Mi Lane From Gudfala Example blo Olketa Narawan and Mi Kasem Staka Blessing

Mi born lo Quebec City, lo province blo Quebec wea olketa story lo French languis. Parents blo mi, Louis and Zélia, tufala kaen and lovem mi tumas. Dadi blo mi hem wanfala kwaet man nomoa and hem laekem tumas for read. Mi enjoyim tumas wei for raet and mi hope wanday mi bae kamap wanfala journalist.

Taem mi samting olsem 12 years old, Rodolphe Soucy wea hem waka witim dadi blo mi, and nara fren blo hem visitim mifala lo haos. Tufala hia Jehovah’s Witness. Mi no savve staka samting abaotem olketa Witness and mi no really interest lo religion blo olketa. Nomata olsem, mi laekem hao olketa iusim Bible for ansarem olketa kwestin. Parents blo mi tu laekem datwan, so mifala acceptim wanfala Bible Study.

Lo datfala taem, mi attendim wanfala skul blo olketa Catholic. Samfala taem, mi savve story witim olketa classmate blo mi abaotem samting wea mi lanem from Bible Study blo mi. Gogo, olketa teacher wea olketa priest tu, olketa faendaot lo datwan. Winim for iusim Bible for pruvim wanem mi talem hem rong, wanfala lo olketa accusim mi front lo full class and sei mi wanfala rebel! Nomata datwan mekem mi feel nogud tumas, samting wea happen helpem mi for luksavve dat olketa teaching blo religion lo datfala skul hem no agree witim wanem Bible talem. Mi luksavve dat mi no fit for skul lo there. So, parents letem mi for go lo nara skul.

LANE FOR ENJOYIM MINISTRY

Mi gohed for studyim Bible, bat mi no barava muv ahed gud lo spiritual wei bikos mi fraet for preach from haos tu haos. Catholic Church garem paoa and olketa strong for againstim preaching waka blo iumi. Maurice Duplessis, premier blo Quebec, hem wanfala man blo politik wea barava sapotim datfala church. From datwan, olketa pipol savve hipap for againstim and attakim tu olketa Witness. Lo datfala taem, olketa Witness mas garem wei for no fraet for preach.

Wanfala brata wea helpem mi for winim wei for fraet hem John Rae, wea graduate lo mek-naen class blo Gilead Skul. John garem staka experience, hem hambol and hem man wea isi for story witim. Staka taem hem no kaonselem mi, bat gud example blo hem barava teachim mi staka samting. John no savve gud lo French languis, so mi savve gogo witim hem lo ministry and helpem hem lo languis. Wei wea mi spendem taem witim John hem helpem mi for no fraet for kamap wanfala Witness. Mi baptaes lo May 26, 1951, wea hem ten years bihaen mi meetim olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

Lo smol kongregeson blo mifala lo Quebec City, staka nao pioneer. From mi kaban witim olketa, datwan muvim mi for laek pioneer. Lo datfala taem, mifala iusim nomoa Bible for preach from haos tu haos. From no eni literature, mifala mas savve gud hao for iusim olketa Scripture. So mi traem best for savve lo olketa verse lo Bible wea bae helpem mi for defendim truth. Bat staka taem, pipol les for readim eni Bible sapos Catholic church no appruvim datfala Bible.

Lo 1952, mi maritim Simone Patry, wanfala faithful sista lo kongregeson blo mi. Mitufala muv go lo Montreal, and insaed lo first year wea mitufala marit, mitufala garem wanfala baby gele wea nem blo hem Lise. Nomata mi stop for pioneer no longtaem bifor mitufala marit, mitufala Simone traem best for gohed garem simpol laef mekem mitufala savve duim staka samting lo kongregeson olsem famili.

Bihaen tenfala year, mi start for ting raonem wei for pioneer moa. Lo 1962, mi attendim Kingdom Ministry Skul for olketa elder wea gohed for wan month lo Canada Bethel. Lo datfala taem, mi and wanfala brata wea nem blo hem Camille Ouellette mitufala stap lo sem rum. Wei wea Camille strong for duim ministry hem barava encouragem mi, especially bikos hem garem famili tu. Lo datfala taem, no staka brata and sista lo Quebec wea garem famili olketa pioneer. Nomata olsem, datwan nao goal blo Camille. Lo datfala taem wea mitufala stap, hem encouragem mi for ting raonem situation blo mi. Bihaen tu-thri month, mi luksavve hao mi savve pioneer moa. Samfala tingse datwan hem no wanfala wise disison, bat mi start pioneer moa bikos mi sure Jehovah bae helpem mi for mekem ministry blo mi kamap moa big.

