LONG 1926, mi born long wanfala smol vilij long Karítsa long Greece. Mifala eitfala pikinini, and mi nao mek-seven. Dadi and mami bilong mi pipol for waka.

Long 1925, dadi and mami bilong mi meetim John Papparizos, wea hem wanfala Bible Student (nem bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bifor) wea strong for preach and hem man for story. Tufala barava interest long story bilong John abaotem Bible, so tufala start for attendim olketa meeting bilong olketa Bible Student long vilij bilong mifala. Mami bilong mi garem strongfala faith long Jehovah God, and nomata hem no savve read gud, hem no hol bak for story long olketa narawan abaotem wanem hem bilivim. Bat dadi bilong mi feel nogud long wik point bilong olketa narawan and gogo hem stop for go long olketa meeting.

Mifala olketa pikinini tinghae long Bible, bat taem mifala growap mifala interest nao long olketa samting wea olketa young wan laekem. Then long 1939, taem World War II kasem Europe, wanfala samting happen long vilij bilong mifala wea mekem mifala seke. Wanfala kasin bilong mifala wea just baptaes, wea nem bilong hem Nicolas Psarras hem 20 year nomoa, and hem stap klosap long mifala. Gavman sei hem mas joinim army bilong Greece. Nicolas no fraet for sei olsem long olketa bigman bilong army: “Mi bae no joinim army bikos mi wanfala soldia bilong Christ.” So olketa kotem hem and sei hem mas stap long prison for tenfala year. Mifala sapraes tumas long datwan!

Long start bilong 1941, olketa kantri wea faet againstim Germany kam long Greece for lelebet taem, and datwan mekem Nicolas kamap free from prison. Hem kam bak long Karítsa and big brata bilong mi, Ilias, askem hem staka kwestin abaotem Bible. Mi tu interest tumas long story bilong tufala. Bihaen, Ilias, mi, and lastborn sista bilong mifala, Efmorfia, start  for studyim Bible, and mifala evritaem attendim olketa meeting bilong olketa Witness. Long 1942, mifala thrifala dedicate long Jehovah and baptaes. Gogo, nara tufala brata and tufala sista bilong mi kamap olketa Witness tu.

Long 1942, Karítsa Kongregeson garem naenfala young wan wea age bilong olketa hem 15 year go kasem 25 year. Mifala savve bae mifala kasem samfala barava hard taem. So mifala savve hipap tugeta for studyim Bible, singim olketa Kingdom song, and prea. Datwan barava strongim faith bilong mifala.

Taem World War II hem gogo for finis, pipol bilong Greece wea sapotim olketa communist faet againstim gavman, and diswan mekem wanfala war kamap long Greece. Olketa militant bilong olketa Communist hia go long evri vilij for forcem pipol for joinim olketa. Taem olketa attakim vilij bilong mifala, olketa tekem mi, Antonio Tsoukaris, and Ilias. Mifala talem olketa mifala olketa Christian wea no teksaed bat olketa forcem mifala for march go long Maunt Olympus, and mifala mas wakabaot 12-fala hour for kasem long there.

No longtaem bihaen, wanfala militant sei mifala mas joinim wanfala grup wea go for distroem olketa ples. Taem mifala talem hem olketa tru Christian mas no faet long war, hem kros fogud and tekem mifala go long wanfala bigman bilong olketa. Taem mifala talem sem samting long bigman hia, hem sei: “Sapos olsem, iufala tekem wanfala donkey and karem olketa wea garekil go long hospital.”

Mifala sei: “Bat sapos olketa soldia bilong gavman kasholem mifala, bae olketa sei mifala olketa militant.” Hem sei: “Sapos olsem, iufala tekem bred go for olketa wea faet.” Mifala sei: “Bat sapos eni militant lukim mifala witim wanfala donkey, bae hem talem mifala for tekem olketa gun for olketa wea faet.” Datfala bigman hem tingting raonem wanem mifala talem, then hem sei: “Ating bae sheepsheep nomoa iufala fit for lukaftarem! Iufala stap long disfala maunten and lukaftarem olketa sheepsheep.”

