Mi Laekem Tumas for Fren Witim Olketa Olo

Story bilong Elva Gjerde

Samting olsem 70 year go finis, wanfala man wea visit kam long haos bilong mifala hem talem samting long dadi bilong mi wea changem full laef bilong mi. Start long datfala taem, samfala nara pipol tu affectim laef bilong mi. Gogo, mi kasem wanfala spesol fren wea mi tinghae long hem winim eni nara fren. Mi laek storyim diswan.

MI BORN long Australia, long Sydney, long 1932. Dadi and mami bilong mi biliv long God bat no savve go long church. Mami sei God hem lukluk kam long mi olowe, and bae panisim mi sapos mi noti. Diswan mekem mi fraetem God. Nomata olsem, mi interest tumas long Bible. Taem aunty bilong mi visit kam long olketa weekend, hem savve talem staka interesting Bible story long mi. Mi savve luk forward long olketa visit bilong hem.

Taem mi teenager, dadi readim olketa buk wea mami tekem from wanfala olo woman wea hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. From dadi barava tinghae long samting wea hem readim, hem agree for studyim Bible witim olketa Witness. Wanfala evening, taem olketa study, mi haed and herehere long story bilong olketa. Taem dadi lukim mi and redi for raosem mi go sleep, datfala man sei, “Hem gud nomoa ia, letem Elva sidaon witim iumi.” Start long datfala taem, laef bilong mi change and mi start for fren witim trufala God, Jehovah.

No longtaem bihaen, mitufala dadi start for go long olketa meeting. Samting wea dadi lanem mekem hem changem laef bilong hem. Hem start for kontrolem kros bilong hem tu. Taem mami and big brata bilong mi, Frank, lukim diswan, tufala start for kam long olketa meeting.a Mifala evriwan gohed gud long study bilong mifala and gogo mifala baptaes. Start long datfala taem, mi fren witim staka olo brata and sista wea helpem mi.

TAEM MI CHUSIM WAKA

Taem mi teenager, mi laekem tumas for fren witim olketa olo long kongregeson. Wanfala hem Alice Place, wea hem nao first Witness for visitim famili bilong mifala. Mi ting long hem olsem grani bilong mi. Alice trainim mi long preaching waka and encouragem mi for garem goal for baptaes. Taem mi 15 year, mi baptaes nao.

Mi fren gud tu witim Percy and Madge Dunham, wanfala olo hasband and waef. Diswan barava affectim samting wea mi duim long laef bilong mi. Long firstaem, goal bilong mi hem for kamap wanfala maths teacher bikos mi laekem tumas maths. Percy and Madge duim missionary waka long Latvia long olketa year bilong 1930. Then taem World War II hem start, olketa kasem assignment long Australia Bethel, long Sydney. Percy and Madge kaen tumas long mi. Tufala storyim staka naes experience abaotem missionary waka bilong tufala. Gogo, mi luksavve wei for teachim Bible long pipol bae hem mekem mi hapi winim wei for teachim maths. So mi putim goal for duim missionary waka.

Tufala encouragem mi for pioneer mekem mi fit for duim missionary waka. So long 1948, taem mi 16 year, mi start for pioneer witim nara tenfala young wan wea pioneer long kongregeson long Hurstville, Sydney.

Next fofala year, mi pioneer long nara fofala taon long New South Wales and Queensland. Wanfala first wan wea mi study witim hem Betty Law (wea distaem nem bilong hem Betty Remnant). Betty hem kaenfala gele wea born tufala year firstaem long mi. Bihaen, mitufala pioneer tugeta long Cowra, wanfala taon wea stap 230 kilometer west from Sydney. Nomata mitufala Betty pioneer tugeta for lelebet taem nomoa, mitufala fren gud kam kasem distaem.

Mi kasem assignment for spesol pioneer long Narrandera, wanfala taon wea stap 220 kilometer southwest from Cowra. Niu pioneer partner bilong mi hem Joy Lennox (wea distaem nem bilong hem Joy Hunter). Hem strongfala pioneer sista wea hem tu born tufala year firstaem long mi. No eni nara Jehovah’s Witness stap long datfala taon. Mitufala Joy stap long resthaos bilong Ray and Esther Irons, wanfala hasband and waef wea kaen tumas. Tufala hia witim son and thrifala gele bilong tufala interest long truth. Long Monday go kasem Friday, Ray and son bilong hem waka long wanfala sheep and wheat farm aotsaed long taon. Esther and olketa gele bilong hem lukaftarem resthaos bilong olketa. Evri Sunday, mitufala Joy kukim bigfala kaikai for Irons famili and evri narawan wea stap long datfala resthaos. Olketa hia olketa man wea wakem road for train and olketa hangre fogud! Mitufala kuki olsem mekem mitufala no need for peim full rent. Bihaen mitufala wasim olketa pleit and klin ap, mifala duim Wastaoa study tugeta witim Irons famili. Ray, Esther, and fofala pikinini bilong olketa kam insaed long truth and olketa nao first member bilong Narrandera Kongregeson.

