Jehovah Lanem Mi for Duim Wanem Hem Laekem

Story Bilong Max Lloyd

Long 1955, mi and nara missionary stap long assignment bilong mitufala long Paraguay, South America. Long wanfala naet wanfala raf sekson kam long haos wea mifala stap and singaot olsem: “God bilong mifala hem laekem mifala for killim dae olketa gringo.” Why nao mifala olketa gringo (wea minim man from difren ples) stap long there?

STORY bilong mi hem start staka year bifor diswan happen. Mi growap long Australia and long there nao Jehovah start for lanem mi for duim wanem hem laekem. Long 1938, dadi bilong mi tekem datfala buk Enemies from wanfala Witness. Long datfala taem dadi and mami bilong mi no hapi long samfala bigman long church wea sei samfala story long Bible hem kastom story nomoa. Samting olsem wanfala year bihaen, tufala baptaes for showimaot tufala dedicate long Jehovah. Start long datfala taem, main samting long laef bilong famili bilong mifala nao hem for duim wanem Jehovah laekem. Next wan wea baptaes hem sista bilong mi Lesley, wea hem born faevfala year bifor long mi. Then mi baptaes long 1940, taem mi naen year nomoa.

No longtaem bihaen World War II hem start, gavman tambuim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Australia for printim and givimaot olketa Bible pablikeson. So taem mi pikinini yet, mi lane for iusim nomoa Bible for explainim biliv bilong mi. Mi evritaem tekem Bible bilong mi long skul for pruvim why nao mi no salutim flag or sapotim war.—Ex. 20:4, 5; Matt. 4:10; John 17:16; 1 John 5:21.

Staka pikinini long skul no laek fren witim mi bikos olketa sei mi “man for spae for Germany.” Long datfala taem olketa savve showim olketa movie long skul. Bifor movie hem start evriwan mas standap and singim national anthem. From mi no standap, samfala boy pullim hair bilong mi for trae mekem mi standap. Gogo, mi expel from skul bikos mi no laek duim eni samting wea againstim Bible. Nomata olsem, mi duim samfala course long haos.

GOGO, MI KASEM GOAL BILONG MI

Goal bilong mi hem for start pioneer taem mi kasem 14 year. So mi feel nogud tumas taem dadi and mami sei mi mas waka for selen firstaem, and taem mi 18 year nao bae tufala letem mi for pioneer. Tufala sei mi mas givim selen for kaikai and rum bilong mi. Diswan mekem big story kamap staka taem abaotem selen wea mi kasem, bikos mi laek for sevem selen bilong mi for pioneer, bat tufala nao tekem.

Taem mi start for pioneer, dadi and mami talem mi tufala putim evri selen wea mi givim long tufala long bank. Then tufala givim bak evri selen hia mekem mi savve baem kaleko and olketa nara samting wea mi needim for pioneer. Tufala duim diswan for lanem mi for sapotim miseleva and no depend long narawan. Datfala training helpem mi kam kasem distaem.

Taem mitufala Lesley pikinini, staka taem olketa pioneer stap long haos bilong mifala and mitufala hapi for go preach witim olketa. Evri weekend mifala busy for preach long haos tu haos, duim street waka, and conductim olketa Bible study. Long datfala taem organization bilong Jehovah encouragem evri pablisa for garem goal for kasem 60 hour evri month long preaching waka. Klosap evri month mami bilong mi kasem datfala goal, and datwan hem gudfala example for mitufala Lesley.

MI PIONEER LONG TASMANIA

Firstfala pioneer assignment bilong mi hem long Tasmania, long Australia. Mi go pioneer witim sista bilong mi and hasband bilong hem, wea stap finis long there. Bat no longtaem bihaen, tufala lusim mi for go long mek-15 class bilong Gilead Skul. Mi man for shame tumas and datwan hem firstaem for mi stap seleva. So samfala sei bae mi givap nomoa bihaen thrifala month. Nomata olsem, wanfala year bihaen, long 1950, mi kamap company servant long kongregeson wea distaem olketa kolem chairman bilong olketa elder. Bihaen, mi kamap spesol pioneer and wanfala young brata hem pioneer partner bilong mi.

Assignment bilong mitufala hem long wanfala taon klosap long wanfala copper mine, and no eni Witness stap long there. Mifala tekem bas for kasem datfala ples, and hem gogo for evening taem mifala arrive. Long datfala naet mifala sleep long wanfala old hotel. Taem mifala preach long next day, mifala askem pipol sapos olketa savve long eni ples wea mifala savve stap. Taem hem gogo for evening wanfala man sei no eniwan stap long haos bilong minister wea stap saed long Presbyterian church, and hem sei for mifala go story witim deacon. Deacon hia hem kaen and sei mitufala savve stap long datfala haos. Hem feel fani for stap long haos bilong bigman bilong wanfala church and then go preaching evriday.

