Hapi for Worshipim Jehovah Nomata Long Hard Taem
Story bilong Maatje de Jonge-van den Heuvel
MI 98 year. For 70 year nao mi worshipim Jehovah and long olketa year hia mi kasem olketa samting wea testim faith bilong mi. Long World War II, mi stap insaed long raf prison, and from mi barava wikdaon mi disaedem samting wea mekem mi feel nogud bihaen. Samfala year bihaen mi kasem nara test wea mekem mi barava sorre. Nomata mi kasem olketa test hia, mi hapi bikos mi garem privilege for worshipim Jehovah.
Laef bilong mi change long October 1940. Mi stap long Hilversum, wanfala taon 24 kilometer southeast long Amsterdam long Netherlands. Olketa Nazi nao rulim kantri. Mi maritim Jaap de Jonge for 5 year finis and mitufala garem wanfala gele wea 3 year wea nem bilong hem Willy. Mifala stap klosap long wanfala famili wea poor, and wea garem eitfala pikinini for lukaftarem. Nomata olsem, wanfala young man tu stap witim olketa. Mi savve tingting olsem: ‘Why nao olketa laek lukaftarem man hia nomata olketa poor?’ Taem mi go givim samfala kaikai long olketa, mi savve datfala man hem wanfala pioneer. Hem story abaotem Kingdom bilong God and olketa gud samting wea datfala Kingdom bae duim. Mi barava tinghae long wanem mi lanem, and kwiktaem acceptim truth. Long datfala year, mi dedicate long Jehovah and baptaes. Wanfala year bihaen, hasband bilong mi tu baptaes.
Nomata mi no savve long staka samting long Bible, mi savve taem mi kamap Witness, mi insaed wanfala organization wea gavman tambuim. Mi savve tu staka Witness stap long prison bikos olketa preachim message abaotem Kingdom. Nomata olsem, mi go preach long haos tu haos, and mitufala letem olketa pioneer and traveling overseer for kam stap long haos bilong mifala. Haos bilong mifala tu kamap ples for keepim olketa buk bilong iumi, wea olketa brata and sista from Amsterdam tekem kam. Olketa iusim baesikol for tekem kam olketa buk wea olketa kavarem witim canvas. Olketa brata and sista hia showimaot love and no fraet! Olketa duim olketa samting hia for olketa brata nomata laef bilong olketa stap long danger.—1 John 3:16.
“Mami, Bae Iu Kam Bak Kwiktaem?”
Sixfala month bihaen mi baptaes, thrifala policeman kam long haos. Olketa kam insaed long haos and start for lukaotem olketa buk. Nomata olketa no lukim cupboard wea garem staka buk bilong iumi, olketa faendem samfala buk wea mifala haedem andanit bed. Semtaem nomoa olketa tekem mi long police station long Hilversum. Taem mi holem gele bilong mi for baebae long hem, Willy askem mi: “Mami, bae iu kam bak kwiktaem?” Mi sei long hem: “Ia gele bilong mi, bae mi kam bak kwiktaem.” Bat samting olsem 18 month bihaen nao mi just lukim hem moa.
Wanfala policeman tekem mi long train for go long Amsterdam for kwestinim mi. Olketa policeman laekem mi for talem sapos thrifala brata from Hilversum wea stap long police station Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Mi sei: “Wanfala nomoa mi savve long hem. Hem nao man wea tekem kam milk for mifala.” Mi tok tru, datfala brata savve tekem kam milk. Mi sei long olketa: “Bat sapos iufala laek savve hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, iufala askem hem.” From mi no laek talem eni samting moa, olketa hitim feis bilong mi and putim mi insaed long cell for tufala month. Taem hasband bilong mi savve wea nao mi stap, hem tekem kam samfala kaleko and kaikai. Then long August 1941, police sendem mi long Ravensbrück, wanfala raf prison for olketa woman wea stap 80 kilometer north long Berlin, long Germany.
