Laef Story

Hapi wea Winim Eni Nara Hapi!

STORY BILONG REGINALD WALLWORK

“Mi no savve markem hapi wea mitufala kasem long full-taem missionary service long Jehovah witim eni nara hapi long disfala world!” Mi faendem disfala note midolwan olketa samting wea waef bilong mi raetem shortfala taem bihaen hem dae long May 1994.

TAEM mi ting raonem toktok bilong Irene, mi rememberim 37 year bilong hapi laef and wei for satisfae taem mitufala waka olsem missionary long Peru. Mitufala enjoyim spesol Christian wei for waka tugeta start kam from taem mitufala marit long December 1942—and datwan nao gudfala ples for mi startim story.

Irene growap olsem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness long Liverpool, England. Hem wanfala long thrifala dota, wea dadi bilong hem dae long World War I. Bihaen dadi dae, mami bilong Irene maritim Winton Fraser, and garem wanfala son, Sidney. No longtaem bifor World War II, famili bilong Irene muv go long Bangor, North Wales, wea Irene baptaes long 1939. Sidney baptaes long 1938, so hem and Irene serve tugeta olsem pioneer—olketa wea preach full-taem—long north sea saed bilong Wales, from Bangor go kasem Caernarvon, and Anglesey island.

Long datfala taem, mi serve olsem presiding overseer long Runcorn Kongregeson, wea hem samting olsem 20 kilometer southeast long Liverpool. Irene kam lukim mi long wanfala circuit assembly and ask for samfala territory for preach, from hem bae stap lelebet taem witim marit sista bilong hem Vera long Runcorn. Mi and Irene garem gudfala wei for fren insaed tufala week wea hem stap long Runcorn, and bihaen, mi visitim hem samfala taem long Bangor. Long wanfala Saturday mi barava hapi taem mi askem Irene for marit and hem agree for maritim mi!

Mi go bak hom long Sunday and kwiktaem start mekem olketa plan for marit, bat long Tuesday mi kasem wanfala message. Hem read olsem, “Mi sorre from disfala message bae mekem iu barava feel sorre. Iumi tufala bae no marit nao. Mi bae sendem kam leta for explainim diswan.” Mi seke fogud. Wanem nao rong?

Mi kasem leta bilong Irene long next day. Hem talem bae hem go long Horsforth long Yorkshire for pioneer witim Hilda Padgett.a Irene explainim hao 12-fala month bifor, hem agree for serve long ples wea garem big need sapos hem kasem invitation. Hem raet: “Mi ting long diswan olsem promis bilong mi for Jehovah, and from mi promisim Jehovah firstaem bifor mi savve long iu, mi feel olsem mi mas fulfillim nao.” Nomata mi feel sorre tumas, mi barava tinghae long faithful fasin bilong hem and sendem go bak ansa olsem: “Iu go. Mi bae weit for iu.”

Taem Irene stap long Yorkshire, hem go prison for thrifala month from hem no saportim war. Bat bihaen 18-fala month, long December 1942, mitufala marit.

Taem Mi Young

Long 1919 mami peim wanfala set bilong Studies in the Scriptures.b Long datfala taem, dadi tok stret for sei mami nating readim eni buk bifor, bat mami disaed strong for studyim olketa buk hia long careful wei witim Bible bilong hem. Hem duim olsem and hem baptaes long 1920.

Dadi hem no strict and no stopem mami for duim wanem hem laek for duim, insaed datwan hem for trainim fofala pikinini—tufala sista wea firstaem long mi, Gwen and Ivy; brata bilong mi, Alec; and mi—long wei bilong truth. Stanley Rogers and olketa nara faithful Witness long Liverpool travel go long Runcorn for givim olketa Bible tok, wea no longtaem bihaen wanfala niu kongregeson start. Famili go ahed gud long spiritual wei witim datfala kongregeson.