GO BAK MOA LO QUEBEC CITY OLSEM SPESOL PIONEER

Lo 1964, mitufala Simone kasem assignment for spesol pioneer lo hom blo mifala lo Quebec City, and mifala stap lo there for samfala year. Lo datfala taem, preaching waka hem no hard tumas olsem bifor, bat olketa still againstim mifala.

Lo wanfala Saturday aftanun, olketa arrestim mi lo Sainte-Marie, wanfala smol taon wea stap klosap lo Quebec City. Wanfala police officer hem tekem mi go lo police station and putim mi lo prison cell bikos mi no garem eni permit for preach from haos tu haos. Bihaen datwan olketa tekem mi go lo wanfala judge wea pipol savve fraetem wea nem blo hem Baillargeon. Hem askem mi hu nao bae lawyer blo mi. Taem mi sei Glen How,a wea hem wanfala lawyer wea Jehovah’s Witness, datfala judge lelebet fraet and sei: “Ei, no datfala man!” Lo datfala taem, staka savve lo Glen How olsem wanfala lawyer wea savve tumas hao for defendim olketa Witness. No longtaem bihaen, olketa kam talem mi dat olketa cancelim nao kot case blo mi.

From olketa againstim waka blo iumi lo Quebec datwan mekem hem hard for rentim eni ples for meeting. Smol kongregeson blo mifala faendem wanfala old garage wea savve cold tumas. Lo taem blo winter hem barava cold, so olketa brata iusim wanfala oil heater for mekem ples hia no cold tumas. Staka taem mifala savve hipap raonem datfala heater for tu-thri hour bifor meeting and sharem olketa experience for encouragem each other.

Hem barava naes for lukim hao preaching waka hem gohed grow insaed lo olketa year wea go pas. Lo olketa year blo 1960, tu-thri smol kongregeson nomoa stap lo Quebec City, Côte-Nord area, and lo Gaspé Peninsula. Distaem winim tufala circuit nao stap lo olketa ples hia and olketa brata garem olketa meeting lo olketa naesfala Kingdom Hall.

KASEM INVITATION FOR DUIM CIRCUIT WAKA

Mitufala Simone kasem invitation for duim circuit waka lo 1970. Then, lo 1973, mitufala kasem assignment for duim distrik waka. Lo olketa year hia, mi lanem staka samting from olketa brata wea garem staka experience olsem Laurier Saumurb and David Splane,c wea tufala evriwan duim circuit waka. Bihaen evri assembly mitufala David savve story abaotem wanem mitufala savve duim for kamap moabeta lo hao for teach. Mi tingim wanfala taem wea David sei lo mi: “Léonce, mi enjoyim last tok blo iu. Hem barava gud, bat mi savve mekem thrifala tok from olketa information wea iu iusim.” Hem wei blo mi for iusim staka information tumas insaed olketa tok blo mi. Mi need for lane for storyim tu-thri samting nomoa.

Assignment blo olketa distrik overseer hem for encouragem olketa circuit overseer. Bat, staka pablisa lo Quebec olketa savve gud lo mi. Olketa savve laek for waka witim mi lo preaching taem mi visitim circuit blo olketa. Mi barava enjoyim wei for preach witim olketa, bat gogo mi no garem inaf taem for spendem witim circuit overseer. Wanfala taem, wanfala circuit overseer hem remindim mi olsem: “Hem naes tumas for iu givim taem blo iu for olketa brata, bat no forgetim mi, diswan hem week blo iu for visitim mi. Mi tu needim encouragement!” Datfala kaenfala kaonsel hem helpem mi for mas balance.

