Mi Hapi for Worshipim Jehovah

STORY BILONG FRED RUSK

Taem mi young mi luksavve toktok wea David talem long Psalm 27:10 hem barava tru. Hem sei: “Nomata sapos dadi and mami bilong mi lusim mi, Jehovah bae lukaftarem mi.” Bae mi storyim hao nao olsem.

TAEM mi smol mi stap witim grani bilong mi wea hem garem cotton farm long Georgia, America. Datwan hem bihaen long 1930 taem staka pipol kasem big problem saed long selen. Dadi sorre tumas taem mami and baby brata bilong mi hem dae. So mi stap witim dadi bilong hem wea widow and dadi go waka long wanfala ples wea farawe. Dadi laekem mi for go stap witim hem bat no eni samting happen.

Olketa aunty bilong mi nao lukaftarem evri samting long haos bilong grani. Nomata grani no savve go long church, olketa aunty bilong mi barava followim biliv bilong Southern Baptists. Olketa aunty bilong mi sei olketa bae whipim mi sapos mi no go long church evri Sunday. So taem mi young mi no tinghae long religion bat mi interest nomoa long sports and skul.

Visit wea Changem Laef Bilong Mi

Long 1941 taem mi 15 year, wanfala olo man and waef bilong hem kam long haos. Famili sei nem bilong hem Talmadge Rusk and hem uncle bilong mi. Mi faendaot hem and waef bilong hem tufala Jehovah’s Witness. Wanem hem talem abaotem plan bilong God hem difren from wanem mi lanem long church. Hem sei olketa man bae laef olowe long earth. Staka long famili les long samting wea tufala talem so olketa no letem tufala for kam long haos moa. Nomata olsem, aunty Mary tekem wanfala Bible and olketa buk wea helpem hem for minim Bible. Aunty Mary born 3-fala year firstaem long mi.

Aunty Mary kwiktaem luksavve diswan nao truth and hem baptaes and kamap Jehovah’s Witness long 1942. Samting wea Jesus talem kasem hem tu. Jesus sei: “Bae enemy bilong man nao olketa wea stap long sem haos witim hem.” (Matt. 10:34-36) Famili barava againstim aunty Mary. Wanfala big sista bilong aunty Mary plan witim bigman long taon for arrestim uncle Talmadge. Olketa tekem hem long kot and sei hem no garem license for givimaot olketa buk. So kot sei hem guilty and putim hem long prison.

Datfala bigman long taon hem judge long kot tu. Niuspepa long datfala ples storyim wanem hem talem. Hem sei: “Olketa buk wea  disfala man hem givimaot . . . hem olsem poison.” Uncle bilong mi lus long firstfala kot case bilong hem bat hem winim mek-tu kot case. Nomata olsem, hem stap long prison for tenfala day.

Aunty Mary Helpem Mi

Aunty Mary storyim biliv bilong hem long mi and hem start for preach long olketa neiba. Wanday mitufala go long study bilong hem. Hem study witim man wea tekem buk The New World. * Waef sei hasband bilong hem wekap full naet for readim datfala buk. Nomata mi no laek for duim eni samting saed long religion, mi interest long wanem mi lanem. Mi luksavve olketa Witness teachim tru samting and olketa nao tru Christian bikos pipol againstim olketa.

Olsem example, wanday taem mitufala aunty Mary go bak long haos, mitufala faendem hao olketa nara aunty bilong mi bonem olketa buk witim samfala samting wea Mary iusim for duim preaching waka. Mi kros tumas long wanem olketa duim, bat nara aunty tok olsem long mi: “Taem iu big bae iu luksavve gud samting nao mifala duim for iu.”

Long 1943, famili raosem aunty Mary bikos hem gohed strong long biliv bilong hem and no stop for preach long olketa neiba. Nomata olketa duim datwan long hem, mi hapi tumas bikos mi lanem nem bilong God hem Jehovah and hem lovem iumi, tingim iumi, and no bonem man long hell. Nomata mi no attendim eni meeting yet, mi savve Jehovah garem organization wea evriwan lovem each other.

Long wanfala day taem mi brasim grass, tufala man kam long car and askem mi sapos mi nao Fred. Taem mi faendaot tufala hia Jehovah’s Witness, mi talem tufala for mifala go long difren ples for story. Aunty Mary nao talem tufala for kam visitim mi. Nem bilong wanfala hem Shield Toutjian, wea hem traveling overseer. Hem encouragem and strongim mi. From mi defendim biliv bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, famili againstim mi tu.

