OLKETA kolem olketa buk hia, rainbow set. Taem mi lukluk insaed, mi lukim staka interesting piksa. From datwan, nomata mi young yet, olketa buk hia mekem mi start for barava laek savve moa samting abaotem Bible.

Taem World War II start for affectim India, mi feisim wanfala barava hard samting. Dadi and mami separate and bihaen tufala divorce. Mi no minim why tufala wea mi barava lovem, tufala lusim each other. Mi feel sorre tumas and mi ting no eniwan lovem mi. From mi nomoa only pikinini, mi no garem eniwan for comfortim and sapotim mi.

Mi and mami stap long Karachi, kapitol taon bilong datfala province. Wanday, wanfala olo doctor, Fred Hardaker, wea hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, hem kam preach long mifala. Hem and man wea givim olketa buk for mifala, tufala sem religion. Hem ask for studyim Bible witim mami. Mami no laekem, bat hem sei mi nao maet interest. So week bihaen, Brata Hardaker start for study witim mi.

 Tu-thri week bihaen, mi start attendim olketa meeting long clinic bilong Brata Hardaker. Samting olsem 12-fala olo Witness nao savve kam meeting. Olketa comfortim and lukaftarem mi olsem mi pikinini bilong olketa. Mi tingim yet taem olketa savve sidaon for story witim mi olsem gudfala fren. Datwan nao mi barava needim long datfala taem.

No longtaem bihaen, Brata Hardaker invaetem mi for go witim hem long ministry. Hem lanem mi hao for iusim phonograph mekem mi pleim olketa Bible tok. Samfala tok hia barava tok stret and samfala haosholder no laekem. Bat mi hapi tumas for preach long olketa narawan. Mi barava lovem truth insaed Bible and laek for talem long narawan.

Taem army bilong Japan trae for tekovarem India, gavman bilong Britain start for againstim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Gogo, long July 1943 datwan affectim mi tu. Principal long skul bilong mi, wea hem priest bilong Anglican, hem aotem mi from skul from hem sei mi “garem nogud wei.” Hem talem mami hao mi showimaot nogud example for olketa nara student bikos mi associate witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Mami barava kros, so hem stopem mi for associate witim olketa Witness. Bihaen, hem sendem mi go long dadi long Peshawar, taon wea stap samting olsem 1,370 kilometer long north. From mi no kasem eni spiritual kaikai and no associate witim olketa brata and sista, mi wikdaon.

Long 1947, mi kam bak long Karachi for faendem waka. Taem mi long there, mi go visitim Doctor Hardaker long clinic bilong hem. Hem barava welkamim mi.

Hem tingse mi sik, so hem sei: “Wanem kaen sik nao kasem iu?”

Mi sei: “Mi olraet nomoa. Bat mi sik long spiritual wei, and mi laek studyim Bible.”

Hem sei: “Wanem taem nao iu laek start study?”

Mi sei: “Sapos hem fitim distaem nao.”

Long datfala evening mitufala enjoy for studyim Bible. Mi hapi tumas from mi stap moa witim pipol bilong Jehovah. Mami trae for stopem mi for no associate witim olketa Witness, bat mi disaed strong for worshipim Jehovah. Long August 31, 1947, mi dedicate long Jehovah and baptaes. No longtaem bihaen, taem mi 17 year, mi start regular pioneer.

First pioneer assignment hem long Quetta, wea hem wanfala ples wea army bilong Britain stap bifor. Long 1947, India hem divaed long tufala kantri, wanfala hem India and narawan kamap Pakistan. * Datwan mekem pipol long difren religion faetem each other. Winim enitaem long history staka million pipol muv long nara ples. Samting olsem 14 million pipol kamap refugee. Olketa Muslim long India go stap long Pakistan, and olketa Hindu and Sikh long Pakistan go stap long India. Long datfala taem wea trabol kamap long kantri, mi go long train long Karachi for go long Quetta. From train hia fulap long staka pipol, mi hol taet nomoa long rail aotsaed long train go kasem Quetta.

Taem mi stap long Quetta, mi meetim George Singh, wanfala spesol pioneer wea samting olsem 25 year. George givim wanfala old baesikol for mi raedem or pushim long territory wea garem staka hill. Staka taem mi preach seleva nomoa. Insaed six month, mi garem 17 Bible study, and samfala long olketa kam insaed truth. Wanfala Bible student bilong mi hem Sadiq Masih, wea hem wanfala bigman long army. Hem helpem mitufala George for transleitim samfala Bible pablikeson long Urdu languis, wea hem main languis long Pakistan. Gogo, Sadiq kamap strong pablisa for talemaot gud nius.

Bihaen, mi go bak long Karachi and mi waka witim Henry Finch and Harry Forrest, tufala niu missionary wea skul long Gilead. Mi kasem gud training from tufala! Wantaem mi go witim Brata Finch for preach long north saed bilong Pakistan. Long botom bilong olketa big maunten, mifala meetim pipol wea story long Urdu languis and staka barava interest for savve long Bible. Tufala year bihaen, mi tu attendim Gilead Skul, and then mi go bak long Pakistan and serve olsem circuit overseer samfala taem. Mi stap  long missionary hom long Lahore, witim nara thrifala missionary brata.

