Fasin for Loyal and Stand Strong Bifor Kam and Distaem
Klosap long spialaen bilong south Poland witim Slovakia and Czech Republic, wanfala smol taon hem stap wea olketa kolem Wisła. Nomata maet iu no herem wea nao Wisła stap, hem garem history wea olketa tru Christian bae barava interest long hem. Hem history abaotem fasin for loyal and stand strong for saed long worship bilong Jehovah. Long wanem wei?
WISŁA stap long area wea garem olketa maunten, and hem ples wea barava luk naes tumas. Long there olketa creek and tufala stream join witim Vistula River wea ran thru long olketa maunten and olketa valley. From pipol long Wisła fren gud and weather hem naes, pipol savve go long there for saed long health and for holiday.
Luk olsem firstaem wea pipol stap long there and kolem datfala ples Wisla hem long olketa year bilong 1590. Long there olketa wakem wanfala sawmill, and start for setol long olketa klia area long olketa maunten and olketa feedim olketa sheep and buluka and waka long datfala land. Bat olketa hambol pipol hia stap long taem wea planti change kamap saed long religion. Olsem Andrzej Otczyk, man for duim research hem talem, Lutheran nao kamap “main religion bilong datfala ples long 1545.” Martin Luther nao startim olketa change hia wea kamap saed long religion and hem barava affectim datfala ples. Nomata olsem, datfala Thirty Years’ War and Catholic Reformation wea kamap bihaen mekem bigfala change kamap. Otczyk go ahed for sei: “Long 1654 olketa stopem evri church building from olketa Protestant, tambuim olketa service bilong olketa and tekem olketa Bible and nara buk bilong religion from olketa.” Nomata olsem, staka pipol still followim Lutheran religion.
Bible Truth hem Start
Bat, wanfala change wea moa important kamap saed long religion. Long 1928 tufala Bible Student—nem wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness iusim long datfala taem—wea showimaot strong plantim olketa firstfala seed bilong Bible truth. Long year bihaen, Jan Gomola arrive long Wisła witim olketa Bible tok wea olketa recordim. Then hem go stap long wanfala valley wea no farawe tumas, long there hem meetim wanfala man wea barava lisin gud—Andrzej Raszka, wanfala short, tough man wea hambol tumas. Raszka tekem aot Bible bilong hem long semtaem for pruvim wanem hem herem long olketa tok wea olketa pleim. Then hem tok big olsem: “Brata bilong mi, mi just faendem truth nao! Mi bin luk aotem olketa ansa taem mi faet long World War I!”
From hem hapi narawe, Raszka tekem Gomola for go meetim olketa fren bilong hem Jerzy and Andrzej Pilch, wea barava hapi for acceptim datfala Kingdom message. Andrzej Tyrna, wea lanem Bible truth long France, hem helpem olketa man hia for mekem savve bilong olketa long message bilong God hem grow moa big. No longtaem bihaen olketa baptaes nao. For helpem datfala smol grup bilong olketa Bible Student long Wisła, olketa brata from olketa taon wea stap klosap visitim olketa long olketa year midolwan long 1930 and 1940. Olketa samting wea kamaot from datwan barava mekem man sapraes.
Staka niu wan nao interest. Hem wei bilong olketa famili long Lutheran religion for readim Bible long haos. Taem olketa lukim olketa pruv wea kam from Bible abaotem teaching bilong hellfire and Trinity, staka start for luksavve wanem hem tru and no tru. Planti famili chus for lusim olketa false teaching bilong religion. Dastawe, datfala kongregeson long Wisła go ahed for grow, and long 1939 hem garem samting olsem 140 member. Nomata olsem, planti full-grown wan long kongregeson no baptaes. Helena, wanfala long olketa first Witness hia hem sei: “Diswan no minim olketa no fit for stand strong for saed witim Jehovah . . . Long olketa test wea olketa kasem saed long faith, olketa go ahed for stap faithful.”
