Olketa Mennonite Luk Aotem Truth From Bible

WANFALA morning long November 2000, samfala missionary bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Bolivia luk go aot long smol window long haos bilong olketa and lukim samfala man and woman wea werem old stael kaleko. Olketa standap aotsaed long gate and luk olsem olketa fraet lelebet. Taem olketa missionary openem gate, olketa visitor hia sei, “Mifala laek for faendem truth from Bible.” Olketa hia wea visit kam olketa Mennonite. Olketa man werem overall, olketa woman werem kaleko for waka wea dark kala, and olketa story witim each other long wanfala German languis. Feis bilong olketa showimaot olketa fraet. Olketa evritaem luk bihaenem olketa, for chekim sapos eniwan followim olketa. Nomata olsem, taem olketa go ap long ladder for go insaed long haos, wanfala young man hem sei, “Mi laek for savve long pipol wea iusim nem bilong God.”

Insaed long haos olketa visitor kaikai and drink lelebet and start for feel relax. Olketa kam from wanfala farawe community bilong olketa farmer. Long there olketa kasem Wastaoa magasin thru long post office for sixfala year finis. Olketa sei: “Mifala readim hao wanfala paradaes bae kamap long earth. Waswe, datwan hem tru?” Olketa Witness showim ansa for datwan insaed long Bible. (Isaiah 11:9; Luke 23:43; 2 Peter 3:7, 13; Revelation 21:3, 4) Wanfala farmer hem sei long olketa narawan: “Hem nao ia! Hem barava tru ia. Paradaes bae kamap long earth.” Olketa narawan sei plande taem: “Ating iumi faendem truth nao ia.”

Hu nao olketa Mennonite? Wanem nao olketa bilivim? For ansarem olketa kwestin hia, iumi mas storyim samting wea happen long mek-16 century.

Hu Nao Olketa Mennonite?

Long mek-14 century, wei for transleitim and printim staka Bible long olketa languis bilong Europe mekem pipol long there interest moa for studyim Bible. Martin Luther and olketa narawan rejectim plande teaching bilong Catholic Church. Nomata olsem, olketa Protestant church wea kamap from olketa change hia keepim plande kastom wea no kam from Bible. Olsem example, olketa tingse evri baby wea just born mas baptaes for joinim church. Bat, samfala man wea studyim Bible for faendem truth, luksavve hao for man kamap member bilong Christian kongregeson, hem samting wea man seleva mas disaedem from savve wea hem kasem bifor hem baptaes. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Olketa wea bilivim datwan and strong for preach olketa travel go long olketa taon and vilij for teachim Bible and baptaesim full-grown pipol. Dastawe olketa kasem datfala nem olketa Anabaptist, wea minim olketa wea baptaesim man mek-tu taem.

Wanfala man wea interest for herem tingting bilong olketa Anabaptist taem hem luk aotem truth, hem Menno Simons, wanfala Catholic priest long Witmarsum vilij long north part bilong Netherlands. Kasem 1536, hem rejectim church evribit and olketa bigman luk aotem hem for killim hem dae. Long 1542 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V promis for givim 100 guilder olsem reward for man wea arrestim Menno. Nomata olsem, Menno hipimap samfala Anabaptist for kamap olketa kongregeson. No longtaem bihaen pipol kolem hem and olketa follower bilong hem, olketa Mennonite.

Olketa Mennonite Distaem

From olketa kasem persecution, gogo, plande thousand Mennonite lusim Western Europe and muv go long North America. Long there olketa garem chance for gohed luk aotem truth and talemaot message bilong olketa long plande nara pipol. Bat olketa no strong saed long Bible study and for preach long pablik olsem sekson bilong olketa bifor. Plande long olketa hol strong long samfala teaching wea no kam from Bible, olsem Trinity, teaching wea sei soul bilong man kanduit dae, and hellfire. (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Ezekiel 18:4; Mark 12:29) Distaem, main waka bilong olketa missionary bilong olketa Mennonite hem saed long medical and wei for helpem community, no preaching.

Distaem samting olsem 1,300,000 Mennonite stap long 65 difren kantri. Bat olketa komplen abaotem wei wea olketa no garem wan mind, olsem Menno Simons duim plande handred year bifor. Long World War I, wei wea olketa no savve agree saed long olketa raoa wea gohed long world, hem barava divaedem olketa. Plande long North America no willing for joinim army from olketa luksavve Bible tambuim datwan. Bat datfala buk An Introduction to Mennonite History hem sei: “Kasem 1914, klosap evri Mennonite long Western Europe willing nomoa for joinim army.” Distaem, samfala Mennonite grup lelebet acceptim olketa wei for duim samting distaem. Olketa narawan gohed for iusim olketa hook long kaleko and no olketa button, and biliv olketa man mas no rezam beard bilong olketa.

