Gud Nius Garem Frut Long São Tomé and Príncipe

STAKA pipol maet no savve long São Tomé and Príncipe. Olketa holiday buk no savve storyim olketa island hia. Long world map, olketa luk olsem olketa smol dot long sea bilong Gulf of Guinea, long west saed bilong Africa. São Tomé stap klosap long equator and Príncipe stap lelebet go long north-east saed. From hem savve rain evritaem and hem hot, olketa bigfala rain forest kavarem olketa maunten wea hae winim 2,000 meter.

Pipol wea stap long olketa tropical island hia wea blue sea raonem and wea garem olketa palm tree, olketa kaen. Olketa laen dadi bilong olketa hia kam from Africa and Europe wea mekem kastom bilong olketa hem mix and interesting. Tufala island hia garem 170,000 pipol wea waka saed long cocoa, wea hem main samting olketa sellim long difren kantri, or farming and fishing. Insaed olketa year wea go pas, pipol faendem hard nomata for kasem kaikai for each day tu.

Nomata olsem, midolwan 1990 and year 2000, wanfala samting hem happen wea barava affectim living bilong planti pipol long olketa island hia. Long June 1993, gavman bilong São Tomé and Príncipe registerim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness saed long law, wea diswan endim longfala and hardfala history bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long olketa island hia.

Plantim Olketa Seed Long Hard Taem

Luk olsem firstfala Witness kasem olketa island hia lelebet taem bihaen 1950 long taem wea olketa kantri bilong Africa anda long rul bilong Portugal savve sendem olketa prisoner for waka long olketa labor camp long olketa island hia. Datfala Witness hem wanfala pioneer, or full-taem minister, from Africa. Olketa aotem hem from Mozambique bikos hem preachim gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong God long datfala kantri. Disfala Witness go ahed long waka bilong hem, and insaed sixfala month, nara 13-fala share for talemaot datfala gud nius. Bihaen, olketa nara Witness wea kasem sem samting olsem arrive from Angola. Taem olketa long prison, olketa mekius long evri chance for sharem gud nius witim pipol long there.

Kasem 1966, evri brata long prison long São Tomé go bak finis long mainland bilong Africa. Smol grup bilong olketa Kingdom pablisa wea stap go ahed and no fraet. Pipol persecutim, hitim, and putim olketa long prison from olketa hipap for Bible study, and no eniwan visitim or encouragem olketa. Datfala kantri kasem independence from Portugal long 1975, and isisi olketa seed bilong Kingdom truth start for garem frut.

Kamap Moa Big and Buildim Kingdom Hall

Long sem month wea olketa registerim waka saed long law long 1993, namba bilong olketa pablisa kasem 100 for firstfala taem. Datfala sem year, olketa spesol pioneer kam from Portugal. Wei wea olketa trae hard for lanem languis bilong lokol pipol mekem pipol laekem olketa. Olketa luk aotem land for Kingdom Hall. Taem wanfala sista, Maria, herem disfala need, hem givim haf long land wea nara haf long hem smol haos bilong hem stap. Datfala pis land hem fitim wanfala big Kingdom Hall. Maria no savve hao, from hem no garem eni relative wea laef yet, olketa bisnisman weitim chance for kasem disfala property. Wanday wanfala bisnisman wea staka savve long hem kam for story witim Maria.

Hem warnim Maria: “Wanem mi herem abaotem iu hem nogud! Mi herem iu givim free land bilong iu. Waswe, iu savve tu dat land bilong iu kostim big selen from hem stap long taon?”

Maria ask: “Sapos mi offerim disfala land long iu, haomas nao bae iu peim mi?” Taem datfala man no ansa, Maria go ahed for sei: “Nomata sapos iu givim mi evri selen long world, hem bae no fitim bikos selen hard for baem laef.”

Datfala man hem ask: “Iu no garem pikinini, hem tru?”

From hem no laek story moa, Maria hem sei: “Disfala land hem bilong Jehovah. Hem givim long mi for iusim for staka year nao, and distaem mi givim bak long hem. Mi luk forward for laef olowe.” Then hem askem datfala man: “Waswe, iu laek offerim laef olowe long mi?” Man hia no talem eni moa samting, tan raon and go.

Olketa buildim wanfala naesfala tu-story building witim help bilong olketa brata from Portugal wea garem savve saed long construction. Hem garem basement, Kingdom Hall wea garem big spes, and olketa rum for man stap insaed. Hem garem tu olketa classrum for olketa elder, ministerial servant, and pioneer savve skul insaed. Tufala kongregeson nao savve iusim for meeting distaem, wea mekem hem ples bilong education saed long klin worship long datfala taon.