From konsens bilong mifala letem mifala for duim datwan, mifala lukaftarem olketa sheepsheep taem datfala war hem gohed. Bihaen wanfala year, olketa letem Ilias for go hom for lukaftarem mami bilong mifala wea hem widow bikos hem nao first boy long famili. Antonio hem sik so olketa letem hem go bak. Bat mi olketa no letem mi for go bak.

Long datfala taem, army bilong gavman hem klosap for winim olketa militant hia. So datfala grup wea kasholem mi ranawe go long olketa maunten klosap long Albania. Taem mifala klosap kasem border, olketa soldia bilong gavman olketa raonem mifala. Olketa militant fraet and olketa ranawe. Mi haed bihaen wanfala tree wea foldaon. Then samting wea happen long mi nao mi storyim finis.

Taem mi talem olketa soldia hia olketa militant nao kasholem mi, olketa tekem mi go long wanfala army camp klosap long Véroia, wea hem nao Beroea bifor, datfala taon wea Bible story abaotem. Olketa sei mi mas digim olketa drain for olketa soldia haed insaed. Taem mi sei bae mi no duim datwan, komanda givim order for olketa tekem mi go long Makrónisos (Makronisi) prison, wea hem wanfala island.

Makrónisos Island hem stap long area long Attica and hem samting olsem 50 kilometer from Athens. Hem no garem eni wata and hem hot fogud. Long bilong datfala island hem 13 kilometer nomoa and waed bilong hem 2.5 kilometer. Bat long olketa year start long 1947 go kasem 1958, winim 100,000 prisoner nao stap long datfala island. Olketa prisoner hia hem olketa communist and olketa wea gavman tingse olketa communist, olketa wea faet againstim gavman, and staka faithful Witness bilong Jehovah.

Taem mi kasem long there long start bilong 1949, olketa putim olketa prisoner long olketa difren camp. Olketa putim mi witim tu-thri handred man long wanfala camp wea security no taet tumas. Samting olsem 40-fala man nao mifala skwis insaed wanfala tent wea fitim 10-fala man and mifala sleep long graon nomoa. Wata wea mifala drinkim hem dirty and smel nogud and staka taem mifala kaikaim lentil and eggplant. Dust and wind mekem man feel nogud tumas. Bat gud samting nao olketa no forcem mifala for karekare ston, wea hem samting wea olketa savve forcem samfala prisoner for duim and diswan barava spoelem feeling and health bilong olketa.

Wantaem mi wakabaot long saedsea and mi meetim samfala Witness from olketa nara camp. Mifala hapi tumas for mifala story tugeta! Mifala arrange for meet long olketa narataem moa, bat mifala mas barava careful mekem olketa no faendaot abaotem mifala. And tu, mifala mas barava careful taem mifala preach long olketa nara prisoner. Bihaen, samfala long olketa kamap olketa Witness bilong Jehovah. Olketa samting hia wea mifala duim and wei for prea strong long Jehovah hem strongim mifala.

Bihaen tenfala month wea mi stap long datfala island, olketa tingse bae mi changem tingting bilong mi and joinim army. Taem mi talem olketa bae mi no duim datwan, olketa sendem mi long komanda bilong datfala camp. Mi givim hem wanfala pepa wea mi raetem disfala toktok long hem: “Mi wanfala soldia bilong Christ nomoa.” Bihaen hem sei bae hem killim mi, datfala komanda sendem mi go long mek-tu komanda. Hem archbishop bilong Greek Orthodox Church and hem werem full lotu uniform bilong hem. Taem mi no fraet for iusim Bible for ansarem olketa kwestin bilong hem, hem kros and sei: “Tekem man ia go. Hem wanfala krangge man!”

