Mi Kasem Olketa Blessing Long ‘Taem wea Hem Isi and Taem wea Hem Hard’

MI BORN long March 1930, long Namkumba vilij, long Malawi. Famili bilong mi worshipim Jehovah. Long 1942 mi dedicatem laef bilong mi long Jehovah and mi baptaes long wanfala naes river long Malawi. For 70 year, mi trae for duim samting wea aposol Paul encouragem Timothy for duim, wea hem sei: “Talemaot toktok bilong God. Strong for duim olsem nomata taem datwan hem isi or taem hem hard.”—2 Tim. 4:2.

Long 1948, Nathan Knorr and Milton Henschel, kam long Malawi, and olketa tok bilong tufala encouragem mi for duim full-taem service. Bihaen, mi meetim wanfala naes sista wea nem bilong hem Lidasi, wea garem sem goal olsem mi for duim full-taem service. Mitufala marit long 1950, and long 1953, nomata mifala garem tufala pikinini, mi start for regular pioneer. Tufala year bihaen, mi kasem invitation for kamap spesol pioneer.

No longtaem bihaen datwan, mi start for duim circuit waka. Bikos Lidasi barava sapotim mi, mi fit for provaedem need bilong famili and long semtaem gohed long full-taem service.a Nomata olsem, Lidasi tu laek for duim full-taem service. So mitufala plan gud for datwan, and bikos faevfala pikinini bilong mifala sapotim mifala, Lidasi hem start for duim full-taem service long 1960.

Long 1962, mifala holem Distrik Assembly wea garem theme, “Olketa Minister wea No Fraet.” Wanfala year bihaen, Brata Henschel visitim Malawi for wanfala spesol convention wea kamap klosap long taon long Blantyre. Winim 10,000 pipol nao attendim datfala convention. Olketa convention hia redyim and strongim mifala olketa Witness long Malawi for olketa hard taem wea klosap for kasem mifala.

PERSECUTION HEM START

Long 1964, olketa Witness long Malawi kasem persecution bikos olketa no join insaed long politik. Pipol distroem winim 100 Kingdom Hall and winim 1,000 haos bilong olketa brata and sista. Mitufala Lidasi gohed duim circuit waka go kasem taem gavman tambuim waka bilong olketa Witness long 1967. Gavman tekovarem branch office, raosem olketa missionary from kantri, and putim staka Witness long prison witim mitufala Lidasi tu. Taem mitufala aot from prison, mifala duim circuit waka haed.

Wanday, long October 1972, samting olsem wan handred man bilong wanfala political party, wea olketa kolem Malawi Youth League, olketa march kam for haos bilong mifala. Bat wanfala long olketa ran kam firstaem and talem mi for go haed bikos olketa man hia kam for killim mi dae. Mi talem waef and olketa pikinini bilong mi for go haed insaed olketa banana tree wea stap klosap long haos bilong mifala. Then mi go klaemapem wanfala big mango tree and lukim taem olketa distroem haos bilong mi and evriting bilong mifala.

Taem persecution hia gohed, staka thousand Witness nao lusim Malawi. Mifala stap long wanfala refugee camp long Mozambique go kasem June 1974, taem mitufala Lidasi kasem assignment for spesol pioneer long Dómue, long Mozambique. Mitufala gohed pioneer go kasem 1975 taem gavman long Mozambique forcem mifala for go bak long Malawi. Long datfala taem, gavman long Malawi persecutim yet olketa Witness long there.

Taem mifala go bak long Malawi, mi kasem assignment for duim circuit waka long Lilongwe, wea hem kapitol taon long Malawi. Nomata persecution and olketa hard taem gohed, staka niu kongregeson start long olketa ples wea mifala duim circuit waka.

