Olketa Fren Bilong God Long Tonga
Long 1932 wanfala ship wea arrive long Tonga tekem kam samfala barava important samting. Captain bilong disfala ship givim long Charles Vete, wanfala smol buk wea garem title “Where Are the Dead?” Charles barava sure hao hem faendem truth. Lelebet taem bihaen, Charles askem olketa long headquarter bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for hem transleitim disfala smol buk long languis bilong hem and olketa letem hem for duim diswan. Bihaen Charles finisim disfala waka, hem kasem bak 1,000 copy bilong disfala smol buk, and hem start for givimaot. Hem nao hao message abaotem Kingdom bilong Jehovah kasem Tonga.
LONG wanfala map bilong South Pacific, kapitol bilong Tonga, Nuku’alofa hem stap samting olsem 746 kilometer southeast from Suva, Fiji. Tonga garem 171 island, wea 45 long olketa island hia nomoa pipol stap long hem.
Population bilong Tonga hem samting olsem 106,000 and hem garem thrifala island grup wea olketa main wan nao, Tongatapu, Ha’apai, and Vava’u. Thrifala kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness stap long island bilong Tongatapu wea hem nao garem staka pipol, wanfala stap long Ha’apai, and narawan hem long Vava’u. For helpem pipol kamap olketa fren bilong God, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness garem wanfala haos for olketa missionary and wanfala office wea transleison gohed long hem klosap long kapitol, Nuku’alofa.—Isaiah 41:8.
Start long olketa year bilong 1930, pipol savve long Charles Vete olsem hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Bat hem nating baptaes gogo kasem 1964. Samfala joinim hem for duim waka for preach, and long 1966 olketa buildim wanfala Kingdom Hall wea fitim 30-fala pipol. Long 1970, wanfala kongregeson hem start long Nuku’alofa wea garem 20 pablisa.
Start kam long datfala taem, wei wea disfala toktok bilong profet Isaiah hem kamap tru hem showaot klia long Tonga: “Letem olketa givim glory long Jehovah, and long olketa island letem olketa talemaot praise bilong hem.” (Isaiah 42:12) Kingdom waka hem gohed for grow and diswan helpem staka pipol for garem wei for fren witim Jehovah. Long distrik convention long 2003 wea kamap long Nuku’alofa, 407 nao attendim and 5-fala baptaes. Wei wea 621 pipol attendim Memorial long 2004 showimaot hao staka pipol interest long truth.
Garem Laef wea No Aftarem Staka Material Samting
Long olketa nara island bilong Tonga bigfala need stap for olketa wea talemaot Kingdom. Olsem example, long island grup bilong Ha’apai, 8,500 pipol wea stap long 16-fala island need for herem message from Bible. Ha’apai garem planti flat island wea fulap witim kokonat tree and white sandbis. Sea hem barava klia and man savve luk go daon kasem winim 30 meter. Hem naes tumas for swim raonem olketa reef and midolwan long winim wan handred difren kaen fish. Olketa vilij no big tumas. Pipol buildim olketa simpol haos wea no savve foldaon kwiktaem long cyclone.
Olketa tree olsem bredfrut and mango givim shade and kaikai. Wei for luk aotem and redim kaikai hem important tumas long evriday laef bilong pipol long Tonga. Olketa pipol hia savve kaikaim pigpig and tu, eni samting long sea wea fit for kaikaim. Long garden olketa plantim olketa kaikai olsem puteto and taro and olketa vegetable. Olketa tree olsem lemon and orange grow olobaot nomoa and kokonat tree and banana olketa staka tumas. Pipol long wanfala genereson teachim olketa long nara genereson savve bilong olketa saed long olketa hom medicine wea kamaot from leaf, skin and rut bilong tree.
Pipol wea stap long disfala naesfala ples barava fren gud witim nara pipol. Pipol long hia no aftarem staka material samting. Klosap evri woman tekpart for wakem olketa samting olsem basket, tapa, and olketa mat. Taem olketa gohed waka, olketa woman hia savve sidaon andanit wanfala tree and story, laflaf, and singsing taem olketa pikinini bilong olketa gohed plei or sleep. And tu, staka taem olketa woman nao savve go luk aotem sela and nara samting for kaikaim long olketa reef long taem bilong low tide. Olketa luk aotem tu seaweed wea kaikai naes tumas.