Long next morning, olketa soldia talem mi moa for joinim army. Taem mi talem olketa bae mi no duim datwan, olketa hitim mi and whipim mi witim kwinhet. Then olketa tekem mi go long hospital bilong camp for chekim sapos eni bon bilong mi hem brek, bihaen olketa tekem mi go bak long tent bilong mi. Olketa duim diswan long mi evriday for tufala month.

Olketa soldia hia barava kros and traem nara samting moa bikos mi no duim wanem olketa laekem. Olketa taengem hand bilong mi long baksaed bilong mi, and olketa iusim olketa rope for whipim andanit long leg bilong mi. Nomata datwan hem soa tumas, mi tingim disfala toktok bilong Jesus: “Pipol bae tok daonem and spoelem iufala and talem enikaen nogud samting abaotem iufala wea no tru. Nomata olsem, iufala bae hapi nomoa. Iufala mas barava hapi bikos iufala bae kasem bigfala blessing long heven. Olketa spoelem olketa profet bifor long sem wei tu.” (Matt. 5:11, 12) Olketa whipim mi gogo mi hafded nao.

Taem mi wekap, mi insaed wanfala cell wea hem cold tumas. Mi no garem blanket, wata, or bred. Nomata olsem, mi garem peace long heart bilong mi. Olsem Bible talem, ‘peace bilong God nao hem gaedem heart and tingting bilong mi.’ (Phil. 4:7) Long next day, wanfala soldia kaen tumas and givim mi bred, wata, and wanfala coat. Then nara soldia givim mi kaikai bilong hem. Mi luksavve Jehovah lukaftarem mi long staka difren wei olsem.

Olketa bigman long army ting long mi olsem wanfala bighed man and olketa tekem mi go long Athens long wanfala kot bilong army. Olketa sei mi mas stap long prison for 3-fala year and sendem mi go long prison long Yíaros (Gyaros), wanfala island wea stap samting olsem 50 kilometer long east long Makrónisos.

Yíaros prison hem wanfala bigfala building wea olketa wakem from red brik, and winim 5,000 prisoner wea stap insaed hem olketa wea tok againstim gavman. And tu, sevenfala Witness bilong Jehovah stap long there bikos olketa no teksaed. Mifala savve haed for studyim Bible tugeta nomata olketa stopem datwan. Mifala savve kasem tu samfala copy bilong  Wastaoa wea samfala givim haed kam for mifala, and mifala savve raetem olketa copy for studyim.

Wantaem wea mifala study haed wanfala security gard long prison lukim mifala and tekem olketa buk bilong mifala. Olketa tekem mifala go long office bilong deputy bilong bigman long prison, and mifala tingse bae olketa talem mifala for stap long prison for samfala year moa. Bat deputy hia sei: “Mifala savve hu nao iufala, and mifala respectim disison bilong iufala. And mifala savve mifala fit for trustim iufala. Iufala go waka nao.” Hem givim tu samfala long mifala olketa isi waka for duim. Mifala barava hapi tumas bikos nomata mifala long prison, wei wea mifala no teksaed hem mekem Jehovah kasem praise.

Narafala gud samting tu kamaot from wei wea mifala gohed strong. Wanfala professor bilong maths wea prisoner tu, hem lukim gudfala wei bilong mifala and askem mifala abaotem biliv bilong mifala. Taem mifala olketa Witness kamaot from prison long 1951, datfala man hem kamaot tu. Bihaen, hem kamap wanfala Witness and hem duim full-taem service.

Taem mi kamaot from prison, mi go bak long famili bilong mi long Karítsa. Bihaen, staka pipol long Greece muv go long Melbourne, long Australia, and mi muv go tu. Long Australia, mi maritim wanfala naesfala sista wea nem bilong hem Jannette, and mitufala garem wanfala boy and thrifala gele, wea mifala teachim truth long olketa.

Distaem, mi winim 90 year nao, and mi still wanfala elder. From olketa killim mi nogud long prison, samfala taem body and leg bilong mi savve soa, especially bihaen mi kam bak from preaching waka. Nomata olsem, mi gohed strong yet olsem wanfala “soldia bilong Christ.”—2 Tim. 2:3.