Laef Story
Wei for Worshipim Jehovah Mekem Mi Hapi
Story Bilong Lois Didur
‘Mi wish nomoa mi no duim datwan!’ Waswe, enitaem iu ting olsem? Mi duim full-taem service for 50 year finis and mi no savve tingim eni nogud samting wea kamaot from wei for worshipim Jehovah. Bae mi storyim why nao olsem.
MI BORN long 1939 and big kam long wanfala farm long Saskatchewan, Canada. Mi garem fofala sista and wanfala brata and mifala stap long farm. Wanday, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness kam preach long dadi, and mi askem olketa sapos God garem nem. Olketa showim Psalm 83:18 wea talem nem bilong God hem Jehovah. Datwan mekem mi laek savve moa long God and Bible.
Long datfala taem, staka skul garem wanfala class rum nomoa for olketa pikinini wea class 1 go kasem form 2. Olketa pikinini savve raedem horse or wakabaot farawe for go long skul. Olketa teacher savve stap witim famili bilong olketa skul pikinini and famili nao givim wanem olketa needim. Long wanfala year, dadi and mami bilong mi nao lukaftarem wanfala niu teacher wea nem bilong hem John Didur.
Long firstaem, mi no savve John Didur tu interest long Bible. Wantaem wea mifala story, mi start for mekhae long communist gavman, wea dadi bilong mi sapotim. John sei: “No eni man fit for rulim olketa man. God nomoa garem raet for rul.” Wanem John talem mekem mifala garem staka interesting story moa bihaen.
John born long 1931, and hem savve long staka nogud samting wea kamaot from war. Taem war long Korea start long 1950, John askem plande bigman long church why olketa sapotim war. Olketa sei hem olraet nomoa for olketa Christian go faet. Bihaen, hem askem sem kwestin long Olketa Jehovah’s Witness tu. Olketa storyim example bilong olketa Christian long first century wea no faet bikos olketa followim wanem Bible talem. John baptaes long 1955, and mi baptaes long 1956. Mitufala laek for iusim laef and strong bilong mifala for worshipim Jehovah. (Ps. 37:3, 4) Long July 1957, mitufala marit.
Long staka year, convention wea mitufala attendim hem kamap tu long sem day bilong wedding anniversary bilong mitufala. Mitufala hapi for kaban witim staka thousand brata and sista wea tinghae long marit. Firstfala international convention wea mitufala attendim hem long 1958 long New York City. Mifala faevfala brata and sista from Saskatchewan draev long trak for attendim datfala convention. Mifala travel for wan full week, and long naet mifala sleep long tent. Taem mifala kasem Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, mifala hapi bikos wanfala brata kaen tumas and invaetem mifala for sleep long haos bilong hem long datfala naet. From datwan, mifala klin taem mifala kasem New York City. Datfala convention mekem mifala for tinghae long privilege for worshipim Jehovah! Olsem man wea raetem psalm talem: “For stap long raet saed bilong iu bae mekem mi hapi for olowe.”—Ps. 16:11.
MITUFALA PIONEER
Long 1959, mitufala gohed for pioneer and stap long trak wea olsem haos antap long wanfala hill long Saskatchewan. Long datfala ples, mifala savve luk farawe, and samfala ples hia hem territory bilong mifala.
Wanday mitufala kasem leta from branch office. Mi kwiktaem go long John wea fixim tractor. Long datfala leta, mitufala kasem invitation for spesol pioneer long Red Lake, Ontario. From mitufala no savve wea nao datfala ples, mitufala kwiktaem lukluk long map.
Datfala ples hem difren from Saskatchewan! Hem garem big forest and olketa smol taon wea stap klosap long olketa gold mine. First day wea mitufala kasem long there, wanfala smol gele herem taem mitufala story witim neiba bilong hem abaotem ples for stap. So hem go talem mami bilong hem and mami bilong hem letem mitufala for stap long haos bilong olketa long datfala naet. Mitufala sleep long rum andanit long haos wea walling hem graon nomoa. Long next day, mitufala faendem wanfala haos for stap wea no garem furniture, no eni wata, toilet or ples for swim. Bat hem garem smol stove for bonem firewood for mekem rum warm. Gogo mitufala baem samfala samting long secondhand and mitufala hapi nomoa witim wanem mitufala garem.
