Mi ‘Holem Kaleko Bilong Wanfala Jew’ for Seventi Year

Story Bilong Leonard Smith

Taem mi teenager, mi barava tinghae long tufala scripture. Winim 70 year finis, mi tingim yet taem wea mi just minim Zechariah 8:23 wea storyim “tenfala man” wea holem “kaleko bilong man wea hem wanfala Jew.” Tenfala man hia talem man wea Jew: “Mifala bae go witim iufala, from mifala herem finis hao God hem stap witim iufala.”

“MAN wea hem wanfala Jew” piksarem olketa anointed Christian, and “tenfala man” hem piksarem “olketa nara sheepsheep” wea bifor olketa kolem “olketa Jonadab.”a (John 10:16) Taem mi minim datwan, mi luksavve sapos mi laek for laef olowe long earth, mi mas sapotim olketa anointed Christian.

Nara scripture wea mi barava tinghae long hem tu hem datfala tokpiksa wea Jesus talem long Matthew 25:31-46 abaotem “olketa sheepsheep” and “olketa goat.” “Olketa sheepsheep” bae kasem laef olowe bikos olketa sapotim olketa anointed brata bilong Christ wea stap long earth. Datwan mekem mi for luksavve, sapos mi laekem Jesus for ting long mi olsem sheepsheep bilong hem, mi mas sapotim olketa anointed Christian and followim wanem olketa talem bikos God stap witim olketa. Datwan helpem mi for gohed faithful for 70 year finis.

‘WANEM NAO MI SHUD DUIM?’

Mami bilong mi baptaes long 1925 long wanfala hall long Bethel. Datfala hall olketa kolem long London Tabernacle and olketa brata and sista iusim for meeting. Mi born long October 15, 1926. Long March 1940, mi baptaes long wanfala assembly long Dover, England. Mi laekem tumas tru samting wea mi lanem from Bible. Mami nao firstfala anointed Christian wea mi savve long hem and wea mi waka witim long ministry. Long datfala taem, dadi and big sista bilong mi no worshipim Jehovah. Mifala attendim Gillingham Kongregeson long southeast England, and staka anointed brata and sista nao long datfala kongregeson. Mami showimaot gudfala example long wei for strong for duim preaching waka.

Long September 1941, long wanfala convention long Leicester, tok wea garem title “Integrity” mekhae long wei wea Jehovah nomoa fit for rul. Datfala tok helpem mi for luksavve Satan tok spoelem iumi and iumi mas showimaot iumi sapotim wei wea Jehovah nomoa fit for rul.

Datfala convention mekhae long wei for duim pioneer waka, and olketa young wan kasem encouragement for markem goal for duim datwan. Tok wea garem title “Pioneer’s Place in the Organization” mekem mi ting olsem, ‘Wanem nao mi shud duim?’ Datfala convention helpem mi for luksavve mi mas duim best bilong mi for helpem olketa anointed Christian long preaching waka. Long datfala convention mi raetem application for pioneer.

PIONEER LONG TAEM BILONG WAR

Long December 1, 1941, mi kamap spesol pioneer taem mi 15 year. Mami bilong mi nao firstfala pioneer partner bilong mi. Bat bihaen wan year, hem stop for pioneer bikos long health problem. So London branch office sendem brata Ron Parkin for pioneer witim mi, wea distaem hem Branch Komiti member long Puerto Rico.

Olketa sendem mitufala for go pioneer long Broadstairs and Ramsgate, tufala taon long saedsea long Kent. Long datfala taem, allowance wea spesol pioneer kasem each month hem 40 shillings (wea hem samting olsem $8, U.S.). Mitufala rentim wanfala rum bat taem mifala peim rent, lelebet selen nomoa stap for baem kaikai. Samfala taem mifala no savve wanem nao bae mifala kaikaim. Nomata olsem, evritaem Jehovah provaedem wanem mitufala needim.

Mitufala iusim baesikol for duim ministry, and samfala taem mifala stragol for raedem baesikol bikos long big wind wea blow kam from North Sea. Staka taem mitufala wari bikos olketa plane and V-1 missile wea olketa long Germany sendem for bombim London savve flae pas long ples wea mifala stap. Wanfala taem mi kwiktaem jamp from baesikol and haed long drain bikos mi lukim wanfala bomb hem foldaon kam, and hem bosta long wanfala farm klosap. Nomata olsem, mitufala hapi tumas taem mitufala pioneer long Kent.

