Mi Kasem Staka Gud Samting From Jehovah

Story bilong Arthur Bonno

LONG 1951, mi and waef bilong mi, Edith, attendim wanfala distrik convention. Mifala herem olketa announcem wanfala meeting for olketa wea interest for duim missionary waka.

Mi sei long waef bilong mi: “Iumi tufala go herehere!”

Edith sei: “Arthur, missionary waka no fitim iumi tufala!”

Mi sei: “Iumi tufala go lisin nomoa.”

Bihaen long datfala meeting, olketa givim mifala application pepa for Gilead Skul.

Mi sei: “Iumi tufala raetem application pepa.”

Edith sei: “Bat waswe long olketa narawan long famili bilong iumi?”

Wan and haf year bihaen datfala convention, mitufala attendim Gilead Skul and kasem assignment for go long Ecuador, South America.

From samting wea mi talem long waef, maet iu luksavve hem wei bilong mi for talemaot tingting bilong mi. Mi tingse mitufala savve duim eni samting wea mitufala disaedem. Bat hem wei bilong Edith for hambol. Hem big kam long smol taon long Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, America, and no enitaem hem lusim hom bilong hem or meetim eniwan from nara kantri. Hem no isi for Edith lusim famili bilong hem. Nomata olsem, hem hapi for acceptim assignment for go long nara kantri. Mitufala kasem Ecuador long 1954 and duim missionary waka kam kasem distaem. Mitufala kasem staka gud samting. Waswe, iu laek for savve long samfala gud samting hia wea mitufala kasem?

Olketa Gudfala Taem

First assignment bilong mitufala hem long Quito, kapitol taon wea stap samting olsem 2,850 meter hae antap long olketa Andes Maunten. For mifala travel from Guayaquil wea hem wanfala taon long saed sea for kasem Quito, mifala mas go long train and trak for tufala day, bat distaem sapos man go long plane bae hem 30 minute nomoa! Mifala enjoyim tumas fofala year wea mifala stap long  Quito. Then long 1958 mifala kasem nara gud samting. Mifala kasem invitation for duim circuit waka.

Long datfala taem, tufala circuit nomoa stap long kantri. Mifala visitim olketa kongregeson and plande taem mifala go preach long olketa smol Indian taon wea no eni Witness stap. Ples wea mifala savve stap, hem garem wanfala smol rum wea no garem eni window and wanfala bed nomoa. Mifala tekem wanfala timba box wea mifala putim kerosene stove, frying pan, olketa pleit, dish for waswas, blanket, mosquito net, kaleko, olketa old niuspepa, and samfala samting moa insaed. Mifala iusim olketa niuspepa hia for satem olketa hol long walling mekem olketa rat no savve kam insaed rum.

Mifala hapi taem mifala ting go bak long olketa gudfala taem wea mifala garem. Mifala savve sidaon long bed and story, and kaikaim lelebet kaikai wea mifala kukim long datfala kerosene stove. Hem wei bilong mi for kwiktaem talem samting and no tingting firstaem. So long taem olsem waef bilong mi savve givim advaes long kaenfala wei long hao mi savve story gud witim olketa wea mifala visitim. Mi followim wanem hem talem and olketa brata kasem gud samting taem mifala visitim olketa. Sapos mi talem eni nogud samting abaotem narawan, waef bilong mi bae no laek sapotim wanem mi talem. Datwan helpem mi for tingim gud saed bilong olketa brata. Bat plande taem mitufala savve storyim olketa samting wea mifala lanem long Wastaoa and experience wea mifala kasem long preaching waka long datfala day. Mifala garem staka naes experience!

Mifala Faendem Carlos

Taem mifala stap long Jipijapa, wanfala taon long west Ecuador, mifala lukaotem wanfala man wea interest wea nem bilong hem Carlos Mejía, bat mifala no garem address bilong hem. Long datfala morning, mitufala go lukaotem hem nomata mitufala no savve wea nao Carlos stap. From hem big rain long naet, mitufala mas careful long staka mud wea stap long olketa hol long road. Mi go first long waef bilong mi bat seke nomoa mi herem hem singaot big, “Arthur!” Mi lukim Edith standap insaed long mud kasem knee bilong hem. Mi barava laek laf big bat taem mi lukim hem krae, mi no laf nao.

