Laef Story
Mifala Depend Long Strong Bilong Jehovah
STORY BILONG ERZSÉBET HAFFNER
“Mi bae no letem olketa for aotem iu from kantri,” Tibor Haffner hem talem taem hem herem olketa bin givim order for mi lusim Czechoslovakia. Then hem sei: “Sapos iu willing, mi bae maritim iu, and iu bae stap witim mi for olowe.”
LONG January 29, 1938, tu-thri week bihaen Tibor askem mi for maritim hem, mitufala marit. Tibor nao first Christian brata wea witness long famili bilong mi. Datwan hem hard samting for disaedem. Mi just kasem 18 year, and from mi wanfala full-taem minister bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mi laek for iusim taem wea mi young yet for servem God evribit. Mi krae. Mi prea. Taem mi feel gud bihaen, mi luksavve wei wea Tibor askem mi for maritim hem, hem no from hem showimaot kaenfala fasin nomoa. Mi luksavve tu hao mi laek for stap witim disfala man wea really lovem mi.
Mi stap insaed wanfala kantri wea tok hae abaotem democratic gavman bilong olketa and wei for garem freedom saed long religion. So why nao olketa laek for aotem mi from kantri? Ating hem gud sapos mi talem iu moa samting abaotem laef bilong mi.
Mi born long December 26, 1919 long Sajószentpéter vilij, Hungary, wea samting olsem 160 kilometer long east saed bilong Budapest. Parents bilong mi bilong Greek-Catholic religion. Sorre samting, dadi bilong mi dae bifor mi born. No longtaem bihaen, mami bilong mi maritim wanfala widow man wea garem fofala pikinini finis, and mifala muv go long Lučenec, wanfala naes taon long kantri wea long datfala taem olketa kolem Czechoslovakia. Long datfala taem laef insaed wanfala step famili hem no isi. From mi nao barava young wan, mi no feel olsem mi really part bilong famili. Saed long selen hem hard, so mi no kasem staka material samting and love from parents tu.
Waswe, Eniwan Savve Long Ansa?
Taem mi 16 year, mi garem olketa important kwestin. Mi barava interest taem mi readim history bilong World War I, and mi sapraes fogud long wei for killkill bilong olketa nation wea sei olketa Christian. Nara samting tu, mi lukim wei for apim army hem kamap big long staka ples. No eni samting hia hem fitim samting wea mi lanem insaed church saed long wei for lovem neiba.
From diswan, mi go long wanfala Roman Catholic priest and askem hem: “Wanem komand nao iumi olketa Christian shud obeyim—for go long war and killim dae olketa neiba bilong iumi or for lovem olketa?” From kwestin bilong mi mekem hem feel kros, hem sei hem teachim samting wea hem lanem from olketa wea garem bigfala savve. Semkaen samting happen tu taem mi go askem wanfala Calvinist minister and wanfala Jew rabbi. Olketa no givim mi eni ansa bat olketa sapraes tumas long datfala kwestin bilong mi. Gogo mi go lukim wanfala Lutheran minister. Hem feel nogud, bat bifor mi go, hem sei: “Sapos iu really laek for savve abaotem diswan, askem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.”
Mi luk aotem olketa Witness bat mi no faendem olketa. Tu-thri day bihaen, taem mi finis waka and go bak long haos, mi lukim door hem open lelebet. Wanfala man wea luk naes hem go ahed readim Bible long mami bilong mi. Stretawe mi ting, ‘Diswan mas wanfala Witness bilong Jehovah!’ Mifala invaetem disfala man, Tibor Haffner, insaed haos and mi askem hem olketa kwestin bilong mi. Hem no talem mi ansa from tingting bilong hemseleva bat hem showim mi wanem Bible talem abaotem mark bilong olketa tru Christian, and tu abaotem wanem kaen taem mifala stap insaed.—John 13:34, 35; 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Insaed tu-thri month, bifor mi kasem 17 year, mi baptaes nao. Feeling bilong mi hem for evriwan shud herem olketa tru samting hia wea mi stragol for faendem. Mi start for preach full-taem, wea hem hard lelebet long Czechoslovakia long olketa year hia. Nomata gavman registerim finis waka bilong mifala, mifala feisim strong wei for againstim mifala wea olketa bigman bilong religion nao kosim.
First Taem for Kasem Persecution
Wanday long end bilong 1937, mi witim wanfala Christian sista preach long wanfala vilij klosap long Lučenec. Then olketa arrestim mitufala and putim mifala long prison. Security long there hem sei: “Bae iu dae long hia,” then hem satem big datfala door long cell bilong mifala.