From samfala Mennonite grup trae hard for stap separate from world distaem, olketa gavman letem olketa muvim community go long olketa ples wea garem living wea olketa laekem and no eni samting savve disturbim olketa. Olsem example, long Bolivia, samting olsem 38,000 Mennonite stap long olketa farawe community, and evri community hia garem olketa difren rul. Long samfala, hem tambu for iusim olketa car or trak, and olketa savve iusim horse and wagon nomoa. Samfala community tambuim radio, television, and music. Long samfala hem tambu tu for lanem languis bilong kantri wea olketa stap. Wanfala man hem sei: “From olketa laek kontrolem mifala, olketa bigman no letem mifala lanem Spanish.” Plande feel olsem olketa bigman putim hevi long olketa and olketa wari nogud olketa aotem olketa from community—samting wea hard tumas for man wea stap long community olsem for full laef bilong hem.

Hao Wanfala Seed Bilong Truth Hem Start

Hem nao living bilong wanfala Mennonite farmer wea nem bilong hem Johann taem hem lukim wanfala Wastaoa magasin long haos bilong neiba bilong hem. Famili bilong Johann lusim Canada and go stap long Mexico, and bihaen, olketa go long Bolivia. Bat Johann evritaem luk aotem help for faendem truth from Bible. Hem ask for tekem and readim datfala magasin.

Bihaen, taem hem tekem market bilong hem go long taon, Johann story witim wanfala Witness wea offerim Wastaoa long market. Witness hia introducem hem long wanfala missionary wea savve long German languis, and no longtaem bihaen Johann kasem olketa Wastaoa long German languis thru long post office. Olketa barava studyim and pasim go evri magasin hia long olketa nara famili long community bilong hem, gogo, olketa magasin nogud nao. Samfala taem, olketa famili hipap tugeta and studyim wanfala Wastaoa magasin and chekim olketa scripture go kasem midolnaet. Gogo, Johann feel sure Olketa Jehovah’s Witness nao wan mind for duim will bilong God evriwea long earth. Bifor hem dae, Johann talem waef and olketa pikinini bilong hem: “Iufala mas evritaem readim Wastaoa. Datwan bae helpem iufala for minim Bible.”

Samfala long famili bilong Johann start for storyim samting olketa lanem from Bible witim olketa neiba bilong olketa. Olketa sei olsem: “Earth bae no finis. Bat God bae mekem hem kamap wanfala paradaes. And God no mekem pipol safa long hellfire.” Kwiktaem nomoa olketa bigman bilong church herem nius abaotem olketa story olsem, and olketa talem hao sapos olketa no stop, bae olketa rejectim famili bilong Johann. Bihaen, taem famili story abaotem olketa hevi from olketa Mennonite bigman, wanfala young man hem sei: “Mi no savve why nao iumi komplen abaotem olketa bigman bilong iumi. Nomata iumi evriwan savve finis which wan nao tru religion, iumi no duim eni samting abaotem datwan.” Samting wea hem talem muvim heart bilong dadi bilong hem. No longtaem bihaen, tenfala famili member go haed for luk aotem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and gogo, olketa arrive long haos bilong olketa missionary, olsem iumi storyim long start.

Next day, olketa missionary go for visitim olketa niu fren hia long community wea olketa stap. Trak bilong olketa missionary nomoa gogo long road, no eni narawan. Taem olketa isisi draev go pas long pipol wea raed long olketa horse and wagon, tufala sekson evriwan sapraes for lukim each other. No longtaem bihaen nao olketa sidaon raonem tebol witim tenfala Mennonite wea kam from tufala famili.

Long datfala day, hem tek fofala hour for studyim chapter 1 bilong datfala buk Savvy wea Lead Go Long Laef Olawe.a Long evri paragraf olketa farmer hia chekim finis samfala scripture moa and laek for savve sapos olketa minim long stretfala wei. Bihaen each kwestin, olketa farmer story tugeta for tu-thri minute long wanfala languis bilong Germany, then wanfala long olketa ansa kam long Spanish for datfala full grup. Datwan hem wanfala spesol day, bat persecution hem klosap for start. Klosap olketa bae feisim olketa test, olsem Menno Simons kasem taem hem start for luk aotem truth from Bible klosap faev handred year bifor.