Gwen duim olketa Bible leson witim Church of England bat stop taem hem and Mami studyim Bible tugeta. Taem bigman long church kam visit for faendaot why nao Gwen no attendim class, hem kasem staka kwestin wea hem no fit for ansarem. Gwen ask abaotem mining bilong Lord’s Prea bat hemseleva nao mas explainim long hem! Gwen endim story bilong hem witim scripture long 1 Corinthians 10:21, and talem klia hao hem bae no savve ‘kaikai long tufala tebol.’ Taem datfala bigman hem go, hem sei hem bae prea for Gwen and kam bak for ansarem olketa kwestin, bat hem no kam bak moa. Bihaen Gwen baptaes, hem kamap wan wea preach full-taem.

Wei for tinghae long olketa young wan long kongregeson bilong mifala hem barava nambawan. Mi rememberim taem wea mi seven year, mi lisin long tok bilong wanfala elder wea visit kam. Bihaen long tok hem kam story witim mi. Mi talem hem hao mi read abaotem Abraham and hao hem klosap for sakrifaesim son bilong hem, Isaac. Hem sei: “Go long kona bilong datfala platform and storyim long mi evriting abaotem datwan.” Mi barava hapi tumas for standap and givim first “pablik tok” bilong mi!

Mi baptaes taem mi 15 year long 1931, year wea mami hem dae, so mi lusim skul for lanem waka olsem electrician. Long 1936 olketa pleim olketa Bible tok wea olketa recordim long transcription machine for pablik, and wanfala olo sista encouragem mi and brata bilong mi for busy long disfala waka. So mi and Alec go long Liverpool for peim wanfala bicycle witim smol trailer for karem transcription machine. Long bak bilong trailer hem garem wanfala pole witim speaker long hem wea mifala savve apim kasem tufala meter. Man wea wakem sei hem nating mekem eniting olsem bifor, bat hem barava waka gud! Witim bigfala strong mitufala duim full territory, and mitufala thankiu long encouragement bilong datfala sista and for olketa privilege wea mifala kasem.

World War II—Taem Bilong Test

Taem olketa saen showaot war hem klosap start, mi and Stanley Rogers busy for talem pipol abaotem pablik tok “Face the Facts,” wea bae kamap long Royal Albert Hall long London long September 11, 1938. Bihaen, mi help for givimaot buklet Face the Facts, witim Fascism or Freedom, wea olketa pablisim long 1939. Tufala buklet hia showimaot long kliafala wei goal bilong Germany wea Hitler rulim for garem full kontrol ovarem pipol. Kam kasem datfala taem, evriwan long Runcorn savve gud long mi from pablik ministry bilong mi and mi kasem respect for datwan. Tru nao, wei wea mi olowe lead long theocratic waka mekem mi fit for wanem mi bae duim long future.

Datfala company wea mi waka garem kontrak for joinim go electric long olketa machine long wanfala niu factory aotsaed long taon. Taem mi savve dat diswan bae kamap wanfala factory for wakem olketa samting for faet long war, mi talem long kliafala wei mi bae no waka long there. Nomata olketa boss no hapi long diswan, supervisor saed witim mi so mi kasem nara waka. Bihaen mi faendaot aunty bilong hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness.

Wanfala wakfren barava encouragem mi taem hem sei: “Mifala expectim datwan nao wanem iu bae duim, Reg, from iu duim disfala Bible waka for planti year finis.” Nomata olsem, mi mas careful, from staka wakfren laek for kosim trabol for mi.

Long June 1940 kot long Liverpool acceptim registration bilong mi for no joinim army sapos mi go ahed for waka olsem wanfala electrician. Diswan helpem mi for go ahed long Christian ministry.

Insaed Full-Taem Service

Taem war gogo for finis, mi disaed for finis waka and joinim Irene long full-taem ministry. Long 1946, mi wakem wanfala 5 meter caravan, and long 1947, mitufala muv go long Alveston, wanfala vilij long Gloucestershire. Bihaen, mitufala pioneer long old taon bilong Cirencester and long Bath. Long 1951, mi kasem invitation for visitim olketa kongregeson long south bilong Wales olsem wanfala traveling overseer, bat hem no kasem tufala year yet, mitufala go long Watchtower Bible Skul bilong Gilead for kasem missionary training.

