Winston, storyim kam hao nao gogo iu savve long God?

Mi growap long wanfala farm long Queensland, Australia, famili bilong mi olketa no lotu. From mifala stap seleva, mi no meetim staka pipol. Taem mi samting olsem 12 year, mi start for lukaotem God. Mi prea long hem and ask for savve long truth abaotem hem. Gogo, mi lusim farm and mi go waka long Adelaide, South Australia. Taem mi 21 year, mi meetim Pam taem mi go holiday long Sydney, and hem story abaotem wanfala religion wea olketa kolem British-Israel movement. Datfala religion bilivim hao pipol long Britain kam from olketa tribe bilong Israel wea lus bifor. And tu, datfala religion sei olketa nao tribe wea lus, wea hem nao ten tribe kingdom long north wea kamap olsem prisoner long mek-eit century B.C.E. So taem mi go bak long Adelaide, mi storyim datwan long wanfala man wea mitufala waka tugeta, wea hem start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Bihaen mitufala story for tu-thri hour abaotem wanem olketa Witness bilivim, mi luksavve diswan hem ansa for prea bilong mi taem mi smol. Mi hapi for lanem truth abaotem Creator bilong mi and Kingdom bilong hem! Mi faendem nao “pearl wea hem gud tumas.”—Matt. 13:45, 46.

Pam, iu tu start for lukaotem datfala pearl taem iu young. Hao nao gogo iu faendem?

Famili bilong mifala stap long Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and olketa strong long religion bilong olketa. Parents bilong mi and olketa grani bilong mi olketa bilivim olketa teaching bilong datfala British-Israel movement. Mi witim smol brata bilong mi, big sista bilong mi, and olketa nara kasin bilong mi, mifala growap insaed famili wea teachim hao God favorim nomoa pipol wea kam from Britain. Bat, mi nating agree witim olketa biliv hia and mi no feel klos long God. Taem mi 14 year, mi go long olketa difren church olsem Anglican, Baptist,  and Seventh-day Adventist. Bat olketa church hia nating helpem mi for savve long God.

Famili bilong mi muv go long Sydney, and long there nao mi meetim Winston taem hem kam holiday. Olsem hem storyim finis, story bilong mitufala abaotem religion hem lead go long wei for hem start study witim olketa Witness. Bihaen datwan, hem savve raetem kam olketa leta long mi and insaed leta bilong hem garem staka scripture! For tok stret, firstaem mi wari and mi feel nogud lelebet long datwan. Bat gogo mi luksavve maet diswan nao hem truth.

Long 1962, mi muv go long Adelaide mekem mi stap klosap long Winston. Hem mekem arrangement for mi stap witim wanfala Witness couple, Thomas and Janice Sloman, wea serve olsem missionary bifor long Papua New Guinea. Tufala barava kaen long mi. Long datfala taem mi 18 year nomoa, and tufala barava helpem mi long spiritual saed. So mi tu start for studyim Bible, and kwiktaem nomoa mi barava sure mi faendem truth nao. Bihaen mitufala Winston marit, mitufala stretawe disaed for givim full laef bilong mitufala for duim waka bilong Jehovah wea mekem mitufala kasem staka blessing. Nomata mitufala kasem difren kaen hard taem, disfala waka helpem mitufala for tinghae long datfala nambawan pearl wea mitufala faendem.

Winston, talem mifala abaotem olketa first year wea iutufala insaed full-taem service.

No longtaem bihaen mitufala Pam marit, Jehovah start for ‘openem samfala bigfala door’ for mitufala duim olketa waka bilong hem. (1 Cor. 16:9, ftn.) Brata Jack Porter, wea serve olsem circuit overseer for smol kongregeson bilong mifala, hem story abaotem first door. (Distaem hem Branch Komiti member bilong Australasia branch.) Jack and waef bilong hem, Roslyn, encouragem mitufala for regular pioneer. Mitufala enjoyim pioneer waka for 5 year. Taem mi 29 year, olketa askem mitufala Pam for duim circuit waka long samfala island long South Pacific, wea long datfala taem Fiji branch nao lukaftarem. Olketa island hia nao American Samoa, Samoa, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Long datfala taem, pipol long samfala island wea stap farawe savve fraetem lelebet Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, so mifala mas wise and garem gudfala tingting. (Matt. 10:16) Olketa kongregeson hem smol nomoa and samfala no fit for provaedem accomodation for mitufala. So mitufala savve askem olketa pipol long vilij sapos olketa garem eni ples for mitufala stap. Olketa evritaem kaen long mitufala.

Winston, mifala savve iu interest long transleison waka, why nao iu interest long datwan?

