Garem Laef wea Hapi and Satisfae Insaed Service blo Jehovah

NO EVRIWAN LO FAMILI WORSHIPIM JEHOVAH

Mi born lo 1934. Parents blo mi from Switzerland and olketa kam setol lo Timmins, wanfala smol mining taon lo Ontario, Canada. Lo samting olsem 1939, mami blo mi start for readim olketa Wastaoa magasin and attendim olketa meeting blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Hem savve tekem mi and sixfala brata and sista blo mi witim hem taem hem go meeting. No longtaem bihaen, hem kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness.

Dadi no hapi lo disison wea mami mekem, bat mami blo mi barava lovem truth and disaed strong for loyal lo Jehovah. Nomata during lo early 1940’s, taem gavman banim waka blo iumi Olketa Jehovah’s Witness lo Canada, mami gohed for loyal lo Jehovah. And hem evritaem kaen and showim respect lo dadi, nomata dadi tok raf lo hem. Gudfala example blo mami helpem mi and olketa brata and sista blo mi for servem Jehovah. Mifala hapi tumas dat gogo dadi changem tingting blo hem and hao hem treatim famili hem kaen winim bifor.

START FOR DUIM FULL TAEM SERVICE

During lo summer blo 1950, mi attendim Theocracy’s Increase Assembly lo New York City. Datfala assembly hem encouragem mi for duim moa samting lo service blo Jehovah bikos mi meetim olketa brata and sista wea kam from olketa difren part lo world and mi herem olketa interview blo olketa wea graduate from Gilead Skul. Datwan mekem mi disaed strong for duim full-taem ministry. Taem mi kasem bak hom, mi kwiktaem apply for regular pioneer. Bat branch office lo Canada raet kam bak lo mi, and talem dat mi need for baptaes firstaem. So mi baptaes lo October 1, 1950. Wan month bihaen, mi start for regular pioneer and kasem first assignment blo mi lo taon blo Kapuskasing. Datfala taon hem farawe from ples wea famili blo mi stap.

Lo spring blo 1951, branch office invaetem olketa Witness wea savve story lo French languis for ting raonem if olketa savve muv lo French territory lo province blo Quebec. Olketa needim moa pablisa lo there for preach. Taem mi grow ap, mi savve lo French and English languis, so mi acceptim datfala invitation and kasem assignment for go lo Rouyn. Mi no savve lo eniwan lo there. Olsem mi storyim lo start, only samting mi savve hem address blo haos wea olketa talem for mi go lo hem. Evriting hem gohed gud. Marcel and mi kamap gud frens, and mi enjoyim assignment blo mi lo Quebec, mi stap lo there for fofala years and mi kamap spesol pioneer.

GILEAD AND SAMFALA SAMTING WEA MI EXPECTIM HEM DELAY

Taem mi lo Quebec, mi hapi tumas for kasem invitation for attendim mek-26 class blo Gilead Skul lo South Lansing, New York. Lo February 12, 1956, mi graduate, and kasem assignment for go lo ples wea distaem olketa kolem Ghana,b lo West Africa. Bat bifor mi go, mi mas go bak lo Canada and mi tingse bae hem tek “samfala week” nomoa for olketa travel document blo mi for redi.

End ap, mi mas weit for seven months lo Toronto for olketa document hia. During datfala taem, mi stap lo haos blo famili blo Cripps, and mi start for savve lo dota blo olketa, Sheila. Mitufala start for laekem each other. Taem mi redi for askem hem for mitufala marit, mi kasem visa blo mi. So mitufala Sheila prea abaotem and disaed for mi go lo assignment firstaem. Bat mitufala bae gohed raet leta lo each other and lukluk sapos bae mitufala fit for marit lo future. Datwan hem no isi disison, bat gogo situation showimaot klia datwan hem best disison.

Bihaen mi travel for wan month lo train, cargo ship, and plane, mi arrive lo taon blo Accra, lo Ghana. Taem mi lo there, mi kasem assignment for kamap district overseer. Mi savve travel raon lo Ghana and Ivory Coast (distaem hem Côte d’Ivoire) and Togoland (distaem hem Togo). Klosap full taem, mi travel seleva lo jeep wea branch givim for mi iusim. Mi barava enjoyim datfala taem!