Mi aotem hem from mud, bat shoe bilong hem nao pas insaed. Wanfala boy and gele lukluk kam long mifala, so mi talem tufala, “Sapos iutufala aotem shoe from mud bae mi givim iutufala selen.” Kwiktaem nomoa tufala aotem shoe bilong hem, bat Edith need for wasim leg bilong hem. Mami bilong olketa pikinini hia lukim wanem hem happen and talem mifala for go long haos bilong hem. Hem helpem waef bilong mi for wasim leg bilong hem and olketa pikinini klinim shoe. Gud samting nao happen taem mifala redi for go. Mi askem woman hia sapos hem savve wea nao Carlos Mejía hem stap. Hem barava sapraes and sei: “Hem hasband bilong mi.” Mifala study witim olketa, and gogo evriwan long famili baptaes. Samfala year bihaen, Carlos and waef bilong hem and tufala pikinini spesol pioneer.

Hem No Isi for Travel Bat Pipol Kaen Long Mifala

Hem no isi for duim circuit waka. Mifala go long olketa bas, train, trak, kanu, and olketa smol plane. Wanfala taem, distrik overseer John McLenachan and waef bilong hem Dorothy, preach witim mitufala long wanfala fishing vilij klosap long border bilong Colombia. Mifala go long wanfala outboard motor. Olketa shark wea big olsem kanu swim klosap long mifala! Man wea draevem kanu barava fraet from olketa shark hia big tumas and kwiktaem steerim kanu go klosap long shore.

Nomata mifala kasem hard taem long circuit waka, mifala kasem staka gud samting tu. Mifala savve long staka brata and sista wea kaen tumas long mifala. Staka taem olketa  famili wea mifala stap witim olketa laekem mitufala for kaikai thrifala taem long day bat olketa kaikai wantaem nomoa. Olketa garem wanfala bed nomoa and olketa laekem mifala nao for sleep long hem and olketa sleep long floor. Staka taem waef bilong mi sei: “Olketa samting wea olketa brata and sista hia duim helpem mi for luksavve mifala no needim staka samting.”

“Mifala Willing for Duim”

Long 1960 mifala kasem nara gud samting. Mifala kasem assignment for waka long branch office long Guayaquil. Taem mi waka long office, Edith savve go preach witim kongregeson wea stap klosap long branch. Mi tingse mi no fit for waka long office, bat Hebrews 13:21 storyim hao God givim iumi “evri gud samting for duim wanem hem laekem.” Tufala year bihaen, mi kasem invitation for attendim Gilead course for tenfala month long Brooklyn, New York. Long datfala taem, olketa waef no savve go witim hasband. Waef bilong mi kasem wanfala leta from olketa long Brooklyn. Olketa askem hem sapos hem olraet nomoa for hem stap seleva and mi go for tenfala month.

Edith raet go bak and sei: “Mi savve diswan hem no isi samting for duim, bat mifala savve Jehovah bae helpem mifala nomata wanem samting happen. .   . Mifala willing for duim eni privilege wea mifala kasem or eni samting wea savve helpem mifala for duim assignment bilong mifala.” Long taem wea mi stap long Brooklyn, mi kasem leta from waef bilong mi evri week.

Waka Witim Olketa Faithful Brata and Sista

Bikos long health problem, long 1966, mitufala Edith go bak long Quito for duim missionary waka and helpem olketa brata and sista long there. Olketa showimaot nambawan example long wei for faithful!

Wanfala faithful sista wea hasband bilong hem no Witness evritaem killim hem. Wantaem long six klok long morning, samwan talem mifala hao hasband bilong hem killim hem moa. Mi kwiktaem go long haos bilong sista hia. Taem mi lukim hem, mi no bilivim wanem mi lukim. Hem leidaon long bed and full body bilong hem boela and garekil. Hasband bilong hem killim hem witim stik bilong brum go kasem taem stik hia hem brek. Long datfala sem day, mi lukim hasband long haos and mi talem nogud samting nao hem duim. Hem sei hem sorre tumas long wanem hem duim.

