MI GROWAP long Graz, Austria. Taem mi seven year olketa sendem mi go long wanfala lotu skul. Bat, mi faendaot olketa priest and nun savve durong. So insaed datfala year, mami bilong mi letem mi for lusim datfala skul.

Bihaen, mi go long boarding skul. Wanfala naet dadi kam tekem mi from datfala ples from olketa gohed for bombim Graz. Mifala go haed long taon bilong Schladming. No longtaem bihaen mifala arrive and akrosim wanfala bridge, olketa bombim datfala bridge. Narataem, olketa aeroplane klosap sutim mi and granmami bilong mi taem mifala standap aotsaed long haos. Bihaen war finis, mifala feel olsem church and gavman fail for helpem mifala.

Long 1950, wanfala Jehovah’s Witness start for studyim Bible witim mami bilong mi. Mi savve lisin long tufala taem tufala study, and mi savve go witim mami long samfala meeting. Mami luksavve Olketa Jehovah’s Witness teachim truth, so hem baptaes long 1952.

Long datfala taem, mi ting kongregeson hem ples wea olketa olo woman nomoa savve go. Bat, bihaen mifala visitim nara kongregeson mi lukim staka young pipol, so mi luksavve hem no for olketa olo nomoa. Taem mi go bak long Graz, mi start for attendim evri meeting, and no longtaem nomoa mi tu barava bilivim diswan hem truth. Gogo mi luksavve tu hao Jehovah hem God wea evritaem sapotim pipol bilong hem. And taem iumi feisim barava hard taem, hem no savve lusim iumi.—Sams 3:5, 6.

Mi laek for storyim truth witim olketa narawan. So mi preach long olketa brata and olketa sista bilong mi. Fofala big sista bilong mi lusim hom finis for waka olsem skul teacher. Bat mi savve visitim olketa long olketa difren vilij wea olketa stap long hem and encouragem olketa for studyim Bible. Gogo, evri sista and brata bilong mi studyim Bible and kamap Jehovah’s Witness tu.

 Long mek-tu week wea mi go preaching, mi meetim wanfala woman wea samting olsem 30 year and mitufala start for studyim Bible. Gogo, hem study and bihaen hem baptaes, then hasband and tufala son bilong hem tu baptaes. From no eniwan studyim Bible witim mi, taem mi conductim datfala study hem barava strongim faith bilong mi. Mi mas prepare gud for each study. Hem olsem mi mas teachim miseleva firstaem mekem mi savve teachim student bilong mi. Datwan barava helpem mi for savve gud long truth. Long April 1954, mi baptaes for showimaot mi dedicate long Jehovah.

Long 1955, mi go long international convention long Germany, France, and England. Long London mi meetim Albert Schroeder, wea hem wanfala instructor long Bible Skul Bilong Gilead, and wea bihaen hem kamap wanfala member bilong Governing Body. Taem mifala tour insaed British Museum, Brata Schroeder showim mifala samfala Bible manuscript. Insaed olketa manuscript hem garem nem bilong God long Hebrew raeting and hem explainim why datwan hem important. Datwan barava kasem heart bilong mi and strongim mi for gohed teachim truth from Bible long olketa narawan.

Long January 1, 1956, mi start for regular pioneer. Fofala month bihaen, mi kasem assignment for spesol pioneer witim nara sista long Mistelbach, wanfala taon long Austria wea no eni witness stap long hem. Wanfala samting wea mi mas deal witim, hem nao wei wea mi and pioneer partner bilong mi garem olketa difren wei. Mi klosap 19 year and hem 25 year. Mi taon gele and hem gele long hom. Mi savve laek sleep leit long morning, bat hem laek wekap early. Long evening mi savve wekap leit bat hem laek sleep early. Nomata olsem, taem mitufala followim advaes long Bible, mitufala lane for deal witim olketa difren wei bilong mitufala and mitufala barava hapi for pioneer tugeta.

