Laef Story

Privilege for Share Insaed Bigfala Waka Bihaen War

STORY BILONG FILIP S. HOFFMANN

Hem May 1945 and World War II hem just finis. Long December, Nathan H. Knorr, wea lukaftarem preaching waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness evriwea long world, hem visitim Denmark witim 25-year-old secretary bilong hem, Milton G. Henschel. Olketa rentim wanfala bigfala hall for visit bilong hem wea evriwan luk forward long hem. Tok bilong Brata Henschel hem barava spesol from hem sem age olsem mifala and from tok garem theme: “Rememberim tu Creator bilong iu taem iu young yet.”—Ecclesiastes 12:1, American Standard Version.

LONG datfala visit, mifala herem samting abaotem olketa nambawan samting wea go ahed saed long preaching waka long full world and hao mifala fit for join insaed. (Matthew 24:14) Olsem example, olketa startim niu skul long United States for trainim olketa young man and woman for missionary waka. Brata Knorr strongim hao sapos olketa invaetem mifala, bae mifala kasem “wan-wei ticket nomoa” and hao mifala bae no savve firstaem wea nao mifala bae go long hem. Nomata olsem, samfala long mifala apply.

Bifor mi storyim olketa experience mi kasem bihaen World War II, bae mi start from taem mi born long 1919. Samfala samting wea happen bifor and long taem bilong war barava affectim laef bilong mi.

Bible Truth From Famili Member wea Difren

Taem Mami babule witim mi—firstfala pikinini bilong hem—hem prea for mi kamap missionary sapos mi wanfala boy. Brata bilong hem wanfala Bible Student, nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long datfala taem, bat hem difren from olketa nara famili member. Haos bilong mifala hem klosap long Copenhagen, and evri year taem olketa Bible Student garem olketa convention, Mami savve invaetem Uncle Thomas, wea stap farawe, for stap witim mifala. Long 1930 bigfala savve and gudfala wei bilong Uncle Thomas for pullim tingting muvim Mami for kamap wanfala Bible Student.

Mami lovem Bible. For followim komand long Deuteronomy 6:7, hem teachim mitufala sista bilong mi ‘taem hem sidaon long haos bilong hem, taem hem wakabaot long road, leidaon, or getap.’ Gogo, mi start for share long haos-tu-haos preaching. Mi laekem tumas for story abaotem topic olsem soul wea no savve dae and hellfire, wea olketa church teachim. Mi savve pruvim from Bible hao kaen teaching olsem hem rong.—Psalm 146:3, 4; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Ezekiel 18:4.

Famili Bilong Mifala Kamap Wan Mind

Bihaen convention long Copenhagen long 1937, olketa needim help long ples for kasem literature long branch office bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Denmark. From mi just finis skul long college and mi no garem eni responsibility, mi volunteer for help. Taem waka long there hem finis, olketa askem mi for help long branch office. No longtaem bihaen, mi lusim haos and muv go long branch long Copenhagen, nomata mi no baptaes yet. Wei for kaban evriday witim olketa mature Christian hem helpem mi for muv ahed long spiritual wei. Long nextfala year, long January 1, 1938, mi showimaot wei wea mi dedicate long Jehovah God thru long wata baptism.

Long September 1939, World War II hem start. Then, long April 9, 1940, army bilong Germany tekovarem Denmark. Mifala olketa young man bilong Denmark garem freedom for go ahed nomoa long preaching waka.

Then nambawan samting happen. Dadi kamap wanfala Witness wea mekem hapi bilong famili bilong mifala hem full evribit. So, full famili bilong mi nao saportim mi taem mi and fofala nara brata from Denmark kasem invitation for attendim mek-eit class bilong Gilead Skul. Datfala faev-month course, wea start long September 1946, hem kamap long campus klosap long South Lansing, New York.

