Laef Story
Part Mi Duim for Saportim Education Bilong God wea Go Ahed Evriwea Long World
STORY BILONG ROBERT NISBET
King Sobhuza II bilong Swaziland hem welkamim mt and brata bilong mi George go insaed haos bilong hem. Datwan hem year 1936, bat mi tingim klia yet story bilong mifala. Hao mi gogo story witim disfala king hem part long nambawan Bible education waka wea mi duim for longfala taem. Distaem mi 95 year and mi barava hapi for tingim wei wea mi share long disfala waka long faevfala difren kantri.
EVRITING start long 1925 taem wanfala man for sellim tea, wea nem bilong hem Dobson, hem visitim famili bilong mifala long Edinburgh, Scotland. Datfala taem mi samting olsem 16 year and lanem yet waka saed long medicine. Nomata mi young, mi interest tumas long olketa change wea seknomoa kamap saed long famili laef and tingting bilong pipol abaotem religion wea world war midolwan long 1914 and 1918 hem kosim. Long wanfala taem wea hem visit, Mr. Dobson givim mifala buk The Divine Plan of the Ages. Wei wea disfala buk storyim wanfala Creator wea garem savve and “plan” hem mek sense long mi and fitim kaen God mi laek for worshipim.
No longtaem bihaen, mi and mami bilong mi attendim olketa meeting bilong Olketa Bible Student, nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long datfala taem. Long September 1926 mitufala showimaot wei wea mitufala dedicate long Jehovah taem mitufala baptaes long wanfala convention long Glasgow. Evriwan wea baptaes kasem kaleko wea long and kavarem full leg for werem ovarem kaleko for swim. Long datfala taem olketa markem kaleko olsem for fitim serious taem bilong baptism.
Long olketa taem hia, savve bilong mifala long staka samting need for kamap moabeta. Klosap evriwan long kongregeson celebratem Christmas. Samfala nomoa duim field ministry. Samfala elder tu les for givimaot literature long Sunday, from olketa sei diswan brekem Sabbath. Bat, olketa Wastaoa article long 1925 start for minim moa and moa olketa scripture olsem Mark 13:10: “Long evri nation, olketa mas preachim gud nius firstaem.”
Hao nao disfala waka wea mas kamap evriwea long world bae fulfill? Firstaem mi trae for share long haos-tu-haos preaching, mi talem nomoa hao mi sellim olketa naes buk saed long religion and offerim The Harp of God, wanfala buk wea explainim tenfala important teaching bilong Bible, and hem markem olketa olsem tenfala string long wanfala harp. Bihaen, olketa givim mifala wanfala testimony card, wea garem short message for haosholder readim. Mifala iusim tu olketa foa and a haf minute tok wea olketa recordim finis wea mifala pleim long wanfala phonograph machine. Olketa phonograph wea kamap bihaen olketa no hevi tumas, and samfala savve plei nomata hem standap long saed bilong hem.
From 1925 go kasem olketa year bihaen 1930, mifala duim witnessing waka followim best wei wea mifala savve. Then long olketa year bihaen 1940, Theocratic Ministry Skul hem start long evri kongregeson. Mifala lane for talemaot Kingdom message long man wanwan long wei for story witim haosholder wea willing for lisin. Mifala lanem tu hao hem important for duim Bible study witim pipol wea interest. Iumi savve sei diswan hem start bilong Bible education waka raonem full world wea go ahed distaem.
Encouragement From Brata Rutherford
Wei wea mi laek for duim moa insaed long Bible education waka muvim mi for joinim full-taem pioneer ministry long 1931. Mi plan for start stretawe bihaen wanfala convention long London. Bat, long taem for spel, Brata Joseph Rutherford, wea lukaftarem waka long datfala taem, ask for story witim mi. Hem plan for wanfala pioneer go long Africa. “Waswe, bae iu willing for go?” hem ask. Nomata mi sapraes lelebet, mi ansa stret: “Yes, bae mi go.”
Long datfala taem main goal bilong mifala hem for givimaot staka Bible literature and diswan minim wei for evritaem muv raon. Olketa encouragem mi for stap singol, olsem planti long olketa brata witim responsibility duim long datfala taem. Territory bilong mi start long Cape Town, long south end bilong Africa, and go kasem east saed, wea insaed diswan hem samfala island bilong Indian Ocean wea klosap long east coast. Spialaen long West saed hem go kasem Kalahari Desert and go kasem start bilong Nile River long Lake Victoria. Mi witim pioneer partner bilong mi spendem six month each year long wan or moa kantri bilong Africa insaed disfala big territory.
