UNCLE bilong mi, Nikolai Dubovinsky, hem iusim laef bilong hem for duim waka bilong Jehovah. Tu-thri year bifor hem dae, hem raet abaotem olketa gud samting wea happen long hem and olketa hard samting tu. Staka long olketa samting hia hem happen taem gavman tambuim waka bilong iumi long Soviet Union, wea distaem hem Russia. Nomata hem kasem olketa hard samting, hem gohed faithful and barava enjoyim laef. Plande taem Uncle Nikolai sei hem laekem olketa young wan for herem story bilong hem, so iumi bae readim samfala samting wea hem raetem abaotem laef bilong hem. Hem born long 1926 long wanfala poor famili long Podvirivka vilij, long Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine.

Uncle Nikolai hem sei: “Wanday long 1941, big brata bilong mi, Ivan, hem tekem kam samfala buk long haos. Olketa buk hia nao The Harp of God and The Divine Plan of the Ages, samfala Watchtower magasin, and tu-thri buklet, and mi readim evriwan. Mi barava sapraes for savve Devil nao bihaenem evri nogud samting wea happen long world, and no God. Bihaen, mi readim tu olketa Gospel, and mi luksavve mi faendem truth nao. Mi hapi tumas for storyim gud nius abaotem Kingdom long olketa narawan. Taem mi gohed studyim olketa pablikeson hia, mi lanem olketa tru teaching long Bible and mi laekem tumas for worshipim Jehovah.

“Mi luksavve bae mi kasem hard taem bikos long wanem mi bilivim. War hem gohed and mi disaed finis bae mi no killim dae eniwan. For redyim miseleva for olketa hard taem wea bae kamap, mi start for baeheartim olketa scripture olsem Matthew 10:28 and 26:52. Mi disaed strong for gohed faithful long Jehovah, nomata maet gogo mi mas dae for faith bilong mi!

“Long 1944 taem mi 18 year, gavman talem mi for joinim army. Evriwan wea gavman markem olketa mas hipap long wanfala ples and long there nao hem firstaem for mi meetim olketa nara brata. Mi and evri brata hia talem stret long olketa bigman bae mifala no joinim war. Olketa bigman kros fogud and sei olketa bae no givim kaikai long mifala, bae olketa forcem mifala for digim olketa hol, and maet olketa sutim mifala. Mifala no fraet and sei: ‘Mifala long hand bilong iufala nao. Bat nomata wanem iufala duim long mifala, mifala bae no brekem law bilong God wea sei: “Iu mas no killim man dae.”’—Ex. 20:13.

“Gogo olketa sendem mi and nara tufala brata long Belarus for waka long olketa planteison and for repairim olketa haos. Mi tingim yet olketa barava nogud samting wea mi lukim klosap long Minsk. Olketa tree wea followim road blak from olketa bone, and olketa  dead body bilong olketa man witim horse leidaon long saed road and long bush. Mi lukim olketa wagon and olketa weapon leidaon olobaot, and tu, wanfala aeroplane wea foldaon. Mi lukim witim eye bilong mi olketa nogud samting wea happen taem man brekem law bilong God.

“Nomata war hem finis long 1945, olketa putim mifala long prison and sei mifala mas stap for tenfala year bikos mifala no willing for faet. For thrifala year, mifala no garem eni meeting and no kasem eni spiritual kaikai. Mifala savve raetem leta long samfala sista, bat gogo olketa holem olketa tu and putim olketa long wanfala raf prison for 25 year.

“Olketa aotem mifala nomoa long 1950 and mifala go bak long hom. Taem mi long prison, mami bilong mi and smol sista bilong mi, Maria, tufala study and baptaes! Thrifala big brata bilong mi gohed for studyim Bible. From mi gohed for preach, police laek for putim mi long prison moa. Then olketa brata wea lukaftarem waka askem mi for help for wakem haed olketa pablikeson bilong iumi. Long datfala taem mi 24 year nomoa.”

“Olketa Witness savve sei, ‘Sapos Kingdom waka hem tambu long ples wea pipol savve lukim, bae hem gohed long ples wea pipol no savve lukim.’ (Prov. 28:28) Long datfala taem, mifala printim haed staka buk long olketa rum wea stap insaed long graon long olketa difren ples. Firstfala rum wea mi waka long hem, hem insaed long graon andanit long haos bilong big brata bilong mi, Dmitry. Samfala taem mi no kamaot from datfala rum for tufala week. Sapos kerosene laet bilong mi hem dae bikos no eni air, mi leidaon and  weit go kasem taem rum hem fulap long fresh air moa.

