufala hao nao mifala meet, mitufala savve tok fani and sei: “Branch office nao stretem evriting.” Wan year bihaen, long April 1967, mitufala marit and olketa letem mifala for gohed duim circuit waka tugeta.

Long year bihaen, mi luksavve God adoptim mi olsem wanfala spiritual son bilong hem so mi garem hope for go long heven. Start long datfala taem mi garem spesol wei for fren witim Dadi bilong mi long heven and olketa nara anointed Christian, wea Rome 8:15 sei olketa singaot olsem long God: “Abba, Dadi!”

Mi and Merete gohed for duim circuit and distrik waka go kasem 1976. Samfala taem long cold season, mifala sleep long olketa rum wea barava cold fogud olsem ice. Wantaem mitufala wekap long midol naet and lukim antap long blanket bilong mifala hem white and taem mifala tasim hem stiff nao. Datwan hem bikos hem cold tumas so taem mitufala brith, air wea kamaot hem kamap ice nao! Bihaen datwan mitufala disaed for tekem wanfala smol electric heater witim mitufala for mekem rum no cold tumas long naet. Long samfala ples, toilet hem stap long aotsaed, so mifala mas wakabaot long snow for go long bathrum. From mifala no garem eni base, evri Monday mifala stap long haos wea mifala stay long hem for week bilong visit. Then long Tuesday morning mifala go long next kongregeson.

Mi hapi tumas from waef bilong mi barava sapotim mi long olketa taem hia. Hem laekem tumas preaching waka and no enitaem mi need for talem hem for mitufala go long ministry. And tu, hem lovem olketa brata and sista and hem evritaem tingim narawan. Olketa samting hia barava helpem mi long assignment bilong mi.

Long 1976, mitufala kasem invitation for waka long Austria branch office long Vienna, and mi kasem assignment for kamap member bilong Branch Komiti. Long datfala taem, Austria branch hem lukaftarem waka long samfala kantri long Eastern Europe wea gavman tambuim waka, and branch office savve sendem literature long olketa kantri hia. Brata Jürgen Rundel hem overseer long diswan and savve tumas hao for duim datfala waka. Mi garem privilege for waka witim hem, and bihaen, mi kasem assignment for kamap overseer long waka for transleitim olketa pablikeson long tenfala difren languis long Eastern Europe. Distaem Jürgen and waef bilong hem, Gertrude, gohed faithful for duim spesol pioneer waka long Germany. Start long 1978, Austria branch iusim wanfala smol printing press machine for printim olketa magasin long sixfala difren languis. And tu, mifala sendem olketa subscription magasin long olketa difren kantri wea orderim. Otto Kuglitsch hem overseer for datfala waka. Distaem hem and waef bilong hem Ingrid, waka long branch office long Germany.

Olketa brata long Eastern Europe printim tu samfala literature long kantri bilong olketa. Nomata olsem, olketa needim sapot from olketa nara kantri. Jehovah lukaftarem waka bilong hem long olketa kantri hia, and mifala long branch office lovem olketa brata hia wea gohed worshipim Jehovah nomata datwan hem no isi and gavman tambuim waka long kantri bilong olketa for staka year.

SPESOL VISIT GO LONG ROMANIA

Long 1989, mi garem privilege for go long Romania witim Brata Theodore Jaracz, wea hem member bilong Governing Body. Reason why mifala go hem for helpem wanfala big grup bilong olketa brata for stap anda long organization moa. Start long 1949, olketa separatem olketa seleva from organization and startim olketa kongregeson bilong olketa seleva. Nomata olsem, olketa gohed for preach and for baptaesim olketa niu wan. Samfala long olketa go long prison tu bikos olketa no teksaed, olsem samfala brata duim long olketa nara kantri wea stap anda long hedquarter long Brooklyn. Taem mifala visit, gavman tambuim yet waka long Romania, so mifala meet haed nomoa long haos bilong Brata Pamfil Albu witim fofala elder bilong datfala grup, and samfala brata wea insaed long Romania Kantri Komiti. Mifala tekem tu wanfala brata from Austria for transleit for mifala, wea nem bilong hem Rolf Kellner.

Long mek-tu naet wea mifala story, Brother Albu hem helpem fofala elder hia for luksavve hem gud for olketa stap moa anda long organization. Hem sei: “Sapos iumi no duim datwan distaem, maet iumi no garem eni chance moa bihaen.” From datwan, samting olsem 5,000 brata and sista kam bak and stap anda long organization moa. Jehovah hem win and Satan hem lus!

Long end long 1989, bifor rul bilong olketa Communist gavman long Eastern Europe hem finis, Governing Body invaetem mi and waef bilong mi for go waka long world hedquarter long New York. Mitufala sapraes for kasem datfala invitation. Mitufala start waka long Brooklyn Bethel long July 1990. Long 1992, mi kasem assignment for kamap helper for Service Komiti bilong Governing Body, and start long July 1994, mi kasem privilege for kamap member bilong Governing Body.

TINGIM SAMTING WEA HAPPEN BIFOR AND LUK FORWARD LONG FUTURE

Olketa taem wea mi waka olsem waiter long hotel hem finis nao. Distaem mi garem privilege for help for redyim and givimaot spiritual kaikai for olketa brata and sista evriwea long world. (Matt. 24:45-47) Taem mi ting bak long 50 year wea mi duim spesol full-taem service, mi barava tinghae and hapi long wei wea Jehovah blessim organization bilong hem evriwea long world. Mi laekem tumas for attendim olketa international convention, wea iumi savve lanem staka samting abaotem Dadi bilong iumi long heven, Jehovah, and abaotem olketa tru teaching long Bible.

Mi prea long Jehovah for staka million pipol moa bae studyim Bible, acceptim truth, and wan mind for worshipim Jehovah witim olketa nara brata and sista evriwea long world. (1 Pet. 2:17) Mi luk forward for luk kam daon from heven and lukim taem wea olketa long earth bae laef bak, and lukim dadi bilong mi hem laef bak. Mi hope dadi bilong mi, mami bilong mi, and olketa nara relative, bae laek for worshipim Jehovah long Paradaes.