Long Mé-Zochi, wanfala kongregeson stap wea garem 60-fala pablisa wea strong for talemaot Kingdom message. From olketa savve garem meeting insaed wanfala temporary Kingdom Hall midolwan olketa banana tree, gogo olketa barava needim Kingdom Hall wea fitim. Olketa talem diswan long taon council, and olketa bigman wea laek helpem olketa offerim nambawan pis land long main road. Insaed tufala month olketa buildim wanfala naes Kingdom Hall witim help bilong olketa brata from Portugal wea iusim kwik-build construction. Pipol long area sapraes fogud long samting olketa lukim. Wanfala engineer from Sweden wea waka long wanfala project long taon hem sapraes tumas for lukim waka bilong olketa brata and sista. Hem sei: “Mi hard for bilivim! Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, hia long Mé-Zochi, iusim kwik-build construction! Diswan nao wei iumi shud organizem project bilong iumi.” Olketa dedicatem datfala Kingdom Hall long June 12, 1999, and 232 nao attend. Disfala hall kamap main ples for olketa visitor lukim taem olketa visitim taon bilong Mé-Zochi.

Wanfala Spesol Convention

Wanfala spesol samting wea happen long Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long São Tomé and Príncipe hem datfala thri-day “Teaching Bilong God” Distrik Convention long January 1994—wea datwan nao first convention long tufala island hia. Hem kamap long best hall wea garem air-condition long kantri. Tingim nomoa hapi bilong 116 Kingdom pablisa taem olketa lukim 405 attend and taem olketa lukim Bible drama and olketa niu pablikeson wea release! Twenti pipol wea dedicate finis olketa baptaes long saedsea.

Wanfala niu samting for pipol long area nao hem for lukim badge bilong olketa wea attendim convention. From olketa visitor from Portugal and Angola stap, hem olsem hem wanfala international hipap. Feeling bilong bigfala Christian love kwiktaem kamap, and staka krae long last session taem olketa sei gudbae.—John 13:35.

Olketa nius pipol from National Radio station kam for interviewim convention overseer. Olketa pleim long radio tu samfala part bilong samfala tok. Hem wanfala barava spesol taem, and long olketa faithful Witness long olketa farawe island hia, hem help for mekem organization bilong Jehovah long earth feel moa klos.

For Garem Frut Praisem Jehovah

Taem Kingdom message garem frut, hem mekem olketa gudfala fasin kamap wea bringim praise and honor long Jehovah. (Titus 2:10) Wanfala teenage girl enjoyim samting hem lanem from Bible study bilong hem evri week. Bat dadi bilong hem stopem hem for attendim olketa kongregeson meeting. Taem hem explainim witim respect wei wea olketa meeting barava important and hem laek for attend, dadi bilong hem raosem hem from haos. Dadi hia tingse dota bilong hem bae duim samting wea staka nara young wan savve duim—kwiktaem go stap witim wanfala man wea bae provaed for hem. Taem datfala dadi savve dota bilong hem garem gud and klin living olsem Christian, diswan muvim hem for tekem girl hia bak moa and letem hem servem Jehovah.

Nara example hem wanfala leader bilong wanfala grup for pleim music. Dirty living bilong hem mekem hem no hapi. Long taem hem luk aotem purpose long laef, olketa Witness visitim hem. Taem hem start for live followim olketa standard bilong Bible saed long fasin, full taon storyim diswan. Gogo hem luksavve long need for no kaban moa witim nogud pipol. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Then hem tekem datfala important step bilong baptism for showimaot hem dedicate long Jehovah.

Samfala young wan luk aotem tru religion. Diswan leadim olketa for story witim olketa pastor bilong samfala evangelical grup, bat hem mekem olketa konfius and lus hope go moa. From diswan, olketa kamap raskol and pipol for spoelem eniting wea join witim religion.

Wanday, wanfala Jehovah’s Witness wea hem missionary hem go for duim wanfala Bible study and wakabaot go pas olketa young wan hia. Datfala grup laekem hem for ansarem samfala kwestin and tekem hem go long wanfala ples bihaen haos and invaetem hem for sidaon long wanfala stul. Then olketa askem staka kwestin long hem abaotem olketa difren samting olsem soul, hellfire, laef long heven, and end bilong world. Datfala Witness ansarem evri kwestin bilong olketa from Bible wea leader bilong olketa givim hem. Wan hour bihaen, datfala leader, wea nem bilong hem Law, sei long missionary hia: “Taem mifala askem iu for kam and ansarem olketa kwestin, mifala really laek for mekfani long iu, olsem mifala duim long olketa bilong nara religion. Mifala ting no eniwan savve ansarem olketa kwestin hia. Bat iu ansarem, and iu duim witim Bible nomoa! Talem mi, hao nao mi savve lanem moa samting abaotem Bible?” Law start for studyim Bible, and no longtaem bihaen hem start for attendim olketa meeting. Lelebet taem bihaen, hem lusim datfala grup and lusim raf fasin bilong hem bifor. Insaed wan year, hem dedicatem laef bilong hem long Jehovah and baptaes. Distaem hem serve olsem ministerial servant.