Mek-21 class bilong skul kamap long South Lansing, north saed bilong New York State, and mitufala graduate long 1953 long New World Society Assembly long New York City. Mi and Irene no savve wea nao assignment bilong mitufala go kasem day bilong graduation. Mitufala hapi fogud for savve mitufala bae go long Peru. Why? Bikos Sidney Fraser, haf brata bilong Irene and waef bilong hem, Margaret, serve long Lima branch office long Peru for winim wan year finis bihaen tufala graduate long mek-19 class bilong Gilead!

Taem mitufala weit for kasem visa, mifala waka lelebet taem long Brooklyn Bethel, bat kwiktaem nomoa mitufala go nao long Lima. First wan long tenfala missionary assignment hem Callao, main seaport bilong Peru, wea hem long west saed bilong Lima. Nomata mitufala lanem samfala main toktok bilong Spanish languis, long datfala taem mitufala still no savve story gud long datfala languis. Hao nao bae mitufala duim preaching waka?

Olketa Problem and Privilege wea Kamaot From Preaching

Long Gilead mifala lanem hao wanfala mami no teachim languis long baby bilong hem. Bat, baby lanem taem mami story witim hem. So advaes mifala kasem hem for: “Duim preaching waka stretawe, and lanem languis from pipol long pablik. Olketa nao bae helpem iu.” From mi trae hard for minim disfala languis, tingim feeling bilong mi taem tufala week nomoa bihaen mifala arrive mi kasem appointment for presiding overseer for Callao Kongregeson! Mi go lukim Sidney Fraser, bat hem givim sem advaes olsem datwan long Gilead—kaban witim kongregeson and pipol long territory. Mi disaed strong for followim disfala advaes.

Wan Saturday morning, mi meetim wanfala carpenter long workshop bilong hem. Hem sei, “mi mas go ahed for waka, bat plis sidaon and story witim mi.” Mi talem hem mi bae story only sapos: “Taem mi talem eni rong toktok, plis stretem mi. Mi bae no feel nogud.” Hem laf and agree long datwan. Mi visitim hem tufala taem long week and mi faendaot hao diswan hem gudfala wei for savve long disfala niu languis, olsem hao olketa talem finis.

Sem samting happen tu long Ica, long mek-tu missionary assignment, mi meetim nara carpenter and explainim wanem mi duim witim wanfala carpenter long Callao. Hem agree for helpem mi long datfala sem wei tu, so Spanish languis bilong mi kamap gud lelebet, nomata hem tekem mi thrifala year bifor mi savve gud long datfala languis. Disfala man busy olowe, bat mi fit for conductim Bible study long wei for readim olketa Scripture and explainim mining bilong hem. Long wanfala week taem mi go bak for visitim hem, boss bilong hem talem mi hem garem niu waka long Lima. Bihaen, taem mi and Irene arrive long Lima for wanfala convention, mi meetim moa disfala man. Mi barava hapi for savve dat hem askem olketa Witness long Lima for go ahed long study, and hao hem and famili kamap olketa servant wea dedicate long Jehovah!

Long wanfala kongregeson, mifala savve abaotem wanfala young hasband and waef wea no registerim marit yet, bat wea baptaes finis. Taem mifala story witim tufala abaotem olketa Bible principle wea join witim diswan, tufala disaed strong for stretem marit saed long law, mekem tufala fit for kamap Witness wea baptaes. So mi arrangem for tekem tufala go long ples for registerim marit. Bat nara problem kamap from tufala garem fofala pikinini wea no register tu, diswan hem samting wea law askem. Mifala tingim wanem nao mayor bae duim. Datfala mayor sei, “from olketa gud pipol hia, olketa fren bilong iufala Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, arrange for iutufala stretem marit saed long law, mi bae no givimaot kot order for each pikinini bat mi bae registerim olketa and no askem eni fee.” Mifala barava thankiu from famili hia poor and for peim fee hem bae bigfala hevi for olketa!

Bihaen, Albert D. Schroeder from Brooklyn headquarters bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness visitim mifala and sei wanfala niu missionary hom bae stap long nara part bilong Lima. So mi, Irene and tufala sista, Frances and Elizabeth Good from United States, and wanfala hasband and waef from Canada, muv go long San Borja. Insaed tu or thrifala year nomoa mifala kasem blessing for startim nara kongregeson wea go ahed gud.