Long 1951, mi go long wanfala convention long Sydney and mi attendim wanfala spesol meeting for olketa pioneer wea laek duim missionary waka. Datfala meeting hem long wanfala big tent and winim 300 pioneer nao kam long hem. Nathan Knorr from Brooklyn Bethel tekem datfala meeting and hem story abaotem bigfala need for preachim gud nius evriwea long earth. Mifala evriwan interest tumas long wanem hem storyim. Staka pioneer wea stap long datfala meeting nao olketa first wan for preachim gud nius long South Pacific and olketa nara ples. Mi hapi tumas for kasem invitation witim nara 16-fala from Australia for go long mek-19 class bilong Gilead Skul long 1952. Mi 20 year nomoa and mi kasem nao goal bilong mi for duim missionary waka!

TAEM MI NEED FOR STRETEM TINGTING BILONG MI

Mi lanem staka samting abaotem Bible long Gilead and datwan barava strongim faith bilong mi. Nara samting tu, datwan barava helpem mi for changem samfala wei bilong mi. Long datfala taem mi young and mi strict tumas and mi expectim olketa narawan for olsem tu. Samfala tingting bilong mi ova tumas nao. Olsem example, mi seke fogud taem mi lukim Brata Knorr plei sports witim olketa young Bethelite.

Luk olsem olketa brata wea teach long Gilead, wea wise and worshipim Jehovah for staka year finis, luksavve mi stragol. Olketa kaen long mi and helpem mi for stretem tingting bilong mi. Gogo bihaen, mi start for luksavve Jehovah hem God wea garem love and tinghae long iumi, no wanfala God wea strict and no hapi long iumi. Samfala nara student tu helpem mi. Wanfala sista sei long mi: “Elva, Jehovah hem no sidaon long heven and holem wanfala stik for whipim man. Iu no strict tumas!” Toktok bilong hem kasem heart bilong mi.

Bihaen mifala graduate, mi witim nara fofala student kasem assignment for go long Namibia, Africa. No longtaem bihaen, mifala garem 80-fala Bible study. Mi laekem tumas Namibia and missionary assignment bilong mi, bat mi frenim wanfala student long class bilong mi wea kasem assignment long Switzerland. Bihaen wanfala year long Namibia, mi go long Switzerland. Bihaen mitufala marit, mitufala duim circuit waka tugeta.

MI MAS DEAL WITIM BARAVA HARD SAMTING

Bihaen mifala duim circuit waka for faevfala year, mifala kasem niu assignment long Bethel long Switzerland. Mi hapi tumas for stap long Bethel famili witim staka olo brata and sista wea mature Christian.

No longtaem bihaen, wanfala barava hard samting hem happen. Mi faendaot hasband bilong mi no faithful long mi and no faithful long Jehovah tu. Then hem lusim mi. Mi barava sorre tumas! Olketa olo brata and sista long Bethel famili wea lovem mi barava sapotim mi and helpem mi for deal witim datwan. Taem mi laek story, olketa willing for lisin long mi and taem mi need for rest, olketa letem mi for rest. Kaenfala toktok bilong olketa and samting wea olketa duim barava helpem mi long datfala hard taem and helpem mi for barava depend long Jehovah.

Mi tingim tu toktok bilong samfala olo brata and sista long samfala year bifor wea kasem olketa hard taem and wea datwan mekem olketa strong. Wanfala nao hem Madge Dunham wea sei long mi: “Elva, taem iu servem Jehovah, bae iu kasem staka difren kaen test, bat maet olketa test wea barava hard nao kam from famili or fren. Taem iu kasem kaen test olsem, iu mas barava depend long Jehovah. No forget, iu servem Jehovah and no olketa man!” Taem mi barava feel nogud, mi tingim toktok bilong Madge and datwan helpem mi. Mi disaed strong for no letem rong samting wea hasband bilong mi duim for mekem mi lusim Jehovah.

Gogo, mi disaed for go bak long Australia and pioneer klosap long famili bilong mi. Taem mi long ship, mi evritaem hapi for storyim Bible witim wanfala grup bilong olketa passenger. Wanfala long olketa hia hem wanfala kwaet man from Norway wea nem bilong Arne Gjerde. Hem interest tumas long truth. Bihaen, Arne hem visitim mi and famili bilong mi long Sydney. Hem barava gohed gud and no longtaem bihaen hem kamap wanfala Witness. Long 1963, mitufala Arne marit, and tufala year bihaen son bilong mitufala, Gary, hem born.

