Mi Tingim ‘Nambawan God wea Wakem Mi’ for Naenti Year Finis
Story bilong Edwin Ridgwell
LONG Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, evri pikinini long skul mas hipap for celebratem end bilong Bigfala War wea distaem hem garem nem World War I. Mi 5 year nomoa and mi no barava minim wanem nao olketa celebratem. Dadi and Mami teachim mi olketa samting abaotem God so mi luksavve mi mas no joinim diswan. Mi prea long God, bat mi no savve holem krae bilong mi and mi start krae nao. Nomata olsem, mi no joinim celebration hia. Long datfala taem mi start for ‘tingim Nambawan God wea wakem mi.’—Eccl. 12:1.
Samfala month bifor disfala samting happen long skul, famili bilong mi go stap klosap long Glasgow long Scotland. Long taem hia, Dadi go herem pablik tok, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” Wanem hem herem mekem hem changem laef bilong hem. Dadi and Mami start studyim Bible and staka taem tufala story abaotem Kingdom bilong God and olketa gud samting wea bae kamap long future. Mi thankiu long God bikos start long datfala taem Dadi and Mami teachim mi for lovem God and trustim hem.—Prov. 22:6.
Mi Start for Preach Full Taem
Taem mi 15 year, mi fit for go long olketa bigfala skul bat mi laek for preach full taem. Dadi tingse mi young tumas, so for lelebet taem mi waka long wanfala office. Bat from mi laekem tumas for preach full taem, mi raetem leta long Joseph Rutherford wea lukaftarem preaching waka long full world long datfala taem. Mi askem tingting bilong hem abaotem wanem mi laek for duim. Brata Rutherford raet kam bak long mi and hem sei: “Sapos iu fit for waka for selen, iu fit for duim waka bilong Lord. . . . Mi savve Lord bae blessim iu sapos iu duim best bilong iu for gohed faithful long Hem.” Datfala leta wea hem raetem long mi long March 10, 1928, barava encouragem famili bilong mi. No longtaem bihaen Dadi, Mami, big sista bilong mi, and mi, mifala duim preaching waka full taem.
Long convention long London long 1931, Brata Rutherford talem hao olketa needim pipol for preachim gud nius long olketa nara kantri. Mi and wanfala brata Andrew Jack willing for duim datwan. Mitufala kasem assignment for go long Kaunas wea hem kapitol taon long Lithuania long datfala taem. Mi 18 year nomoa.
Preach Abaotem Kingdom Long Nara Kantri
Staka pipol long Lithuania olketa farmer and olketa poor and hem no isi for preach long olketa vilij long there. Hem no isi tu for faendem ples for stap and mifala bae nating forgetim samfala ples wea mifala stap long hem. Mi savve tingim wanfala naet mitufala Andrew wekap bikos samting mekem mifala no savve sleep. Mifala laetem oil lamp and lukim barava staka smol samting krol long bed. Olketa baetem full body bilong mifala! Evri morning for wanfala week, mi go long wanfala river mekem mi standap insaed cold wata for helpem body bilong mi no savve soa tumas. Nomata datwan kasem mifala, mifala gohed strong for duim ministry. No longtaem bihaen, mitufala garem gudfala ples for stap. Wanfala young hasband and waef wea kam insaed long truth askem mitufala for stap witim tufala. Haos bilong tufala hem smol bat hem klin. Hem naes tumas for sleep long floor wea klin winim bed wea garem barava staka smol samting wea baetem man!
Long datfala taem olketa bigman bilong Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox kontrolem pipol long Lithuania. Pipol wea rich nomoa garem inaf selen for baem Bible. Mifala garem goal for kwiktaem duim full territory bilong mifala and for givimaot olketa buk bilong iumi long evriwan wea interest. Firstfala samting mifala duim, mifala lukaotem ples for stap long each taon wea mifala go long hem. Then mifala preach firstaem long olketa vilij and bihaen mifala kwiktaem preach long taon. From mifala duim olsem, mifala duim full territory bifor olketa priest savve duim eni samting for mek-trabol long mifala.
