Hapi for Kasem Eni Assignment From Jehovah

DATWAN happen winim 60 year go finis long 1949. Bat bae mi storyim firstaem samfala samting abaotem miseleva. Dadi bilong mi, Hendrik, hem man for wakem shoe and lukaftarem garden. Dadi and mami stap long Donderen, wanfala smol vilij long north Drenthe, long Netherlands. Mi born long there long 1927, and mi mek-foa long sevenfala pikinini. Mifala stap long farm area and klosap evri neiba bilong mifala olketa farmer, and mi barava enjoyim laef long farm. Long 1947, taem mi 19 year, Theunis Been, wanfala neiba bilong mifala storyim truth long mi. Bifor mi no laekem wei bilong Theunis, bat no longtaem bihaen World War II, hem kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, and hem savve kaen long pipol. From wei bilong hem change, datwan mekem mi interest for lisin taem hem storyim promis bilong God for mekem earth kamap paradaes. No longtaem bihaen, mi acceptim truth and start long datfala taem mitufala kamap gudfala fren.a

Mi start duim preaching waka long May 1948, and long next month long June 20, mi baptaes long wanfala convention long Utrecht. Long January 1, 1949, mi start for pioneer and mi kasem assignment for go long wanfala smol kongregeson long Borculo, wea hem stap long east part bilong Netherlands. Mi mas travel for samting olsem 130 kilometer for kasem Borculo, so mi disaed for go long baesikol. Mi tingse bae mi arrive bihaen 6-fala hour nomoa, bat bikos hem rain big and strong wind mi kasem long there bihaen 12 hour, nomata mi go long baesikol for 40 kilometer, and train for nara 90 kilometer! Taem mi arrive hem dark finis, and mi go long haos bilong wanfala Witness famili wea mi stap witim taem mi pioneer long datfala area.

Long olketa year bihaen long war, pipol no garem staka samting. Mi garem wanfala suit and wanfala longkwi nomoa, bat datfala suit hem big tumas and datfala longkwi hem short tumas! Olsem mi storyim finis, datfala first month wea mi stap long Borculo hem no isi. Nomata olsem, Jehovah blessim mi and mi garem samfala Bible study. Bihaen naenfala month, mi kasem assignment for go long Amsterdam.

MUV FROM FARM AREA GO LONG TAON

Nomata mi growap long farm area, mi muv go long Amsterdam, wea hem nao bigfala taon long Netherlands. Staka pipol interest for herem gud nius. Insaed long first month nomoa, mi offerim staka pablikeson winim wanem mi offerim insaed naenfala month wea mi stap long Borculo. No longtaem nomoa, mi garem samting olsem 8-fala Bible study. Mi kamap kongregeson servant (wea distaem hem chairman bilong olketa elder), then mi kasem assignment for givim firstfala pablik tok bilong mi. Mi fraet fogud, bat klosap kasem day for mi givim datfala tok, mi kasem assignment for go long nara kongregeson, so mi hapi nao. Long datfala taem, mi nating savve hao long olketa year bihaen bae mi givim winim 5,000 tok!

Long May 1950, mi kasem assignment for go long Haarlem. Then branch askem mi for duim circuit waka. For thrifala naet mi no savve sleep gud. Mi talem Robert Winkler, wanfala brata long branch office, mi tingse mi no fit for duim datfala waka. Bat hem sei: “Iu raetem kam nomoa datfala pepa. Bae iu lane.” No longtaem bihaen, mi kasem training for wanfala month and then mi start for duim circuit waka. Taem mi visitim wanfala kongregeson, mi meetim Janny Taatgen, wanfala young pioneer sista wea hapi, barava lovem Jehovah, and wea willing for helpem narawan. Mitufala marit long 1955. Bat bifor mi gohed long story bilong mi, Janny bae storyim taem wea hem start for pioneer, and taem wea mitufala meet.

GOHED LONG FULL-TAEM SERVICE BIHAEN MITUFALA MARIT

Janny: Long 1945, taem mi 11 year, mami bilong mi kamap Witness. Hem luksavve hem important for studyim Bible witim thrifala pikinini bilong hem, bat dadi againstim truth, so mami study witim mifala taem dadi no stap long haos.