Sorre samting nao, lo 1976 wanfala nogud samting wea mi no expectim hem happen. Waef blo mi Simone, wea mi lovem tumas hem barava sik and hem dae. Hem wanfala gudfala waef bikos hem savve laekem tumas for helpem olketa narawan and barava lovem Jehovah. Wei for busy lo ministry helpem mi for deal witim sorre feeling wea mi garem, and mi thankiu lo Jehovah for wei wea hem sapotim mi lo datfala hard taem. Bihaen, mi maritim Carolyn Elliott, hem wanfala pioneer sista wea savve story lo English and hem kam lo Quebec for serve lo ples wea needim help. Carolyn hem wanfala sista wea isi for story witim and hem interest lo olketa narawan, especially olketa wea lonely and no savve hao for story. Taem hem joinim mi for duim circuit waka datwan hem wanfala real blessing.

WANFALA BARAVA IMPORTANT YEAR

Lo January 1978, olketa askem mi for teach lo first Pioneer Service Skul lo Quebec. Mi wari lelebet, bikos evri samting lo datfala skul hem niu lo mi. Gud samting nao, first class wea mi teachim garem staka pioneer wea garem experience. Nomata mi nao instructor, mi lanem staka samting from olketa student!

Bihaen, lo 1978, datfala “Victorious Faith” International Convention hem kamap lo Olympic Stadium lo Montreal. Hem wanfala big convention winim eni nara convention wea kamap lo Quebec, winim 80,000 nao attend. Olketa assignim mi for waka witim convention News Service Department. Mi story witim staka journalist and mi hapi for lukim hao olketa storyim staka gud samting abaotem iumi. Total hour wea olketa iusim for story witim iumi lo television and radio hem winim 20 hour, and olketa raetem staka article. Datwan givim bigfala witness!

MUV LO WANFALA DIFREN TERRITORY

Lo 1996, wanfala big change hem kamap lo laef blo mi. Start from taem wea mi baptaes, mi serve lo area lo Quebec wea story lo French languis, then mi kasem assignment for serve lo area wea story lo English languis lo Toronto. Mi barava fraet for givim olketa tok bikos mi no savve story gud lo English. Mi need for prea evritaem and barava depend lo Jehovah.

Firstaem mi fraet, bat bihaen mi barava enjoyim tufala year wea mi serve lo Toronto. Carolyn patient for helpem mi for no fraet for story lo English, and olketa brata barava sapotim and encouragem mi. Kwiktaem nomoa mitufala garem olketa niu frens.

Nomata mi garem staka waka for duim and mas prepare for assembly lo weekend, mi savve spendem wan hour lo evri Friday evening for duim haos tu haos waka. Samfala maet ting, ‘Why nao iu go aot lo ministry nomata bae iu busy lo assembly lo weekend?’ Bat, mi luksavve wei for story witim olketa narawan lo ministry savve strongim man. Kam kasem distaem, wei for duim preaching waka hem evritaem mekem mi hapi.

Lo 1998, mitufala Carolyn kasem assignment for go bak and serve olsem spesol pioneer lo Montreal. For samfala year, part lo assignment blo mi hem for organizem spesol pablik witnessing and for story witim olketa nius media for helpem pipol for savve lo stret information abaotem olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Distaem mitufala Carolyn enjoyim wei for preach lo olketa pipol from difren ples wea muv kam lo Canada and staka taem olketa laek for lane abaotem Bible.

Taem mi ting go bak lo 68 years wea mi servem Jehovah, mi luksavve Jehovah barava blessim mi. Mi barava hapi bikos mi lane for enjoyim preaching and helpem staka pipol for savve lo truth. Bihaen evri pikinini blo dota blo mi Lise and hasband blo hem olketa growap, tufala start for regular pioneer. Taem mi lukim wei wea hem strong for duim ministry datwan mekem mi barava hapi. Mi barava tinghae lo olketa brata and sista wea gud example blo olketa and wise kaonsel wea olketa givim hem helpem mi for grow lo spiritual wei and for duim olketa difren assignment insaed organization blo Jehovah. Mi luksavve only wei for gohed faithful lo assignment hem for depend lo holy spirit blo Jehovah. (Sams 51:11) Mi gohed for thankiu lo Jehovah bikos hem givim mi disfala spesol privilege for praisem nem blo hem!—Sams 54:6.