Samting wea Kasem Mifala Mekem Staka Pipol Savve Long Message
Long 1934, Andrew go waka long branch office long Kaunas, so mi and John Sempey pioneer tugeta. Samfala samting happen wea mifala no savve forgetim. Wanfala taem mi go long office bilong wanfala lawyer long wanfala smol taon. Gogo man hia kros long mi and hem aotem from desk bilong mi hem wanfala pistol gun and hem talem mi for go nao. Mi prea and mi tingim disfala scripture: “Toktok wea showimaot wei for kwaet hem stopem kros.” (Prov. 15:1) So mi sei long disfala man: “Mi fren bilong iu nomoa and mi kam for talem gud nius long iu.” Disfala lawyer aotem finger bilong hem from disfala pistol gun and mi lukluk go long hem taem mi isisi
go aot from office bilong hem.
Taem mi meetim John, hem talem hem tu kasem hard taem. Olketa tekem hem go long police station bikos samwan sei John hem stealim selen bilong wanfala woman wea hem story witim. Olketa police forcem hem for aotem evri kaleko bilong hem mekem olketa savve lukaotem selen hia. Bat olketa no faendem datfala selen. Bihaen olketa holem man wea stealim datfala selen.
Nomata big samting kasem mifala, datwan mekem staka pipol long datfala taon herem gud nius!
Mifala Tekem Haed Olketa Buk
Sapos pipol savve mifala tekem olketa buk go long Latvia, mifala bae kasem nogud samting bikos gavman tambuim preaching waka long there. Bat samting olsem wanfala taem long month, mifala tekem train long naet for go long Latvia. Bihaen mifala lusim olketa buk long Latvia, samfala taem mifala go long Estonia for tekem samfala buk moa and lusim olketa buk hia long Latvia taem mifala kam bak.
Wanfala taem, samwan talem wanfala customs officer wanem mifala duim. Man hia talem mifala for go aot from train and tekem olketa buk go long boss bilong hem. Mitufala John prea long Jehovah for helpem mifala. Batawea, man hia no talem boss bilong hem wanem kaen buk mifala tekem, bat hem sei nomoa long boss: “Tufala man hia garem samting for talem.” Mi talem disfala man mifala garem olketa buk wea savve helpem pipol long skul and college for minim why nao olketa nogud samting happen long world. Disfala boss letem mifala for go and mifala go lusim olketa buk hia.
From gavman long Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia kamap nogud, pipol againstim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and gavman long Lithuania tambuim preaching waka. Gavman talem Andrew and John for go bak long hom bilong olketa. From World War II klosap start, evriwan from Britain mas go bak tu. Mi sorre tumas bikos mi tu mas go bak.
Olketa Spesol Assignment and Blessing Long Northern Ireland
Mami and Dadi go stap long Northern Ireland and long 1937 mi go stap long there tu. Gavman long Northern Ireland tu tambuim olketa buk bilong iumi bikos long tingting bilong pipol abaotem datfala war. Nomata olsem, taem war gohed mifala gohed preach. Bihaen World War II, no eni law stopem mifala for iusim olketa buk bilong iumi for preach. Harold King wea pioneer for longfala taem wea gogo hem kamap missionary long China, hem organizem olketa brata for givim olketa pablik tok. Hem sei: “Disfala Saturday, mi nao bae givim first pablik tok.” Then hem luk kam long mi and sei: “Next Saturday iu nao bae givim pablik tok.” Mi seke tumas nao.
Mi no savve forgetim first tok wea mi givim. Staka handred pipol kam for herem. Mi standap long box and no iusim eni microphone. Bihaen mi givim datfala tok, wanfala man kam sekhand long mi and sei nem bilong hem Bill Smith. Hem sei hem lukim staka pipol hipap and hem kam for lukim wanem nao happen. Hem and dadi bilong mi nao savve story tugeta bat taem dadi and step mami bilong mi muv go long Dublin for pioneer, tufala no lukim tufala nao. Mi startim Bible study witim hem. Gogo 9-fala long famili bilong Bill worshipim Jehovah.