Long datfala taem, olketa brata long Tonga garem samfala tract and buklet nomoa long languis bilong olketa. Long ministry, olketa iusim nomoa English buk wea garem title, The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life for study witim pipol. So taem skul bilong olketa elder hem kamap for fofala week, thrifala elder wea savve lelebet nomoa long English agree for transleitim datfala buk go long languis long Tonga. Datfala project hem gohed for samting olsem eit-fala week. Pam typem datfala transleison, and mifala sendem long United States branch for olketa printim. Nomata datfala transleison hem no mas gud, datfala buk helpem staka pipol wea story long languis long Tonga for lanem truth. Mitufala Pam no waka olsem transleita, bat datfala experience mekem mitufala for barava interest long datfala waka.

Pam, hao nao laef long olketa island taem iu comparem witim laef long Australia?

Hem barava difren! Depend long ples wea mitufala stap, hem savve hot and man savve swet tumas, olketa garem staka moskito, rat, olketa difren kaen sik, and samfala taem mitufala no garem inaf kaikai. Mitufala mas deal witim evri samting hia. Nomata olsem, long end bilong each day mitufala barava enjoyim wei for sidaon insaed fale, leaf haos bilong olketa long Samoa wea no garem walling, and lukluk go long sea. Samfala naet moon barava shaen braet and mitufala savve lukim klia leaf bilong olketa kokonat. Long olketa taem olsem, hem barava spesol tumas long mitufala. Datwan savve mekem mitufala for ting raonem olketa samting and prea, and datwan helpem mitufala  for tingim olketa gud samting wea mitufala kasem winim wei for tingim olketa hard samting wea mitufala mas deal witim.

Mitufala laekem tumas and enjoyim wei bilong olketa pikinini. From mitufala whiteman, olketa interest tumas for followim mitufala. Taem mitufala visitim Niue, wanfala smol boy tasim hand bilong Winston wea garem staka hair and hem sei, “Mi laekem olketa feather bilong iu.” Masbi, no enitaem hem lukim kaen hand olsem and hem no savve wanem nao datwan!

Mitufala sorre for lukim hao laef bilong pipol hem no isi. Olketa garem naes ples, bat olketa no garem inaf wata and saed long medical hem no mas gud. Nomata olsem, olketa brata and sista bilong iumi no barava wari bikos olketa getius long kaen laef olsem. Olketa hapi for stap tugeta witim famili bilong olketa, and olketa hapi bikos olketa garem ples for worship and privilege for praisem Jehovah. Example bilong olketa helpem mitufala for luksavve long olketa samting wea barava important and for garem simpol laef.

Pam, taem iu go long wanfala niu ples and iu mas faendem wata and redyim kaikai, hao nao iu deal witim datwan?

Mi barava thankiu long dadi bilong mi bikos hem nao teachim mi long staka samting, olsem hao for wakem fire for kuki and hao for iusim gud lelebet samting wea mi garem. Wantaem, taem mitufala visit long Kiribati, mitufala stap insaed wanfala smol leaf haos wea olketa mekem walling long bambu and floor bilong datfala haos hem gravol. For mi kuki, mi digim hol insaed gravol then mi mekem fire insaed. Mi iusim skin bilong kokonat for firewood. Taem mi go tekem wata, mi laen ap long well witim olketa nara woman tu. For kasem wata insaed well, olketa iusim wanfala stik wea long bilong hem samting olsem 2 meter, and olketa taengem wanfala rope long end, then long end bilong datfala rope olketa taengem wanfala tin. Each woman iusim datfala stik for torowem go daon datfala tin. Taem datfala tin tasim wata olketa kwiktaem pullim datfala stik for mekem tin hia tane and sink go daon insaed wata. Mi tingse hem isi nomoa, bat kasem taem bilong mi for tekem wata mi just luksavve. Mi traem staka taem bat evritaem tin hia banga long wata and float nomoa! Bihaen evriwan dae long laf, then wanfala woman helpem mi. Evritaem olketa pipol hia kaen and willing for help.

Luk olsem iutufala barava laekem assignment bilong iutufala long olketa island. Waswe, iutufala savve storyim kam samfala naes memory bilong iutufala?

Winston: Hem no isi for kwiktaem lanem samfala kastom. Olsem example, taem olketa brata and sista provaedem kaikai, olketa savve givim kam evri kaikai wea olketa redyim. From mitufala no savve mitufala shud leavim samfala kaikai for olketa, mitufala kaikaim evri kaikai wea olketa givim! Bihaen nao mitufala just faendaot, so mitufala savve leavim kaikai for olketa. Nomata mitufala duim kaen samting olsem, olketa brata and sista minim nomoa. And long samting olsem evri six month, olketa savve hapi tumas for lukim mitufala taem mitufala visitim circuit bilong olketa. Long bifor, staka taem mitufala nomoa only Witness from nara ples wea savve go kasem olketa.

