FERNANDO * hem seksek lelebet. Tufala elder sei for story witim hem. Bihaen long samfala visit bilong circuit overseer olketa elder bin story long hem abaotem wanem hem need for duim for kasem samfala privilege moa insaed kongregeson. Bat from hem no kamap elder yet, Fernando start for tingse maet hard for hem elder nao. From kongregeson just kasem nara visit bilong circuit overseer, Fernando no sure wanem moa olketa elder bae talem.

Wanfala elder storyim samfala point from 1 Timothy 3:1, and talem Fernando olketa kasem wanfala leta wea sei hem kasem appointment for kamap wanfala elder. Fernando barava sapraes and ask olsem, “Wanem nao iu talem?” Then elder talem hem moa, and Fernando smile nao. Taem olketa announcem datwan long kongregeson, evri brata and sista hapi.

Waswe, hem rong for laek kasem olketa privilege long kongregeson? Nomoa. Long 1 Timothy 3:1 hem sei: “Sapos man hem laek for elder, gud samting nao hem laek for duim.” Staka Christian brata followim wanem datfala scripture talem and traem best for kasem olketa spiritual mark wea mekem olketa fit for duim samfala waka moa insaed kongregeson. Bikos long diswan, organization bilong God garem staka thousand elder and ministerial servant. Bat bikos staka pipol moa kam insaed organization, iumi needim staka moa brata for kamap elder and ministerial servant. Wanem nao iu shud duim sapos iu laek for elder or ministerial servant? And waswe, olketa wea laek for kamap overseer shud feel nogud sapos datwan no happen kwiktaem?

Long 1 Timothy 3:1, Greek word wea iumi transleitim “laek for,” savve minim tu for barava trae for kasem wanfala samting. Maet datwan mekem iu tingim wanfala man wea trae for kasem wanfala frut wea stap hae lelebet long wanfala tree. Bat for kamap elder hem no samting wea man trae for kasem from hem laekem  hae position. Why nao olsem? Bikos brata wea laek for elder shud duim datwan from hem ‘laek duim gud samting’ for olketa narawan, and no from hem laekem hae position.

Long 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:5-9, Bible storyim olketa mark wea olketa brata mas kasem for kamap elder. Wanfala brata wea elder for longtaem wea nem bilong hem Raymond sei olsem abaotem olketa mark hia: “Long tingting bilong mi samting wea important nao hem wei bilong mifala olketa elder. Hem important for olketa elder savve hao for teach and givim gudfala tok. Bat hem barava important tu for mifala no garem blame long eni samting, no ova tumas long eni samting wea mifala duim, garem gudfala tingting, organize gud, hapi for welkamim pipol, and no forcem tingting bilong mifala long narawan.”

Brata wea laek for elder hem honest evritaem and stap klia long olketa samting wea no klin, and datwan mekem hem no garem blame long eni samting. From hem no ova tumas long eni samting wea hem duim, hem garem gudfala tingting, organize gud, and no forcem tingting bilong hem long narawan, olketa brata and sista long kongregeson trustim hem for leadim olketa and helpem olketa taem olketa garem problem. From hem hapi for welkamim olketa young wan and olketa wea niu long truth, datwan encouragem olketa. From hem lovem gud samting, hem comfortim and helpem olketa wea sik and olketa wea olo. Hem showimaot olketa wei hia bikos hem laek for helpem olketa narawan, and no bikos hem tingse datwan nao bae mekem hem kasem appointment for kamap elder. *

Nomata olketa elder hapi for encouragem and givim advaes long brata wea laek for kamap elder, datfala brata seleva nao mas waka hard for kasem olketa mark wea Bible storyim. Henry, wea elder for longtaem finis sei: “Sapos iu laek for elder, waka hard for showimaot iu fit for duim datfala waka.” Hem storyim Ecclesiastes 9:10, taem hem sei: “‘Iu mas waka hard long evri samting wea iu duim.’ Nomata wanem assignment iu kasem, duim best bilong iu. Hapi for duim evri waka wea iu kasem long kongregeson, nomata for swipim floor tu. Gogo bae olketa elder luksavve long hard waka bilong iu.” Sapos iu laek for kamap wanfala elder, showimaot long olketa elder iu  savve waka hard, and iu wanfala faithful brata long kongregeson. Pipol shud ting long iu olsem man wea hambol and no man wea aftarem hae position.—Matt. 23:8-12.

Samfala brata wea laek for kamap elder long kongregeson maet talem toktok or duim samting for switim olketa elder for trae kasem samfala privilege moa long kongregeson. Samfala narawan maet kros taem olketa elder givim kaonsel long olketa. Olketa hia shud ting raonem disfala kwestin, ‘Waswe, mi tingim nomoa wanem miseleva laekem, or mi willing for stap anda long Jehovah and lukaftarem olketa sheepsheep bilong hem?’

Narafala mark wea iu shud tingim sapos iu laek for elder hem nao for “showimaot gudfala example for olketa sheepsheep.” (1 Pet. 5:1-3) Iu mas tok tru evritaem long narawan. Iu mas gohed for patient and no givap. Sapos iu kamap elder datwan no minim bae iu no savve mekem mistek. (Num. 12:3; Ps. 106:32, 33) And tu, maet iu ‘no savve tingim eni samting wea iu duim wea hem no stret,’ bat maet olketa narawan savve long samfala samting wea iu need for changem. (1 Cor. 4:4) So sapos olketa elder givim iu samfala kaonsel from Bible, hem gud for lisin long olketa and no feel nogud. Then traem best for followim datfala kaonsel.