Wanfala kastom wea pipol followim tumas hem wei for man and woman stap tugeta nomoa and no marit. Staka stap tugeta for planti year and garem pikinini. Olketa faendem hard for acceptim tingting bilong God long diswan. Hem muvim heart for lukim hao Word bilong God helpem wanfala man for winim disfala hard samting.—2 Corinthians 10:4-6; Hebrews 4:12.

Antonio luksavve hem shud registerim marit bilong hem. Hem plan for duim diswan bihaen hem harvestim corn, taem hem bae garem selen for marit feast. Wanfala naet just bifor harvest taem, olketa man for steal kam and stealim garden bilong hem. Hem disaed for weitim next harvest wea bae wan year bihaen, and for mek-tu taem olketa stealim moa. Taem mek-thri taem hem trae for kasem selen for wedding bilong hem fail moa, Antonio luksavve hu nao really kosim diswan. Hem sei: “Satan bae no mekful long mi moa. Insaed wan and haf month bae mitufala marit nomata no eni feast!” So tufala marit, and tufala sapraes taem olketa fren bilong tufala provaedem kokorako, dakdak, and wanfala goat for marit feast. Bihaen tufala registerim marit bilong tufala, Antonio and waef bilong hem—witim sixfala pikinini bilong tufala—olketa baptaes for showimaot dedication bilong olketa long Jehovah.

Príncipe Island

Samfala taem, olketa circuit overseer and pioneer from São Tomé savve visitim 6,000 pipol bilong Príncipe. Pipol long island barava welkamim olketa and interest for herem story bilong olketa Witness. Bihaen olketa readim wanfala tract witim wanfala man, hem luk aotem olketa pioneer long nextfala day and offer for helpem olketa givimaot olketa tract. Olketa pioneer explainim long hem hao diswan hem waka wea olketa nomoa fit for duim, bat datfala man strong for sei hem shud go witim olketa long evri haos mekem hem savve introducem olketa long pipol long haos and for talem olketa for lisin gud. Gogo, bihaen hem praisem olketa pioneer for important waka olketa duim, datfala man lusim olketa.

Long 1998 tufala pioneer from São Tomé muv go long Príncipe, and no longtaem bihaen tufala conductim seventin Bible study. Datfala waka kamap moa big, and kwiktaem nomoa Kongregeson Buk study savve garem average bilong 16 wea savve attend, and winim 30 savve attendim pablik tok. Olketa talem taon council hao olketa needim wanfala ples for hipap, and olketa givim land for buildim wanfala Kingdom Hall. Olketa brata from São Tomé volunteer for buildim wanfala smol Kingdom Hall wea garem tu olketa rum for tufala spesol pioneer.

Hem klia, gud nius go ahed for garem frut and kamap moa big long olketa island hia wea stap farawe. (Colossians 1:5, 6) Long January 1990 olketa garem 46 pablisa long São Tomé and Príncipe. Insaed 2002 service year, olketa kasem peak bilong 388 Kingdom pablisa! Winim 20 percent long olketa pablisa olketa insaed full-taem service, and olketa conductim samting olsem 1,400 Bible study. Long 2001 Memorial, attendance hem kasem peak bilong 1,907. Tru nao, long olketa island hia, Word bilong Jehovah hem muv ahed kwiktaem and hem kasem glory.—2 Thessalonians 3:1.

[Box/Piksa long page 12]

Olketa Radio Program wea Staka Enjoyim

Wanfala pablikeson wea pipol barava laekem long olketa island hia hem buk Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work.a Bihaen evri tu week, National Radio station garem 15-minute program wea garem datfala title. Hem barava naes for herem man wea tok long radio askem kwestin, “Young pipol, hao nao iu savve sapos hem real love or giaman love?” and then hem readim samfala part bilong chapter bilong buk! (Lukim chapter 31.) Nara radio program tu savve chusim and readim aot part bilong buk Secret for Kasem Hapi Famili.b

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 9]

Firstfala Kingdom Hall long São Tomé long 1994

[Olketa Piksa long page 10]

1. Kwik-build Kingdom Hall long Mé-Zochi

2. Firstfala distrik convention kamap long disfala hall

3. Olketa hapi pipol wea redy for baptaes long datfala convention

[Piksa Credit Line long page 8]

Globe: Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.