“Sista Bilong Mi, Iu No Sorre”
Long there, olketa sei sapos mifala saenem wanfala pepa wea sei mifala no Witness, mifala savve go bak long hom. Bat mi no saenem datfala pepa. From datwan mi mas givim go evri samting bilong mi and aotem evri kaleko long ples for swim, and long there mi meetim samfala sista from Netherlands. Olketa givim mifala kaleko for werem wea garem purple triangle, wanfala pleit, kap, and spoon. Long first naet, mifala stap long rum for olketa prisoner wea just kam. Long datfala taem mi barava krae. “Wanem nao bae happen? Hao long nao bae mi stap long hia?” Mi barava krae big. Long datfala taem mi no barava fren gud witim Jehovah bikos mi just kam insaed long truth. Mi mas lanem staka samting yet. Long next day, long taem bilong roll kol, wanfala Dutch sista lukim mi sorre tumas. Hem sei: “Sista bilong mi, iu no sorre! No eni samting savve spoelem iumi!”
Bihaen long roll kol olketa tekem mifala go long nara big rum wea staka handred sista from Germany and Netherlands stap. Olketa welkamim mifala. Samfala sista from Germany stap long there for winim wan year. Wei wea mi stap witim olketa helpem mi for no sorre tumas. Mi barava sapraes long rum wea olketa sista stap bikos hem klin winim olketa nara rum. Olketa nara prisoner savve mifala no steal, tok swear, or faetem narawan long big rum wea mifala stap. Nomata mifala kasem olketa nogud samting long prison, rum bilong mifala hem olsem wanfala island wea klin bat sea wea stap raonem hem barava dirty.
Laef Insaed Raf Prison
Mifala waka hard evriday bat mifala kaikaim lelebet kaikai nomoa. Mifala mas wekap 5 klok long morning, and then roll kol start. Nomata hem rain or sun, olketa gard mekem mifala standap aotsaed for samting olsem wan hour. Long 5 klok long evening, mifala roll kol moa bihaen mifala waka hard long datfala day. Then mifala kaikaim supsup witim bred and sleep. Mifala barava taed.
Monday go kasem Saturday mi waka long olketa farm. Mi mas katem wheat witim naef, digim olketa drain, and klinim olketa haos bilong pigpig. Nomata waka hem hard and dirty, mi fit for duim diswan evriday bikos mi young and strong yet. Taem mi waka, mi singim olketa Kingdom song and datwan strongim mi. Nomata olsem, evriday mi laek for lukim hasband and pikinini bilong mi.
Kaikai wea olketa givim mifala hem smol nomoa, bat mifala evri sista trae for keepim pis bred evriday mekem mifala garem extra kaikai long Sunday taem mifala hipap for storyim Bible. Mifala no garem eni buk, bat mi laekem tumas for lisin long olketa olo faithful sista from Germany taem olketa storyim Bible. Mifala celebratem Memorial tu.
Wari, Feel Nogud, Bat Kasem Strong
Samfala taem olketa soldia bilong Nazi talem mifala for duim waka wea sapotim war. From mifala no join insaed long politik, evri sista les for duim datfala waka, and mi followim gudfala example wea olketa showim for no fraet. Olketa panisim mifala. Olketa no givim kaikai long mifala for staka day and mekem mifala standap long taem bilong roll kol for plande hour. Wantaem long taem bilong cold season, olketa lokim mifala long rum wea no garem eni samting for keepim mifala warm. Olketa lokim mifala long there for 40 day.
Evritaem olketa talem mifala Olketa Jehovah’s Witness sapos mifala saenem pepa wea sei mifala no Witness, mifala savve go bak long hom. Bihaen mi stap long Ravensbrück for wan year, mi barava wikdaon. From mi laekem tumas for lukim hasband and pikinini bilong mi, mi go askem gard for givim datfala pepa and mi saenem nao.
