Bifor Mi Savve Fraet for Dae

Story bilong Piero Gatti

WANFALA noise start for kakamap big. Then pipol herem alarm for olketa mas ranawe and haed long sef ples. Seknomoa evri samting hem nogud nao bikos olketa bombim datfala ples and noise hem big tumas wea mekem man no herem eni samting.

Datwan hem happen long Milan, Italy, long 1943 and 1944. Mi wanfala young soldia wea waka bilong mi hem for faendem olketa pipol wea dae. Taem olketa bombim wanfala ples, staka taem iu no luksavve long man bikos samfala part long body bilong hem no stap and olketa pas andanit long olketa haos wea foldaon. Mi lukim staka wea dae and samfala taem mi tu klosap dae. Long taem olsem, mi prea long God and talem hao sapos mi laef bae mi duim wanem hem laekem.

Mi No Fraet Nao for Dae

Mi big kam long wanfala vilij wea stap samting olsem 10 kilometer klosap long Como, wanfala taon long Italy wea stap klosap long border bilong Switzerland. Taem mi young, mi barava sorre and fraet for dae. Tufala sista bilong mi dae long Spanish flu. Then long 1930, taem mi six year nomoa, mami bilong mi Luigia dae. From mi wanfala Catholic, mi followim olketa rul bilong church and attendim Mass evri week. Bat staka year bihaen, mi herem wanfala samting no long church bat long ples for kat hair wea mekem mi for no fraet for dae.

Long 1944, staka pipol dae long World War II. Mi wanfala long staka thousand soldia bilong Italy wea ranawe go long Switzerland. Taem mifala kasem long there, olketa tekem mifala go long olketa refugee camp. Olketa sendem mi go long wanfala camp klosap long Steinach, wanfala vilij northeast long Switzerland. Taem mifala stap long there, mifala free for duim samfala samting. Man for kat hair long Steinach needim samwan for helpem hem. Nomata mi stap and waka for hem for wanfala month nomoa, samting wea mi herem changem laef bilong mi.

Wanfala man from Italy wea savve kam for kat hair olowe hem Adolfo Tellini, wea stap long Switzerland. Hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Mi nating herem eni samting abaotem olketa Witness bifor, and datwan hem bikos samting olsem 150 Witness nomoa stap long Italy. Adolfo story abaotem olketa tru samting wea Bible teachim. Hem storyim olketa promis abaotem peace and “laef olowe.” (John 10:10; Rev. 21:3, 4) Mi barava interest long story abaotem future wea no eni war bae kamap and no eniwan bae dae. Long refugee camp, mi storyim wanem mi lanem witim Giuseppe Tubini, wea hem tu from Italy and hem barava interest. Adolfo and olketa nara Witness savve kam visitim mifala long camp samfala taem.

Mi go witim Adolfo long Arbon, wea hem stap samting olsem 10 kilometer from Steinach. Long there wanfala smol grup bilong olketa Witness savve garem olketa meeting long Italian languis. Mi barava interest long wanem mi herem and week bihaen, mi baeleg go long there. Bihaen, mi attendim assembly bilong olketa Witness long Zurich. Mi barava sapraes taem mi lukim wanfala slide wea showim olketa piksa bilong staka pipol wea olketa soldia killim dae long camp. Mi lanem hao olketa killim dae staka Witness long Germany from wanem olketa bilivim. Mi meetim Maria Pizzato long datfala assembly. From Maria hem wanfala Witness, olketa Italian Fascist putim hem long prison for 11 year.

Taem war hem finis, mi go bak long Italy and joinim wanfala smol kongregeson long Como. Nomata no eniwan study witim mi, mi savve long olketa main teaching long Bible. Maria Pizzato hem long datfala kongregeson tu. Hem talem mi why hem important for baptaes and hem askem mi for go visitim Marcello Martinelli, wea stap long Castione Andevenno, long Sondrio province. Marcello hem wanfala anointed brata wea faithful. Olketa Italian Fascist putim hem tu long prison for 11 year. Mi mas raedem baesikol for 80 kilometer for visitim hem.