No eni kongregeson long datfala ples. Wanfala kongregeson wea stap klosap hem 209 kilometer. Staka from Europe waka long gold mine and olketa askem mitufala for givim Bible long languis bilong olketa. No longtaem nomoa, mitufala garem 30 Bible study. Bihaen sixfala month, mifala startim wanfala smol kongregeson.
Hasband bilong wanfala woman wea study ringim priest for kam talem woman hia samting wea hem lanem hem no stret. Taem priest kam hem sei mitufala shud teachim Trinity and samfala nara samting. Woman hia tekem Catholic Bible bilong hem and askem priest for pruvim wanem hem talem. Priest torowem Bible hia and sei hem no need for pruvim eniting. Taem priest go, hem story long languis long Ukraine and sei olketa shud raosem mitufala and no letem mitufala kam long haos moa. Hem no savve John minim datfala languis!
No longtaem bihaen, mitufala lusim Red Lake mekem John kasem training for kamap circuit overseer. Samting olsem wan year bihaen, John givim baptism tok long wanfala distrik convention, and datfala hasband tu hem wanfala long olketa wea bae baptaes! Wanem datfala priest duim mekem hem laek studyim Bible.
DUIM CIRCUIT WAKA
Taem mitufala duim circuit waka, mitufala stap witim staka difren famili. Olketa lukaftarem gud mitufala and mitufala fren gud witim olketa. Wantaem long cold season, mitufala stap long haos wea garem rum antap wea cold tumas. Long early morning, mitufala savve herem olo sista wea mitufala stap witim hem wakabaot kwaet kam insaed rum and laetem fire long smol stove for mekem rum warm. Then hem savve tekem kam big dish and hot wata for mitufala iusim for swim. Mi lanem staka samting from datfala sista wea kaen tumas.
Wei for duim circuit waka helpem mi for fren gud witim Jehovah. Long north Alberta, wanfala sista stap seleva long wanfala mining taon. Waswe, organization bilong Jehovah forgetim datfala sista? Evri six month mitufala savve go long plane for visitim datfala sista. Mitufala stap witim hem for wan full week for preach and duim olketa meeting, olsem mitufala duim long olketa big kongregeson long taon. Datwan showimaot Jehovah lovem olketa wea worshipim hem.
Mitufala savve raetem leta long olketa brata and sista wea mitufala stap witim taem mitufala visitim olketa. Mi garem yet wanfala smol kalakala box for keepim olketa pepa wea John givim long mi for raetem olketa leta.
Taem mitufala duim circuit visit long Toronto, wanfala brata long Canada Bethel ringim mitufala and askem sapos mitufala willing for waka long Bethel. Hem laek for savve long disison bilong mitufala long next day. Mitufala acceptim datfala invitation.
WAKA LONG BETHEL
Olketa difren assignment wea mitufala duim helpem mitufala for luksavve wei for worshipim Jehovah mekem man hapi. Mitufala hapi tu for go long Bethel long 1977. Taem mitufala waka witim samfala anointed Christian, mitufala luksavve evriwan garem difren wei and olketa tinghae long Bible tu.
Mitufala laekem tu laef long Bethel. Olsem example, mitufala keepim kaleko long cupboard and no long box, and mitufala attendim wanfala kongregeson nomoa. Wanfala waka wea mi duim long Bethel tu hem for tekem olketa wea visit kam for tour long Bethel. Mi savve explainim waka wea gohed long Bethel, herem gudfala toktok wea olketa talem, and ansarem kwestin bilong olketa.
Long 1997, John kasem invitation for attendim Skul for Olketa Branch Komiti Member long Patterson, New York. Bihaen, olketa askem sapos mitufala willing for go long Ukraine. Olketa encouragem mitufala for tingting gud abaotem datwan and for prea abaotem. Long datfala evening, mitufala disaed for acceptim datfala assignment.