Long samting olsem 1970, health bilong mi start for gud bak and mifala gohed moa for duim circuit waka. Ibarra hem wanfala taon long circuit bilong mifala. Klosap long 1960, taem mifala visitim datfala taon, tufala Witness nomoa stap long there, wanfala missionary and nara brata from datfala ples. So mifala laek for meetim olketa niu brata and sista long datfala kongregeson.

Long firstfala meeting wea mifala attendim long there, Brata Rodrigo Vaca conductim part long meeting wea evriwan savve givim  koment. Taem hem askem kwestin, olketa no apim hand bat evriwan savve singaot olsem “Yo, yo!” (“Mi, mi!”). Mitufala Edith sapraes fogud. Mi ting olsem, ‘wanem nao happen ia?’ Mitufala faendaot Brata Vaca hem blind bat hem heresavve long voice bilong olketa difren brata and sista long kongregeson taem olketa singaot. Hem olsem wanfala shepherd wea savve gud long olketa sheepsheep bilong hem! Diswan mekem mifala for tingim wanem Jesus talem long John 10:​3, 4, 14 abaotem nambawan man for lukaftarem olketa sheepsheep wea savve gud long olketa sheepsheep and olketa sheepsheep savve gud long hem. Distaem datfala taon Ibarra garem sixfala kongregeson wea olketa iusim Spanish languis, wanfala kongregeson iusim Quichua languis and nara kongregeson iusim saen languis. For longtaem finis Brata Vaca hem wanfala faithful elder and spesol pioneer. *

Mifala Tinghae Long Gud Samting wea Mifala Kasem From Jehovah

Long 1974 mifala kasem nara gud samting from Jehovah, taem mifala kasem invitation for go bak long Bethel. Mi garem assignment for waka long office moa and bihaen mi garem privilege for kamap member long Branch Komiti. Firstaem Edith waka long kitchen, and bihaen hem waka long office for givimaot olketa leta.

Long olketa year wea go pas, mifala hapi for welkamim staka handred missionary wea kasem training from Gilead. Olketa hia olketa strongfala Christian and barava helpem olketa long kongregeson. Mifala kasem encouragement for lukim staka thousand brata and sista wea kam from winim 30 kantri for helpem mifala. Mifala tinghae long wei wea olketa willing for lusim hom bilong olketa! Samfala salem haos and bisnis bilong olketa mekem olketa savve preach long ples wea needim samfala pablisa moa. Olketa tekem kam trak mekem olketa savve preach long olketa farawe territory, startim olketa niu kongregeson, and help for wakem olketa Kingdom Hall. Staka sista wea singol tu from olketa nara kantri kam for pioneer. Olketa barava waka hard and gohed strong!

Tru tumas, mi kasem staka gud samting from mi worshipim God. Important samting nao mi fren gud witim Jehovah. Mi barava hapi from mi garem waef wea “helpem” mi. (Gen. 2:​18) Taem mi tingim 69 year wea mitufala marit, hem mekem mi tingim Proverbs 18:22 wea sei: “Taem iu faendem gudfala woman for maritim, iu faendem wanfala gud samting.” Mi enjoyim tumas wei wea mitufala Edith fren gud tugeta. Hem helpem mi long staka samting. Hem lovem mami bilong hem tu. Taem mifala kasem Ecuador, waef bilong mi raetem leta for mami bilong hem evri week go kasem taem mami bilong hem dae long 1990 taem hem 97 year.

Distaem mi 90 year and Edith hem 89 year. Mifala hapi tumas from mifala helpem samting olsem 70 pipol for savve long Jehovah. Mifala hapi tu from mifala raetem datfala application for Gilead Skul 60 year go finis. Samting wea mifala disaedem mekem mifala for kasem staka gud samting.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 29]

Long Yankee Stadium, New York witim olketa missionary wea mifala skul tugeta long Gilead long 1958

[Piksa long page 31]

Mifala visitim wanfala Witness famili taem mifala duim circuit waka long 1959

[Piksa long page 32]

Long Ecuador Branch long 2002