Marcello iusim Bible for explainim wanem mi need duim for baptaes. Bihaen mifala prea, hem baptaesim mi long Adda River. Datwan happen long September 1946 and hem wanfala spesol day! Mi barava hapi tumas bikos mi disaed for worshipim Jehovah and mi garem wanfala nambawan hope for future. Long evening, mi barava sapraes mi raedem baesikol for 160 kilometer long datfala day!

Long May 1947 bihaen war, firstfala assembly long Italy hem kamap long Milan. Samting olsem 700 nao attendim datfala assembly, and staka hem olketa wea kasem hard taem from nogud rul bilong olketa Fascist. Long datfala assembly, wanfala interesting samting nao happen. Giuseppe Tubini, wea mi preach long hem long refugee camp givim baptism tok and then bihaen hemseleva nao baptaes!

Long datfala assembly, mi garem privilege for meetim Brata Nathan Knorr from Brooklyn Bethel. Hem encouragem mi and Giuseppe for iusim laef bilong mifala for Jehovah. Wanfala month bihaen, mi disaed for duim full-taem service. Taem mi go bak long hom, mi talem famili bilong mi wanem mi disaedem bat olketa no laekem mi for duim datwan. Nomata olsem, mi strong long wanem mi disaedem. So wanfala month bihaen, mi start for waka long Bethel long Milan. Fofala missionary nao long there, hem nao Giuseppe (Joseph) Romano and waef bilong hem, Angelina, and Carlo Benanti and waef bilong hem, Costanza. Mek-faev member long Bethel famili hem Giuseppe Tubini wea just kam tu and mi nao mek-six.

Bihaen mi stap long Bethel for wanfala month, mi kasem assignment for duim circuit waka, and mi nao first wan from Italy for duim datwan. Brata George Fredianelli nao first missionary from America for kam long Italy long 1946 and hem gohed for duim traveling waka long Italy. Hem trainim mi for samfala week then bihaen mi duim datfala waka seleva. Mi tingim yet firstfala kongregeson wea mi visitim nao hem Faenza. Long datfala taem mi nating givim eni tok yet long eni kongregeson! Nomata olsem, mi encouragem olketa wea attendim datfala meeting and plande young wan for ting raonem wei for duim full-taem ministry. Gogo samfala long olketa young wan hia kasem olketa bigfala assignment long Italy.

Traveling waka hem naes tumas. Nomata samfala samting hem no isi, mi lanem staka interesting samting. Olketa brata and sista showimaot love long mi.

Samting wea Religion Duim Bihaen War

Mi laek storyim samting wea religion duim long datfala taem long Italy. Catholic Church hem main religion and pipol no kwestinim eni samting wea church duim. Nomata Italy garem olketa niu law long 1948, olketa law bilong olketa Fascist bifor wea stopem olketa Witness for no preach hem gohed go kasem 1956. Staka taem olketa bigman bilong religion savve mekem pipol for kam and disturbim program bilong circuit assembly. Bat samfala taem, plan bilong olketa bigman hia hem no waka, and hem nao wanem hem happen long 1948 long Sulmona, wanfala smol taon long Italy.

Mifala garem assembly insaed wanfala big building. Long Sunday morning, mi chairman and Giuseppe Romano givim pablik tok. Staka nao kam. Long datfala taem, no winim 500 pablisa stap long Italy, bat 2,000 pipol kam. Long end bilong pablik tok, tufala priest wea attend talem wanfala young man for go ap long stage. From hem laek for mekem evriwan konfius, hem singaot big. Mi kwiktaem talem hem, “Sapos iu laek talem eni samting, rentim wanfala hall mekem iu savve talem wanem iu laekem.” Evriwan wea kam nating hapi long wanem datfala man duim. Olketa singaotem hem and no eniwan herem hem. Datfala man go aot from stage and no eniwan lukim hem nao.