Aunty Mary stap long Virginia. Hem raet kam long mi and sei sapos mi disaed for worshipim Jehovah mi savve go stap witim hem, so mi disaed for go. Long wanfala evening long October 1943, mi putim tu-thri samting wea mi needim long box and taengem long tree wea stap farawe lelebet from haos. Long next day mi tekem datfala box and followim road bihaen long haos bilong neiba for go long taon. Taem mi kasem datfala taon  Roanoke, mi lukim aunty Mary long haos bilong Edna Fowlkes.

Mi Lane Abaotem Jehovah, Baptaes, Then Waka Long Bethel

Edna hem anointed sista wea kaen tumas. Hem olsem Lydia bifor. Hem rentim wanfala big haos and letem waef bilong brata bilong hem witim tufala gele bilong hem and aunty Mary for stap witim hem. Gogo tufala gele hia, Gladys and Grace Gregory, kamap missionary. Gladys hem winim 90 year and hem gohed faithful and stap yet long Japan branch.

From mi stap long haos bilong Edna, mi savve go long olketa meeting and start for duim preaching waka. No eniwan stopem mi for studyim Bible and go long olketa meeting and datwan mekem mi for savve gud long Jehovah. Mi baptaes long June 14, 1944. Mary, Gladys, and Grace start for pioneer and acceptim assignment for go long north Virginia. Olketa barava help for startim wanfala kongregeson long Leesburg. Long start bilong 1946, mi start for pioneer long wanfala ples wea no farawe tumas from olketa. Long sem year, mifala go tugeta for attendim international convention long Cleveland, Ohio, wea kamap long August 4 go kasem August 11. Mifala nating forgetim datfala convention.

Long datfala convention, Brata Nathan Knorr wea leadim waka long organization, storyim plan bilong Brooklyn Bethel for wakem building for olketa Bethelite stap and mekem printery for kamap big. Olketa needim staka young brata for help, so mi disaed for raetem application for waka long there. Tu-thri month bihaen, mi start waka long Bethel long December 1, 1946.

Samting olsem wan year bihaen, Max Larson wea overseer long printery kam long ples wea mi waka long Mailing Department. Hem sei mi kasem assignment for waka long Service Department. Taem mi duim datfala waka, mi lanem staka samting abaotem olketa Bible principle and hao organization bilong God hem waka. Mi lanem staka samting from overseer bilong mi, Thomas Sullivan.

Samfala taem dadi bilong mi kam lukim mi long Bethel. Gogo hem interest long religion. Long last visit bilong hem long 1965, hem sei long mi: “Iu savve kam visitim mi, bat mi les for kam visitim iu moa long hia.” Mi go lukim hem tu-thri taem bifor hem dae. Dadi tingse hem bae go long heven bat mi garem hope hem bae laef bak long Paradaes long earth sapos Jehovah tingim hem.

 Olketa Convention and Construction Waka wea Mi No Forgetim

Olketa convention evritaem strongim mi for gohed duim waka for Jehovah and for helpem staka pipol for kam insaed long kongregeson tu. Olketa international convention wea kamap long olketa year bihaen 1950 long Yankee Stadium, New York barava helpem staka pipol. Long international convention long 1958, samting olsem 253,922 pipol from 123 kantri hipap long Yankee Stadium and Polo Grounds. Mi nating forgetim samting wea happen long datfala convention. Taem mi waka long convention office, Brata Knorr kwiktaem kam long mi. Hem sei: “Fred, mi forget for markem brata for givim tok for olketa pioneer. Hao, iu savve go distaem and givim tok for olketa? Storyim eni samting wea iu tingim nomoa. Olketa hipap long wanfala hall wea olketa rentim.” Taem mi ran go, mi prea staka taem. Mi short wind nao taem mi kasem long there.

From staka niu kongregeson kamap long New York City long olketa year bilong 1950 and 1960, olketa hall wea olketa brata rentim for meeting hem no garem inaf spes. So from 1970 go kasem 1990, olketa peim and fixim thrifala building long Manhattan for olketa brata iusim for meeting. Mi chairman long building komiti wea lukaftarem datfala project. Jehovah blessim olketa kongregeson wea waka hard for peim olketa material and wea wakem olketa building hia. Olketa iusim olketa Kingdom Hall hia kam kasem distaem.

Samfala Change Kamap Long Laef

Wanday taem mi wakabaot go long printery, hem start for rain. Mi lukim naesbola sista wea waka long Bethel wakabaot tu, bat hem no garem ambrela. So mi talem hem for mitufala kava long ambrela bilong mi. Hem nao hao mi meetim Marjorie. Mitufala marit long 1960 and gohed worshipim Jehovah kam kasem distaem. Long September 2010, hem mek-50 year wea mitufala marit.