Bat mitufala mas deal witim samfala nara samting wea no isi tu. Mitufala kasem persecution, bat “God no lusim mifala.” (2 Cor. 4:7-9) Wantaem, mitufala preaching long wanfala vilij and pipol long there mekem dog bilong olketa for ronem mitufala. Seknomoa evri big dog hia standap raonem mitufala, barkim mifala, and laek baetem mifala. Mitufala hol hand, and mi prea olsem, “Jehovah, plis taem olketa dog baetem mitufala, letem mitufala dae kwiktaem.” Taem olketa dog kam klosap long mitufala, olketa stop, sekem tail bilong olketa nomoa, then go bak. Mitufala luksavve Jehovah nao protectim mitufala. Bihaen datwan, mitufala preach long datfala vilij and mitufala barava hapi from staka pipol laek for lisin. Maet datwan hem from olketa sapraes olketa dog hia no baetem mitufala or maet from mitufala no fraet for gohed preach nomata datfala samting happen. Gogo, samfala long olketa kamap Witness.

Nara samting moa happen wea mekem mitufala fraet. Wanday, man wea ownim haos wea mitufala stap long hem, hem drunk and talem waef hem laek killim mitufala from hem sei mitufala mek trabol long datfala area. Waef bilong hem trae for katem daon kros bilong hem bat hem hard. Mitufala herem evri toktok hia taem mitufala stap insaed rum bilong mitufala antap. Kwiktaem mitufala putim chair for blokem  door bilong mitufala and putim evriting bilong mitufala insaed basket. Taem mitufala openem door, man hia standap followim ladder witim wanfala big naef. So mitufala ran go aot long nara door long bihaen and ranawe go, and no kam bak nao.

Mitufala go long wanfala hotel and ask for eni rum. Gogo mitufala stap long there klosap wan year, and datwan barava helpem ministry bilong mitufala. Why nao olsem? Bikos datfala hotel hem stap long midol long taon, and datwan mekem samfala Bible study bilong mitufala laek for study long there. Gogo mifala garem buk study and Wastaoa study insaed rum bilong mitufala long datfala hotel. Samting olsem 15-fala nao savve kam.

Mitufala stap long Mistelbach for winim wan year. Then olketa assignim mi go bak long Feldbach long southeast bilong Graz. Mi garem wanfala niu pioneer partner, bat datfala ples tu no garem eni kongregeson. Mitufala stap long wanfala smol rum insaed wanfala haos wea olketa wakem from olketa log. Cold wind savve blow kam thru long olketa spes long olketa log, so mitufala trae for satem olketa spes hia witim olketa niuspepa. And mitufala mas karem wata from well tu. Bat hem olraet nomoa, bikos insaed tu-thri month wanfala grup hem start. Gogo, 30-fala from wanfala famili wea mifala study witim kam insaed truth.

Olketa samting wea mi experiencem barava helpem mi for tinghae long wei wea Jehovah evritaem sapotim olketa wea putim Kingdom firstaem. Nomata taem hem hard for man helpem iumi, Jehovah savve helpem iumi.—Sams 121:1-3.

Long 1958 wanfala international convention redi for kamap long New York City, long Yankee Stadium and Polo Grounds. Mi apply for go, and branch long Austria askem mi sapos mi interest for joinim mek-32 class bilong Gilead Skul tu. Mi hapi for acceptim datfala privilege and mi kwiktaem sei “yes!”

Insaed class long Gilead, mi sidaon klosap Martin Poetzinger. Hem faithful nomata hem kasem olketa hard taem long Nazi concentration camp. Gogo hem tu kamap wanfala member bilong Governing Body. Insaed class, samtaem Martin savve ask olsem, “Erika, wanem nao diswan minim long German languis?”

