Laef Story
Trustim Wei wea Jehovah Lukaftarem Mi
STORY BILONG ANNA DENZ TURPIN
Mami bilong mi savve smile and sei long mi: “Iu askem staka kwestin tumas!” Taem mi smol, mi savve askem mami and dadi staka kwestin. Nomata olsem mami and dadi nating savve hotem mi. Bat, tufala teachim mi for ting raonem samting and for disaedem samting seleva followim conscience bilong mi wea kasem training from Bible. Datfala training barava helpem mi! Taem mi 14 year nomoa, olketa Nazi tekem mami and dadi from mi and mi nating lukim tufala moa.
DADI and mami bilong mi, Oskar Denz and Anna Maria, tufala stap long Lörrach, wanfala taon long Germany klosap long border bilong Switzerland. Taem tufala young, tufala join long olketa waka long community, and pipol barava savve gud and respectim tufala. No longtaem bihaen tufala marit long 1922, mami and dadi garem difren tingting abaotem wei for join long gavman and wanem tufala laek for duim long laef. Mami start for study witim olketa Bible Student, hem nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long datfala taem. Mami hapi tumas for lanem hao Kingdom bilong God bae mekem peace kamap long earth. Dadi start for join long study witim mami, and tufala start for go long olketa meeting bilong olketa Bible Student. Long Christmas bilong datfala year dadi givim mami datfala Bible study buk, The Harp of God. Mi born long March 25, 1923 and mi no garem eni nara brata or sista moa.
Olketa naes memory nao mi garem abaotem olketa samting wea mifala savve duim tugeta olsem famili—for go wakabaot long Black Forest wea luk naes tumas and hao mami savve teachim mi olketa waka long haos! Mi still lukim long mind bilong mi taem hem standap long kitchen bilong mifala for teachim mi hao for kuki. Main important samting nao, mami and dadi teachim mi for lovem and trustim Jehovah God.
Kongregeson bilong mifala garem samting olsem 40-fala wea strong for preach abaotem Kingdom. Mami and dadi savve tumas hao for mekem olketa chance kamap for story abaotem Kingdom. From wei wea tufala joinim olketa waka long community bifor, hem isi for tufala story witim pipol and olketa hapi for acceptim tufala. Taem mi kasem seven year, mi laekem tu for go preach from haos tu haos. Long firstfala day wea mi go, sista wea mitufala waka tugeta givim mi samfala buk, and pointim go wanfala haos and sei, “Go givim long olketa.” Long 1931, mifala go long wanfala convention bilong olketa Bible Student long Basel, long Switzerland. Long datfala convention mami and dadi bilong mi baptaes.
Trabol Join Witim Raf Rul
Long datfala taem Germany kasem bigfala trabol, and olketa difren kaen sekson bilong politik faet narawe long street. Wanfala naet mi wekap and herem barava bigfala singaot long haos bilong neiba bilong mifala. Tufala teenage boy killim dae brata bilong tufala witim wanfala fork for houm graon bikos hem garem difren tingting saed long politik. Wei for no laekem olketa Jew hem kamap big tu. Long skul, wanfala girl hem mas standap seleva long wanfala kona from hem wanfala Jew. Mi barava sorre for hem, bat mi nating expectim hao mi klosap kasem sem samting tu.
Long January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler kamap ruler bilong Germany. Long ples wea mifala stap, mifala savve lukim olketa Nazi apim flag bilong olketa long main building long taon. Teacher bilong mifala long skul teachim mifala hao for talem “Heil Hitler!” Long datfala aftanun mi go bak storyim long dadi. Hem barava feel nogud long datwan. Hem sei: “Diswan hem no stret. ‘Heil’ minim salvation. Sapos iumi talem ‘Heil Hitler!’ iumi tingim Hitler nao bae givim salvation and no Jehovah. Mi tingim datwan hem no stret, bae iuseleva nao disaedem wanem iu shud duim.”
Olketa wea mifala long sem class start for les long mi bikos mi disaed for no talem ‘Heil Hitler.’ Samfala boy long class savve whipim mi tu taem teacher no lukluk kam. Gogo, olketa boy lusim mi nao, and olketa fren bilong mi tu talem hao dadi bilong olketa stopem olketa for plei witim mi. Olketa sei mi barava nogud pikinini.
Tufala month bihaen olketa Nazi kasem paoa for rulim Germany, olketa tambuim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness from olketa tingse sekson hia againstim gavman. Spesol army bilong Nazi wea raf tumas satem Bethel long Magdeburg and stopem olketa meeting bilong mifala. Bat from mifala stap klosap long border, dadi kasem olketa pepa for mifala akrosim border go long Switzerland, ples wea mifala savve go for olketa meeting long Sunday. Evritaem dadi savve talem hao hem laekem olketa brata long Germany for kasem sem spiritual kaikai mekem olketa savve feisim olketa samting wea bae kamap.