Mitufala serve long Huancayo wea 3,000 meter hae long olketa maunten and wea kongregeson garem 80 pablisa. Long there, mi join insaed construction waka for buildim mek-tu Kingdom Hall bilong Peru. Mi kasem appointment olsem man for deal witim olketa samting saed long law for Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, from mifala mas go long kot thrifala taem for pruvim olketa right saed long law for land wea mifala peim. Olketa samting hia, witim bigfala waka for mek disaepol wea planti faithful missionary duim bifor, putim strong faondeson for nambawan wei for kamap moa big wea iumi lukim distaem long Peru—from 283 Witness long 1953 go kasem winim 83,000 distaem.

Sorre for Lusim

Mitufala enjoyim nambawan wei for kaban witim olketa nara missionary long olketa missionary hom, wea planti taem mi kasem privilege for serve olsem hom overseer. Evri Monday morning, mifala story tugeta abaotem wanem for duim long datfala week, and for assignim olketa difren waka long haos. Mifala luksavve hao main waka nao hem for preach so mifala waka gud tugeta. Taem mi ting go bak mi hapi for talem hao no eni big raoa kamap long eni haos wea mifala stap.

Lastfala assignment hem long Breña, wanfala area long Lima. Datfala loving kongregeson bilong 70 Witness grow kwiktaem for garem winim 100 Witness, so nara kongregeson start long Palominia. Long datfala taem nao Irene sik. Firstaem, mi lukim hao samfala taem hem no rememberim wanem hem talem, and long olketa narataem hem faendem hard for rememberim hao for go bak long haos. Nomata hem kasem best medical help, isisi hem go for nogud.

Sorre tumas, long 1990, mi mas mekem arrangement for mitufala go bak long England wea sista bilong mi Ivy kaen for welkamim mitufala long haos bilong hem. Fofala year bihaen, taem hem 80 year, Irene dae. Mi still go ahed long full-taem ministry, and mi serve olsem wanfala elder long wanfala long thrifala kongregeson long homtaon bilong mi. Samfala taem, mi go encouragem Spanish grup long Manchester.

No longtaem go nomoa mi kasem experience wea muvim heart bilong mi wea start planti year bifor taem mi pleim faev-minute sermon long transcription machine long olketa haosholder. Mi rememberim long kliafala wei wanfala young skul girl wea standap bihaen mami bilong hem long door, and lisin long message.

Gogo, disfala girl go and stap long Canada, and wanfala fren bilong hem wea still stap long Runcorn and wea distaem hem wanfala Witness, go ahed for raetem olketa leta long hem. No longtaem go nomoa, datfala girl raet kam and sei tufala Witness visitim hem and olketa talem toktok wea mekem hem rememberim wanem hem herem long datfala faev-minute recording. From hem luksavve diswan nao truth, distaem hem wanfala servant bilong Jehovah wea dedicate and hem laek for pasim go thankiu bilong hem long datfala young man wea visitim mami bilong hem winim 60 year bifor! Tru tumas, iumi no savve hao seed bilong truth bae garem rut and grow.—Ecclesiastes 11:6.

Tru nao, mi luk go bak witim deepfala wei for tinghae long laef bilong mi insaed spesol service bilong Jehovah. Start kam from dedication bilong mi long 1931, mi nating missim eni assembly bilong pipol bilong Jehovah. Nomata mi and Irene no garem pikinini, mi hapi for garem winim 150 spiritual son and dota, wea evriwan servem Dadi bilong iumi long heven, Jehovah. Olsem hao dear waef bilong mi talem, olketa privilege hia givim bigfala hapi wea winim eni nara hapi.

[Olketa Footnote]

[Piksa long page 24]

Mami, start long mek-20 century

[Piksa long page 24, 25]

Left: Hilda Padgett, mi, Irene, and Joyce Rowley long Leeds, England, 1940

[Piksa long page 25]

Antap: Irene and mi front long caravan

[Piksa long page 27]

Advertisem pablik tok, long Cardiff, Wales, 1952