Laef Story

For Servem Narafala Pipol Daonem Wei for Safa

STORY BILONG JULIÁN ARIAS

Long 1988, taem mi 40 year, hem luk olsem laef waka bilong mi bae go ahed nomoa. Mi regional director long wanfala company wea stap long olketa difren kantri. Company givim mi wanfala expensive car, big pei, and barava naesfala office wea stap midol long Madrid, Spain. Datfala company talem tu hao mi bae kasem appointment for kamap national director. Mi nating luksavve hao klosap laef bilong mi bae change evribit.

WANDAY long datfala sem year, doctor talem mi dat mi garem multiple sclerosis, wanfala sik wea no garem cure. Mi seke fogud and wari. Bihaen, taem mi read abaotem wei wea multiple sclerosis hem affectim man, diswan mekem mi fraet.a Hem luk olsem mi bae stap insaed danger for full laef bilong mi. Hao nao mi bae lukaftarem waef bilong mi, Milagros, and thri year old son bilong mi, Ismael? Hao nao mifala bae deal witim diswan? Taem mi go ahed for ting raonem olketa ansa for olketa kwestin hia, wanfala nara sorre samting happen.

Samting olsem wan month bihaen doctor talem mi abaotem datfala sik, supervisor kolem mi go long office and talem mi hao company needim pipol wea “luk smart.” And samwan wea garem sik wea bae kamap moa worse—nomata hem just start nomoa—bae hem hard for luk smart. So stretawe, boss finisim mi from waka. Seknomoa, mi no garem waka nao!

Taem mi stap witim famili, mi trae for showimaot mi olraet nomoa, bat mi barava laek for stap seleva, for ting abaotem samting wea happen, and tu for ting raonem future. Mi trae hard for winim sorre feeling wea start for grow insaed mi. Samting wea mekem mi feel pain tumas nao, hem wei wea seknomoa company ting long mi olsem mi iusles.

Kasem Strong From Wei wea Mi Wik

Nomata mi feel sorre, mi savve sei thankiu from mi savve depend long samfala samting for kasem strong. Samting olsem 20 year bifor, mi kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. So mi prea strong long Jehovah abaotem olketa feeling and wei wea mi no sure abaotem future. Waef bilong mi wea hem tu wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, evritaem saportim mi, and mi kasem encouragement and help from samfala klos fren wea showimaot nambawan kaenfala fasin and fasin for kea.—Proverbs 17:17.

Wei wea mi feelim responsibility for olketa narawan hem help tu. Mi laek for bringimap son bilong mi long gudfala wei, teachim hem, plei witim hem and trainim hem long preaching waka. So mi mas no givap. Nara samting moa, mi elder long wanfala kongregeson bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and olketa Christian brata and sista needim saport bilong mi. Sapos mi letem wei wea mi safa mekem mi wikdaon long faith, wanem example nao mi bae showimaot long olketa narawan?

Gogo, laef bilong mi change long physical wei and saed long selen—long samfala wei hem nogud bat long olketa nara wei hem kamap moabeta. Wantaem mi herem wanfala doctor sei: “Wanfala sik no spoelem man, bat changem hem.” And mi lanem tu hao olketa change hia no evritaem nogud.

First samting, disfala “nila long body” helpem mi for minim gud olketa health problem bilong nara pipol and for garem feeling for olketa. (2 Corinthians 12:7) Winim enitaem bifor mi minim gud toktok long Proverbs 3:5: “Trustim Jehovah witim full heart bilong iu and no depend long savve bilong iuseleva.” Winim evriting, disfala niu living teachim mi wanem nao really important long laef and wanem nao givim trufala wei for satisfae and feeling for no iusles. Mi still savve duim planti waka insaed organization bilong Jehovah. Mi faendem hao toktok bilong Jesus hem barava tru: “Moa hapi kamaot from wei for give winim wei for kasem.”—Acts 20:35.

Niu Wei Bilong Living

No longtaem bihaen mi savve abaotem disfala sik, mi kasem invitation for attendim wanfala short course long Madrid wea olketa Christian volunteer lanem hao for helpem olketa doctor and olketa Witness wea sik for waka tugeta. Bihaen, olketa volunteer hia serve long olketa Hospital Liaison Komiti. For mi, datfala course kam long barava taem. Mi faendem wanfala waka wea moabeta, wea givim bigfala wei for satisfae winim eni waka long company.

Mifala lanem long datfala course hao olketa Hospital Liaison Komiti wea just start bae visitim olketa hospital, interviewim olketa doctor, and givim tok long olketa health wakman, evriting hia for mekem grow wei for waka tugeta and for stopem eni problem for kamap. Datfala komiti helpem olketa Witness for faendem olketa doctor wea willing for duim operation wea no iusim blood. Bat, from mi no kasem medical training, mi mas lanem olketa medical toktok, medical principle and hospital organization. Nomata olsem, bihaen mi go bak long haos, datfala course changem tingting bilong mi and redyim mi for wanfala niu challenge wea mekem mi hapi.