Waswe long olketa pikinini? Olketa pikinini luksavve hao parents bilong olketa faendem truth. Franciszek Branc talem olsem: “Taem dadi bilong mi luksavve hem faendem truth, hem start for storyim olowe long mi and brata bilong mi. Mi eit year and brata bilong mi ten year. Dadi savve askem mitufala olketa isi kwestin olsem: ‘Hu nao nem bilong God? Waswe, iu savve long Jesus Christ?’ Mitufala savve raetem olketa ansa and olketa verse long Bible wea sapotim.” Nara Witness hem sei: “From parents bilong mi willing for acceptim datfala Kingdom message and lusim Lutheran Church long 1940, olketa long skul savve againstim mi and whipim mi. Mi thankiu long parents bilong mi for teachim mi olketa principle from Bible. Datwan nao barava samting wea helpem mi for winim olketa hard taem hia.”
Faith Kasem Test
Taem World War II hem start and olketa Nazi tekovarem datfala area, olketa barava laek for killim dae Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa start witim olketa wea full grown—especially olketa dadi—olketa talem olketa for saenem wanfala pepa for sapotim Germany mekem olketa kasem samfala kaen help. Olketa Witness nating willing for sapotim olketa Nazi. Staka brata and interest wan wea kasem age wea law sei olketa mas joinim army feisim bigfala problem: Olketa savve joinim army, or no teksaed, bat sapos olsem olketa bae kasem barava nogud panis. Andrzej Szalbot wea olketa arrestim hem long 1943 hem sei: “Sapos man no willing for joinim army bae olketa sendem hem go long wanfala raf prison. Planti taem diswan long Auschwitz prison. Mi no baptaes yet, bat mi tingim datfala encouragement bilong Jesus long Matthew 10:28, 29. Mi savve sapos mi dae from wei wea mi garem faith long Jehovah, hem savve mekem mi laef bak moa.”
Long start bilong 1942, olketa Nazi arrestim 17-fala brata from Wisła. Insaed thrifala month, olketa killim dae 15-fala long olketa long Auschwitz prison. Hao nao diswan affectim olketa Witness wea stap long Wisła? Winim wei for lusim faith bilong olketa, diswan encouragem olketa for no givap for servem Jehovah! Insaed long nara sixfala month, namba bilong olketa pablisa long Wisła kamap tufala taem moa big. Bihaen datwan olketa arrestim staka moa. Datfala strongfala army bilong Hitler barava spoelem 83 brata, olketa interest wan, and olketa pikinini. Olketa sendem fifti thri long olketa hia long olketa raf prison (main wan Auschwitz prison) or for waka long olketa nara prison long olketa mine and ples for katem ston long Poland, Germany, and Bohemia.
Fasin for Loyal and Stand Strong
Long Auschwitz prison, olketa Nazi trae for switim olketa Witness for sei olketa bae kasem freedom kwiktaem. Wanfala SS gard talem wanfala brata: “Sapos iu saenem pepa hia for denyim olketa Bible Student, mifala bae mekem iu kamap free, and iu bae go bak long haos nao.” Olketa go ahed for talem olsem long hem staka taem, bat brata hia nating givap for loyal long Jehovah. From datwan, olketa whipim hem, tok spoelem hem and mekem hem waka hard narawe long Auschwitz and Mittelbau-Dora prison long Germany. Disfala brata klosap dae taem army bilong America and England bombim datfala camp.
Paweł Szalbot, wanfala Witness wea just dae nomoa sei olsem wantaem: “Kasem olketa taem for kwestinim mi, olketa bae askem mi staka taem why mi no willing for joinim army bilong Germany and for talem heil Hitler.” Bihaen hem explainim from Bible hao wei wea hem no teksaed hem from hem wanfala Christian, olketa judgem hem for waka long wanfala factory for wakem samting for faet. Hem sei moa: “Hem klia tumas, mi hard for acceptim kaen waka olsem, so olketa sendem mi for waka insaed wanfala mine.” Nomata olsem, hem go ahed for stap faithful.
Olketa wea no stap long prison—olketa woman and pikinini—sendem olketa pasol kaikai long olketa long Auschwitz prison. Wanfala brata wea young long datfala taem hem sei: “Long season bilong summer mifala savve go tekem cranberry frut insaed long bush and then exchangem for wheat. Olketa sista savve beikem olketa smol bred and putim insaed long gris. Then mifala mekem smol and sendem long olketa wea mifala garem sem biliv wea stap long prison.”