No longtaem bihaen mitufala marit, Brata Knorr sei mi kasem assignment for teach long Gilead Skul. Datwan hem spesol privilege! From 1961 go kasem 1965, staka long branch nao attendim Gilead Skul. Skul hem winim 5 month bikos olketa kasem training long hao for lukaftarem olketa branch. Bihaen 1965, Gilead Skul hem for 5 month and olketa gohed for lanem olketa brata and sista for kamap missionary.

Long 1972, mi kasem assignment for  kamap overseer long Writing Correspondence Department. Wei for duim research for ansarem olketa kwestin and problem wea pipol garem helpem mi for minim gud olketa teaching insaed Bible and hao for helpem narawan for followim olketa Bible principle.

Long 1987, mi kasem assignment for waka long niu department long Bethel wea hem nao Hospital Information Services. Olketa elder long Hospital Liaison Komiti kasem training long hao for explainim long olketa doctor, judge, and narawan why olketa Witness no tekem blood. Wanfala big problem kamap bikos olketa doctor givim blood long olketa pikinini bilong iumi. Plande taem kot letem olketa doctor for givim blood nomata olketa no askem dadi and mami.

Taem mifala askem doctor for iusim difren treatment, plande taem doctor sei hem no garem eni nara treatment or treatment hem expensive. So mi savve sei long doctor: “Plis showim hand bilong iu.” Taem hem showim hand bilong hem, mi sei: “Iu savve, hand bilong iu nao hem best tul for iusim winim wei for givim blood.” Doctor hapi for herem datwan. Hem luksavve hem mas careful taem hem iusim naef for operate mekem staka blood no aot from body.

Long 20 year wea go pas, Jehovah barava blessim olketa brata wea waka hard for lanem olketa doctor and judge. Olketa doctor and judge garem difren tingting taem olketa savve why olketa Witness no tekem blood. Olketa luksavve olketa difren kaen treatment barava helpem pipol and staka hospital and doctor distaem willing for helpem man wea no laek for tekem blood.

Start long 1996, mitufala Marjorie waka long Watchtower Educational Center long Patterson, New York wea stap samting olsem 110 kilometer north long Brooklyn. Mi waka for lelebet taem long Service Department and then mi waka for teachim olketa brata wea waka long branch and duim traveling waka. Long 12-fala year wea go pas, mi overseer moa long Writing Correspondence Department wea stap long Patterson distaem.

Samfala Hard Samting wea Mi Kasem From Mi Olo

From mi winim 80 year distaem, hem no isi for duim samfala waka long Bethel. For 10-fala year finis mi garem cancer. Mi feel olsem Hezekiah wea askem Jehovah for mekem hem stap laef for samfala year moa. (Isa. 38:5) Waef bilong mi sik tu. Distaem hem garem Alzheimer’s so hem no savve rememberim staka samting. Nomata olsem, hem faithful for stap witim mi. Bifor Marjorie kasem datfala sik, hem waka hard for Jehovah and givim gudfala advaes long olketa young wan. Hem evritaem studyim Bible and teachim pipol long gudfala wei. Kam kasem distaem, staka study bilong hem wea kamap Witness savve ringim mifala or raetem leta long mifala.

Aunty Mary dae long March 2010. Hem 87 year. Hem teachim olketa Bible study bilong hem long gudfala wei and helpem staka for worshipim Jehovah. Hem duim full-taem service for plande year. Mi hapi tumas bikos hem helpem mi savve long tru samting long Bible and for worshipim Jehovah tu. Grev bilong aunty Mary hem stap saed long grev bilong hasband bilong hem. Hasband bilong hem missionary long Israel bifor. Nomata aunty Mary dae, mi savve Jehovah bae rememberim hem and mekem hem laef bak long future.

Mi worshipim Jehovah for winim 67 year and mi thankiu long wei wea hem blessim mi. Mi hapi tumas for duim wanem Jehovah laekem. Mi trustim Jehovah bikos hem kaen tumas and mi hope for kasem sem samting wea Jesus promisim taem hem sei: “Eniwan wea lusim haos or olketa brata or sista or dadi or mami or pikinini or olketa garden bikos hem wanfala disaepol bilong mi, bae kasem bak staka samting winim wanem olketa lusim, and tu, bae olketa kasem laef olowe.”—Matt. 19:29.

[Footnote]

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Long cotton farm bilong grani long Georgia, America, long 1928

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Aunty Mary and uncle Talmadge

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Mary, Gladys, and Grace

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Mi baptaes long June 14, 1944

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Long Service Department long Bethel

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Mi and Mary long international convention long 1958

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Taem mitufala marit

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Mitufala Marjorie long 2008