Feisim Olketa Test for Saed Bilong Truth

Tu-thri day bihaen, olketa bigman bilong church kam long haos bilong famili bilong Johann and tok olsem long olketa wea interest: “Mifala herem finis hao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness visitim iufala. Iufala mas talem olketa for no kam bak, and sapos iufala no givim kam literature bilong olketa for mifala bonem, community bae rejectim iufala.” Olketa studyim Bible wantaem nomoa witim olketa Witness, so diswan hem bigfala test.

Wanfala famili hed hem ansa olsem: “Mifala hard for duim wanem iufala talem. Olketa kam for teachim Bible long mifala.” Wanem nao olketa bigman duim? Olketa rejectim olketa from olketa studyim Bible! Diswan wanfala hard samting. Wagon from cheese factory bilong datfala community hem go pas long haos bilong wanfala famili hia and no stop for baem and pikimap milk bilong olketa, wea minim olketa no garem selen nao. Olketa sakem wanfala famili hed from waka bilong hem. Olketa stopem narawan for peim samting long stoa bilong datfala community, and aotem from skul dota bilong hem wea ten year. Olketa neiba raonem haos for tekem waef bilong wanfala young man from olketa sei hem no savve stap witim hasband bilong hem wea olketa rejectim. Nomata evri nogud samting hia happen, olketa famili wea studyim Bible no givap for luk aotem truth.

Evri week olketa missionary draev go long datfala farawe ples for conductim datfala Bible study. Olketa study hia barava strongim olketa famili! Samfala famili member travel witim horse and wagon for tufala hour for kam long datfala study. Long fastaem wea olketa famili hia askem wanfala missionary for prea, hem barava muvim feeling bilong evriwan. Long olketa Mennonite community olketa nating prea big, so no enitaem bifor olketa herem samwan hem prea for olketa. Olketa man krae nao. And olketa barava sapraes taem olketa missionary tekem kam wanfala tape recorder. Music hem tambu long datfala community. From olketa barava laekem tumas Kingdom Melodies olketa disaed for singim olketa Kingdom song bihaen each study! Nomata olsem, from evri samting hem change, hao nao bae olketa kasem need bilong olketa?

Faendem Pipol wea Lovem Each Other and wea Wan Mind

From datfala community rejectim olketa, olketa famili hia startim bisnis bilong olketa seleva for wakem cheese. Olketa missionary helpem olketa faendem olketa customer for baem diswan. Wanfala Witness long North America wea growap kam long wanfala Mennonite community long South America, hem herem story abaotem olketa famili hia. Hem barava laek for helpem olketa. Insaed datfala sem week, hem go long Bolivia for visitim olketa. Hem encouragem olketa long spiritual wei, and tu, hem helpem olketa famili hia for baem wanfala pik-ap trak mekem olketa savve go long olketa meeting long Kingdom Hall and tekem market bilong olketa long taon.

Wanfala famili member hem ting go bak long datfala taem and hem sei: “Hem hard samting taem olketa aotem mifala from datfala community. Mifala gogo long Kingdom Hall witim sorre feis, bat mifala kam bak hapi.” Olketa Witness long datfala area barava helpem and sapotim olketa. Samfala lanem German languis, and samfala Witness from Europe wea savve long German languis kam long Bolivia for help conductim olketa Christian meeting long datfala languis. Kwiktaem nomoa, 14-fala from datfala Mennonite community start for preachim gud nius bilong Kingdom long nara pipol.

Long October 12, 2001, no kasem wan full year from fastaem wea olketa go long datfala missionary hom, 11-fala hia wea Anabaptist bifor, olketa baptaes moa, distaem for showimaot olketa dedicate long Jehovah. Bihaen datwan, samfala moa baptaes. Wanfala long olketa hem sei: “Taem mifala lanem truth from Bible, mifala feel olsem olketa slave wea kamap free.” Narawan hem sei: “Plande Mennonite komplen abaotem wei wea olketa long community bilong olketa no lovem each other. Bat Olketa Jehovah’s Witness showimaot interest long each other. Mi feel sef midolwan long olketa.” Sapos iu luk aotem wei for minim gud truth from Bible, maet iu tu bae need for winim samfala hard samting. Bat sapos iu luk aotem help from Jehovah and showimaot faith and no fraet olsem olketa famili hia, bae iu tu win and faendem hapi.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 25]

Hapi for kasem Bible literature long German languis

[Piksa long page 26]

Nomata music hem tambu bifor, distaem olketa singsing bihaen each Bible study