Firstaem wea mi attendim wanfala meeting hem long 1950 taem mifala go long wanfala convention long The Hague. Wanfala week bihaen hem firstaem for mi go long meeting long Kingdom Hall, long Assen (Drenthe). Dadi bilong mi barava kros fogud and talem mi for aot from haos. Mami hem sei, “Iu savve finis wea nao iu bae go stap.” Mi savve hem storyim olketa brata and sista long kongregeson. Firstaem mi go stap witim wanfala Witness famili wea stap klosap long mifala, bat dadi gohed againstim mi, so mi muv go long kongregeson long Deventer (Overijssel), wea hem samting olsem 95 kilometer from ples bilong mi. Bat gogo dadi talem mi for kam bak long haos bikos mi pikinini yet, and hem brekem law taem hem talem mi for go aot from haos. Nomata dadi nating kam insaed long truth, gogo hem letem mi for attendim evri meeting and duim preaching waka.

No longtaem bihaen mi kam bak long haos, mami hem sik big and mi nao mas duim evri waka long haos. Nomata olsem, mi gohed gud long truth and mi baptaes long 1951 taem mi 17 year. Long 1952, bihaen mami hem gud bak, mi auxiliary pioneer for tufala month witim thrifala pioneer sista. Mifala stap long wanfala boat and preach long pipol long tufala taon long Drenthe. Long 1953, mi start for regular pioneer. Wanfala year bihaen, wanfala young circuit overseer hem visitim kongregeson bilong mifala. Nem bilong hem Markus. Mitufala marit long May 1955, from mitufala luksavve hem bae gud for mitufala duim full-taem service tugeta.—Eccl. 4:9-12.

Markus: Bihaen mitufala marit, mitufala kasem assignment for pioneer long Veendam (Groningen). Mitufala stap long wanfala barava smol rum. Nomata olsem, Janny hem mekem datfala rum hem naes for mitufala stap long hem. Evri naet, mitufala muvim tebol and tufala chair for mekem spes for bed.

Bihaen six month, branch askem mifala for duim circuit waka long Belgium. Long 1955, Belgium garem samting olsem 4,000 pablisa nomoa. Distaem namba bilong olketa pablisa hem winim 24,000! Long Flanders, wea hem north long Belgium, pipol story long sem languis olsem long Netherlands. Nomata olsem, tune bilong olketa hem here difren, so mifala mas traem best for minim olketa.

Janny: Olketa wea duim circuit waka mas willing for helpem olketa narawan. Mitufala iusim baesikol for visitim olketa kongregeson and stap long haos bilong olketa brata and sista. From mifala no garem ples for go long hem bihaen mitufala visitim wanfala kongregeson, mifala mas stap long datfala kongregeson go kasem Monday bifor mitufala go long next kongregeson long Tuesday morning. Nomata olsem, mitufala ting long assignment bilong mifala olsem blessing from Jehovah.

Markus: Nomata mifala no savve long olketa brata and sista long olketa kongregeson, olketa barava kaen and welkamim mifala. (Heb. 13:2) Long olketa year wea go pas, staka taem nao mifala visitim evri kongregeson wea iusim Dutch languis long Belgium. Mifala kasem staka blessing. Olsem example, mifala savve long klosap evri brata and sista long olketa kongregeson hia and mifala lovem olketa tumas. Mifala lukim plande handred young wan growap and kamap mature long spiritual wei. Olketa dedicatem olketa seleva long Jehovah and Kingdom nao hem first samting long laef bilong olketa. Mifala hapi tumas for lukim staka long olketa hia gohed faithful long Jehovah for duim full-taem service. (3 John 4) Disfala wei for ‘strongim each other’ hem helpem mifala for gohed strong long assignment long full heart bilong mifala.—Rome 1:12.

ASSIGNMENT WEA NO ISI BAT HEM WANFALA BLESSING

Markus: Taem mitufala marit, mitufala garem goal for go long Gilead Skul. Evriday mifala lanem English for wan hour. Bat hem no isi for lanem English from olketa buk, so mifala disaed for go long England taem mifala holiday mekem mifala savve story long English long preaching waka. Then long 1963, mifala kasem wanfala envelope from hedquarter long Brooklyn. Insaed datfala envelope hem garem tufala leta, wanfala for mi and wanfala for Janny. Leta bilong mi hem invitation for attendim spesol class bilong Gilead Skul for tenfala month. Main goal bilong disfala course hem for trainim olketa brata for duim olketa difren waka long organization bilong Jehovah. So long 100 student wea kasem invitation, 82 nao olketa brata.

