Laef Story
Wanfala Note wea Changem Laef Bilong Mi
STORY BILONG IRENE HOCHSTENBACH
Hem happen long wanfala Tuesday evening long 1972. Mi 16 year and mi go witim dadi and mami bilong mi long wanfala lotu meeting long Eindhoven, wanfala taon long Brabant province, long Netherlands. Mi feel fraet and mi les for stap long there. Then tufala young girl givim mi wanfala note wea garem disfala message: “Dear Irene, mitufala barava laek tumas for helpem iu.” Long datfala taem mi no luksavve hao datfala note bae barava changem laef bilong mi. Bat bifor mi talem iu wanem nao happen bihaen datwan, mi laek for talem iu lelebet story abaotem history bilong mi.
MI BORN long island bilong Belitung, long Indonesia. Mi rememberim samfala saond bilong datfala island long tropics—noise bilong palm tree wea wind blowim, soft saond bilong wanfala river klosap, laflaf bilong olketa pikinini wea plei raonem haos bilong mifala, and tu saond bilong music long haos bilong mifala. Long 1960, taem mi foa year, famili bilong mifala muv from Indonesia go long Netherlands. Mifala go long ship, and saond wea mi barava rememberim hem wanfala smol set bilong olketa toy drum wea mi peim. Taem mi seven year, mi kasem wanfala sik wea mekem mi no savve herehere, and start long datfala taem mi no savve herem eni saond raonem mi. Olketa memory bilong wei for herehere nomoa mi savve tingim.
Earpas Taem Mi Growap
From loving kea bilong dadi and mami, mi no really luksavve long wanem nao wei for earpas hem minim. Taem mi pikinini, mi tingse bigfala hearing aid bilong mi hem for plei nomoa, nomata hem no really helpem mi. For story witim mi, olketa pikinini wea stap long sem area savve iusim chalk for raetem story long saed road, and mi ansarem olketa, nomata mi no savve herem voice bilong miseleva.
Taem mi grow moa big, mi start for luksavve hao mi difren from pipol raonem mi. Mi start for lukim tu hao samfala pipol mek fani long mi bikos mi earpas, and olketa narawan no laek kaban witim mi. Mi start for feel olsem mi stap seleva and feel lonely. Mi start for minim wanem nao wei for earpas, and taem mi go ahed for grow moa big, mi barava fraet long pipol wea no earpas.
For mekem mi attendim wanfala spesol skul for olketa pikinini wea earpas, dadi and mami bilong mi muvim full famili from wanfala vilij long Limburg province go long bigfala taon bilong Eindhoven. Long there dadi bilong mi luk aotem waka, and brata and tufala sista bilong mi go long wanfala niu skul. Mi tinghae tumas long olketa change wea evriwan duim for saed bilong mi. Long skul, mi lane for changem laod bilong voice bilong mi and for toktok klia. And nomata olketa teacher no iusim saen languis, olketa pikinini wea mifala sem class teachim mi for duim saen languis.
Stap Insaed World Bilong Miseleva
Taem mi growap, dadi and mami bilong mi trae hard for story witim mi, bat mi no minim planti samting. Olsem example, mi no minim hao dadi and mami bilong mi studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Bat mi remember wanday famili bilong mifala visitim wanfala ples wea staka pipol sidaon long olketa chair. Evriwan luk go long front, samfala taem olketa klap hand, and then standap—bat why olketa duim evri samting hia, mi no savve. Bihaen nao mi savve mi go long wanfala convention bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Dadi and mami bilong mi savve tekem mi go long wanfala smol hall long taon bilong Eindhoven. Mi no feel fraet long there bikos evriwan kaen tumas and famili bilong mi luk hapi, bat mi no savve why nao mifala go long there. Distaem mi savve datfala smol hall hem wanfala Kingdom Hall bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.
Sorre samting, no eniwan stap long olketa meeting hia for minim datfala program long mi. Distaem, mi luksavve olketa long there want for helpem mi bat olketa no savve hao for deal witim wei wea mi earpas. Long olketa meeting hia, mi feel olsem mi stap seleva and mi ting olsem, ‘Mi wish nomoa mi long skul and no long hia.’ Bat taem tingting hia kam insaed mind bilong mi, tufala young girl raetem note long wanfala pis pepa and givim long mi. Datwan nao note wea mi storyim long start. Mi no savve hao datfala note bae hem start bilong spesol wei for fren wea bae mekem mi kamap free from world wea mi stap seleva.