Taem mi visitim olketa kongregeson, samfala taem mi mas baeleg, raedem baesikol, go long train, or go long bas wea old and wea fulap long staka pipol. Samfala taem, mi mas sleep long ples for keepim olketa animal or tul. War hem just finis and staka pipol long Italy poor. No staka brata stap and olketa poor tu. Nomata olsem, mifala enjoyim wei for worshipim Jehovah.

Kasem Training Long Gilead

Long 1950, mi and Giuseppe Tubini kasem invitation for attendim mek-16 class bilong Gilead for olketa missionary. Mi savve bae hem no isi for mi lanem English, bat mi traem best bilong mi. Mifala mas readim full Bible long English. Samfala taem mi no lunch mekem mi practice for read big. Gogo mi garem assignment for givim tok. Mi tingim yet wanem instructor talem long mi. Hem sei: “Olketa akson bilong iu and wei wea iu givim tok hem barava gud, bat mifala hard for minim English bilong iu!” Nomata olsem, mi pas long skul. Bihaen, mi and Giuseppe kasem assignment for go bak long Italy. Training wea mifala kasem barava helpem mifala for helpem olketa brata.

Long 1955, mi maritim Lidia. Mi nao givim baptism tok bilong hem sevenfala year bifor. Dadi bilong Lidia, Domenico, garem sevenfala pikinini and helpem evriwan for worshipim Jehovah nomata olketa Fascist persecutim hem and no letem hem stap long Italy for 3-fala year. Lidia tu barava gohed strong long truth. Hem go long kot thrifala taem bikos hem preach long haos tu haos taem law tambuim datfala waka. Sixfala year bihaen mitufala marit, firstborn son bilong mitufala, Beniamino, hem born. Long 1972, waef bilong mi bornem nara son, Marco. Mi hapi tumas tufala son bilong mi and famili bilong olketa gohed strong for worshipim Jehovah.

Gohed Strong for Worshipim Jehovah

Mi garem staka naes experience taem mi helpem olketa narawan. Olsem example, no longtaem bihaen 1980, dadi-in-law bilong mi raet go long president bilong Italy, Sandro Pertini. Taem olketa Fascist rul, olketa forcem tufala for go stap long Ventotene, wanfala island wea olketa putim pipol wea olketa tingse olketa enemy. Dadi-in-law bilong mi ask for interview witim president bikos hem laek for preach long hem. President acceptim datwan and mi nao go witim dadi-in-law bilong mi. Hem hapi and welkamim mifala, wea hem samting wea mifala no expectim. President hagem dadi-in-law bilong mi. Mitufala storyim biliv bilong mitufala long hem and givim hem samfala buk.

Mi duim circuit waka for 44 year and mi visitim staka kongregeson long Italy. Bat long 1991, mi stop for duim datfala waka. Then for fofala year, mi waka olsem Assembly Hall overseer, bat mi mas stop for duim datwan bikos mi sik big. Bat Jehovah kaen tumas long mi and mi gohed for duim full-taem service. Mi traem best bilong mi for preachim gud nius and teachim pipol, and distaem mi garem samfala Bible study. Taem mi givim tok, olketa brata sei mi savve givim tok wea strongim olketa brata and sista. Mi thankiu long Jehovah mi strong yet for givim olketa tok nomata mi olo.

Taem mi young, mi savve fraet for dae, bat taem mi savve long tru samting long Bible, mi garem hope for “laef olowe.” (John 10:10) Mi luk forward long future wea iumi bae garem peace, stap sef, hapi, and kasem staka blessing from Jehovah. From iumi garem privilege for garem nem bilong Jehovah, datwan mekem iumi laek for gohed praisem hem.—Ps. 83:18.

[Map long page 22, 23]

(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)

SWITZERLAND

BERN

Zurich

Arbon

Steinach

ITALY

ROME

Como

Milan

River Adda

Castione Andevenno

Faenza

Sulmona

Ventotene

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Mifala go for Gilead

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Mi and Giuseppe long Gilead

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Day wea mitufala marit

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Waef bilong mi helpem mi for winim 55 year