Staka pipol long datfala territory interest for story and mifala startim staka Bible study. Taem olketa bigman long hed office bilong datfala church herem story abaotem datwan, and faendaot tufala Jehovah’s Witness stap long haos bilong minister, olketa talem datfala deacon for mas raosem mifala from haos. So mitufala no garem moa ples for stap!

Long next day mifala preach go kasem aftanun, and then go lukaotem ples for sleep. Best ples wea mifala savve faendem hem long stadium. Mitufala haedem box bilong mitufala long there and gohed moa for preach. Hem gogo for naet, bat mifala laek for finisim last tu-thri haos. Wanfala man mitufala meetim sei mifala savve stap long wanfala smol haos long area bilong hem, wea garem tufala rum!

DUIM CIRCUIT WAKA AND GO LONG GILEAD

Bihaen mi stap long datfala pioneer assignment for eitfala month, mi kasem invitation from Australia branch for duim circuit waka. Mi seke long datwan bikos mi 20 year nomoa. Mi kasem training for tufala week, then mi start for visitim olketa kongregeson nao. Nomata mi young winim klosap evriwan long olketa kongregeson, olketa no lukdaonem mi bat olketa tinghae long waka wea mi duim.

Taem mi gogo long olketa kongregeson samfala taem mi iusim bas, samfala taem mi go long tram, mi savve go long car, or mi passenger long motorbike wea mi mas holem gud box and preaching basket bilong mi. Mi enjoyim tumas for stap witim olketa brata and sista. Wantaem wanfala elder hem laekem tumas for mi stap witim hem, nomata haos bilong hem no finis gud yet. Long datfala week mi sleep long bathrum nomoa. Nomata olsem, mitufala evriwan barava enjoyim datfala week!

Long 1953, mi seke moa taem mi kasem application for go long mek-22 class bilong Gilead Skul. Mi hapi tumas long datwan, bat long semtaem mi wari tu. Why nao olsem? Sista bilong mi and hasband bilong hem graduate from Gilead long July 30, 1950, and tufala kasem assignment for go long Pakistan. Insaed wan year nomoa Lesley hem sik and hem dae long there. So mi warim wanem nao dadi and mami bilong mi bae tingim sapos mi tu go long nara kantri. Bat tufala sei: “Iu go and servem Jehovah long eni ples wea hem laekem.” Datwan nao last taem wea mi lukim dadi bilong mi bikos hem dae long 1957.

Mi witim nara faevfala brata and sista from Australia go long wanfala ship for kasem New York. Long sixfala week wea mifala gogo long ship mifala readim Bible, study seleva, and preach long olketa nara passenger. Taem mifala arrive mifala go firstaem long wanfala international convention long Yankee Stadium long July 1953. Namba bilong olketa wea attend hem 165,829! Then bihaen nao mifala go long ples wea Gilead skul stap long South Lansing, New York.

Namba bilong olketa student long Gilead class bilong mifala hem 120, and olketa kam from staka difren kantri. Long day wea mifala graduate nomoa olketa talem mifala wanem kantri nao hem assignment bilong mifala. So mifala evriwan kwiktaem go long Gilead library for faendemaot moa samting abaotem olketa kantri wea mifala bae go long hem. Assignment bilong mi hem Paraguay. Mi faendemaot pipol long datfala kantri evritaem faet for changem gavman. No longtaem bihaen mi kasem Paraguay, long wanfala naet mi herem pipol singaot and mekem staka noise. So long next morning mi askem olketa nara missionary wanem nao datfala noise. Olketa smile long mi and talem mi gavman hem change moa long naet. Then olketa sei: “Iu go luk aotsaed.” Taem mi go luk, mi lukim staka soldia standap followim road!

WANFALA EXPERIENCE WEA MI NO SAVVE FORGETIM

Wantaem mi go witim circuit overseer for visitim wanfala kongregeson wea stap farawe and for showim olketa datfala movie The New World Society in Action. For kasem long there mifala travel for samting olsem naenfala hour. Firstaem mifala tekem train, then mifala go long wagon wea horse pullim, and then long wagon wea buluka pullim. Mifala tekem go wanfala generator and wanfala projector. Long day bihaen mifala kasem datfala ples mifala go long olketa farm for invaetem pipol for kam lukim datfala movie. Long datfala naet samting olsem 15-fala pipol nao kam.

Bihaen movie gohed for 20 minute nomoa, olketa talem mifala for kwiktaem go insaed long haos. Mifala holem projector and go nao. Long datfala taem nao wanfala raf sekson start for singaot, iusim gun bilong olketa for sutsut long air, and gohed sei olsem: “God bilong mifala hem laekem mifala for killim dae olketa gringo.” Tufala gringo nomoa stap long there, and mi nao wanfala! Olketa wea kam for lukim datfala movie stopem datfala sekson for no kam insaed long haos. Bat gogo datfala sekson kam bak moa long thri klok long morning. Olketa sutsut long olketa gun, and sei olketa bae killim mifala taem mifala go bak long taon long next day.