Kasem evening, nara fofala woman moa kam long sem cell. Mifala start for talem toktok bilong comfort and witness long olketa. Olketa feel gud bihaen, and mifala busy full naet for storyim olketa truth bilong Bible witim olketa.
Long six klok long next morning, datfala security kolem mi go aot from cell. Mi sei long partner bilong mi: “Bae iumi tufala meet moa long Kingdom bilong God.” Mi askem hem for talem famili bilong mi samting wea happen sapos hem laef. Mi prea kwaet and go witim datfala security. Hem tekem mi long haos bilong hem insaed datfala prison area. “Young girl, mi laek askem iu samfala kwestin,” hem sei. “Last naet iu sei nem bilong God hem Jehovah. Waswe, iu savve showim datwan for mi from Bible?” Mi barava sapraes fogud and long semtaem feel hapi tu! Hem tekem kam Bible bilong hem, and mi showim nem bilong Jehovah long hem and waef bilong hem. Hem askem staka kwestin abaotem olketa topic wea mifala bin storyim witim fofala woman long naet. Bihaen hem satisfae long olketa ansa, hem askem waef bilong hem for redyim kaikai for mi and partner bilong mi.
Tu-thri day bihaen, olketa letem mifala go free, bat wanfala judge sei from mi citizen bilong Hungary, mi mas lusim Czechoslovakia. Bihaen diswan nao Tibor Haffner askem mi for maritim hem. Mitufala marit and mi muv go long haos bilong parents bilong hem.
Persecution Kamap Moa Big
Mitufala go ahed long preaching waka, and Tibor garem waka tu saed long wei for organizem samting. Tu-thri day bifor olketa soldia bilong Hungary march kam insaed taon bilong mifala long November 1938, son bilong mifala Tibor, Jr., hem born. Long Europe, World War II hem klosap for happen. Hungary hem tekova long big haf bilong Czechoslovakia, and diswan mekem persecution kamap moa big for Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea stap long area wea Hungary tekem.
Long October 10, 1942, Tibor go long Debrecen for meetim samfala brata. Bat, hem nating kam bak. Bihaen nao hem talem mi samting wea happen. Samfala policeman wea no werem uniform and no olketa brata nao stap long bridge wea olketa plan for meet. Olketa weit for hasband bilong mi and Pál Nagypál, tufala last wan for arrive. Olketa police tekem olketa long police station and whipim olketa long leg witim stik go kasem taem olketa brata haf dead bikos long pain.
Then olketa police givim order long olketa for werem shoe bilong olketa and standap. Nomata olketa feelim big pain, olketa mas wakabaot go long train station. Olketa police tekem kam nara man tu wea olketa bandagem full hed bilong hem wea mekem hem no savve lukluk gud. Hem Brata András Pilling, wea bin kam tu long datfala meeting. Olketa tekem hasband bilong mi long train long ples for keepim olketa Witness long Alag, klosap long Budapest. Wanfala long olketa security lukim leg bilong Tibor wea garekil and mekfani olsem: “Samfala pipol raf tumas! Iu no wari, bae mifala keepim iu gud.” Then seke nomoa nara tufala security start for killim Tibor moa long leg bilong hem, wea kosim staka blood for sprei olobaot. Bihaen tu-thri minute, hem haf dead nao.
Long month bihaen, Tibor and winim 60 brata and sista go long kot. Panis bilong olketa brata olsem András Bartha, Dénes Faluvégi, and János Konrád hem for mas dae long wei for hangem olketa. Brata András Pilling kasem judgment for prison for full laef, and hasband bilong mi 12-fala year long prison. Wanem rong samting nao olketa duim? Lawyer accusim olketa brata saed long wei for barava againstim gavman, no want for joinim army, spae, and tok laea againstim most holy church. Bihaen, olketa changem panis bilong dae for prison for full laef.
Kasem Sem Samting Olsem Hasband Bilong Mi
Tufala day bihaen Tibor hem go for datfala meeting long Debrecen, mi wekap bifor six klok and redyim olketa kaleko bilong mifala. Seknomoa bigfala noknok long door. ‘Olketa kam nao,’ hem nao samting mi tingim. Sixfala policeman kam insaed and sei olketa bae lukluk insaed haos. Olketa arrestim evriwan long haos and tekem mifala go long police station, witim son bilong mitufala wea thri year tu. Long sem day olketa tekem mifala go long wanfala prison long Pétervására, Hungary.