Tu Handred Box Bilong Spiritual Riches
Taem mi arrive long Cape Town, olketa showim mi 200 box literature wea bae go for East Africa. Olketa literature hia long fofala European languis and fofala Asian languis, bat no eniwan long olketa hem for eni languis bilong Africa. Taem mi ask why nao evri literature hia long there, olketa talem mi hao olketa sendem for Frank and Gray Smith, tufala pioneer wea no longtaem go nomoa bin go long Kenya for preach. No longtaem bihaen tufala arrive long Kenya, tufala evriwan kasem malaria, and sorre tumas, Frank hem dae.
Nomata mi ting serious abaotem diswan, hem no stopem mi for go. Mi and partner bilong mi, David Norman, lusim Cape Town long ship for firstfala assignment, samting olsem 5,000 kilometre long Tanzania. Wanfala travel agent long Mombasa, Kenya, lukaftarem literature bilong mifala and sendem long eni ples mitufala askem hem for sendem long hem. Firstaem, mifala witness long olketa stoa and office bilong evri taon. Samfala long olketa literature bilong mifala hem olketa set bilong 9-fala buk and 11-fala buklet, wea from olketa garem difren kala, olketa kolem rainbow set.
Next ples mifala disaed for visitim hem Zanzibar Island, wea stap samting olsem 30 kilometer from east coast. For staka handred year, Zanzibar hem wanfala long olketa main ples bilong slave trade and wankaen spice wea garem nem clove, wea mifala smelem evriwea long datfala taon. Mifala faendem hard for gogo raon, from olketa no bin buildim datfala taon followim eni plan. Olketa street garem staka kona wea isi for man lus long hem. Hotel wea mifala stap insaed hem naes, bat hem garem thick wall and olketa door wea fulap witim olketa metal samting wea luk olsem wanfala prison. Nomata olsem, olketa gud samting kamap and mifala hapi from olketa Arab, Indian, and narawan willing for acceptim literature bilong mifala.
Olketa Train, Boat, and Trak
For travel go long East Africa long datfala taem hem no isi. Olsem example, taem mifala lusim Mombasa for go long olketa maunten area bilong Kenya, staka maka staka grashopa nao blokem train for muv. Olketa grashopa kavarem land and ples wea wheel bilong train ran followim, wea diswan mekem hem slippery and no sef for wheel ran long hem. Only samting for stretem diswan hem for wasim ples wea wheel ran followim firstaem, and olketa iusim barava hot wata from train seleva. From diswan, datfala gogo hem slow go kasem taem evri grashopa hem nomoa nao. And hem barava naes taem train start for kasem olketa hae ples and mifala enjoyim cold bilong olketa hae maunten!
Train and boat savve gogo evritaem long olketa taon long saedsea, bat for olketa bush area trak nomoa savve kasem. Mi hapi taem brata bilong mi George joinim mi, from mitufala fit for peim wanfala big trak wea mifala savve putim insaed olketa bed, kitchen, spes for keepim samting, and olketa window wea stopem mosquito for kam insaed. Mifala garem tu olketa loudspeaker long ruf. Olketa samting hia mekem mifala fit for duim haos-tu-haos witnessing long daytaem and invaetem pipol kam long evening tok wea kamap long marketples. Wanfala recording wea staka rememberim nao hem garem title “Waswe, Hell Hem Hot?” Wantaem mitufala travel 3,000 kilometer from South Africa go long Kenya long haos trak bilong mitufala, and tekem go olketa buklet long samfala languis bilong Africa wea olketa lokol pipol hapi tumas for tekem.
Wanfala naes experience for mifala long olketa gogo olsem hem wei wea mifala lukim bush laef bilong Africa. Hem tru, hem no sef for go aot from trak taem hem dark, bat hem strongim faith for lukim staka difren kaen animal wea Jehovah creatim wea stap long barava ples bilong olketa.
Hard Taem Hem Start
Nomata mifala mas careful saed long olketa wild animal, diswan hem isi nomoa taem mifala markem witim wei for feisim olketa bigman bilong gavman and samfala leader bilong religion wea kros and start for againstim Kingdom preaching waka mifala duim. Wanfala big problem mifala mas deal witim hem wanfala man wea kolem hemseleva Mwana Lesa, wea minim “Son Bilong God,” and grup bilong hem wea garem nem Kitawala, wea minim “Watchtower.” No longtaem bifor mifala arrive, disfala man hem drownim planti pipol bilong Africa, hem sei hem baptaesim olketa. Gogo olketa arrestim and hangem hem. Bihaen, mi kasem chance for story witim man wea hangem hem for explainim hao datfala man hem no join long eni wei witim Watch Tower Society bilong mifala.