Taem mifala klosap finisim datfala skul, Nathan Knorr announcem olketa assignment  bilong mifala. Assignment bilong mi hem long Paraguay. From mi young yet, mi needim dadi bilong mi for agree for mi go long datfala kantri. Sapos nomoa bae mi no savve go long there. Bihaen hem agree, mi go long Paraguay long March 1959. Mi kasem assignment for stap long missionary hom long Asunción witim niu partner bilong mi.

No longtaem bihaen, mi meetim Walter Bright wanfala missionary wea graduate from mek-30 class bilong Gilead. Gogo, mitufala marit and mi garem samwan wea savve helpem mi for deal witim evri samting wea kamap long laef. Taem mitufala kasem problem mitufala savve readim promis bilong Jehovah long Aesaea 41:10 wea sei: “So yufala no fraet, an yufala no seksek. Mi nao God blong yufala, an mi stap wetem yufala. Bae mi mekem yufala strong, an bae mi helpem yufala.” Diswan encouragem mitufala from mitufala luksavve God bae no lusim mitufala sapos mitufala traem best for gohed faithful long hem and putim Kingdom first.

Gogo olketa assignim mitufala long wanfala ples klosap long border bilong Brazil. Long there olketa bigman long lotu bihaenem olketa young pipol for sutim ston long missionary hom wea mifala stap long hem, wea hem start for nogud. Then Walter startim study witim bigman bilong police. Hem mek sure olketa policeman stap klosap haos bilong mifala for wan week, so from datwan olketa wea persecutim mifala stop nao. No longtaem bihaen olketa muvim mifala long nara haos wea stap long nara saed long border bilong Brazil. Datwan hem barava gud bikos mifala savve garem meeting long Paraguay and long Brazil. Bifor mitufala lusim datfala assignment tufala smol kongregeson nao stap long there.

Olketa doctor talem mi bae mi no savve garem pikinini, bat long 1962 mitufala sapraes for faendaot mi babule. Gogo mitufala go stap long Hollywood, long Florida, klosap long famili bilong Walter. For samfala year, mitufala Walter no fit for pioneer bikos mitufala mas lukaftarem famili bilong mitufala. Nomata olsem, mitufala gohed for putim Kingdom first.—Matt. 6:33.

Taem mifala arrive long Florida long November 1962, mitufala lukim hao pipol long there no laekem blak man and white man for hipap tugeta. Mifala sapraes from olketa blak brata and white brata no savve meeting and preaching tugeta. Bat Jehovah no laekem wei for separatem pipol wea garem difren kala skin, and no longtaem nomoa, olketa arrangem for olketa brata and sista hia for garem olketa meeting tugeta. Jehovah hapi long datfala arrangement from distaem staka kongregeson nao stap long datfala ples.

Long 2015, mi barava sorre from Walter dae from hem garem brain cancer. Mitufala stap tugeta for 55 year. Hem wanfala gudfala hasband, hem lovem Jehovah, and hem helpem staka brata. Mi luk forward for lukim hem taem hem bae laef bak and hem healthy moa.—Acts 24:15.

Mi hapi tumas for insaed full-taem service for winim 40 year and mi kasem staka nambawan blessing. Olsem example, mitufala Walter hapi tumas for lukim 136-fala Bible student bilong mifala baptaes long olketa difren taem. Hem tru, samfala samting hem no isi, bat datwan no stopem mifala for gohed faithful long God. Evritaem mitufala fren gud witim hem and trustim hao hem nao savve stretem olketa samting fitim wanem hem laekem and long taem wea hem markem. And datwan nao samting wea happen!—2 Tim. 4:16, 17.

Mi missim tumas Walter, bat pioneer waka helpem mi for deal witim datwan. Taem mi teachim olketa narawan datwan barava helpem mi, especially taem mi storyim resurrection hope witim olketa narawan. Tru nao, taem mi ting bak, mi tingim staka samting wea showimaot no enitaem Jehovah lusim mi. Jehovah barava duim samting hem promisim, long wei for strongim, encouragem, and ‘gohed holem mi witim strongfala raet hand bilong hem.’—Aesaea 41:10.