Training Long Gilead and Bihaen

Gilead givim mi chance for kasem olketa gud fren. Wan evening mitufala Harold King, wea hem from England, strol raonem campus and story abaotem wea nao maet olketa sendem mifala taem skul hem finis. “Mi tingse mi bae lukim moa olketa white cliff bilong Dover,” Harold hem sei. Hem tru nao, bat hem tek 17 year, foa and haf year hem stap insaed prison long China, bifor hem lukim moa olketa cliff hia!a

Long end bilong skul, olketa sendem mi go long Texas, U.S.A., for serve olsem traveling overseer, for visitim and helpem olketa kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long spiritual wei. Olketa barava welkamim mi. Olketa brata long Texas hapi tumas for garem wanfala young brata from Europe wea skul long Gilead. Bat bihaen sevenfala month nomoa long Texas, olketa kolem mi kam long world headquarters bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Brooklyn, New York. Long there, Brata Knorr assignim mi for duim office waka, witim instruction for lanem waka long evri department. Then, taem mi go bak long Denmark, mi mas followim wanem mi lanem and mek sure evriting go ahed long sem wei wea olketa duim long Brooklyn. Diswan hem for mekem evri waka long evri branch raonem world hem wan mind and moabeta. Bihaen, Brata Knorr sendem mi go long Germany.

Followim Instruction Long Olketa Branch

Taem mi arrive long Wiesbaden, Germany, long July 1949, staka German taon distroe. Olketa wea leadim preaching waka bin kasem persecution start from taem Hitler hem lead long 1933. Samfala bin stap long prison and concentration camp for eit go kasem ten year or moa! Diskaen servant bilong Jehovah nao mi waka witim for thri and haf year. Spesol example bilong olketa remindim mi long toktok bilong German woman for raetem history, Gabriele Yonan, wea raet: “Sapos disfala Christian grup no stand strong anda long National Socialist dictatorship—bihaen Auschwitz and Holocaust—mifala bae daotem sapos man fit for live followim olketa Christian teaching bilong Jesus.”

Waka bilong mi long branch hem olsem waka wea mi bin duim long Denmark: for showim niu wei for organizem waka. Taem olketa brata bilong Germany savve disfala niu change hem no daonem waka wea olketa duim bifor—bat hao hem taem nao for mekem olketa difren branch and headquarters waka moa klos tugeta—olketa strong go moa and barava laek for waka tugeta witim diswan.

Long 1952 mi kasem wanfala leta from Brata Knorr wea sei for mi go long branch long Bern, Switzerland. Olketa assignim mi for serve olsem branch overseer long there, start long January 1, 1953.

Moa Hapi Long Switzerland

No longtaem bihaen mi kasem Switzerland, mi meetim Esther long wanfala convention, and no longtaem bihaen mitufala engage. Long August 1954, Brata Knorr talem mi for kam long Brooklyn, and long datfala taem nao olketa talem mi abaotem wanfala niu waka. From namba and size bilong olketa branch office raonem world kamap big, olketa startim wanfala niu arrangement. Olketa divaedem world long olketa zone, wea each zone garem zone overseer for lukaftarem. Olketa givim mi tufala long olketa zone hia for lukaftarem: Europe and area bilong Mediterranean.

Stretawe bihaen datfala shortfala visit long Brooklyn, mi go bak long Switzerland and mekredy for zone waka. Mitufala Esther marit and hem joinim mi for serve long branch office long Switzerland. Firstfala gogo bilong mi hem long olketa missionary hom and olketa branch long Italy, Greece, Cyprus, olketa kantri long Middle East and followim saedsea bilong North Africa, and Spain and Portugal—13-fala kantri evriwan. Bihaen mi visit lelebet long Bern, mi go ahed for travel long evri nara kantri bilong Europe wea stap West saed long Russia. Insaed firstfala year wea mitufala marit, mi no stap witim famili for six month for go servem olketa Christian brata.

Olketa Change Long Living

Long 1957, Esther faendaot hem babule, and bikos branch hem no for olketa dadi and mami and pikinini, mifala disaed for muv go long Denmark, wea Dadi hem welkamim mifala for stap witim hem. Esther lukaftarem dota bilong mitufala, Rakel, and dadi bilong mi taem mi help long waka insaed niu branch office. Mi teach long Kingdom Ministry Skul for olketa kongregeson overseer and long semtaem go ahed olsem zone overseer.

Zone waka hem mekem mi for travel staka taem, wea minim mi no lukim dota bilong mifala for longfala taem. Diswan kosim samfala problem. Wantaem mi stap longtaem lelebet long Paris for startim wanfala smol printery. Esther and Rakel kam long train for lukim mi and arrive long Gare du Nord. Léopold Jontès from branch and mi go for meetim tufala. Rakel standap long step bilong train, hem luk long Léopold, then long mi, and luk go bak long Léopold, and then haggem Léopold!