NIU ASSIGNMENT LONG UKRAINE
Long 1992, mitufala attendim international convention long St. Petersburg, Russia, and long 1993, mitufala attendim narawan long Kiev, Ukraine. Tufala convention hia mekem mitufala for tinghae long olketa brata and sista long Eastern Europe. Mitufala stap long Lviv, Ukraine, long rum antap long wanfala old haos. From datfala rum mitufala savve lukim wanfala smol garden, and samfala kokorako. Hem olsem mitufala stap long farm long Saskatchewan. Twelvfala pipol nao stap long datfala haos. Evri morning mifala mas go long nara end bilong taon for waka long Bethel.
Mitufala tinghae long datfala assignment and olketa brata and sista long Ukraine. Staka garem strongfala faith nomata olketa kasem test, gavman stopem preaching waka, or putim olketa long prison. Taem mifala praisem olketa, olketa savve sei: “Mifala duim for Jehovah.” Olketa savve Jehovah evritaem helpem olketa. Nomata distaem, sapos iu thankiu long samwan for gud samting wea hem duim, maet hem sei: “Iu thankiu long Jehovah.” Olketa luksavve Jehovah nao givim evri gud samting.
Long Ukraine, staka brata and sista baeleg go long olketa meeting, so olketa garem taem for story and encouragem narawan. Samfala maet wakabaot for winim wan hour. Winim 50 kongregeson nao long Lviv, and 21 kongregeson iusim wanfala big Kingdom Hall wea garem tu-thri hall insaed. Hem naes for lukim staka brata and sista kam for olketa meeting evri Sunday.
Olketa brata and sista kaen tumas and olketa welkamim mitufala. Olketa patient nomata samfala taem mi no minim gud languis bilong olketa. Lukluk long feis bilong olketa showimaot olketa tingim mi.
Wanfala samting wea happen long 2003 international convention long Kiev showimaot olketa brata and sista trustim each other. Mifala just go daon long ples for go long train, then wanfala smol gele kam long mifala and sei: “Mi no faendem grani bilong mi. Mi lus.” Datfala gele lukim badge card wea mifala werem and hem savve mifala olketa Witness. Hem nating fraet and hem no krae. Waef bilong circuit overseer wea mifala go tugeta tekem datfala gele go long Lost and Found Department long stadium. No longtaem bihaen, grani bilong datfala gele faendem hem. Mi tinghae tumas long wei wea datfala gele trustim olketa brata and sista, nomata staka thousand pipol hipap long datfala taem.
Long May 2001, staka brata and sista from plande difren kantri kam long Ukraine for dedication bilong niu branch. Bihaen spesol tok long wanfala stadium long Sunday morning, staka brata and sista wakabaot kam long road for tour long Bethel. Mi hapi tumas for lukim evri brata and sista showimaot gudfala wei. Datwan mekem mi tinghae long wei for worshipim God.
BIGFALA CHANGE WEA KAMAP
Long 2004, John hem kasem cancer. Mitufala go long Canada for kasem treatment. Firstfala chemotherapy treatment wea John tekem hem strong tumas for body bilong hem, and datwan mekem hem for hafded and stap for samfala week long intensive care. Bat mi hapi tumas gogo hem wekap bak. Nomata John no savve story, lukluk long feis bilong hem showimaot hem tinghae long evriwan wea visitim hem.
Bat sik bilong hem kamap worse and hem dae long sem year. Mi barava missim John. Mitufala barava hapi long staka year wea mitufala worshipim Jehovah tugeta. Wanem nao bae mi duim? Mi disaed for go bak long Ukraine. Mi barava tinghae long love wea evriwan long Bethel showimaot and olketa long kongregeson tu.
Mitufala nating sorre mitufala disaed for worshipim Jehovah. Wei for worshipim Jehovah mekem mi hapi and garem staka fren. Mi savve staka samting stap for lanem abaotem olketa gudfala wei bilong Jehovah, and mi laek gohed worshipim hem for olowe bikos datwan nao mekem mi hapi.
[Blurb long page 6]
“Mitufala nating sorre long disison wea mitufala mekem for worshipim Jehovah.”
[Piksa long page 3]
Taem mitufala marit
[Piksa long page 4]
Taem mi spesol pioneer long Red Lake, Ontario
[Piksa long page 5]
Mitufala John long Ukraine, long 2002