Staka long olketa man iusim taem bilong olketa for waka long garden, fishing, wakem karving and kanu and fixim olketa fishing net. Olketa man, woman and pikinini savve iusim olketa kanu wea garem ruf for gogo long olketa nara island for visitim olketa relative, go long clinic, and for peim or salem samting.
Gud Nius Kasem Farawe Ples
Long taem bilong Memorial long 2002, wanfala missionary hasband and waef witim tufala pioneer brata kasem wanfala naesfala ples. Bifor olketa arrive, samfala long Ha’apai kasem finis olketa buk bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Samfala long olketa hia start studyim Bible finis witim olketa Witness tu.
Main goal bilong olketa brata wea kam nao: for givimaot olketa Bible buk, startim olketa Bible study, and invaetem pipol wea interest for attendim Memorial. Olketa kasem evri goal hia. Naenti seven pipol nao attendim Memorial long dae bilong Jesus. Samfala long olketa hia kam long kanu nomata hevi rain and big wind gohed. From diskaen rain and wind, staka stap and sleep long ples bilong Memorial long naet, bifor olketa just gogo bak long ples bilong olketa long next day.
Brata wea duim tok bilong Memorial hem waka hard tu. Disfala missionary sei: “Hem no isi for duim tufala tok bilong Memorial long difren languis long sem evening. Mi barava wari. Wei for prea nao barava helpem mi! Mi rememberim olketa word and hao for talem olketa toktok wea mi lanem firstaem.”
From waka wea olketa Witness duim long Ha’apai for mekem grow interest wea pipol garem finis, tufala hasband and waef bilong tufala long datfala ples baptaes. Wanfala long tufala hasband hia start for interest long olketa buk bilong olketa Witness taem hem gohed kasem training for kamap minister long church bilong hem.
Nomata disfala man and waef bilong hem no garem staka samting, evri year taem church mekem fund-raising and singaotem nem bilong tufala, bae tufala givim staka selen. Wanfala Witness askem hem for openem Bible bilong hem and readim 1 Timothy 5:8. Aposol Paul hem raet olsem: “Sapos eniwan no provaed for olketa wea bilong hem, and diswan hem moa tru for famili bilong hem, hem showimaot hem lusim biliv bilong hem finis and hem moa worse winim man wea no biliv long God.” Man hia barava sapraes long disfala Bible principle. Hem luksavve hao taem hem gohed for givim selen wea church askem, hem nating provaedem samting wea famili bilong hem needim. So long next taem wea church ask for selen, nomata hem garem selen long poket bilong hem, hem no savve forgetim 1 Timothy 5:8. Taem olketa singaotem nem bilong hem, hem no fraet for talem priest hao wei for provaedem samting for famili bilong hem nao hem important. From diswan, olketa bigman long church tok daonem and tok strong againstim disfala hasband and waef.
Tufala hia kamap Jehovah’s Witness bihaen tufala studyim Bible witim olketa Witness. Hasband hia hem sei: “Bible hem changem mi. Distaem mi no raf long famili bilong mi. And mi no ova tumas for drink. Pipol long vilij bilong mi lukim hao Bible barava changem laef bilong mi. Mi hope olketa tu bae lovem truth olsem mi.”
Olketa Iusim Quest for Faendem Pipol
Tu-thri month bihaen Memorial long 2002, narafala ship moa wea nem bilong hem Quest, wea kam from New Zealand, hem tekem kam samting wea barava important long Ha’apai. Disfala ship wea long bilong hem kasem 18-meter, isisi gogo midolwan olketa island long Tonga. Insaed disfala ship hem Gary and Hetty witim dota bilong tufala, Katie. Long tufala gogo naenfala brata and sista and tufala missionary from Tonga nao go witim olketa. Olketa brata hia iusim savve bilong olketa for leadim ship hia raonem olketa reef wea no stap long map. Diswan hem no wanfala holiday. Olketa wea kam insaed disfala ship olketa kam for teachim Bible long pipol. Olketa kasem 14 difren island wea stap farawe from olketa narawan. Samfala long olketa island hia no eniwan preach long olketa bifor.