Sorre samting happen long 1954. Olketa missionary long Lahore no stap gud tugeta, so branch office changem assignment bilong olketa. From mi teksaed insaed datfala raoa, mi kasem strong kaonsel. Mi barava feel nogud, and mi tingse mi no fit nao. So mi go bak long Karachi and then mi go long London, England, mekem mi savve kamap strong moa.

Long London, kongregeson wea mi joinim garem staka Bethelite. Pryce Hughes, wea hem branch servant long datfala taem, trainim mi. Wanday, hem storyim strong kaonsel wea hem kasem from Joseph Rutherford, wea lukaftarem preaching waka evriwea long world long datfala taem. Brata Rutherford tok strong long Brata Hughes from hem trae for defendim hemseleva. Mi sapraes taem mi lukim Brata Hughes smile taem hem storyim datwan. Hem sei firstaem datfala toktok mekem hem feel nogud tumas. Bat bihaen hem luksavve hem needim strong kaonsel and luksavve datwan showimaot love bilong Jehovah. (Heb. 12:6) Samting wea hem talem barava kasem heart bilong mi and helpem mi for hapi moa taem mi worshipim Jehovah.

Long datfala taem tu, mami bilong mi muv go long London and hem willing for studyim Bible witim Brata John Barr, wea bihaen hem kamap member bilong Governing Body. Mami kamap strong long spiritual wei and gogo hem baptaes long 1957. Bihaen, mi just savve hao bifor dadi bilong mi dae, hem tu study witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

Long 1958 mi maritim Lene, wanfala sista from Denmark wea stap long London. Wan year bihaen, mitufala garem wanfala gele, nem bilong hem Jane, and hem nao firstborn long faevfala pikinini bilong mitufala. Mi kasem tu olketa privilege long kongregeson long Fulham. Gogo, from Lene hem sik mifala mas muv go long kantri wea hot lelebet. So long 1967, mifala muv go long Adelaide, long Australia.

Kongregeson bilong mifala long Adelaide garem 12-fala olo anointed Christian. Olketa barava strong for duim preaching waka. Kwiktaem nomoa mifala start for garem gud spiritual schedule.

Long 1979, mitufala Lene garem mek-faev pikinini, wea nem bilong hem Daniel. Hem garem wanfala sik, Down syndrome, * so olketa sei hem bae  no laef longtaem. Nomata distaem hem no isi for mi storyim sorre wea mifala kasem. Mitufala duim evri samting wea mitufala fit for duim for lukaftarem hem, and tu, nara fofala pikinini bilong mitufala. From heart bilong Daniel garem tufala hol, samfala taem hem no savve brith gud and mifala mas tekem hem kwiktaem long hospital. Nomata hem sik, hem kleva and kaen tumas. And tu, hem barava lovem Jehovah. Taem mifala prea for kaikai, hem putim hand bilong hem tugeta, daonem hed bilong hem, and tok big and sei “Amen!” Then hem bae just kaikai.

Taem Daniel foa year, hem garem sik leukemia, wea hem cancer long blood. Mitufala Lene barava taed and wari tumas. And gogo, mi feel olsem mi no wei nao. Bat wanfala taem, mitufala barava feel wikdaon, then circuit overseer bilong mifala, Neville Bromwich, kam lukim mitufala. Long datfala naet, hem hagem mitufala and mifala evriwan krae. Kaenfala toktok and wei wea hem tingim feeling bilong mifala barava comfortim mifala. Hem lusim mifala long wan o’klok long morning. No longtaem bihaen datwan Daniel hem dae. Datwan worse samting wea happen long laef bilong mifala. Nomata olsem, mifala winim datfala sorre wea mifala kasem bikos mifala barava sure nomata dae or eni nara samting, no savve stopem Daniel for kasem love bilong Jehovah. (Rome 8:38, 39) Mifala barava luk forward for stap witim hem taem hem laef bak moa long niu world wea God promisim!—John 5:28, 29.

Distaem, nomata stroke kasem mi tufala taem mi still elder. Samting wea kasem mi helpem mi for kaen and tingim feeling bilong olketa narawan, main wan hem olketa wea kasem olketa hard taem. Mi no laek judgem olketa. Bat mi askem miseleva: ‘Hao nao samting wea olketa feisim long laef affectim tingting and feeling bilong olketa? Hao nao mi savve showimaot mi tingim olketa? Hao nao mi savve encouragem olketa for duim wanem Jehovah laekem?’ Mi barava laek for duim olketa shepherding kol. Tru nao, taem mi comfortim and strongim olketa narawan long spiritual wei, datwan comfortim and strongim mi tu.

Mi garem sem feeling olsem man wea raetem psalm, wea sei: “Taem wea mi barava wari fogud, oltaem [Jehovah] nao yu mekem tingting blong mi fo kamap gudfala moa.” (Sams 94:19) Jehovah helpem mi for deal witim olketa hard taem insaed famili, wei wea religion againstim mi, wei wea mi feel nogud, and wei for sorre. Tru nao, Jehovah hem kamap Dadi bilong mi!