TAEM MI KASEM NARA HARD TAEM

Mi witim Arne and Gary mifala hapi and stap gud. Long datfala taem, Arne hem mekem haos bilong mifala big mekem dadi and mami bilong mi wea olo kam stap witim mifala. Bat bihaen mitufala marit for sixfala year, mifala seke long wanfala nogud samting. Arne hem garem cancer long brain bilong hem. Mi go long hospital evriday for visitim hem taem hem kasem radiation treatment wea gohed for lelebet longtaem. Hem kamap gud for lelebet taem, bat then sik bilong hem kamap big moa and hem kasem stroke. Doctor sei bae hem laef for nara tu-thri week nomoa. Bat hem no dae. Gogo, hem kam bak long haos and mi lukaftarem hem and hem isisi kamap strong moa. Bihaen lelebet taem hem savve wakabaot moa and duim waka bilong hem olsem elder long kongregeson. From hem man for mekfani and hem wanfala hapi man, diswan helpem hem for kamap gud moa, and hem moa isi for mi gohed lukaftarem hem.

Staka year bihaen, long 1986, sik bilong Arne kamap big moa. Long datfala taem dadi and mami bilong mi dae finis, so mifala lusim Sydney and muv go long Blue Mountains, and wea hem klosap long olketa fren bilong mifala. Bihaen, Gary maritim wanfala naes sista, wea nem bilong hem Karin, and tufala sei for mifala stap tugeta long wanfala haos. So, insaed tu-thri month nomoa, mifala muv go insaed wanfala haos wea no farawe from haos wea mitufala Arne stap.

Insaed long 18 month bifor Arne hem dae, hem leidaon nomoa long bed and needim samwan for lukaftarem hem olowe. From mi stap olowe long haos, evriday mi studyim Bible and olketa Bible buk for tufala hour. Mi readim staka gudfala advaes wea helpem mi for deal witim hard taem wea mifala insaed. Olketa olo brata and sista long kongregeson kaen tumas and kam visitim mi tu. Samfala long olketa kasem semkaen hard taem, and olketa barava encouragem mi! Arne hem dae long April 2003 and hem barava biliv strong long resurrection.

JEHOVAH NAO MAIN WAN WEA HELPEM MI

Taem mi young, mi tingse laef bae hem smooth nomoa. Bat mi faendaot staka samting savve happen long laef wea iumi no expectim. Mi kasem staka blessing and tufala barava hard samting long laef. First hasband bilong mi no faithful and narawan hem sik and dae. Taem olketa samting hia happen, mi kasem comfort and help long samfala difren wei. Main wan wea helpem mi nao hem Jehovah God, “Man from taem bifor kam.” (Dan. 7:9) Kaonsel bilong hem helpem mi for changem samfala wei bilong mi and from diswan mi kasem staka naesfala experience long missionary waka. Taem mi kasem olketa problem, wei wea Jehovah hem kaen tumas comfortim and strongim mi. (Ps. 94:18, 19) Famili bilong mi lovem and sapotim mi and mi kasem sapot tu from ‘olketa gudfala fren wea olsem brata long taem bilong trabol.’ (Prov. 17:17) Staka long olketa hia hem olketa olo wea wise.

Job hem sei: “Olketa olo nao wise and olketa wea laef for longfala taem nao garem wei for minim samting.” (Job 12:12) Taem mi ting go bak long full laef bilong mi, mi savve agree witim datfala toktok. Advaes bilong olketa olo wea wise nao helpem mi, comfort bilong olketa sapotim mi, and wei wea mi fren witim olketa mekem mi hapi. Mi kasem barava gud samting from mi fren witim olketa olo.

Distaem mi 80 year and mi nao olo. Olketa samting wea happen long laef bilong mi mekem mi tingim olowe need bilong olketa nara olo. Mi laekem tumas for visitim and helpem olketa. Bat mi laekem tumas for fren witim olketa young wan tu. Strong bilong olketa hem mekem mi feel strong, and wei wea olketa willing and interest tumas for duim samting hem encouragem mi. Taem mi luksavve olketa young wan needim sapot and help bilong mi, mi hapi tumas for helpem olketa.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 14]

Taem mitufala Joy Lennox pioneer long Narrandera

[Piksa long page 15]

Elva witim samfala long Bethel famili long Switzerland long 1960

[Piksa long page 16]

Taem wea Arne hem sik and mi lukaftarem hem