Fishing for Man Long Aegean Sea
AEGEAN SEA hem kavarem big haf bilong east Mediterranean, wea mainland Greece stap long north and west saed, island bilong Crete long south, and Turkey long east. Hem ples wea staka savve bilong man start from, and hem garem samfala island. Lukluk bilong island, witim olketa white haos bilong hem wea shaen long sun, hem muvim wanfala man for raet for sei hem olsem “olketa stone horse wea garem wild spirit.”
Dastawe nao olketa island hia kamap ples long world wea pipol visitim tumas! For joinim go moa luk naes bilong ples hia hem nambawan fasin bilong olketa man and woman wea stap and waka long there. From olketa isi, barava kaen, bat independent, pipol hia addim spesol samting long disfala spesol area.
Staka pipol bilong olketa island hia kasem selen from fishing long Aegean Sea. Bat, planti samting kamaot from narakaen important “fishing.” Olsem olketa “fisherman for kasem man,” pipol for talemaot gud nius bilong Kingdom bilong God gogo long olketa island long Aegean Sea for mek disaepol.—Matthew 4:18, 19; Luke 5:10.
Samting olsem 1,900 year bifor, olketa Christian man for preach visitim olketa Aegean island. Long samting olsem 56 C.E., aposol Paul, taem hem kam bak from mek-thri missionary gogo bilong hem, hem stop lelebet long olketa island bilong Lésvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Rhodes. From hem strong for preach, iumi sure Paul preach long pipol long olketa island hia. (Acts 20:14, 15, 24; 21:1, 2) Bihaen hem stap prisoner for tufala year long Rome, luk olsem hem visitim Crete and duim Christian waka long there. Klosap long end bilong first century, olketa raosem aposol John go long island bilong Patmos “from [hem] tok abaotem God and givim witness long Jesus.” (Revelation 1:9) Hao nao waka bilong pipol wea talemaot gud nius distaem long olketa island hia?
Preaching Waka wea Kasem Reward
For preach long olketa island hia hem hard and big waka. Hem needim fasin for sakrifaesim seleva. Samfala island stap farawe from next wan. Gogo bilong ship or plane long samfala island hem no followim barava set taem, bat for samfala island hem barava nomoa nao, especially long cold taem. Sea hem savve barava raf, main taem nao hem taem meltemia—strong north wind—hem blow. And tu, olketa vilij long staka long olketa island stap farawe and hard for pipol kasem from olketa road nogud tumas. Smol boat nomoa savve kasem samfala long olketa vilij.
Olsem example, island bilong Icaria. Elevenfala pablisa bilong Kingdom gud nius long datfala smol kongregeson kanduit kasem evriwan long datfala island and olketa island wea klosap. So, olketa Christian brata and sista from Samos kam for help preach long pipol bilong Icaria, and tu long olketa island bilong Phournoi, Patmos, and Lipsos tu. No longtaem go nomoa, long wanfala tufala-day campaign, olketa Witness offerim 650 magasin, 99 brochure, and 25 Bible buk! Olketa sapraes for meetim pipol wea no garem idea hu nao Jehovah, pipol wea barava ask for olketa stap and teachim olketa moa samting from Bible. Wanfala woman talem wanfala Witness: “Distaem iu go. Bat mi still garem staka kwestin from Bible. Hu nao bae helpem mi?” Datfala Christian sista promis for go ahed witim datfala interest long wei for iusim telephone, and hem startim wanfala Bible study long datfala wei.
Taem wanfala traveling overseer visitim Icaria, hem arrange for duim full island insaed wan weekend. Hem kasem help bilong 30 Kingdom pablisa from Samos. Olketa brata hia mas pei for stap for tufala naet long wanfala hotel and for rentim olketa car and foa-wheel-draev trak. Hem rain finis for tufala day bifor, and olketa talemse weather for weekend maet no mas gud. Bat olketa brata nating letem diswan stopem olketa, olketa tingim toktok bilong Ecclesiastes 11:4: “Man wea lukluk long wind bae no plantim seed; and man wea lukluk long cloud bae no harvest.” Go-go, weather kamap moabeta, and bihaen olketa preachim important message evriwea long island, olketa brata go bak hom hapi and satisfae.