Wei for Visitim Hospital —Mekem Mi Satisfae

Nomata long isisi wei sik hia spoelem mi, mi kasem moa responsibility olsem wanfala member bilong Hospital Liaison Komiti. From mi no savve waka bikos mi sik, evri month mi kasem selen from gavman, so mi garem taem for duim olketa hospital visit. Nomata samfala taem visit no go ahed gud, mi faendem hao olketa visit hia hem isi nomoa and mekem mi satisfae. Nomata distaem mi iusim wheelchair, diswan hem no wanfala bigfala problem for mi. Wanfala nara komiti member evritaem go witim mi. Narafala samting moa, olketa doctor getius for story witim pipol long wheelchair, and samfala taem olketa lisin witim bigfala respect taem olketa lukim hao mi trae hard for visitim olketa.

Insaed tenfala year wea go pas, mi visitim planti handred doctor. Start long barava first visit, samfala doctor willing nomoa for helpem mifala. Dr. Juan Duarte—wanfala doctor bilong heart long Madrid wea feel satisfae taem hem respectim conscience bilong sik man—hem kwiktaem for help. Start from datfala taem, hem duim winim 200 operation wea no iusim blood for olketa Witness wea sik wea kam from olketa difren ples long Spain. Long olketa year wea go pas planti moa doctor start for duim operation wea no iusim blood. Wei wea mifala evritaem duim olketa visit hem help long diswan, bat samting wea help tu, hem olketa niu teknik for duim operation and gud samting wea kamaot from diswan. And mifala barava sure hao Jehovah blessim hard waka bilong mifala.

Wei wea samfala doctor bilong heart wea treatim olketa pikinini willing for waka tugeta witim mifala hem barava encouragem mi. For tufala year mifala visitim wanfala team wea insaed hem garem tufala doctor and olketa anesthesiologist wea waka witim tufala. Mifala givim medical literature wea explainim wanem olketa nara doctor duim saed long wei for no iusim blood. Long 1999, hard waka bilong mifala kasem reward long Medical Meeting abaotem Infantile Cardiovascular Surgery. Tufala doctor wea mifala helpem—witim help bilong wanfala doctor from England wea willing for no iusim blood—duim wanfala barava hard operation long aortic valve bilong wanfala Witness baby for kamap gud moa.b Mi hapi witim parents taem wanfala doctor hia kamaot from rum for operate for talem hao datfala operation hem win and olketa respectim conscience bilong famili. Distaem tufala doctor hia evritaem acceptim olketa Witness wea sik from evriwea long Spain.

Mi feel hapi abaotem olketa samting hia from mi luksavve hao mi savve helpem olketa Christian brata. Planti taem pipol insaed barava hard taem long laef bilong olketa taem olketa askem Hospital Liaison Komiti for help. Olketa need for kasem operation, bat olketa doctor long lokol hospital no willing or no fit for treatim olketa long wei for no iusim blood. Bat, taem olketa brata savve hao planti difren kaen doctor stap hia long Madrid wea willing for no iusim blood, diswan mekem olketa no wari tumas. Mi lukim finis lukluk long feis bilong brata wea change from wari go long hapi, from mifala stap witim hem long hospital.

Olketa Judge and Medical Principle

Long olketa year wea just go pas, olketa member bilong olketa Hospital Liaison Komiti visitim tu olketa judge. Long olketa visit hia, mifala givim disfala pablikeson Family Care and Medical Management for Jehovah’s Witnesses, wea garem information for olketa judge abaotem stand bilong mifala long blood and olketa nara treatment wea no iusim blood. Bigfala need stap for visitim olketa judge, bikos bifor, olketa judge long Spain savve givim olketa doctor paoa for givim blood transfusion long sik man nomata hem no acceptim.

Olketa rum bilong olketa judge barava luk spesol, and firstaem mi go long there insaed wheelchair, mi feel olsem mi no important. Mi feel nogud go moa, taem mifala kasem smol accident and mi foldaon from wheelchair and landing long knee bilong mi. Samfala judge and lawyer lukim diswan and helpem mi long kaenfala wei, bat mi barava feel shame.

Nomata olketa judge no sure long reason mifala visitim olketa, planti treatim mifala long kaenfala wei. Firstfala judge wea mi go lukim start finis for ting raonem stand bilong mifala long blood, and sei hem laek for story moa witim mifala. Bihaen long nara visit, hemseleva pushim mi go insaed rum bilong hem and barava lisin gud. Olketa gudfala samting wea kamaot from disfala first visit encouragem mi and olketa wea go witim mi for no fraet, and no longtaem bihaen mifala lukim samfala gudfala samting moa.