MI WAKA LONG BETHEL

Mami bilong mi tinghae long waka long Bethel. Hem savve talem mi: “Mi laekem tumas for iu waka long Bethel.” Long January 1946, mi hapi tumas for kasem invitation for go waka long Bethel long London for thrifala week. Long end bilong thrifala week hia, brata Pryce Hughes wea hem branch servant askem mi for gohed waka long Bethel. Training wea mi kasem long Bethel helpem mi kam kasem distaem.

Long datfala taem, samting olsem 30 brata and sista nao waka long Bethel long London and staka hem olketa singol brata. Samfala anointed brata tu waka long there olsem Pryce Hughes, Edgar Clay, and Jack Barr, wea bihaen hem kamap member bilong Governing Body. Mi tinghae long privilege for sapotim and waka tugeta witim olketa anointed Christian hia!—Gal. 2:9.

Wanday long Bethel, wanfala brata kam talem mi wanfala sista hem kam for visitim mi. Mi sapraes for lukim mami bilong mi and hem tekem kam present for mi. Mami sei hem no laek for disturbim mi taem mi waka so hem givim datfala present and go. Hem wanfala coat for werem long taem hem cold. Datwan mekem mi for tingim Hannah wea tekem kam wanfala coat for son bilong hem Samuel wea waka long tabernacle.—1 Sam. 2:18, 19.

MI HAPI FOR GO LONG GILEAD

Long 1948, mifala faevfala wea waka long Bethel attendim mek-11 class long Gilead Skul wea kamap long America. Taem mifala kasem South Lansing, north long New York, wea Gilead Skul hem stap, hem barava cold. Mi hapi tumas mami givim datfala coat for mi!

Mi barava enjoyim sixfala month wea mi stap long Gilead. Mi lanem staka samting from olketa nara student long skul wea kam from 16 difren kantri. Datfala skul helpem mi for savve long staka samting abaotem Bible, and tu mi kasem gud samting from wei for kaban witim olketa mature Christian. Thrifala brata wea mi meetim long skul kamap member bilong Governing Body bihaen. Wanfala hem Lloyd Barry wea hem wanfala student long skul, narawan hem Albert Schroeder wea hem wanfala teacher long skul, and John Booth wea hem overseer long Kingdom Farm (ples wea Gilead Skul stap). Mi tinghae long naesfala advaes wea olketa brata hia givim and wei wea olketa faithful long Jehovah and organization bilong hem.

DUIM CIRCUIT WAKA THEN GO BAK LONG BETHEL

Taem skul hem finis, mi kasem assignment for duim circuit waka long Ohio, America. Nomata mi 21 year nomoa, olketa brata and sista wea mi visitim, olketa kaen and welkamim mi and mi lanem staka samting from olketa mature brata tu.

Tu-thri month bihaen, mi kasem invitation for go bak long Brooklyn Bethel for kasem moa training. Long there, mi meetim Milton Henschel, Karl Klein, Nathan Knorr, Thomas Sullivan, and Lyman Swingle, wea olketa hia kamap member bilong Governing Body bihaen. Wei for waka witim olketa and lane from gudfala example bilong olketa barava encouragem mi and helpem mi for trustim organization bilong Jehovah. Then mi kasem assignment for go bak moa long Europe.

Mami bilong mi dae long February 1950. Bihaen funeral, mi story witim dadi and sista bilong mi, Dora, and askem tufala wanem nao tufala bae duim saed long truth, bikos mami hem dae finis and mi tu no stap witim tufala. Tufala savve gud long Harry Browning, wea hem wanfala olo anointed brata, and tufala disaed for hem studyim Bible witim tufala. Bihaen wan year, dadi and Dora baptaes. Gogo, dadi hem ministerial servant long Gillingham Kongregeson. Bihaen dadi dae, Dora maritim Roy Moreton wea hem wanfala elder. Dora faithful for worshipim Jehovah go kasem taem hem dae long 2010.