Mi preach long ples wea garem olketa big haos wea pipol holiday long hem long Belfast. Mi meetim wanfala woman from Russia wea stap bifor long Lithuania. Taem mi showim samfala buk long hem, hem point go long wanfala and hem sei: “Mi garem datwan finis. Uncle bilong mi wea hem teacher long university long Kaunas nao givim long mi.” Woman hia showim mi Creation buk long Polish languis. Hem raetem staka samting long buk bilong hem. Hem sapraes tumas taem hem herem mi nao givim datfala buk long uncle bilong hem long Kaunas!—Eccl. 11:1.
Taem John Sempey herem mi bae go long Northern Ireland, hem laekem for mi go lukim Nellie, smol sista bilong hem wea interest long truth. Mi and sista bilong mi Connie duim Bible study witim hem. Nellie gohed gud long study bilong hem and hem dedicate long Jehovah. Gogo mitufala fren and mitufala marit.
Mitufala Nellie duim full-taem service for 56 year and mifala helpem winim wan handred pipol for savve long truth. Mitufala hope for mifala laef go kasem Armageddon and go insaed niu world bilong Jehovah, bat Nellie hem dae long 1998. Mi sorre tumas and datwan hem barava hard samting long mi.
Go Bak Long Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia
Samting olsem wanfala year bihaen Nellie dae, mi kasem nambawan blessing. Olketa long branch office long Tallinn, long Estonia askem mi for go long there. Olketa brata long Estonia raet kam long mi and sei: “Long tenfala brata wea kam long Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia midolwan long year 1925 and 1935, iu nomoa laef yet.” Olketa storyim tu hao branch laek raetem history abaotem waka long Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Then olketa ask olsem: “Hao, iu savve kam?”
Hem privilege for storyim olketa experience wea mi and brata wea mifala pioneer tugeta garem long datfala taem! Long Latvia, mi showim olketa brata firstfala haos wea mifala iusim for branch office and wanfala spes long ruf wea mifala haedem olketa buk. Olketa police nating faendem nomoa olketa buk hia. Long Lithuania, mifala go long Šiauliai, wanfala smol taon wea mi pioneer bifor. Long there, wanfala brata sei long mi: “Staka year go finis, mi and mami bilong mi baem wanfala haos long taon. Taem mifala aotem rabis from ruf, mi faendem tufala buk, The Divine Plan of the Ages and The Harp of God. Mi readim tufala buk hia and mi luksavve diswan nao hem truth. Masbi iu nao leavim tufala buk hia staka year go finis!”
Mi go long wanfala circuit assembly long taon wea mi pioneer bifor tu. Long 65 year wea go pas, mi go long wanfala assembly long there wea 35 pipol nao kam. Bat hem naes tumas for lukim winim 1,500 pipol hipap! Jehovah barava blessim waka long datfala ples!
‘Jehovah Nating Lusim Mi’
No longtaem go nomoa, mi kasem nambawan blessing. Bee, wanfala naes sista hapi for maritim mi. Mitufala marit long November 2006.
Sapos eni young wan ting raonem wanem hem laek duim long laef bilong hem, hem bae kasem gud samting sapos hem followim disfala toktok: “Taem iu young yet, tingim Nambawan God wea wakem iu.” Mi savve hapi olsem man wea raetem disfala psalm: “God, iu teachim mi from taem mi young yet, and kam kasem distaem mi gohed for storyim olketa nambawan samting wea iu duim. Nomata mi olo distaem and hair bilong mi hem white nao, plis God, iu no lusim mi. Plis iu stap witim mi taem mi talemaot paoa bilong iu long evriwan wea bae born kam bihaen long mi.”—Ps. 71:17, 18.
[Map long page 25]
(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)
Sapos pipol faendaot mifala tekem olketa buk go long Latvia, mifala bae kasem nogud samting
ESTONIA
TALLINN
Gulf of Riga
LATVIA
RIGA
LITHUANIA
VILNIUS
Kaunas
[Piksa long page 26]
Mi start pioneer long Scotland taem mi 15 year
[Piksa long page 26]
Mi and Nellie marit long 1942