Samfala brata sei olketa mas weit longfala taem bifor olketa kasem appointment for elder. Sapos iu traem best for kamap elder for plande year finis, waswe, iu feel nogud bikos iu tingse maet bae iu no kamap elder nao? Sapos iu feel olsem, tingim disfala scripture: “Taem samting wea man expectim hem delay datwan savve mekem hem wikdaon, bat taem hem kasem samting wea hem laekem datwan savve barava strongim hem.”—Prov. 13:12.

Taem samwan tingse maet bae hem hard for kasem goal wea hem barava laekem, datwan savve mekem hem wikdaon. Datwan nao feeling wea Abraham garem. Jehovah promis for givim hem wanfala son, bat for longfala taem hem and Sarah no garem eni pikinini. (Gen. 12:1-3, 7) Taem hem start for kamap olo, Abraham sei olsem long Jehovah: “Jehovah, wea iu Lord bilong evri samting, from mi no garem eni pikinini yet, hao nao bae mi kasem blessing wea iu promisim long mi,  . . . iu no givim eni pikinini long mi.” Jehovah talem Abraham, promis wea Hem talem for Abraham garem wanfala son bae kamap tru. Bat winim 14 year go pas bifor Jehovah givim wanem hem promisim long Abraham.—Gen. 15:2-4; 16:16; 21:5.

Nomata Abraham mas weit, hem gohed hapi for worshipim Jehovah. Hao nao olsem? Bikos hem savve wanem God promisim bae kamap tru. Hem gohed for garem hope. Aposol Paul sei: “Bihaen Abraham patient for plande year, hem kasem samting wea God promisim.” (Heb. 6:15) Gogo, olketa blessing wea Jehovah givim Abraham hem winim wanem hem tingim. Wanem nao iu savve lanem from example bilong Abraham?

Sapos iu laek for elder, bat iu weit for staka year finis, gohed trustim Jehovah. Gohed faithful for worshipim Jehovah. Warren, wea helpem staka brata for gohed strong long spiritual wei, sei olsem: “Hem tek  taem for wanfala brata showimaot hem fit for kamap wanfala elder. Wei bilong hem and hao hem duim olketa assignment bilong hem bae showimaot sapos hem garem savve and stretfala tingting wea hem needim for kamap wanfala elder. Samfala brata tingse sapos olketa kamap elder or kasem samfala nara privilege, datwan nao showimaot olketa duim gud samting long worship bilong Jehovah. Kaen tingting olsem hem no stret and hem savve spoelem man. Sapos iu faithful for worshipim Jehovah nomata wanem privilege iu garem, datwan nao showimaot iu duim gud samting long worship bilong Jehovah.”

Wanfala brata hem weit for winim tenfala year bifor hem kamap elder. Hem tingim datfala chariot wea Ezekiel chapter 1 storyim and talem wanem hem lanem. Hem sei: “Jehovah nao disaedem speed bilong datfala chariot, wea piksarem organization bilong hem.” Hem sei tu wanem hem important nao hem taem wea Jehovah markem samting for happen, and no taem wea man seleva laekem datwan for happen. And Jehovah savve long best samting for iumi.

Sapos iu laek for kamap elder long future, gohed for duim gud samting for helpem olketa brata and sista insaed kongregeson. Iu mas patient and no wari sapos iu no kamap elder kwiktaem. Raymond, wea iumi storyim finis sei: “Sapos iu aftarem hae position bae iu no hapi. Olketa wea wari abaotem staka samting olketa no hapi long worship bilong olketa for Jehovah.” Waka hard for garem olketa wei bilong spirit, especially wei for patient. Waka hard for strongim wei wea iu fren witim Jehovah long wei for studyim gud Bible. Duim moa samting long ministry, and studyim Bible witim pipol wea interest. Evritaem duim Famili Worship and olketa nara spiritual samting witim famili bilong iu. Enjoyim wei for associate witim olketa brata and sista. Olketa samting hia bae helpem iu for hapi taem iu gohed waka hard for kasem goal bilong iu.

Jehovah and organization bilong hem no laekem olketa wea waka hard for kamap elder for wari or no hapi. Iumi shud tinghae long chance wea Jehovah givim long iumi for waka hard for kasem olketa privilege long kongregeson. Sapos iu laek for elder bikos iu laek duim gud samting and no bikos iu laekem hae position, God bae sapotim and blessim iu. Taem Jehovah blessim iumi, bae ‘no eni nogud samting’ kam witim datfala blessing.—Prov. 10:22.

Sapos iu traem best for kamap elder for plande year finis, gohed waka hard for strongim wei wea iu fren witim Jehovah. Jehovah bae no forgetim wei wea iu waka hard for garem olketa gudfala wei, for helpem kongregeson, and for lukaftarem famili bilong iu. Iu savve gohed for hapi for worshipim Jehovah nomata wanem assignment nao iu kasem.