Olketa Wakabaot wea Danger
Bihaen olketa satem Bethel long Magdeburg, Julius Riffel wea waka long there bifor hem kam bak long Lörrach, hom ples bilong hem, for organizem preaching waka long wei wea haed. Long semtaem, dadi sei bae hem help long datwan. Hem story witim mi and mami and talem hao hem agree for help long wei for tekem olketa Bible literature from Switzerland go long Germany. Hem sei bae diswan barava danger tumas and olketa maet arrestim hem long enitaem. From diswan hem sei mitufala mas tingting gud firstaem sapos mitufala laek join insaed disfala waka. Semtaem nomoa mami sei: “Mi willing.” Tufala evriwan luk long mi, and mi sei, “Mi tu!”
Mami sewim wanfala paos wea big bilong hem olsem Wastaoa magasin. Long wansaed bilong datfala paos hem savve putim literature insaed and then hem sewim sat. Hem mekem olketa secret poket long olketa kaleko bilong dadi and bilong mitufala tu, wea mitufala iusim for karem olketa smol literature insaed. Evritaem mifala kasem bak haos witim olketa literature, mifala barava hapi and thankiu narawe long Jehovah. Mifala haedem olketa literature hia long ceiling bilong haos.
Firstaem, olketa Nazi tingse mifala no duim eniting. Olketa nating askem mifala and no kam lukluk raon long haos bilong mifala. Nomata olsem, mifala disaed for iusim wanfala secret namba for warnim olketa spiritual brata bilong mifala long eni trabol, datfala namba nao hem 4711. Sapos hem barava danger for kam long haos, long eni wei wea fitim mifala bae iusim datfala namba. Dadi talem olketa tu for lukluk long olketa window long varanda bifor olketa savve kam insaed. Sapos window long left saed hem open, wanfala problem nao happen, and olketa mas no kam long haos.
Long 1936 and 1937, olketa secret police bilong Nazi arrestim staka Witness and putim staka thousand long olketa prison. Long there nao olketa kasem barava raf persecution. Branch office wea stap long Bern, Switzerland, start for hipimap olketa report, and joinim witim samfala report wea olketa tekem aot haed from olketa prison. Olketa iusim olketa report hia for mekem disfala buk, Kreuzzug gegen das Christentum (Crusade Against Christianity), wea storyim olketa nogud samting wea olketa Nazi duim. Mifala duim datfala danger waka for karem olketa secret report akrosim border go long Basel. Sapos olketa Nazi kasholem mifala witim olketa report hia wea law stopem, mifala bae go long prison semtaem. Mi krae fogud taem mi read abaotem hao olketa barava spoelem olketa brata bilong iumi. Nomata olsem, mi nating fraet. Mi trustim hao olketa best fren bilong mi bae lukaftarem mi. Olketa nao Jehovah and mami and dadi.
Mi finis skul taem mi 14 year and go waka long wanfala stoa. Mifala evritaem gogo long datfala danger wakabaot long olketa Saturday or Sunday aftanun, tufala day wea dadi no waka. Bihaen evri tu week nao mifala savve gogo. Mifala act nomoa olsem evri nara famili wea go for wakabaot long weekend. For klosap fofala year, olketa security gard long border nating stopem or chekim olketa samting bilong mifala. Bat datwan hem finis long wanfala day long February 1938.
Olketa Faendaot!
Mi bae nating forgetim lukluk long feis bilong dadi taem mifala kasem ples klosap long Basel and lukim staka literature wea mifala mas tekem. Diswan hem from olketa arrestim nara famili wea mifala duim sem waka, so mifala garem extra buk moa for karem. Taem mifala kasem border wanfala security gard barava lukluk strong long mifala and talem olketa mas chekim mifala. Taem hem faendem olketa buk hia, hem pointim gun long mifala and talem mifala for go long olketa police car wea stap. Taem mifala go witim olketa gard hia insaed car, dadi pressim hand bilong mi and tok smol olsem: “No saed witim enemy. No talem nem bilong eniwan!” Mi sei long dadi, “Mi hard for talem.” Taem mifala kasem bak Lörrach, olketa tekem nao dadi bilong mi. Lastfala taem wea mi lukim hem, hem taem olketa satem door bilong prison.