Bihaen mifala kasem long there, mi kasem fever so olketa putim mi difren from olketa nara prisoner. Taem mi gud bak, tufala soldia stap insaed cell bilong mi, and go ahed raoa abaotem mi. Wanfala sei: “Iumi mas sutim hem! Mi nao bae sutim hem!” Bat narawan laek for chekim health bilong mi firstaem bifor tufala duim datwan. Mi begim tufala for no killim mi dae. Gogo tufala go aot from cell bilong mi and mi sei thankiu long Jehovah for helpem mi.
Olketa security garem spesol wei for kwestinim man. Olketa orderim mi for leidaon long floor, putim socks insaed mouth bilong mi, taemap hand and leg bilong mi, and whipim mi go kasem taem blood kamaot. Olketa stop nomoa taem wanfala long olketa soldia sei hem feel taed. Olketa askem mi hu nao hasband bilong mi go for meetim long day wea olketa arrestim hem. Mi no talem olketa, so olketa whipim mi for thrifala day. Long mek-foa day, olketa letem mi for tekem son bilong mi go long mami bilong mi. Weather barava cold fogud taem mi karem smol pikinini bilong mi long baksaed bilong mi wea garekil and wakabaot for samting olsem thirtin kilometer for kasem train station. Then mi go insaed train for kasem haos, bat mi mas kam bak long camp long datfala sem day.
Panis bilong mi hem for stap insaed wanfala prison long Budapest for sixfala year. Taem mi kasem long there, mi herem Tibor long there tu. Mitufala hapi tumas taem olketa letem mifala for story tugeta, nomata for tu-thri minute and wanfala iron fence stap midolwan long mitufala! Mitufala evriwan feelim love bilong Jehovah and feel strong moa from tu-thri spesol minute hia. Bifor mifala bae meet moa, mitufala bae kasem barava nogud test, and staka taem barava klosap for dae.
From Wan Prison Go Long Narawan
Samting olsem 80 sista nao mifala skwis insaed wanfala cell. Mifala laek tumas for kasem spiritual kaikai, bat luk olsem hem hard tumas for kasem eniting from aotsaed long prison. Bat maet mifala savve kasem samting from insaed prison! Bae mi talem iu wanem mifala duim. Mi volunteer for fixim socks bilong olketa prison clerk. Insaed wanfala sock, mi putim wanfala pis pepa wea mi ask for namba bilong Bible long prison library. For mekem olketa no kwestinim, mi raetem title bilong nara tufala buk tu.
Long next day, mi kasem nara hip socks from olketa clerk hia. Insaed wanfala hem olketa namba wea mi askem. Then mi givim olketa namba hia long wanfala security and ask for olketa buk hia. Mifala hapi tumas taem mifala kasem olketa buk hia especially Bible! Mifala exchangem olketa nara buk evri week, bat mifala keepim Bible. Taem datfala security ask abaotem, mifala sei: “Hem wanfala big buk, and evriwan laek for readim.” From datwan mifala savve readim Bible.
Wanday wanfala bigman invaetem mi go long office bilong hem. Luk olsem hem showimaot respect.
“Mrs. Haffner, mi garem gud nius for iu,” hem talem mi. “Iu savve go bak long hom bilong iu. Maet tumoro. Sapos train go tuday, bae iu go.”
“Datwan bae gud tumas,” mi ansarem hem olsem.
“Ia, datwan bae gud tumas,” hem sei. “Iu garem wanfala pikinini, and mi sure iu laek for teachim hem.” Then hem sei moa, “Only samting nomoa, iu mas saenem disfala leta.”
“Wanem kaen leta?” mi askem hem.
“Iu no warim,” hem sei. “Iu saenem nomoa, iu free nao.” Then hem sei long mi: “Taem iu kasem haos, iu savve duim eniting iu laekem. Bat distaem iu mas saen for sei iu no wanfala Jehovah’s Witness moa.”
Mi step bak and nating willing for duim datwan.
“Sapos olsem bae iu dae long hia!” hem kros and singaot olsem long mi and sendem mi go aot.