Mifala kasem hard taem tu from staka white man wea bikos long saed long selen, olketa no hapi witim education waka bilong mifala. Wanfala manager komplen olsem: “For mekem olketa white man go ahed for stap long disfala kantri, pipol bilong Africa mas no faendaot hao white man mekius long olketa.” Dastawe chief bilong wanfala gold-mining company hem orderim mi aot from office bilong hem. Then witim kros hem tekem mi go kasem road.
Pipol olsem saed long religion and bisnis nao mekem gavman bilong Rhodesia (distaem Zimbabwe) for gogo orderim mifala aot from kantri. Mifala appeal long kot and olketa letem mifala stap only sapos mifala no preach long lokol pipol. Reason wea wanfala bigman givim nao hem from literature bilong mifala hem “no fitim mind bilong lokol pipol.” Bat, long olketa nara kantri bilong Africa, Bible education waka go ahed gud, samfala long olketa welkamim waka hia tu. Wanfala long olketa kantri hia hem Swaziland.
King Bilong Swaziland Welkamim Mifala
Swaziland hem wanfala smol kantri insaed South Africa wea independent and big bilong hem 17,364 square kilometer. Long hia nao mifala meetim King Sobhuza II, man wea savve story gud wea mi storyim long start. Hem savve gud long English languis from hem bin skul long wanfala university long Britain. Hem no werem eni spesol kaleko and barava welkamim mifala.
Story bilong mifala mekhae long Paradaes long earth wea God hem purpose for bringim kam for pipol wea fitim. Nomata hem no barava interest long datfala topic, hem talem klia hao hem ting strong long wanfala samting. Disfala king laek for mekem living bilong pipol wea poor and wea no kasem education for kamap moabeta. Hem no laekem wanem olketa missionary bilong Christendom duim, wea luk olsem olketa moa interest for kasem moa member for church winim wei for pipol kasem education. Nomata olsem, disfala king savve long waka bilong samfala pioneer bilong mifala and hem praisem Bible education waka wea mifala duim, especially from mifala willing for duim diswan and no tek pei.
Bible Education Kwiktaem Grow
Long 1943 Watchtower Bible Skul bilong Gilead hem start for trainim olketa missionary. Olketa strongim wei for mekem grow interest wea pipol garem winim wei for givim Bible literature nomoa. Long 1950 mi and George kasem invitation for attendim mek-16 class bilong Gilead. Long there nao mi firstaem meetim Jean Hyde, wanfala naes sista from Australia wea kasem assignment for missionary long Japan bihaen mitufala evriwan graduate. From olketa encouragem yet wei for stap singol, mitufala no mekem grow wei for fren.
Bihaen mi and George kasem Gilead training, mitufala kasem missionary assignment for go long Mauritius, wanfala island long Indian Ocean. Mitufala fren gud witim pipol, lanem languis bilong olketa, and studyim Bible witim olketa. Bihaen, smol brata bilong mi William and waef bilong hem, Muriel, tufala graduate from Gilead. Olketa sendem tufala long preaching territory bilong mi bifor—Kenya.
Eitfala year kwiktaem go pas, and then long international convention long New York long 1958, mi meetim Jean Hyde moa. Mitufala fren bak moa and kamap engage. Olketa changem missionary assignment bilong mi from Mauritius go for Japan, and long there nao Jean and mi marit long 1959. Then mitufala startim wanfala hapi taem bilong missionary waka long Hiroshima, wea long datfala taem garem wanfala smol kongregeson nomoa. Distaem, datfala taon garem 36 kongregeson.
Sayonara Long Japan
Taem olketa year go pas, nogud health bilong mitufala evriwan start for mekem missionary service barava hard, and gogo mitufala need for lusim Japan and muv go long hom kantri bilong Jean, Australia. Day mitufala lusim Hiroshima hem barava sorre wan. Long railway station, mitufala talem sayonara, or gud-bae, long evri klos fren.
Distaem mitufala stap long Australia, and duim best bilong mitufala for servem Jehovah long Armidale Kongregeson long New South Wales. Hem hapi samting for savve sharem treasure bilong Christian truth witim staka pipol for klosap 80 year! Mi bin lukim grow bilong Bible education program and lukim seleva olketa nambawan spiritual samting wea happen. Olketa samting hia kamap no from eni man or sekson. Tru nao, olsem man wea raetem psalm hem talem, “diswan hem kam from Jehovah seleva; hem nambawan long eye bilong [mifala].”—Psalm 118:23.
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Brata bilong mi George witim haos trak bilong mitufala
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Mi long Lake Victoria
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Olketa hae skul student wea attendim wanfala pablik tok long Swaziland long 1938
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Witim Jean long wedding day bilong mitufala long 1959 and distaem