Olketa visit bilong mitufala givim gud witness tu long pipol long community. Bikos staka pipol long vilij tingse olketa brata and sista long there startim seleva religion bilong olketa. Bat taem olketa lukim mitufala Pam kam from overseas for visitim olketa brata and sista, olketa just luksavve and barava tinghae.

Pam: Wanfala story wea mi no savve forgetim nao hem taem mitufala stap long Kiribati. Wanfala kongregeson nomoa stap and tu-thri brata and sista nomoa insaed. Olketa garem wanfala elder nomoa wea nem bilong hem Itinikai Matera, and hem traem best for lukaftarem mitufala. Wantaem hem holem kam wanfala basket and wanfala egg nomoa stap insaed. Then hem sei: “Diswan hem for iu.” Long datfala taem hem no isi for kasem egg bilong kokorako, so datwan hem spesol samting. Nomata luk olsem datwan hem smol samting nomoa, wanem hem duim showimaot hem kaen tumas and datwan barava kasem heart bilong mitufala.

 Pam, samfala year bihaen iutufala start for duim circuit waka, pikinini bilong iu dae taem hem no born yet, wanem nao helpem iu for deal witim datwan?

Long 1973 mi babule. Long datfala taem, mitufala Winston long South Pacific. Mitufala disaed for go bak long Australia bat fofala month bihaen baby bilong mitufala hem dae taem hem no born yet. Winston tu barava sorre tumas bikos baby bilong mitufala dae. Isisi sorre wea stap insaed heart bilong mi hem katdaon, bat datfala sorre hem no barava finis go kasem taem mi readim “Kwestin From Reader” insaed Wastaoa bilong April 15, 2009 wea garem disfala kwestin: “Waswe, baby wea dae insaed long bele hem savve laef moa long future?” Datfala article helpem mitufala for barava trustim hao evriting hem long hand bilong Jehovah from hem bae evritaem duim stret samting. Hem bae finisim evri wei for sorre wea iumi kasem from iumi insaed disfala nogud world. Hem bae duim diswan taem hem iusim Son bilong hem for ‘finisim evri samting wea Satan hem duim.’ (1 John 3:8) And tu, datfala article hem olsem wanfala nambawan “pearl” wea helpem mitufala for tinghae go moa long privilege for kamap pipol bilong Jehovah! From mitufala garem hope for future, datwan barava comfortim mitufala.

Bihaen baby bilong mitufala dae, mitufala start moa for duim full-taem service. Mitufala waka samfala month long Australia Bethel, then gogo mitufala duim circuit waka moa. Mitufala duim circuit waka long New South Wales and Sydney for fofala year. Then long 1981, mitufala kasem invitation for waka long Australia branch, wea distaem olketa kolem Australasia branch, and mitufala stap long there kam kasem distaem.

Winston, waswe, samting wea iu experiencem long olketa Island long South Pacific helpem iu taem iu waka olsem member long Australasia Branch Komiti?

Ia, long staka difren wei. First samting, distaem Australia nao lukaftarem American Samoa and Samoa. Mek-tu samting, New Zealand branch join witim Australia. So distaem Australasia branch territory kavarem Australia, American Samoa and Samoa, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, and Tonga. Mi kasem privilege for visitim samfala long olketa island hia taem mi duim waka olsem branch representative. From mi waka tugeta witim olketa faithful brata and sista long olketa island hia bifor, datwan barava helpem mi distaem, taem mi duim waka long branch office for lukaftarem olketa.

From olketa samting wea mitufala seleva experiencem, mi laek for talem hao no olketa wea big finis nomoa savve lukaotem God bat olketa young wan tu laekem datfala “pearl” wea barava gud tumas, nomata olketa nara famili member no interest. (Mektu Kings 5:2, 3; Mektu Kronikols 34:1-3) Iumi savve sure, Jehovah hem God wea garem bigfala love and hem laekem nomata olketa wea olo or young for kasem laef!

Distaem hem winim 50 year finis from taem wea mitufala Pam start for lukaotem God. Mitufala no expectim olketa nambawan samting wea mitufala kasem from datwan. Tru nao, Kingdom truth hem olsem pearl wea barava gud tumas. And mitufala disaed for hol strong long datfala spesol pearl!