Wanem nao pipol long olketa island hia duim? Olketa barava interest for savve hu nao olketa wea kam long disfala ship and olketa welkamim olketa man for preach hia. Taem olketa pipol long island minim why nao ship hia kam, olketa barava hapi tumas. Olketa Witness wea visit luksavve hao olketa pipol hia respectim Bible and luksavve long need bilong olketa long spiritual wei.—Matthew 5:3.
Planti taem olketa Witness savve sisidaon andanit long olketa tree witim olketa pipol wea garem staka kwestin abaotem Bible. Nomata gogo hem naet, wei for story abaotem Bible hem gohed insaed olketa haos. Taem olketa Witness redi for lusim wanfala island, pipol long there sei: “Iufala no go! Hu nao bae ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mifala taem iufala go?” Wanfala Witness hem sei: “Hem no isi for mifala lusim olketa pipol wea olsem sheep wea hangre for truth. Mifala plantim staka seed bilong truth.” Taem Quest arrive long wanfala island, olketa Witness lukim hao evriwan werem kaleko bilong sorre. Waef bilong wanfala bigman long datfala taon hem dae. Disfala bigman tok thankiu long olketa brata from olketa tekem kam message from Bible wea givim comfort.
Hem no isi for go shore long samfala island. Hetty hem sei: “Wanfala island no garem eni ples wea mifala savve go shore long hem. Hem garem nomoa steep ples wea hae bilong hem samting olsem wan meter. For kasem ples hia mifala mas iusim smol rubber dinghy bilong mifala. First samting mifala mas duim nao for torowem olketa basket bilong mifala long pipol wea standap long shore. Then taem dinghy hem level witim steep ples hia, mifala mas jamp bifor dinghy hia hem go daon followim wave bilong sea.”
No evriwan long disfala ship getius for gogo long sea. Bihaen olketa gogo for tufala week, captain bilong ship hia story abaotem gogo bilong olketa for kasem main island bilong Tongatapu: “Mifala bae gohed for nara 18 hour moa. Bae mifala mas stopem ship long olketa difren ples from samfala toroaot and wiki. Mifala hapi for gogo bak bat mifala sorre tumas tu for lusim staka wea mifala preach long olketa. Mifala letem Jehovah for lukaftarem olketa. Witim help bilong holy spirit and olketa angel bilong hem bae olketa grow long spiritual wei.”
Ples wea Bae Gohed for Grow
Samting olsem six month bihaen Quest hem lusim Tonga, tufala spesol pioneer, Stephen and Malaki go preach long olketa island bilong Ha’apai. Tufala pioneer hia joinim tufala hasband witim waef bilong tufala wea olketa just baptaes for teachim Bible. Wei for storyim olketa Bible teaching hem kamap and olketa pablisa iusim Bible long gudfala wei evritaem.
Long December 1, 2003, mek-5 kongregeson long Tonga hem start long Ha’apai. Staka pikinini tu midolwan olketa wea attend. Olketa savve herehere gud. Olketa savve sidaon kwaet and givim koment. Circuit overseer sei “olketa savve gud long Bible Story Buk Bilong Mi wea showimaot hao parents bilong olketa barava waka hard for lanem truth long pikinini bilong olketa.” Luk olsem namba bilong pipol wea laek fren witim Jehovah long olketa ples hia bae gohed for grow.
Taem Charles Vete transleitim disfala buk Where Are the Dead? long languis bilong hem long Tonga, long winim 70 year wea go pas finis, hem nating savve hao disfala seed bilong Kingdom bae grow long heart bilong pipol long Tonga. Diswan showimaot hao Jehovah gohed for blessim waka for talemaot gud nius long disfala part long world. Distaem hem fitim for sei Tonga hem wanfala long olketa island wea gohed for worshipim Jehovah.—Psalm 97:1; Isaiah 51:5.
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Charles Vete, 1983
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Wakem tapa
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Olketa gogo long “Quest” for talemaot gud nius long Tonga
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Olketa transleita long Nuku’alofa
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Making tapa cloth: © Jack Fields/CORBIS; background of pages 8 and 9, and fishing: © Fred J. Eckert