Lo olketa weekend, mi savve kasem olketa assignment lo olketa circuit assembly. Mifala no garem eni Assembly Hall. So olketa brata savve iusim bambu for buildim olketa temporary ples for sidaon and putim olketa palm branch antap for provaedem shade from hot sun. Cafeteria no garem eni freezer, so olketa brata mas keepim olketa laef animal and taem olketa redi for kuki, olketa killim olketa animal hia for evriwan wea attendim assembly for kaikaim.

Samfala fani samting nao savve happen lo taem blo olketa assembly. Wantaem, Brata Herb Jenningsc wea hem wanfala missionary tu, gohed givim tok and wanfala buluka hem aot from ples wea olketa keepim lo cafeteria. Hem ran kam between lo platform and audience. Datfala animal hem luk konfius and Herb stop for story. Bat fofala strong brata holem datfala animal and karem go bak lo cafeteria, and audience klap big.

Lo olketa day bifor assembly, mi savve showim datfala movie The New World Society in Action lo olketa vilij wea stap klosap. For showim datfala film, mi iusim wanfala white canvas wea mi taengem lo tufala post or tufala tree. Pipol lo vilij enjoy for watchim datwan! For staka, hem first movie wea olketa lukim. Olketa klap big taem olketa lukim pipol insaed lo movie olketa baptaes. Datfala movie helpem staka for luksavve iumi insaed lo wanfala organization wea wan mind evriwea lo world.

Bihaen samting olsem tufala year wea mi stap lo Africa, mi hapi for attendim international convention wea kamap lo 1958, lo New York City. Mi barava hapi for lukim Sheila, wea serve olsem spesol pioneer lo Quebec. Mitufala bin gohed for raet leta lo each other, so mitufala hapi tumas for lukim each other moa, then mi askem hem for marit, and hem acceptim. Mi raet go lo Brata Knorrd and ask if Sheila savve attendim Gilead Skul and kam joinim mi lo Africa. Brata Knorr hem agree. Sheila arrive lo Ghana. Mitufala marit lo October 3, 1959, lo Accra. Mitufala lukim hao Jehovah blessim mitufala from mitufala putim hem first lo laef.

MITUFALA SERVE TUGETA LO CAMEROON

Lo 1961, mitufala kasem assignment for serve lo Cameroon. Olketa brata askem mi for help for startim waka lo niu branch office, so mi barava busy. From mi just kamap branch servant, mi mas lanem staka samting. Then lo 1965, mitufala faendaot Sheila hem babule. Hem lelebet hard for mi imaginim dat mitufala bae kamap parents. Mitufala hapi for acceptim disfala niu responsibility and plan for go bak lo Canada, bat then wanfala sorre samting hem happen.

Sheila hem miscarriage. Doctor talem dat baby blo mitufala wea dae, hem wanfala boy. Datwan hem happen winim 50 years finis, bat mitufala no savve forgetim. Nomata mitufala sorre tumas, mitufala gohed stap lo assignment wea mitufala lovem tumas.

Lo Cameroon, staka taem olketa brata and sista feisim persecution bikos olketa no teksaed lo politik. Datfala situation kamap worst during taem olketa electim niu president. Then lo May 13, 1970, samting wea mifala expectim hem happen, waka blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hem ban lo Cameroon. Gavman tekem datfala niu branch facility wea luk naes tumas, wea mifala just muv insaed faev month ago nomoa. Insaed wan week nomoa, gavman aotem evri missionary from kantri and mitufala tu. Hem no isi for lusim olketa brata and sista bikos mifala lovem olketa tumas and wari abaotem wat bae happen lo olketa.

Mitufala stay lo branch office lo France for sixfala month. Lo there, mi gohed duim wat mi fit for duim for lukaftarem olketa brata blo iumi lo Cameroon. Lo December blo sem year, mitufala kasem assignment for go lo Nigeria branch, wea hem start for lukaftarem waka lo Cameroon. Olketa brata and sista lo Nigeria welkamim mitufala, and mitufala enjoy for waka lo there for samfala year.

DISISON WEA NO ISI

Lo 1973, mitufala mas mekem wanfala disison wea no isi. Sheila garem wanfala serious health problem. Taem mitufala go lo wanfala convention lo New York, hem barava krae and talem mi: “Mi hard nao! Mi taed and sik evritaem.” For winim 14 years, mitufala serve lo West Africa. Mi tinghae lo faithful waka wea hem duim, bat mitufala luksavve dat mitufala need for mekem samfala change. Bihaen mitufala discussim disfala situation and prea abaotem, mitufala disaed for go bak lo Canada, mekem mitufala fit for tek kea lo health blo hem. For mekem datfala disison for lusim missionary assignment and full-taem service, hem wanfala hard samting wea mekem mitufala sorre tumas.