Janny: Long leta bilong mi, olketa askem mi for ting raonem and prea abaotem sapos mi bae hapi for stap long Belgium taem Markus go long Gilead Skul. Long firstaem mi no mas hapi bikos mi tingse Jehovah no blessim hard waka bilong mi. Nomata olsem, mi tingim Gilead Skul hem for helpem olketa wea attend for duim waka for preachim gud nius evriwea long world. So mi agree for stap and mi kasem assignment for spesol pioneer long Ghent, wanfala taon long Belgium, witim Anna and Maria Colpaert, tufala sista wea spesol pioneer for longtaem finis.

Markus: For helpem mi savve gud long English, olketa invaetem mi for go long Brooklyn faevfala month bifor skul hem start. Mi waka long Shipping and Service department. Taem mi waka long hedquarter and mi help for redyim and sendem olketa pablikeson go long Asia, Europe, and South America, datwan mekem mi tingim olketa brata bilong iumi evriwea long world. Mi tingim example bilong Brata Alexander Macmillan, wea hem circuit overseer long taem wea Brata Russell hem laef yet. Long datfala taem hem olo and earpas. Nomata olsem, hem faithful for attendim olketa meeting evritaem. Mi nating forgetim datwan and mi lane tu for no ting smol long wei for hipap tugeta witim olketa brata and sista.—Heb. 10:24, 25.

Janny: Mitufala Markus savve raet leta tu-thri taem evri week. Mitufala barava missim each other! Nomata olsem, Markus enjoyim training wea hem kasem long Gilead, and mi barava enjoyim ministry bilong mi. Taem Markus kam bak from America, mi garem 17-fala Bible study! Hem no isi for mitufala no stap tugeta for 15-fala month, bat mi luksavve Jehovah blessim mitufala for datwan. Day wea Markus hem kam bak, plane hem delay tu for samfala hour, so taem hem arrive, mitufala hagem each other and krae nao. Start long datfala taem, mitufala stap tugeta olowe.

TINGHAE LONG EVRI PRIVILEGE

Markus: Taem mi kam bak from Gilead long December 1964, mitufala kasem assignment for waka long Bethel. Bat mifala no stap longtaem long there. Thrifala month bihaen, mifala kasem assignment for duim distrik waka long Flanders. Taem tufala missionary, Aalzen and Els Wiegersma kam long Belgium, tufala kasem assignment for duim distrik waka so mitufala go bak long Bethel and mi waka long Service Department. Start long 1968 go kasem 1980, samfala taem mitufala waka long Bethel and samfala taem mitufala duim traveling waka. Then start long 1980 go kasem 2005, mi duim distrik waka moa.

Nomata plande taem assignment bilong mitufala hem change, mifala evritaem tingim mifala dedicate long Jehovah for worshipim hem long full soul bilong mifala. Mifala enjoyim evri assignment wea mifala kasem, and mifala savve eni change wea kamap hem for sapotim Kingdom waka.

Janny: Mi hapi tumas long nambawan privilege wea mi kasem for go witim Markus long Brooklyn long 1977 and long Patterson long 1997 taem hem kasem samfala training moa long Skul for Olketa Branch Komiti Member.

JEHOVAH SAVVE WANEM MIFALA NEEDIM

Markus: Long 1982, Janny kasem operation and bihaen datwan hem kamap gud. Thrifala year bihaen, kongregeson long Louvain letem mifala for stap long smol haos antap long Kingdom Hall. Nomata mitufala marit for 30 year finis, hem firstaem for mitufala stap seleva long wanfala haos. Evri Tuesday, taem mifala redi for visitim wanfala kongregeson, mi mas go ap and daon long 54 step long ladder plande taem for karem olketa basket bilong mitufala! Long 2002, mitufala muv long smol haos wea stap long graon level. Taem mi 78 year, mitufala kasem spesol pioneer assignment long Lokeren. Mitufala barava hapi for spesol pioneer and for go long preaching waka evriday.

Janny: Taem mitufala addim tugeta full-taem service wea mitufala duim, hem winim 120 year! Long laef bilong mitufala, mifala luksavve sapos iumi faithful for duim waka bilong Jehovah, bae hem ‘nating lusim iumi’ and bae iumi ‘no short long eni samting,’ olsem hem promisim.—Heb. 13:5; Deut. 2:7.

Markus: Taem mitufala young, mifala dedicate long Jehovah. No enitaem mifala aftarem olketa bigfala samting for mifala seleva. Mitufala willing for acceptim eni assignment bikos long tingting bilong mitufala ples or assignment hem no main important samting. Important samting nao hem for iumi mas worshipim Jehovah.