Mekem Grow Spesol Wei for Fren
Colette and Hermine, wea givim datfala note, tufala lelebet winim 20 year. Bihaen, mi faendaot hao tufala kam long kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea mi visitim for serve olsem olketa regular pioneer, or full-taem minister. Nomata Colette and Hermine no really savve long saen languis, mi savve lukluk long mouth bilong tufala for savve wanem tufala talem, and long wei olsem mifala story gud tugeta.
Dadi and mami bilong mi hapi taem Colette and Hermine ask for studyim Bible witim mi, bat tufala young woman hia duim moa samting winim datwan. Tufala trae hard for explainim olketa meeting long Kingdom Hall for mi and tu for mekem mi kaban witim olketa narawan insaed long kongregeson. Tufala practicem witim mi olketa wei for story long preaching waka, and tufala helpem mi tu for preparem olketa student tok for Theocratic Ministry Skul. Tingim datwan, mi no fraet nao for givim tok front long pipol wea no earpas!
And tu, Colette and Hermine mekem mi feel olsem mi savve trustim tufala. Tufala patient and lisin long mi. Nomata mifala planti taem laf long olketa mistek bilong mi, tufala nating mek fani long mi; and tufala no feel shame tu front long nara pipol from mi stap witim tufala. Tufala trae for minim olketa feeling bilong mi and deal witim mi olsem mi semsem nomoa witim tufala. Tufala kaenfala girl hia givim mi wanfala spesol present—love and wei for fren.
Moa important, Colette and Hermine teachim mi hao mi mas savve long God bilong iumi Jehovah, olsem wanfala fren wea mi savve trustim. Tufala explainim hao Jehovah lukim mi sidaon long Kingdom Hall and hem minim olketa problem wea mi feisim from mi earpas. Mi thankiu tumas from love wea mifala thrifala garem for Jehovah hem mekem mifala kam tugeta olsem fren! Kea bilong Jehovah hem muvim mi, and from mi lovem hem, mi showimaot dedication bilong mi long hem taem mi baptaes long wata long July 1975.
Go Witim Wanfala Spesol Fren
Long olketa year bihaen, mi start for savve long planti Christian brata and sista. Wanfala brata kamap barava spesol fren bilong mi, and mitufala marit long 1980. No longtaem bihaen, mi start for serve olsem wanfala pioneer, and long 1994, mi and hasband bilong mi Harry kasem assignment for serve olsem spesol pioneer long Dutch Saen Languis territory. Long year bihaen, mi kasem assignment wea olsem wanfala challenge. Mi bae go witim hasband bilong mi, wea no earpas, taem hem visitim olketa difren kongregeson olsem wanfala substitute circuit overseer.
Hem nao hao mi deal witim diswan. Taem mifala visitim wanfala kongregeson for firstaem, mi stretawe go long planti brata and sista and introducem miseleva. Mi talem olketa mi earpas and askem olketa for luk long mi taem olketa story isisi. Mi trae tu for kwiktaem givim wanfala ansa long olketa kongregeson meeting. And mi ask sapos samwan hem willing for minim kam olketa meeting and field service for mi long datfala week.
Disfala wei hem waka gud tumas gogo samfala taem olketa brata and sista forget hao mi no savve herehere, wea mekem samfala fani samting happen. Olsem example, olketa talem mi taem olketa lukim mi wakabaot long taon, olketa pressim horn long car for sei hello, bat mi no wave go. Samfala taem mi tu forgetim problem bilong mi—olsem long taem wea mi trae for tok smol insaed ear bilong hasband bilong mi. Taem mi lukim hem feel shame, mi savve “tok smol” bilong mi hem laod tumas.
Olketa pikinini savve helpem mi long spesol wei. Long wanfala kongregeson wea mifala visitim for firstaem, wanfala boy wea naen year hem luksavve hao samfala long Kingdom Hall hol bak lelebet for story long mi, and hem disaed for duim samting. Hem kam long mi, holem hand bilong mi, and leadim mi go long midol bilong Kingdom Hall, and singaot witim laod voice, “Mi laek for introducem Irene long iufala—hem earpas!” Olketa wea stap long there kam and sei hello long mi.
Taem mi gogo witim hasband bilong mi long circuit waka, mi start for garem staka moa fren. Laef bilong mi distaem hem difren tumas from olketa year wea mi feel olsem mi stap seleva! Start long datfala evening wea Colette and Hermine givim mi datfala note, mi savve long mining bilong wei for garem fren and mi meetim pipol wea spesol tumas long mi. Main samting, mi savve long Jehovah, datfala barava spesol Fren winim evriwan. (Romans 8:38, 39) Datfala smol note hem barava changem laef bilong mi!
[Piksa long page 24]
Mi rememberim saond bilong toy drum wea mi laekem tumas
[Olketa Piksa long page 25]
Long ministry and witim hasband bilong mi, Harry