For fofala hour fofala secret police barava askem mi for talem nem and address bilong olketa nara Witness. Taem mi no talem, wanfala long olketa barava kros tumas and sei, “Mifala savve duim eniting long iu mekem iu talem mifala!” Mi nating talem olketa eniting. Bihaen datwan, olketa tekem mi and mami go bak long haos, and hem nao firstaem wea olketa lukluk raon long haos. Olketa tekem mami long prison and sendem mi go long aunty bilong mi for lukaftarem mi, olketa nating savve hao hem tu wanfala Witness. Nomata olketa letem mi for go waka, fofala secret police sidaon long car aotsaed long haos for lukluk long evri ples wea mi go.
Bihaen tu-thri day, long taem for kaikai long midolday, mi kam aotsaed long haos and mi lukim wanfala young sista raed long baesikol and kam stret for mi. Taem hem kakam for mi, mi luksavve hem bae torowem kam wanfala pis pepa long mi. Long semtaem wea mi kasem, mi luk go long olketa secret police for lukim sapos olketa lukim wanem mi duim. Mi barava sapraes hao long datfala semtaem, evriwan laf and tanem hed go difren!
Datfala note wea sista hia givim hem talem mi for go long haos bilong mami and dadi bilong hem long aftanun. Bat from olketa secret police lukluk followim mi tumas, mi no laek duim eniting wea bae mekem mami and dadi bilong hem stap long danger. Mi luk go long fofala secret police wea sidaon long car and then long wanfala policeman wea wakabaot ap and daon followim datfala road. Mi no savve wanem for duim, so mi barava prea strong long Jehovah for help. Seknomoa, datfala policeman wakabaot go long olketa secret police wea stap long car and story long olketa. Then hem go insaed long car bilong olketa, and evriwan go nao!
Long semtaem, aunty bilong mi kam tu. Long datfala taem hem evening nao. Hem readim datfala note, and sei mifala mas followim toktok wea stap insaed, from hem tingse olketa brata arrange for tekem mi go long Switzerland. Taem mifala kasem datfala famili, olketa introducem mi long Heinrich Reiff, wea mi nating savve long hem. Hem talem mi hao hem barava hapi mi stap sef, and hem kam for helpem mi for ranawe go long Switzerland. Hem talem mi, bihaen haf hour bae mi go meetim hem long wanfala ples.
Laef Long Nara Kantri
Mi krae fogud taem mi kasem Brata Reiff, mi barava sorre narawe from mi tingim mi lusim mami and dadi. Evri samting happen kwiktaem tumas. From hem danger tumas, mifala feel sef nomoa taem mifala katkros long border bilong Switzerland witim olketa grup tourist.
Taem mi arrive long branch office long Bern, mi faendaot hao olketa brata nao arrange for mi ranawe. Olketa showim mi ples for stap. Mi waka long kitchen, wea mi barava enjoyim tumas. Bat hem barava hard tumas for stap long nara kantri, and for no savve wanem kasem mami and dadi. Tufala evriwan kasem sentence for stap long prison for tufala year! Samfala taem wea gogo mi no savve holem sorre and wari bilong mi, mi savve go lok insaed bathrum and krae big. Nomata olsem, evritaem mi raet long mami and dadi, and tufala encouragem mi for stap faithful.
Example bilong faithful fasin bilong mami and dadi muvim mi for givim miseleva long Jehovah and baptaes long July 25, 1938. Bihaen mi stap long Bethel for wanfala year, mi go waka long Chanélaz, long wanfala farm wea branch bilong Switzerland peim for growim kaikai for Bethel famili and for olketa brata wea ranawe for go stap long there.
Taem prison sentence bilong mami and dadi finis long 1940, olketa Nazi talem hao tufala savve kamap free sapos tufala lusim evribit biliv bilong tufala. Tufala nating willing for duim datwan, so olketa tekem tufala long olketa raf prison. Dadi olketa tekem go long Dachau and Mami long Ravensbrück. Long winter season long end bilong 1941, mami and olketa nara Witness woman long datfala raf prison no willing for duim waka for army. Olketa kasem panis for standap long cold for 3-fala naet and 3-fala day, then olketa lokim olketa insaed olketa cell wea dark fogud and givim olketa lelebet kaikai nomoa for 40-fala day. Then olketa whipim olketa nogud. Mami hem dae long January 31, 1942, thrifala week bihaen olketa barava whipim hem nogud wantaem.
From Dachau olketa muvim dadi go moa long Mauthausen prison long Austria. Long prison hia, olketa killim dae olketa prisoner thru long wei for no givim olketa kaikai and for mekem olketa waka hard. Six month bihaen mami dae, olketa Nazi killim dae dadi long difren wei from mami—wei for testim medicine. Olketa doctor savve nilam sik TB long olketa prisoner. Then bihaen olketa bae nilam heart bilong olketa witim barava strongfala medicine. Record bilong olketa hem showim hao dadi hem dae from “wanfala masol long heart hem wik.” Dadi hem 43 year nomoa. Samfala month bihaen nao mi faendaot hao olketa killim olketa dae. Distaem mi still savve krae taem mi tingim mami and dadi bilong mi. Nomata olsem, long bifor and kam kasem distaem, mi barava feel gud for savve hao mami and dadi wea garem hope for laef long heven, tufala barava sef long hand bilong Jehovah.