JEHOVAH SAPOTIM MITUFALA

Wanday, taem mifala kasem wanfala vilij, meeting bilong wanfala political party nao hem gohed long there. Samfala wea sapotim datfala party luksavve mifala olketa Witness, so olketa forcem mifala for sidaon witim wanfala political party, wea olketa kolem Malawi Young Pioneers. Mifala prea strong long Jehovah for helpem mifala. Taem datfala meeting hem finis, olketa start for killim mifala. Seknomoa wanfala old woman hem ran kam and singaot olsem: “Plis, iufala no killim olketa! Disfala man hem boy bilong brata bilong mi. Letem hem go!” Man wea organizem datfala meeting sei: “Letem tufala go!” Mifala no savve why nao datfala woman talem datfala toktok, bikos hem no relative bilong mifala. Mifala savve Jehovah hem herem prea bilong mifala.

Long 1981, samfala bilong datfala Malawi Young Pioneers spoelem mifala moa. Olketa tekem baesikol bilong mitufala, olketa basket and olketa buk bilong mitufala, and olketa important pepa abaotem olketa brata long circuit bilong mifala. Mitufala ranawe from olketa and go long haos bilong wanfala elder. Bat mitufala wari abaotem olketa important pepa wea olketa hia tekem. Taem datfala Malawi Young Pioneers lukluk long olketa pepa hia, olketa lukim samfala leta wea olketa brata long staka ples long Malawi olketa sendem kam long mi. Datwan mekem olketa for tingse mi wanfala bigman long gavman so olketa barava fraet. Olketa stretawe givim bak evri samting wea olketa tekem long samfala elder long there.

Narataem mifala akrosim wanfala river long wanfala boat. Man wea ownim datfala boat, hem wanfala bigman long politik, and hem go raon for chekim political party card bilong evriwan. Taem hem kam klosap long ples wea mifala sidaon, hem luksavve long wanfala man for steal wea police lukaotem hem. From evriwan busy for lukluk long datfala samting wea happen, man hia stop nao for chekim olketa card. Long datfala taem tu mifala luksavve Jehovah hem protectim mifala.

OLKETA PUTIM MI LONG PRISON

Long February 1984, taem mi gogo long Lilongwe for sendem samfala report go long branch office long Zambia, wanfala policeman stopem mi and chekim basket bilong mi. Hem faendem samfala Bible pablikeson so hem tekem mi go long police station and start for killim mi. Then hem taemapem hand bilong mi and putim mi long wanfala cell witim samfala man for steal.

Nextfala day, bigman bilong police tekem mi long nara rum and talem mi for saenem wanfala pepa wea sei: “From mi laek for aot from prison, mi Trophim Nsomba, mi no wanfala Jehovah’s Witness distaem.” Mi talem hem bae mi nating saenem datfala pepa, and mi sei olsem long hem: “Mi willing for iu taemapem mi and mi willing for dae tu. Mi bae gohed for talem pipol abaotem Jehovah.” Datfala bigman hem kros fogud and hitim strong long desk bilong hem. Wanfala policeman long nara rum ran kam for lukim wanem nao happen. Bigman hia sei long hem: “Disfala man no laek saenem pepa hia for sei hem bae stop for preach. So letem hem saenem pepa for sei hem Jehovah’s Witness, and iumi bae sendem hem go long prison long Lilongwe.” Waef bilong mi no savve long olketa samting hia wea happen long mi. Fofala day bihaen nao hem just herem samting wea happen long mi.

Long police station long Lilongwe, olketa policeman long there kaen long mi. Bigman bilong police long there hem sei: “Pleit rice bilong iu long hia. Iu stap long prison bikos iu followim wanem Bible talem, bat olketa nara man long hia olketa man for steal.” Then hem sendem mi go long Kachere Prison, and mi stap long there for faevfala month.

Bigman long datfala prison hem hapi nao mi kam bikos hem laekem mi for kamap “pastor” long prison. Hem finisim nara man wea pastor and sei long hem: “Mi no laekem iu for teachim Bible long hia moa, bikos iu stealim selen long church bilong iu dastawe iu stap long prison!” So evri week, long wanfala meeting wea olketa bigman long prison arrangem, mi teachim Bible long olketa prisoner.