Long May 1943, olketa muvim mi go long nara prison long Budapest and bihaen moa long Márianosztra vilij, wea mifala stap witim samting olsem 70 Catholic sista long wanfala monastery. Nomata mifala hangre and kasem nara hard samting, mifala laek tumas for talem olketa abaotem hope bilong mifala. Wanfala long olketa Catholic sista hia barava interest long message bilong mifala and sei: “Olketa teaching hia naes tumas. No enitaem mi herem eniting olsem. Plis, storyim samfala samting moa long mi.” Mi story long hem abaotem niu world and nambawan laef wea bae kamap long there. Taem mifala go ahed story, wanfala Catholic sista wea hem nao matron long datfala ples hem kam. Stretawe olketa tekem go datfala Catholic sista wea interest, aotem kaleko bilong hem, and whipim hem nogud. Taem mifala meetim hem moa hem sei: “Plis, prea long Jehovah mekem hem savve sevem mi and aotem mi from disfala ples. Mi laek for kamap wanfala long iufala.”
Next ples wea olketa tekem mifala hem wanfala old prison long Komárom, wanfala taon long Danube River, samting olsem 80 kilometer long west saed bilong Budapest. Laef long there hem nogud tumas. Mi and staka nara sista kasem sik typhus, wea mekem mifala toroaotem blood and kamap barava wik. Mifala no garem eni medicine, and mi tingse bae mi dae nao. Bat long datfala taem olketa bigman bilong prison luk aotem samwan for duim waka long office. Olketa sista talem nem bilong mi. So olketa givim mi medicine, and mi kamap gud.
Stap Tugeta Moa Witim Famili Bilong Mi
Taem army bilong Russia hem kakam from east, mifala mas muv go long west. Taem nomoa bae short for storyim evri nogud samting wea kasem mifala. Staka taem nao mi klosap tumas for dae, bat from Jehovah protectim mi, mi laef. Taem war hem finis, mifala stap long Tábor, wanfala taon long Czechoslovakia, wea stap samting olsem 80 kilometer from Prague. Bihaen nara thrifala week nao bifor mi and sista-in-law bilong mi Magdalena kasem hom bilong mifala long Lučenec, long May 30, 1945.
Taem mi wakabaot kam farawe yet mi lukim mami-in-law and son bilong mi, Tibor, long area raonem haos. Eye bilong mi fulap witim wata, and mi singaotem hem, “Tibike!” Hem ran kam and kasholem mi. “Bae iu no go moa, iaman Mami?” Datwan nao first samting wea hem talem, and bae mi hard for forgetim.
Jehovah hem kaen tumas tu long hasband bilong mi, Tibor. From prison long Budapest, olketa sendem hem go long labor camp long Bor, witim samting olsem 160 nara brata. Staka taem olketa klosap for dae, bat olsem wanfala sekson, olketa stap laef. Tibor kam bak long April 8, 1945, samting olsem wan month bifor mi.
Bihaen long war, mifala needim yet strong from Jehovah for winim evri test insaed 40 year bilong Communist rul long Czechoslovakia. Long datfala taem Tibor hem go moa long prison for longtaem, and mi mas lukaftarem son bilong mitufala. Bihaen hem kamap free, Tibor waka olsem wanfala traveling overseer. Insaed 40 year bilong Communist rul, mifala iusim evri chance for storyim biliv bilong mifala long nara pipol. Mifala helpem staka for lanem truth. So olketa kamap spiritual pikinini bilong mifala.
Bigfala hapi kamap taem mifala kasem freedom saed long religion long 1989! Long year bihaen, mifala attendim first convention long kantri bilong mifala bihaen barava longtaem. Taem mifala lukim staka thousand brata and sista long there wea faithful for staka year, mifala savve hao Jehovah nao givim strong long evriwan.
Hasband bilong mi, Tibor, hem faithful long God go kasem taem hem dae long October 14, 1993, and distaem mi stap klosap long son bilong mi long Žilina, Slovakia. Saed long body mi no mas strong distaem, bat paoa bilong Jehovah mekem spirit bilong mi strong. Mi no garem eni daot hao thru long strong bilong hem mi savve winim eni test long disfala old system. Nara samting tu, mi luk forward long taem wea, thru long kaenfala fasin bilong Jehovah wea iumi no fit for kasem, mi bae laef for olowe.
[Piksa long page 20]
Son bilong mi Tibor, Jr., (taem hem 4 year) taem mi mas lusim hem
[Piksa long page 21]
Tibor, Sr., witim olketa nara brata long Bor
[Piksa long page 22]
Mi witim Tibor and Magdalena, sista-in-law bilong mi, long 1947, long Brno
[Piksa long page 23]
Samfala taem mi klosap tumas for dae, bat from Jehovah protectim mi, mi laef