KASEM ASSIGNMENT FOR GO LONG FRANCE

Mi studyim French, German, and Latin languis long skul, and French languis nao mi faendem hem no isi for lanem. So taem mi kasem assignment for go waka long Paris Bethel long France, mi hapi bat mi wari long semtaem tu. Mi hapi for waka witim Henri Geiger, wanfala olo anointed brata wea hem nao branch servant. Datfala assignment hem no evritaem isi and samfala samting mi duim maet no stret. Nomata olsem, mi lanem staka samting abaotem hao for stap gud witim narawan.

Mi kasem assignment tu for organizem first international convention long Paris bihaen long war. Datfala convention kamap long 1951. Léopold Jontès, wanfala young traveling overseer nao kam helpem mi long Bethel for duim datfala assignment. Gogo hem kamap branch overseer. Datfala convention kamap long Palais des sports, wanfala stadium klosap long Eiffel Tower. Olketa brata and sista kam from 28 difren kantri for attendim datfala convention. Namba bilong olketa brata and sista long France long datfala taem hem 6,000 bat long lastfala day bilong convention 10,456 nao attend!

Taem mi first kasem France, mi no savve story gud long French languis. Datwan mekem mi hol bak for story bikos mi fraet nogud mi talem samting wea no stret. So mi savve story nomoa taem mi savve wanem mi talem hem stret. Bat mi luksavve wei for hol bak for story bae no helpem mi for kwiktaem lanem French languis.

Mi disaed for attendim wanfala skul for helpem mi lanem gud French languis. Mi savve skul long olketa evening wea no eni meeting gohed and datwan mekem mi interest tumas long French languis. Gogo mi waka long transleison department and savve transleitim olketa English pablikeson long French languis. Hem nambawan privilege for helpem olketa brata and sista wea story long French languis for kasem spiritual kaikai wea wakaman wea faithful and wise provaedem.—Matt. 24:45-47.

MI MARIT AND KASEM SAMFALA PRIVILEGE MOA

Long 1956, mi maritim Esther, wanfala pioneer from Switzerland wea mi meetim samfala year bifor. Mitufala marit long Kingdom Hall wea hem klosap long London Bethel (bifor hem London Tabernacle, ples wea mami baptaes). Brata Pryce Hughes nao givim wedding tok bilong mitufala. Mami bilong Esther tu hem wanfala anointed Christian and hem kam long wedding. Mi hapi for maritim Esther. Mi kasem gud samting tu from wei for storyim olketa spiritual samting witim mami-in-law bilong mi go kasem taem hem dae long year 2000.

Bihaen mitufala marit, mi and Esther no stap long Bethel. Nomata olsem, mi gohed for waka long transleison and Esther hem spesol pioneer long Paris. Hem helpem samfala pipol for savve long truth and worshipim Jehovah. Long 1964, mitufala kasem invitation for stap long Bethel. Then long 1976, mi kamap member long Branch Komiti taem datfala arrangement hem just start. Esther hem evritaem sapotim mi.

“MI BAE NO STAP OLOWE WITIM IUFALA”

Mi garem privilege for go bak samfala taem long Brooklyn Bethel long New York. Long olketa visit hia, mi kasem gud advaes from samfala member bilong Governing Body. Olsem example, wanfala taem mi talem Brata Nathan Knorr mi wari nogud mi no finisim samfala waka long taem wea olketa markem. Hem smile nomoa and sei: “No wari, waka nomoa!” Wanem hem talem helpem mi evritaem for duim waka wea mi garem and no wari nomata waka hem staka tumas.

Bifor Jesus dae, hem talem olketa disaepol: “Mi bae no stap olowe witim iufala.” (Matt. 26:11) Olketa nara sheepsheep tu luksavve olketa anointed Christian bae no stap olowe witim olketa long earth. Mi tinghae long privilege wea mi garem for waka witim staka anointed Christian for winim 70 year finis. Mi hapi for ‘holem kaleko bilong wanfala Jew.’

[Footnote]

[Blurb long page 21]

Brata Knorr smile and sei: “No wari, waka nomoa!”

[Olketa piksa long page 19]

(Left) Mami and dadi

(Raet) Long 1948 long Gilead Skul, mi werem coat wea mami givim

[Piksa long page 20]

Long dedication bilong France branch long 1997, taem mi transleitim tok wea Brata Lloyd Barry givim

[Olketa piksa long page 21]

(Left) Taem mi and Esther marit

(Raet) Duim preaching waka tugeta