Afta mitufala arrive lo Canada, wanfala fren blo mi wea onem wanfala bisnis for salem olketa car, givim mi waka lo wanfala taon wea stap lo north lo Toronto. Mitufala rentim wanfala apartment, baem olketa second hand furniture, and datwan helpem mitufala for no garem kaon. Mitufala laek for garem simpol laef bikos mitufala hope dat wanday mitufala bae fit for duim moa full-taem service. Then samting mitufala no expectim hem happen, kwiktaem nomoa mitufala kasem bak wat mitufala hope for hem, mitufala duim moa full-taem service.

Evri Saturday mi savve volunteer lo construction site blo niu Assembly Hall lo Norval, Ontario. Gogo, olketa askem mi for kamap Assembly Hall overseer. Health blo Sheila hem impruv, and mitufala luksavve mitufala fit for duim disfala niu assignment. So lo June 1974, mitufala muv go stap lo Assembly Hall apartment. Mitufala hapi tumas for duim moa full-taem service!

Mitufala hapi dat health blo Sheila gohed for impruv. Tu years bihaen, mitufala acceptim assignment for duim circuit waka. Circuit blo mitufala hem lo Manitoba, wanfala province blo Canada, wea hem savve cold tumas lo winter. Nomata ples hia savve cold tumas, love blo olketa brata and sista hem olsem samting wea mekem man feel warm. Mitufala luksavve dat wat hem important nao, hem for gohed for servem Jehovah, and no ples wea iumi serve.

LANEM WANFALA IMPORTANT LESON

Bihaen samfala year lo circuit waka, lo 1978 mitufala kasem invitation for serve lo Canada Bethel. No longtaem bihaen, mi lanem wanfala important leson wea hem no isi for mi acceptim. Wantaem, mi kasem assignment for givim wanfala wan and haf hour tok lo French languis, lo wanfala spesol meeting lo Montreal. Bat, tok blo mi hem no keepim interest blo audience, so wanfala brata lo Service Department givim kaonsel lo mi abaotem datwan. For tok stret, mi shud luksavve dat mi no really wanfala gud speaker. Bat, mi faendem hem hard for acceptim datfala kaonsel. Taem mitufala story mi feel nogud tumas. Mi tingse hao datfala brata givim kaonsel hem ova tumas, hem shud duim lo kaenfala wei. Bat tingting blo mi hem no stret, bikos mi tingim nomoa hao hem givim datfala kaonsel and hao mi feel abaotem datfala brata.

Tu-thri day bihaen, wanfala member blo Branch Komiti story witim mi abaotem wat hem happen. Mi storyim lo hem dat hao mi respond lo datfala kaonsel hem no stret and mi regretim datwan. Then, mi go story lo datfala brata wea kaonselem mi. Hem hapi for forgivim mi taem mi sei sorre. Datfala experience teachim mi wanfala important leson wea mi no savve forgetim, wea hem nao for hambol. (Prov. 16:18) Mi prea lo Jehovah abaotem diswan staka taem, and mi disaed strong for no garem negative tingting abaotem eni kaonsel wea mi kasem.

Distaem, mi stap lo Canada Bethel for winim 40 years, and since 1985, mi garem privilege for serve lo Branch Komiti. Lo February 2021, beloved waef blo mi Sheila, hem dae. Mi barava missim hem, and tu, mi mas deal witim olketa health problem blo mi. Bat for duim waka blo Jehovah hem helpem mi for busy and hapi, so mi nating luksavve dat olketa days “go pas kwiktaem tumas.” (Eccl. 5:20) Nomata mi feisim samfala challenge lo laef blo mi, bat hapi wea mi kasem hem winim datwan. Wei for putim Jehovah first lo laef blo mi and enjoyim 70-fala year insaed full-taem service, hem mekem mi barava satisfae. Mi prea for olketa young brata and sista tu for gohed for putim Jehovah first lo laef blo olketa, bikos mi sure olketa bae enjoyim tru hapi and wei for satisfae wea olketa savve kasem only taem olketa servem Jehovah.