“Wanday, brata wea mi waka witim, hem askem mi, ‘Waswe Nikolai, iu baptaes finis?’ Nomata mi worshipim Jehovah for 11 year finis, mi no baptaes yet. So long datfala naet, hem story witim mi, and mi baptaes long wanfala lake. Mi 26 year long datfala taem. Thrifala year bihaen, mi kasem samfala privilege moa taem mi member long Kantri Komiti. Long datfala taem olketa brata wea free kasem assignment for duim waka bilong olketa wea stap long prison mekem Kingdom waka gohed.”

“For printim haed olketa buk long rum insaed long graon hem barava hard winim wei for stap long prison! For mekem police no luksavve long wanem mi duim, mi no savve go long olketa meeting for sevenfala year, so for mi gohed strong mi mas study seleva. Mi savve lukim famili bilong mi taem mi nao go visitim olketa, bat mi no savve duim datwan staka taem. Nomata olsem, olketa minim waka wea mi duim, and datwan barava encouragem mi. From mi wari nogud olketa kasholem mi, mi mas evritaem careful, and datwan mekem mi start for lusim strong bilong mi. Enitaem nomoa samting savve happen. Olsem example, wanfala evening tufala policeman kam long haos wea mi stap. Mi jamp aot long window bihaen long haos and ran go long bush. Mi kamaot long wanfala klia area and mi herem saond olsem whistle. Taem mi herem olketa gun bosta, mi luksavve datfala saond wea mi herem hem olketa bullet! Wanfala policeman hem aftarem mi long wanfala horse, and gohed sutsut followim mi go kasem taem evri bullet bilong hem finis. Wanfala bullet hem kasem hand bilong mi. Gogo, bihaen hem aftarem mi for faev kilometer, mi ranawe and haed long bush nao. Bihaen, taem olketa tekem mi go long kot, olketa sei olketa trae for sutim mi 32 taems!

“Body bilong mi hem white tumas bikos staka taem mi stap insaed long graon. Diswan mekem hem isi for pipol luksavve long wanem mi duim. So mi trae for go aotsaed long sun. Disfala waka spoelem health bilong mi tu. Wantaem mi no savve go long wanfala important meeting witim olketa nara brata bikos blood hem ran kamaot from nose and mouth bilong mi.”

“Olketa police holem mi long January 26, 1957. Sixfala month bihaen, Supreme Kot long Ukraine judgem case bilong mi and sei olketa bae sutim mi dae. Bat bikos law long kantri hem change, olketa changem datfala judgment and sei bae mi go long prison for 25 year. Kot sendem eitfala long mifala long olketa raf prison long Mordvinia wea samting  olsem 500 Witness stap finis. Mifala hipap long olketa smol grup long ples wea haed for studyim Wastaoa magasin. Wanfala prison gard hem lukluk long samfala magasin bilong mifala wea olketa faendem and tekem, and hem sei: ‘Sapos iu gohed readim olketa magasin hia, no eni samting bae spoelem faith bilong iu!’ Mifala evritaem waka hard, and plande taem mifala duim waka wea olketa no askem mifala for duim tu. Nomata olsem, bigman bilong prison hem sei: ‘Waka wea iufala duim hem nating important. Mifala laekem iufala for sapotim mifala nomoa.’”

Taem Uncle Nikolai hem aot from datfala prison long 1967, hem help for organizem olketa kongregeson long Estonia and long St. Petersburg, Russia. Long 1991, kot luksavve firstfala disison bilong olketa long 1957 hem no stret bikos olketa no garem eni pruv for showimaot uncle bilong mi brekem law. Long datfala taem, kot luksavve disison bilong olketa hem rong and staka Witness wea safa no guilty long eni samting. Long 1996, Nikolai muv go long Velikiye Luki long Pskov Oblast, wea hem samting olsem 500 kilometer from St. Petersburg. Hem peim wanfala smol haos, and long 2003 olketa wakem Kingdom Hall insaed area bilong hem. Distaem, tufala kongregeson sharem datfala Kingdom Hall.

Mi witim hasband bilong mi waka long branch office bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Russia. Long March 2011, tu-thri month bifor Uncle Nikolai hem dae, hem visitim mitufala. Hem talem samting wea mekem mitufala tingting. Eye bilong hem shaen taem hem sei: “From wanem mi lukim, luk olsem mek-seven day bilong olketa for march raonem Jericho hem start finis.” (Josh. 6:15) Hem 85 year long datfala taem. Nomata laef bilong hem no isi, hem sei: “Mi barava hapi mi disaed for servem Jehovah taem mi young! No enitaem mi sorre long disison bilong mi!”