Bihaen, mi kasem samfala nara hard taem. Olketa bigman long prison kwestinim mi bikos olketa laek for savve haomas Witness nao stap long Malawi. From mi no talem olketa wanem olketa laek for savve, olketa killim mi go kasem taem mi haf dead. Narafala taem olketa laek for savve hedquarter bilong iumi stap long wea. Mi sei: “Datwan hem no hardfala kwestin, bae mi talem iufala ansa.” Mi sei Bible nao storyim ples wea hedquarter bilong iumi hem stap. Olketa sapraes and sei, “Wea long Bible nao hem talem datwan?”

Mi sei: “Long Isaiah 43:12.” Olketa openem Bible and readim datfala verse wea sei: “Jehovah hem sei: ‘So iufala nao olketa witness bilong mi, and mi nao God.’” Thrifala taem nao olketa readim datfala scripture. Then olketa ask olsem: “Why nao iu sei hedquarter bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hem long Bible? Why nao iu no sei hem stap long America?” Mi sei olsem long olketa: “Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long America tu luksavve disfala scripture hem storyim hedquarter bilong mifala.” From mi no talem olketa wanem olketa laek for savve, olketa sendem mi go long Dzaleka Prison, long north saed long Lilongwe.

MI KASEM OLKETA BLESSING LONG TAEM WEA HEM HARD

Taem mi kasem Dzaleka Prison long July 1984, 81 Witness stap long there finis. Prison hia hem full tumas, and 300 prisoner nao mas sleep long floor insaed wanfala rum. Gogo olketa Witness start for hipap long olketa smol grup for storyim wanfala verse long Bible evriday, and datwan barava encouragem mifala.

Long October 1984, mifala evri Witness nao go long kot and judge sei mifala bae stap long prison for tufala year. Long prison wea olketa sendem mifala go long hem, mifala stap witim olketa nara prisoner wea no Witness. Bat bigman long prison talem evriwan: “Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no savve smoke. So iufala olketa gard, no askem olketa for cigarette and no askem olketa for go tekem fire for laetem cigarette bilong iufala. Olketa hia pipol bilong God! Iufala mas givim kaikai long Olketa Jehovah’s Witness tufala taem evriday. Olketa stap long prison bikos olketa followim wanem Bible talem, and no bikos olketa criminal.”

Mifala kasem olketa nara gud samting tu bikos pipol tinghae long gudfala wei bilong mifala. Olketa prison gard no savve letem olketa prisoner for go aotsaed long naet or taem hem rain. Bat olketa letem mifala for go aotsaed bikos olketa trustim mifala and olketa savve bae mifala no trae for ranawe. Olsem example, wanday taem mifala waka long olketa garden aotsaed, wanfala prison gard hem sik. So mifala karem hem go bak long prison. From mifala gohed showimaot gudfala wei, samfala prison gard talem toktok wea mekem nem bilong Jehovah kasem praise.—1 Pet. 2:12.b

MI AOT FROM PRISON

Long May 11, 1985, mi aot from Dzaleka Prison and mi hapi tumas for stap moa witim famili bilong mi! Mifala thankiu long Jehovah from hem helpem mifala for gohed faithful long olketa hard taem hia. Mifala garem sem feeling olsem aposol Paul wea sei: “Olketa brata, mifala laekem iufala for savve abaotem hard taem wea mifala kasem . . . Mifala no sure bae mifala laef or nomoa. For tok stret, mifala tingse bae mifala dae nao. Diswan hem for mekem mifala no trustim mifala seleva, bat trustim God wea savve mekem man for laef bak. Nomata hem barava luk olsem bae mifala dae, hem sevem mifala.”—2 Cor. 1:8-10.

Samfala taem mifala tingse bae mifala dae nao. Bat evritaem mifala askem Jehovah for helpem mifala for no fraet, for garem wisdom, and for hambol mekem mifala savve gohed mekhae long nambawan nem bilong hem.

Jehovah blessim mifala long ‘taem wea hem isi and taem wea hem hard.’ Distaem, mifala hapi tumas for lukim wanfala niu branch office long Lilongwe, and winim 1,000 niu Kingdom Hall evriwea long Malawi! Olketa blessing hia from Jehovah hem strongim mitufala Lidasi long spiritual wei, and hem barava winim wanem mitufala tingim!c