Sixtinfala pablisa wea stap long island bilong Andros duim bigfala waka for preach long datfala full island. Taem tufala brata kasem wanfala farawe vilij, tufala disaed strong for preach long evriwan wea stap long there. Tufala story long pipol long haos bilong olketa, long road, and long garden. Olketa visitim tu police station and leavim literature long there. Bihaen tufala sure tufala meetim finis evri wan long vilij, tufala redy for go bak. Taem tufala gogo from wanfala main area, tufala lukim Greek Orthodox priest wakabaot kam for tufala. From tufala luksavve hem no kasem witness yet, tufala offerim wanfala pablikeson long hem, wea hem hapi for acceptim. Distaem nao tufala sure tufala no missim eniwan long preaching waka bilong tufala!
Pipol lukim Gavdos (or Cauda)—wanfala island wea stap andanit Crete wea 38 pipol stap long hem—olsem hem stap long barava end bilong south Europe. (Acts 27:16) Wanfala traveling overseer and waef bilong hem, witim nara hasband and waef, preach long there for thrifala day. For katem daon kost, olketa sleep insaed tent. Evriwan long datfala island herem gud nius, and olketa brata hia hapi tumas long wei wea pipol nating judgem olketa firstaem. Olketa nating herem eni samting —gud or nogud—abaotem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Pipol bilong datfala ples, insaed diswan hem priest tu, acceptim 19-fala buk and 13-fala brochure. Taem olketa Witness gogo bak long Crete insaed wanfala smol boat, sea kamap raf tumas, wea putim laef bilong olketa long danger. Olketa sei: “Mifala thankiu long Jehovah from mifala laef kasem hom, bat tu mifala praisem hem for wei wea hem letem mifala for honorim nem bilong hem long barava end bilong south Europe.”
Patmos hem island wea aposol John raetem lastfala Bible buk, Revelation long hem. Kam kasem no longtaem go nomoa, no eni Witness bilong Jehovah stap long Patmos. Olketa brata from Samos organizem wanfala preaching waka long datfala island. Olketa savve olketa bae kasem strongfala persecution bikos Greek Orthodox Church barava strong long datfala island. Wanfala woman invaetem tufala sista wea storyim gud nius long hem for go insaed haos bilong hem. Hasband bilong datfala woman barava strong for askem tufala hu nao sendem tufala long haos bilong olketa. Taem tufala explainim wei wea tufala visitim evri haos, hem ask moa: “Iu sure hem no samfala neiba nao sendem iufala kam?” Datfala waef, wea savve abaotem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Zaire, hem minim bihaen long tufala sista wanem bin happen long datfala morning. Hem sei: “Mi prea long Jehovah, olsem mi savve duim long olketa nara day, for hem sendem samfala Witness long island. Hasband bilong mi laf long mi. Taem mi lukim iu long door, mi and hasband bilong mi sapraes. Dastawe nao hem go ahed for ask hu nao sendem iufala long haos bilong mifala.” Stretawe olketa startim wanfala Bible study witim datfala woman. Olketa duim disfala study thru long telephone for tenfala month, nomata diswan kostim bigfala selen for olketa sista and datfala woman wea interest. Hem baptaes and distaem hem nomoa Witness long datfala island wea aposol John prisoner long hem 1,900 year bifor.
“Fishing” Long Olketa Wharf
Olketa ship wea karem tourist savve stop long staka long olketa wharf bilong olketa Aegean island long taem bilong hot season. And so, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness garem spesol chance for kasem pipol bilong planti kantri and languis. Olketa kongregeson keepim redy samfala Bible literature long planti difren languis, and olketa pablisa givimaot planti thousand magasin long olketa tourist. Samfala ship olsem visitim sem wharf evri week, wea givim olketa brata nambawan chance for duim return visit and Bible study tu long samfala wakman bilong ship.
Long hot season bilong 1996, wanfala sista wea savve preach full taem long Rhodes hem witness long wanfala young man from Jamaica wea waka long wanfala ship wea savve kasem datfala port evri Friday. Nextfala Friday olketa invaetem datfala man for attendim wanfala distrik convention wea kamap long datfala island. Witim English Bible, datfala pioneer sista helpem hem minim samfala Bible truth wea kamaot from program. Datfala young man barava sapraes long love and bigfala feeling wea olketa Witness showim long convention. Nextfala Friday, hem invaetem tufala pioneer go long ship. Tufala pioneer tekem English and Spanish literature. Witnessing bag bilong tufala barava emti insaed wan hour! Datfala young man from Jamaica hem studyim Bible evri Friday go kasem end bilong hot season. Long nextfala hot season hem go bak, redy for go ahed witim study bilong hem. Bat, distaem, hem disaed for changem waka bilong hem mekem hem savve muv ahed long spiritual wei. Then hem go moa. Olketa brata long Rhodes barava hapi for herem hao disfala young man hem baptaes long start bilong 1998!