Nara big change happen taem mi 45 year and mas lusim full-taem ministry for kasem selen for saportim famili bilong mi. From savve wea mi kasem olsem wanfala minister bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mi fit for faendem waka olsem export manager. Bihaen mi waka for sem company for samting olsem naen year and Rakel finis skul, mifala disaed for followim encouragement for muv go long olketa ples wea barava needim pipol wea talemaot Kingdom.

For faendaot abaotem olketa waka wea stap long Norway, mi ask long waka agency abaotem chance bilong mi for kasem waka. Ansa hem no mas gud. Bae hem hard for faendem waka for man wea 55 year. Nomata olsem, mi story witim branch office long Oslo and, long wei for trust bae mi faendem waka bihaen, mi rentim wanfala haos klosap long taon bilong Drøbak. Mi kasem waka and barava enjoyim Kingdom service long Norway.

Olketa best taem nao hem taem staka long kongregeson bilong mifala savve gogo for duim unassigned territory long north. Mifala rentim olketa haos long ples for camp, and evriday mifala visitim olketa farm long olketa maunten wea barava naes. Hem naes tumas for story abaotem Kingdom bilong God long pipol wea welkamim mifala. Mifala givimaot staka literature, bat olketa wea interest mas weit wan full year bifor mifala visitim olketa moa. Nomata olsem, pipol no forgetim mifala! Esther and Rakel rememberim yet taem wea mifala go bak and pipol welkamim mifala olsem mifala olketa famili member wea kam bak bihaen staka year. Bihaen thrifala year long Norway, mifala go bak long Denmark.

Hapi Bilong Famili Laef

Rakel gogo engage long Niels Højer, wanfala faithful full-taem pioneer minister. Bihaen tufala marit, Niels and Rakel go ahed for pioneer go kasem taem olketa garem pikinini. Niels hem wanfala gud hasband and dadi, wea barava interest long famili bilong hem. Early wan morning hem tekem son bilong hem long bicycle bilong hem go long saedsea for lukim sun kamap. Wanfala neiba askem boy hia wanem nao tufala duim. Hem ansa: “Mitufala prea long Jehovah.”

Tu-thri year bihaen, mitufala Esther lukim baptism bilong tufala grani bilong mitufala, Benjamin and Nadja. Mitufala Niels lukluk bat seknomoa mitufala feisim each other. Hem luk long mi and sei, “Olketa man tru no savve krae.” Then mitufala holem each other and krae. Hem nambawan samting for garem son-in-law wea iu savve laf and krae witim!

Go Ahed for Change Fitim Living

Nara blessing kamap taem olketa askem mitufala Esther for go bak and serve long branch office long Denmark. Long datfala taem olketa go ahed for redy for buildim wanfala branch long Holbæk wea moa big. Mi kasem privilege for share for lukaftarem construction waka, wea olketa volunteer wea no kasem pei nao buildim. Nomata wanfala cold season hem barava cold, waka hem finis long end bilong 1982 and mifala hapi tumas for muv insaed olketa building wea moa big and moabeta!

Mi hapi tumas for waka long office, and Esther waka for ansarem telephone. Bat gogo hem needim wanfala operation, and wan and haf year bihaen hem kasem nara operation. Nomata olketa long branch showim kaenfala fasin long mitufala, mitufala disaed hem bae moabeta for evriwan sapos mifala lusim branch. Mitufala muv go long kongregeson wea dota and famili bilong mitufala insaed.

Distaem, health bilong Esther hem nogud. Bat tru tumas, insaed olketa year wea mitufala serve tugeta, wea living hem change staka taem, Esther hem bin nambawan saport and fren bilong mi. Nomata health bilong mitufala gogo daon, mitufala evriwan go ahed for share long preaching waka. Taem mi ting bak long laef bilong mitufala, mi thankiu taem mi tingim toktok bilong man wea raetem psalm: “O God, iu teachim mi from taem mi young yet.”—Psalm 71:17.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 24]

Aotem literature from trak long Germany branch wea olketa go ahed for buildim long 1949

[Piksa long page 25]

Mi waka witim olketa Witness wea insaed long olketa concentration camp bifor

[Olketa Piksa long page 26]

Witim Esther distaem and long wedding day long Bern Bethel, October 1955