Total bilong 53-fala Witness from Wisła nao go long olketa raf prison and olketa forcem olketa for waka. Thirti eit long olketa dae. Evriwan hia faithful long Jehovah go kasem dae.
Next Genereson Kamap
Nogud samting wea olketa Nazi duim affectim tu olketa pikinini bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa tekem samfala witim mami bilong olketa go long olketa prison long Bohemia. And samfala pikinini olketa separatem from parents and sendem olketa go long olketa barava nogud prison for olketa pikinini long Lodz.
Thrifala long olketa ting bak and talem olsem: “Long firstfala transport for go long Lodz, olketa bilong Germany tekem tenfala long mifala wea faev and naen year. Mifala encouragem each other long wei for prea and for storyim olketa samting long Bible. Hem no isi for stand strong.” Long 1945 evri pikinini go bak long famili. Olketa still laef bat olketa bon nating and samting wea happen barava affectim mind and feeling bilong olketa. Nomata olsem, no eni samting savve brekem faithful fasin bilong olketa.
Wanem Nao Happen Bihaen?
Taem World War II gogo for finis, faith bilong olketa Witness long Wisła strong yet and olketa redi for go ahed moa long preaching waka witim strong and tingting for no givap. Olketa brata go visitim pipol wea stap 40 kilometer from Wisła for preach and givimaot olketa Bible buk. Jan Krzok sei olsem: “No longtaem nomoa thrifala kongregeson kamap long taon bilong mifala.” Bat, wei for free saed long religion hem for lelebet taem nomoa.
Communist gavman wea changem olketa Nazi, putim tambu long waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Poland long 1950. So olketa brata mas keakea taem olketa duim preaching waka. Samfala taem, excuse bilong olketa for go visitim olketa haos hem for go baem olketa animal and grain. Olketa evritaem meeting long naet long olketa smol grup. Nomata olsem, olketa police arrestim staka long olketa worshiper bilong Jehovah, and sei olketa spae, nomata diswan no tru. Samfala long olketa officer hia mekfani long Paweł Pilch taem olketa sei: “Hitler nating brekem faith bilong iu, bat mifala nao bae brekem.” Nomata olsem, hem go ahed for loyal long Jehovah, and stap long prison for faevfala year. Taem samfala young Witness no willing for saenem wanfala pepa, olketa aotem olketa from skul or finisim olketa from waka bilong olketa.
Jehovah Go Ahed for Stap Witim Olketa
Long 1989, gavman start for garem difren tingting, and law luksavve long Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Poland. Olsem namba bilong olketa pioneer or full-taem minister showimaot, waka bilong olketa worshiper bilong Jehovah long Wisła barava go ahed strong. Samting olsem 100 brata and sista from disfala area duim pioneer service. Iumi no sapraes hao olketa kolem datfala taon Pioneer Factory.
Bible sei olsem abaotem wei wea God sapotim olketa servant bilong hem bifor: “Sapos Jehovah hem nating stap long saed bilong iumi taem olketa man kam againstim iumi, then bae olketa kaikaim iumi finis, taem kros bilong olketa hem big tumas againstim iumi.” (Psalm 124:2, 3) Distaem, nomata staka pipol no interest and dirty fasin kamap big long datfala kantri, olketa worshiper bilong Jehovah long Wisła duim best for keepim faithful fasin and kasem staka blessing from diswan. Olketa next genereson bilong olketa Witness long datfala area pruvim olketa toktok hia bilong aposol Paul hem tru: “Sapos God stap witim iumi, hu nao bae againstim iumi?”—Romans 8:31.
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Emilia Krzok wea olketa tekem and olketa pikinini bilong hem Helena, Emelia, and Jan long wanfala prison long Bohemia
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Taem Paweł Szalbot no willing for joinim army, olketa sendem hem for waka long wanfala mine
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Taem olketa brata dae long Auschwitz prison, waka no stop for grow long Wisła
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Olketa tekem Paweł Pilch and Jan Polok long wanfala prison for olketa pikinini long Lodz
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