Kasem “Fish” Bilong Difren Ples
Pipol savve long Aegean Sea from olketa fish bilong hem wea savve gogo for difren ples, olsem olketa sardine and swordfish, wea akrosim Aegean sea and end ap long net bilong olketa fisherman wea savve tumas. Long sem wei, olketa wea talemaot Kingdom faendem staka heart wea acceptim gud nius midolwan pipol bilong difren ples wea muv go long Greece from staka kantri bilong East Europe.
Rezi hem ten year taem hem firstaem read abaotem Jehovah and olketa purpose bilong hem insaed Wastaoa and Wekap! magasin. Datwan hem long Albania. Thrifala year bihaen, hem muv witim famili bilong hem long island bilong Rhodes. Wan day, Rezi prea long Jehovah for helpem hem faendem pipol bilong hem long disfala island. Nextfala day dadi bilong hem kam long haos witim olketa sem magasin hia, Wastaoa and Wekap!, wea mekem Rezi barava hapi. Rezi contactim sista wea givim magasin long dadi bilong hem, and no longtaem bihaen hem start studyim buk Savvy Wea Lead Go long Laef Olawe. Samfala taem hem ask for study thrifala taem insaed sem day! Bihaen tufala month hem kamap pablisa wea no baptaes, and long March 1998, hem baptaes taem hem 14 year. Datfala sem day, hem start auxiliary pioneer, and sixfala month bihaen hem kamap regular pioneer, or full-taem minister.
Wanfala brata long island bilong Kos hem study witim samfala pipol from Russia. Taem hem askem olketa sapos olketa garem eni fren wea bae laek for studyim Bible, olketa leadim hem long wanfala hasband and waef from Armenia—Leonidas and waef bilong hem, Ophelia—long wanfala vilij samting olsem 30 kilometer farawe. Wanfala sapraes stap for olketa brata. Datfala hasband and waef from Armenia tekem witim tufala wanfala bag wea fulap witim olketa Bible literature long languis bilong Armenia and Russia wea Watch Tower Society pablisim! Tufala explainim hao olketa studyim Bible finis witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and redy for kamap pablisa wea no baptaes. From hardfala taem saed long politik and selen, olketa need for lusim kantri bilong olketa. Stretawe bihaen olketa kasem Kos, olketa start study witim mami and sista bilong Leonidas, wea stap finis long there. Seknomoa, datfala Witness garem thrifala niu Bible study—wan witim Ophelia, wan witim Leonidas, and wan witim mami and sista. Diswan minim wei for travel long motorbike for 30 kilometer go and kam thrifala taem insaed wan week. Leonidas and waef bilong hem baptaes samfala month bihaen. Hem nambawan reward for fasin for sakrifaesim seleva bilong olketa brata long there!
Jehovah Mekem Hem Grow
Blessing bilong Jehovah long hardfala waka bilong winim 2,000 pipol for talemaot Kingdom long olketa Aegean island hia hem showaot. Distaem, 44 kongregeson and 25 grup bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness stap long there. Midolwan long olketa grup hia, 17-fala bilong difren languis, from hem will bilong Jehovah for “evri difren kaen man mas sev and kasem stretfala savve bilong truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) And tu, 13-fala spesol pioneer go ahed for duim moa samting for kasem staka moa pipol long farawe territory.
For planti handred year Aegean Sea hem main ples wea living and bisnis hem grow. Insaed ten-twenti year wea go pas hem kamap ples wea staka handred thousand tourist chus for go long hem. Bat moa important, olsem “olketa fisherman for kasem man,” olketa wea talemaot Kingdom faendem long olketa island hia staka pipol wea garem honest heart wea barava want for praisem Jehovah. Tugeta, olketa acceptim long barava nambawan wei disfala invitation bilong profesi: “Letem olketa givim glory long Jehovah, and long olketa island letem olketa talemaot praise bilong hem.”—Isaiah 42:12.
[Map long page 22]
Aegean Sea
GREECE
Lésvos
Chios
Samos
Icaria
Phournoi
Patmos
Kos
Rhodes
Crete
TURKEY
[Piksa long page 23]
Lésvos Island
[Piksa long page 24]
Island Bilong Patmos
[Piksa long page 24]
Island Bilong Crete