Insaed datfala sem year, mifala givim wanfala copy bilong Family Care witim narafala judge, wea acceptim mifala long kaenfala wei and hem promis for readim datfala information. Mi givim hem telephone namba bilong mifala nogud hem laek for ringim mifala long taem bilong emergency. Tufala week bihaen hem ring for sei wanfala lokol doctor askem hem for iusim paoa bilong hem for mekem wanfala Witness wea needim operation tekem blood transfusion. Datfala judge laekem mifala for helpem hem for faendem eni wei wea bae respectim stand bilong datfala Witness for no tekem blood transfusion. Mifala kwiktaem nomoa faendem nara hospital wea olketa doctor win for duim datfala operation and no iusim blood. Datfala judge hapi taem hem herem diswan, and hem promis hao hem bae luk aotem olketa wei olsem long future.

Long olketa hospital visit, point abaotem medical principle savve kamap, bikos mifala laekem olketa doctor for tingim rights and conscience bilong sikman. Wanfala hospital wea waka tugeta witim mifala invaetem mi for attendim wanfala course abaotem Medical principle. Disfala course givim mi chance for story long planti savveman tingting bilong mifala from Bible. Hem helpem mi tu for minim gud planti hardfala disison wea olketa doctor mas mekem.

Wanfala teacher bilong disfala course, Professor Diego Gracia, evritaem organizem course wea wanfala savveman givim abaotem medical principle for olketa doctor bilong Spain and hem strong for saportim right bilong mifala for no agree for tekem blood transfusion.c From mifala evritaem story witim hem diswan lead go long invitation for samfala from branch office bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for explainim stand bilong mifala abaotem blood long olketa student bilong Professor Gracia, wea samfala long olketa student hia best doctor long Spain.

Acceptim Samting wea Go Ahed

Hem tru, disfala waka mekem mi satisfae for helpem olketa brata and sista bat hem no stretem evri problem bilong mi. Sik bilong mi go ahed for kamap moa worse. Nomata olsem, gud samting nao sik no affectim mind bilong mi. Bikos long waef and son bilong mi nating komplen, mi still savve fulfillim olketa responsibility bilong mi. Hem bae hard tumas, sapos mi no kasem help and saport bilong tufala. Nomata kaleko bilong mi, mi no savve werem seleva nao. Mi barava enjoyim preaching evri Saturday witim son bilong mi, Ismael, wea pushim mi long wheelchair mekem mi savve story witim olketa difren haosholder. And mi still savve duim responsibility olsem wanfala kongregeson elder.

Mi kasem samfala taem wea barava hard tumas insaed 12 year wea go pas finis. Samfala taem, taem mi lukim hao sik hia affectim famili kosim bigfala pain winim disfala sik bilong mi. Nomata olketa no talem eni samting, mi savve hao diswan hem barava hard for olketa. No longtaem go nomoa, insaed wan year, mami-in-law and dadi bilong mi dae. Long datfala sem year, mi faendem hao mi no savve muv raon sapos mi no iusim wheelchair. Dadi wea stap witim mifala dae from nara sik wea isisi spoelem hem. Milagros, wea lukaftarem hem, feel olsem hem lukim nao wanem bae happen long mi long future.

Nomata olsem, famili wan mind for feisim tugeta olketa hardfala samting hia. Mi exchangem chair bilong mi olsem wanfala big boss for wanfala wheelchair, bat laef hem moabeta distaem from mi servem olketa narawan long full wei. Wei for give savve daonem safa bilong man, and Jehovah keepim promis for strongim iumi long taem iumi needim. Olsem Paul, mi savve barava sei: “Long evri samting mi kasem strong from datwan wea givim paoa long mi.”—Philippians 4:13.

[Olketa Footnote]

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Tingting Bilong Waef

Saed long wanfala waef, for stap witim partner wea safa from multiple sclerosis hem barava hard—long mind, feeling and physical wei. Mi mas balance long wanem mi plan for duim and willing for aotem olketa wari abaotem future wea no fitim. (Matthew 6:34) Nomata olsem, for deal witim wei for safa savve showimaot olketa nambawan fasin bilong man. Marit bilong mitufala hem moa strong winim bifor and wei for fren witim Jehovah hem moa klos. Olketa laef story bilong olketa narawan wea kasem semkaen samting strongim mi long bigfala wei. Mi garem sem feeling for satisfae wea Julián garem from nambawan service bilong hem for olketa brata, and mi faendem hao Jehovah no savve lusim mifala, nomata each day bae bringim niu challenge.

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Tingting Bilong Son

Wei wea dadi bilong mi garem fasin for go ahed strong and luk long gud saed provaedem nambawan example for mi, and mi feel mi duim gud samting taem mi pushim dadi raon long wheelchair. Mi savve hao mi no evritaem savve duim wanem mi laek for duim. Distaem mi teenager, bat taem mi kamap full-grown, mi laek for serve olsem member bilong Hospital Liaison Komiti. Mi savve from olketa promis long Bible hao wei for safa hem for lelebet taem nomoa and mi savve planti brata and sista safa long bigfala wei winim mifala.

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Mi kasem strong from waef bilong mi

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Story witim doctor bilong heart Dr. Juan Duarte

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Mi and son bilong mi enjoyim wei for waka tugeta long ministry