Bihaen long World War II, mi kasem privilege for attendim mek-11 class bilong Watchtower Bible Skul bilong Gilead long New York. Hem barava hapi samting for duim deep study long Bible for faevfala month! Bihaen graduation long 1948, olketa sendem mi for duim missionary waka long Switzerland. No longtaem bihaen, mi meetim James L. Turpin, wanfala faithful brata wea graduate long mek-faev class bilong Gilead. Taem first branch office long Turkey hem open, hem nao overseer bilong datfala branch. Mitufala marit long March 1951, and no longtaem bihaen, mifala garem pikinini nao! Mitufala muv long United States and, Marlene, wanfala baby girl hem born long December 1951.
Mitufala Jim barava hapi insaed service bilong mitufala for saed long Kingdom. Mi tingim wanfala Bible student, wanfala young Chinese woman wea nem bilong hem Penny, wea hem barava lovem for studyim Bible. Hem baptaes and bihaen hem maritim Guy Pierce, wea serve distaem long Governing Body bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa olsem barava helpem mi for no tingim tumas mami and dadi bilong mi.
Long start bilong 2004, olketa brata long Lörrach, hom ples bilong mami and dadi, olketa buildim wanfala niu Kingdom Hall long Stich Street. For showimaot olketa tinghae long samting wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness duim, taon council nemem datfala street, Denzstraße (Denz Street) for rememberim mami and dadi bilong mi. Long niuspepa, Badische Zeitung, andanit long disfala title, “In Memory of the Murdered Couple Denz: New Street Name,” olketa talem hao mami and dadi bilong mi “olketa killim dae long raf prison long taem bilong rul bilong Hitler from biliv bilong tufala.” Mi nating tingim taon council bae duim disfala samting, bat hem barava hapi samting wea showimaot wei wea nogud tingting wea pipol garem bifor hem change.
Dadi savve talem hao mifala shud plan olsem Armageddon bae no kam, bat duim samting olsem bae hem kam tumoro—hem nambawan advaes wea mi trae for followim evritaem. Hem no isi for garem patient fasin and long semtaem laekem samting for happen kwiktaem, especially distaem wea mi olo and stap olowe long haos. Bat, mi nating daotem disfala promis bilong Jehovah for olketa faithful servant bilong hem: “Trust long Jehovah witim full heart bilong iu . . . Long evri samting iu duim, lisin long hem, and hemseleva nao bae mekem olketa wei wea iu followim stret.”—Proverbs 3:5, 6.
[Box/Piksa long page 29]
SPESOL TOKTOK FROM MAMI AND DADI
Wanfala woman from wanfala vilij wea stap farawe lelebet from Lörrach, hem visitim Lörrach long olketa year bilong 1980. Long datfala taem, pipol tekem kam olketa samting wea olketa no iusim long pablik ples mekem pipol savve lukluk and tekem eniting olketa laekem. Woman hia wea visit kam, hem lukim wanfala box wea garem olketa samting for sewing insaed and tekem datwan. Bihaen, long botom bilong datfala box hem faendem samfala piksa bilong wanfala young girl and samfala leta wea olketa iusim pepa from prison for raetem. Datfala woman barava interest long olketa leta hia and laek for savve hu nao datfala girl wea stap long piksa.
Wanfala day long year 2000, datfala woman lukim long niuspepa wanfala article abaotem history bilong Lörrach. Datfala article hem storyim history bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long olketa year wea olketa Nazi rul, and tu, abaotem famili bilong mi. Datfala niuspepa garem tu piksa bilong mi taem mi teenager. Taem hem lukim piksa long niuspepa hem luk semsem witim olketa piksa long box, woman hia ringim datfala niusman and talem hem abaotem 42-fala leta wea stap witim hem! Tu-thri week bihaen mi holem long hand bilong mi 42-fala leta hia. Long olketa leta hia, mami and dadi ask olowe abaotem mi long aunty bilong mi. Tufala tingim mi gogo kasem taem tufala dae. Hem barava sapraesing samting for olketa leta hia stap sef and mi just kasem winim 60 year bihaen!
[Piksa long page 25]
Hapi famili bilong mifala hem divaed taem Hitler start for rul
[Credit Line]
Hitler: U.S. Army photo
[Piksa long page 26]
1. Office long Magdeburg
2. Secret police arrestim staka thousand Witness
[Piksa long page 28]
Mi and Jim kasem hapi insaed Kingdom service