“Jehovah Nao Tekem Iufala Kam Long France for Lanem Truth”

TAEM Antoine Skalecki young boy, hem waka long wanfala coal mine, wea stap 500 meter andanit long graon. Hem iusim nao wanfala horse for karem coal insaed olketa tunnel long mine hia. Dadi bilong Antoine hem kasem accident long datfala mine, so Antoine nao mas go waka for naen hour evriday long mine. Wantaem Antoine klosap dae taem ruf bilong wanfala tunnel insaed datfala mine hem foldaon.

Antoine hem born long France. Dadi and mami bilong hem muv go long France from Poland. Long olketa year bilong 1920 and 1930, staka pipol from Poland muv go long France. Why nao olsem? Taem Poland kasem independence bihaen World War I, laef hem hard tumas for staka pipol long Poland. And long France, winim wan million man nao dae long war, and olketa needim olketa man for waka long olketa coal mine long there. So long September 1919, gavman long France and gavman long Poland saenem wanfala agreement for pipol long Poland savve muv go and stap long France. Kasem 1931, namba bilong pipol from Poland wea stap long France hem 507,800. Staka long olketa hia stap long olketa province long north bilong France wea olketa duim mining long hem.

Pipol from Poland olketa pipol for waka hard, and olketa tinghae long religion. Antoine, wea distaem hem 90 year, sei: “Grandadi bilong mi, wea nem bilong hem Joseph, barava tinghae long Bible. Dadi bilong hem nao teachim hem for respectim Bible.” Evri Sunday, olketa famili hia from Poland savve werem naes kaleko bilong olketa and go long church, olsem olketa duim taem olketa stap long Poland. Samfala pipol long France wea no interest long religion savve ting daonem olketa famili hia.

Staka pipol from Poland meetim olketa Bible student long Nord-Pas-de-Calais, wea diswan hem long north bilong France. Olketa Bible student strong for preach long datfala area start kam long 1904. Long 1915, olketa Bible student long France start for printim Wastaoa magasin long Polish languis, and long 1925, olketa start for printim The Golden Age magasin (wea distaem hem Awake!) long Polish languis. Staka famili from Poland barava interest for readim olketa magasin hia, and tu datfala buk The Harp of God wea olketa transleitim long Polish languis.

Uncle bilong Antoine lanem truth long 1924, and bihaen datwan hem story abaotem olketa Bible Student long famili bilong Antoine. Long 1924, olketa Bible Student holem firstfala assembly bilong olketa long Polish languis, long Bruay-en-Artois. Tu-thri week bihaen, Joseph Rutherford, hem visit kam from world hedquarter, and givim wanfala tok wea 2,000 pipol nao hipap for herem. From Brata Rutherford hapi for lukim staka pipol from Poland kam herem datfala tok, hem sei long olketa: “Jehovah nao tekem iufala kam long France for lanem truth. So iufala and olketa pikinini bilong iufala mas helpem pipol long France! Bigfala waka stap yet for duim saed long preaching waka, and Jehovah bae givim kam olketa pablisa for duim waka hia.”

And hem nao samting wea Jehovah duim! Olketa brata and sista hia from Poland barava waka hard long preaching waka, olsem olketa waka hard long olketa mine! And samfala long olketa go bak long Poland tu for helpem pipol long there for savve long truth. Samfala wea duim diswan nao Teofil Piaskowski, Szczepan Kosiak, and Jan Zabuda. Olketa hia talemaot gud nius long staka ples long Poland.

Bat staka brata and sista wea iusim Polish languis gohed stap long France and strong for preach witim olketa brata and sista long France. Long 1926, long assembly wea olketa holem long Sin-le-Noble, 1,000 pipol nao attendim program long Polish languis, and 300 attendim program long French languis. Long 1929 Yearbook, hem sei: “Long disfala year, 332 pipol from Poland nao dedicate and baptaes.” Bifor World War II hem start, long 84 kongregeson long France, 32 nao iusim Polish languis.

Long 1947, taem gavman bilong Poland askem pipol for go bak long Poland, staka Witness from Poland wea stap long France nao go bak. Nomata olsem, gudfala waka wea olketa brata and sista from Poland and France duim hem showaot long 10 percent increase long namba bilong olketa pablisa long France long datfala year. Long 1948, France kasem 20 percent increase long olketa pablisa, long 1949, olketa kasem 23 percent increase, and long 1950, olketa kasem 40 percent increase! For helpem olketa niu pablisa hia, branch office long France appointim olketa firstfala circuit overseer long 1948. Long faevfala circuit overseer wea olketa appointim, fofala from Poland, and Antoine Skalecki nao hem wanfala long olketa.

Staka Witness long France distaem, grani bilong olketa nao kam from Poland for waka long olketa coal mine long France. Staka pipol from olketa nara kantri tu lanem truth long France distaem. Nomata olketa brata and sista hia from nara kantri go bak long hom bilong olketa or gohed stap long France, olketa followim example bilong olketa brata and sista from Poland wea strong for preachim gud nius long France.—From branch office long France.