Olketa brata story witim sheriff bilong datfala ples, and long aftanun hem tekem kam tufala horse for tekem mifala go bak long taon. Taem mifala gogo bak, sheriff hia aotem gun bilong hem taem mifala go klosap long olketa tree, and hem raed go firstaem for chekim sapos hem sef. Datwan mekem mi luksavve horse hem gudfala transport, so bihaen datwan mi peim wanfala horse.

OLKETA NIU MISSIONARY ARRIVE

Nomata olketa bigman long church againstim mifala, preaching waka hem gohed gud. Long 1955, faevfala niu missionary arrive long Paraguay. Wanfala hem Elsie Swanson, wanfala young sista from Canada wea hem graduate long mek-25 class bilong Gilead Skul. Hem stap long branch office for lelebet taem bifor hem kasem assignment for go long nara taon, and mi tu stap long branch long datfala taem. Hem strong for worshipim Jehovah nomata dadi and mami bilong hem no sapotim hem, and tufala nating kam insaed long truth. Mitufala Elsie marit long December 31, 1957, and mitufala stap seleva long wanfala missionary hom long south part long Paraguay.

Wata supply no kam long haos, bat mifala garem wanfala well bihaen long haos. So mifala no garem bathrum or toilet long haos, and mifala no garem machine for wasim kaleko. Mifala no garem ice box tu, so evriday nao mifala mas peim kaikai. Nomata olsem, long datfala taem mitufala barava hapi bikos laef hem simpol and mifala fren gud witim olketa brata and sista long kongregeson.

Long 1963, mitufala go long Australia for visitim mami bilong mi. No longtaem bihaen, mami kasem heart attak. Luk olsem diswan happen bikos hem hapi tumas for lukim mi moa bihaen tenfala year. Taem holiday bilong mitufala klosap finis, mifala mas disaedem wanfala barava hard samting. Waswe, bae mitufala go bak long assignment bilong mifala long Paraguay wea mifala laekem tumas, and leavim mami long hospital and hope samwan nao bae lukaftarem hem? Bihaen mitufala Elsie prea abaotem diswan, mifala disaed for stap long Australia and lukaftarem mami. Mitufala lukaftarem mami and gohed long full-taem ministry go kasem taem hem dae long 1966.

Mitufala hapi for duim circuit and distrik waka long Australia for plande year, and mi teach long Kingdom Ministry Skul for olketa elder tu. Then wanfala big change moa kamap long laef bilong mitufala. Mi kasem assignment for kamap member bilong firstfala Branch Komiti long Australia. Then, taem mifala redi for buildim wanfala niu branch office, mi kamap chairman bilong building komiti. Staka volunteer wea garem savve olketa waka gud tugeta for buildim wanfala niu branch office wea luk naes tumas.

Then mi kasem assignment for waka long Service Department. Disfala department lukaftarem preaching waka long full kantri. Mi kasem privilege tu for duim zone visit long olketa nara branch office raonem world for helpem and encouragem olketa. Taem mi meetim olketa brata and sista long samfala kantri wea stap for staka year long olketa prison bikos olketa faithful long Jehovah, datwan barava strongim faith bilong mi.

ASSIGNMENT BILONG MITUFALA DISTAEM

Long 2001, bihaen mifala duim zone visit long samfala difren branch, mifala kasem wanfala leta wea invaetem mifala for go long Brooklyn, New York. Datfala leta invaetem mi for kamap member bilong firstfala Branch Komiti long United States Branch. Mitufala Elsie prea abaotem datwan, and mifala hapi for acceptim datfala assignment. Distaem mitufala stap long Brooklyn for winim 11-fala year finis.

Mi hapi tumas from mi garem waef wea willing for duim eni samting wea Jehovah laekem. Distaem mitufala Elsie winim 80 year nao and mitufala strong yet. Mitufala luk forward for Jehovah lanem mifala for olowe, and for kasem olketa nambawan blessing wea hem promisim for olketa wea gohed duim wanem hem laekem.

[Blurb long page 19]

Samfala taem mi iusim bas, samfala taem mi go long tram, mi savve go long car, or mi passenger long motorbike wea mi mas holem gud box and preaching basket bilong mi

[Blurb long page 21]

Mitufala luk forward for Jehovah lanem mifala for olowe

[Olketa Piksa long page 18]

Left saed: Taem mi duim circuit waka long Australia

Raet saed: Mi witim dadi and mami

[Piksa long page 20]

Taem mitufala marit long December 31, 1957