Taem olketa nara sista savve wanem mi duim, samfala start for no story witim mi. Nomata olsem, tufala olo sista from Germany, Hedwig and Gertrud, lukaotem mi and talem mi olketa lovem mi. Taem mifala waka tugeta for klinim olketa haos bilong pigpig, tufala explainim long kaenfala wei why hem important for faithful long Jehovah and hao iumi showimaot love for hem taem iumi faithful. Mi barava tinghae long wanem tufala talem.a Mi savve samting wea mi duim hem no stret, and mi laekem tumas for aotem wanem mi saenem. Wanfala evening mi talem wanfala sista mi laek duim datwan. Wanfala bigman long prison mas herem story bilong mitufala bikos long sem evening seknomoa mi aot from prison nao and olketa sendem mi long train for go bak long Netherlands. Wanfala woman wea lukaftarem prison sei long mi, “Mi luksavve iu wanfala Bibelforscher (Bible Student) yet, and bae iu olsem for olowe.” Mi sei, “Sapos Jehovah laekem, bae mi gohed olsem ia.” Bat mi tingting olsem: ‘Hao nao bae mi aotem wanem mi saenem finis?’
Wanfala toktok long datfala pepa sei: “No enitaem moa bae mi duim waka for sapotim International Bible Students Society.” Mi savve wanem for duim! Long January 1943, no longtaem bihaen mi kasem hom, mi start for duim preaching waka moa. Mi savve sapos olketa Nazi lukim mi preach moa abaotem Kingdom, bae olketa barava panisim mi.
Mi laek duim nara samting moa for showimaot long Jehovah mi laek faithful long hem, so mi and hasband bilong mi letem olketa traveling overseer and olketa brata and sista wea tekem kam olketa buk for stap long haos bilong mitufala moa. Mi hapi tumas for garem nara chance for showimaot mi lovem Jehovah and pipol bilong hem!
Sorre Samting Happen
Tu-thri month bifor war hem finis, wanfala sorre samting hem happen. Long October 1944, gele bilong mitufala kasem wanfala sik. Willy garem diphtheria. Hem sik big and thrifala day bihaen hem dae. Hem 7 year nomoa.
Mitufala sorre tumas taem pikinini bilong mitufala hem dae. Sorre wea mitufala kasem taem Willy dae hem worse winim olketa nogud samting wea mi kasem taem mi stap Ravensbrück. Bat taem mitufala sorre, mitufala evritaem tingim toktok long Psalm 16:8: “Mi tingim Jehovah evritaem. From hem stap long raet saed bilong mi, no eni samting savve spoelem mi.” Mitufala trustim promis bilong Jehovah for mekem pipol laef bak moa. Mitufala gohed long truth and strong for preachim gud nius. Hasband bilong mi helpem mi for gohed hapi for worshipim Jehovah go kasem taem hem dae long 1969.
Hapi and Kasem Blessing
Long olketa year wea go finis, samting wea mekem mi hapi hem for stap witim olketa wea duim full-taem service. Olsem long taem bilong war mifala evritaem letem olketa traveling overseer and waef bilong olketa for stap long haos taem olketa visitim kongregeson. Wanfala hasband and waef wea duim traveling waka, Maarten and Nel Kaptein, stap witim mitufala for 13 year! Taem Nel sik big, mi lukaftarem hem for thrifala month go kasem taem hem dae. Datwan hem privilege for mi. Wei for kaban witim tufala and olketa brata and sista long kongregeson helpem mi for enjoyim spiritual paradaes wea iumi stap long hem distaem.
Long 1995, mi hapi tumas for kasem invitation for attendim wanfala hipap long Ravensbrück. Mi meetim moa olketa sista wea stap witim mi long prison wea mi no lukim for winim 50 year! Wei for stap moa witim olketa hem samting wea mi bae nating forgetim. Mifala encouragem each other for tingim taem wea olketa long famili and fren wea dae finis bae laef bak.
Long Romans 15:4 aposol Paul sei: “Evri samting wea olketa raetem bifor . . . hem givim iumi hope bikos olketa Holy Raeting hia helpem iumi for no givap and givim iumi comfort.” Mi thankiu long Jehovah for disfala hope bikos hem helpem mi for hapi for worshipim hem nomata long hard taem.
[Footnote]
a Long datfala taem, hem hard for olketa brata story witim olketa long headquarter so taem eni samting kamap wea join witim war or politik, olketa traem best for duim stret samting. Dastawe taem samting olsem kamap, hao olketa brata and sista deal witim datwan hem difren.
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Witim Jaap long 1930
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Dota bilong mitufala, Willy, taem hem 7 year ▸
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Long 1995, mifala lukim each other moa. Mi nao sidaon saed long brata long first row