Widening Out to Help Others

IN 1973, when it all happened, I was a healthy 22-year-old. My life was full of pleasure. I participated in sports and liked physical work. On vacation I would go surfing. I enjoyed driving. But a foolish, impetuous burst of anger brought an abrupt end to all of it.

With my wife, Gemma, I was visiting relatives when some young boys caught our attention. We watched them break off pieces of the garden fence as they came along the road. When they spotted us, they started to throw chunks of wood into the garden and then onto the balcony of the house, where we were standing. One piece hit Pippa, my four-year-old daughter. In a fit of rage, I swung around and hurled the glass tumbler I was holding at the vandals. The balcony was 12 feet [3.7 m] from the ground, and somehow I lost my balance. I toppled over, landing on my head, dislocating and fracturing several vertebrae in my neck.

Lying in a hospital bed for nearly a year, I had time to reflect on my condition. The man next to me took his own life, and others I knew there have done so since. The despair and frustration are indescribable. The load I was putting on others and the knowledge that there could be no improvement greatly distressed me. Yes, many times I too thought about ending my life. In fact, I asked my wife to help me do this by getting some tablets for me. But she told me I was crazy and would not listen. How grateful we both are now that she refused!

Things began to change when Gemma’s aunt, who had been one of Jehovah’s Witnesses for many years, started to study the Bible with her. It began to make sense to Gemma, but I had never been interested in religion. Things I heard clergymen saying on television turned me off. Anyway, I was not particularly studious. But when Gemma started to talk to me about her newfound faith, I found two things immediately attractive.

First, I learned that the Bible ties in with one of the subjects I had found absorbing in school, history. That amazed me. It had never occurred to me that such a link existed. Second, the justice of God drew me to him. I had always thought that the injustices of life could never be put right. But as I learned about Jehovah’s purpose and his Kingdom, I began to see that justice will prevail.​—Deuteronomy 32:4; Luke 18:7, 8.

Purpose in Living

After that I made rapid progress in my Bible study. I had found a purpose in living, physically incapable as I was and would remain. I had every reason to be grateful. But my viewpoint soon widened out as I realized I could do so much to help others with the knowledge I was gaining.

How could I progress? That was the gnawing question. Gemma and I were baptized together, and I was studying hard, with the help of many good tutors, to grow spiritually. The turning point came, however, when I read about a Witness in Lebanon.a He was 46 years old and had been completely bedridden for 18 years. Yet, impossible as it seemed to me, he was an elder in the Christian congregation! Up to that time, he had assisted 16 people to become dedicated servants of Jehovah and was conducting seven Bible studies each month. His experience was an inspiration to me.

The local housing authority provided a one-story house for my family, completely equipped with mechanical appliances that help me get around. I am blessed with all the physical assistance I need. Our families got together and purchased a van so that my wheelchair could be easily accommodated in it. This enables us as a family to get to the meetings at the Kingdom Hall. Lovingly, the local congregation soon arranged for a Congregation Book Study to be conducted in my home.

My desire to witness from house to house was satisfied when brothers and sisters in the congregation offered to push my wheelchair. I can talk to the householders but, not having the use of my arms and hands, using the Bible is out of the question. So I refer to scriptures, and my companion then shows the verses from his Bible and offers the Bible study aids I refer to.

Many people, of course, come to visit me at home, and in this way I can conduct Bible studies. I have also mastered the art of writing letters by holding a pen in my mouth, so I can be active in preaching at any time of the day. And I have been able to auxiliary pioneer regularly for three years.

Qualifying as a Teacher

In due course I became qualified as a ministerial servant, but how could I ever teach from the platform? During my studies, I had learned to turn the pages of the Bible by using a stick held between my teeth. Useful as this practice is, it naturally means I have to stop speaking as I pick up the stick and then replace it. Soon I realized that the solution lay in the use of my tongue​—to turn the pages of the Bible! And this is what I now do.

This unusual technique enabled me to develop my speaking ability, and I learned much more from my Theocratic Ministry School assignments. Imagine my feelings when in 1984 I was appointed to serve as a congregation elder!

The next step was to give a public talk, lasting 45 minutes. This calls for meticulous preparation, and although I always find it physically tiring, I persist. Now I have the added privilege of visiting nearby congregations from time to time to talk to them. The children are intrigued at seeing me turn the Bible pages with my tongue, and sometimes they try to imitate me. But they soon give up. It takes a lot of practice to do it efficiently.

Looking back, I clearly recall the bitterness I felt when I first left the hospital. I knew that the wives of many others disabled like me had left their husbands. Had Gemma walked out on me, I would have understood. Instead, as a loving companion, she has stood by me, supported by Pippa, our daughter. With their help and the help of the congregation, I have been able to “widen out” and help others. (2 Corinthians 6:13)​—As told by Tony Wood.

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 25]

With Gemma and Pippa, my wife and daughter

Turning the pages with my tongue