“I Wor Never By Myself”

MY PARENTS EXAMPLE

My ma and pa wor strong Catholic members. But when they learn from the Bible that God name Jehovah, two of them became Jehovah Witness and they wor having zeal. My pa wor carpenter and he use to like fixing Jesus image. But he stop doing it and use his skill to fix the down stair of our house so they can use it for Kingdom Hall. And that wor the first Kingdom Hall in San Juan del Monte, in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

I wor born in 1952. My ma and pa start teaching me the Bible the same way they teach my four big brothers and three big sisters. When I wor getting big, my pa encourage me to read one chapter in the Bible every day, and he use plenty different-different publications from our organization to study with me. From time to time, my parents use to invite circuit overseers and people from the branch office to stay in our house. It made our family really happy and their experiences use to encourage us. It move us to put the preaching work first in our life.

My parents set good example for me. After my ma die from certain sickness, me and my pa started pioneering together in 1971. Then my pa die in 1973 when I wor 20 years old. When my parents die, I wor feeling bad and lonely. But the “sure and firm” hope in the Bible help me to stay strong and remain close to Jehovah. (Heb. 6:19). After my pa die it not stay long, I accept the assignment to go as special pioneer on one island they call Coron, in Palawan.

FEELING LONELY DURING CHALLENGING ASSIGNMENTS

I wor 21 years old when I reach in Coron. Since I wor from the city, I wor surprise to see that plenty people wor not having current and running water. In fact, car and motorbike wor not plenty there. Even though few brothers wor on this island, I wor not having any pioneer partner and sometime my one use to go field service. For the first month, I really use to miss my family and my friend dem. In the night, I use to look at the sky and just be crying. I use to feel like leaving my assignment to go back home.

When I use to feel like that, I will tell Jehovah everything that wor in my heart. I use to think on encouraging thing dem I read in the Bible and our publications. Most of the time, I use to think on Psalm 19:14. I get to know that Jehovah will be “my Rock and my Redeemer” if I think on thing dem that can make him happy, like his qualities and thing dem he can do. The Watchtower with the title “You Are Never Alone”a really help me. I use to read it over and over. Anytime I use to feel lonely, I will feel that Jehovah wor there with me. And that wor good opportunity dem here for me to pray, study, and think good-good.

When I reach to Coron, it not stay long I became elder. Since I wor the only elder, I start conducting the Theocratic Ministry School, Service Meeting, Congregation Book Study, and Watchtower Study every week. I also use to give the public talk every week. All this one dem made me to not feel lonely again!

I really use to enjoy the field service in Coron, and some of my Bible student dem even get baptize. But I also face some problems. Sometime, I use to walk for 12 hours to reach to the territory, and I will not even know where I will sleep when I reach there. The congregation territory wor also having plenty small-small islands. Even though I not know how to swim, but most of the time I use to use boat to go there. And sometime heavy storm will be blowing! With all this problem dem, Jehovah use to protect me and take care of me. Later on, I get to know that Jehovah wor preparing me for the problem dem I wor coming face in my next assignment.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

In 1978, I wor assign to Papua New Guinea, in the north part of Australia. Papua New Guinea almost equal to Spain and it get plenty mountains. I wor surprise to know that the country get about three million people living there and they can speak more than 800 languages. The good part about it, plenty of them can speak Melanesian Pidgin, that plenty people can call Tok Pisin.

They assign me for short time to the English congregation in the capital city they call Port Moresby. But then I move to one Tok Pisin congregation and start going to school to learn the language. I try to practice the thing I wor learning when I in field service. It help me to learn the language quick-quick. It not stay long, I wor able to give public talk in Tok Pisin. I not make one year in Papua New Guinea, when they assign me as circuit overseer for the Tok Pisin congregation dem that wor in different-different areas. This one really surprise me.

The congregation dem wor far from each other, so I use to organize plenty circuit assemblies and travel plenty time. From the beginning, I use to feel lonely because I wor in new country where the people language and culture wor different from my own. I not use to travel from congregation to congregation by land because the place wor rocky and get plenty mountains. So I use to travel by airplane almost every week. Sometime, I use to be the only passenger on the small airplane that wor not even in good condition. When I inside, my heart use to be hanging just like when I traveling in boat!

Only few people wor having telephones, so I use to write letter to the congregation dem. Most of the time I use to reach before the brother dem even receive my letters. So to be able to find the brother dem, I use to ask around. Anytime I find the brother dem, they use to be happy to see me. And this one always make me to remember why I wor making all this sacrifice dem. I see how Jehovah na help me plenty different-different ways, and it na make me to get more close to him.

When I went to my first meeting on one island they call Bougainville, one man and his wife came to me smiling. They ask me, “You can remember us?” I remember preaching to them the first time I went to Port Moresby. I started studying the Bible with them before I turn them over to one brother who wor living there. Two of them wor baptize now! That just one of the plenty blessings I enjoy during the three years I stay in Papua New Guinea.

SMALL FAMILY THAT WOR BUSY

Before I move from Coron in 1978, I get to know one fine sister name Adel who wor doing well in the truth. She wor regular pioneering and taking care of her two children name Samuel and Shirley. At the same time, she wor taking care of her ma who wor old. In May 1981, I went back to the Philippines to marry Adel. After we get marry, we regular pioneer and take care of our family together.

Even though I wor having family, they assign me again as special pioneer in 1983. I wor assign to Linapacan Island, in Palawan. Our whole family move to that island that wor far off and no Jehovah Witness wor there. After one year Adel ma die. But we continue preaching and that it help us to bear it when the old ma die. We wor having plenty Bible studies in Linapacan that wor making progress. So we needed one small Kingdom Hall. So we built one on our own. Just three years after we reach on the island, we wor happy to see 110 people to the Memorial. Plenty of this people dem make progress and get baptize even after we left from there.

In 1986, I wor assign to one island they call Culion, where they wor having leprosy camp. After some time, they appoint Adel as special pioneer. First, we use to feel some kindna way to preach to people who wor having leprosy. But the publisher dem who wor living in that area, tell us that it will be hard for us to catch the sickness because the people wor already taking treatment. Some of the people who wor having this sickness even use to attend meeting to one sister house. It not stay long, we start feeling free to preach to this people dem who wor feeling that God and human being not get time for them. It wor so good to see that people who wor really sick wor happy to know that one day they will be alright in their body again.—Luke 5:​12, 13.

Wetin help our children to be able to live in Culion? Well, me and Adel invite two young sisters from Coron to join us so our children can get good friends. Samuel, Shirley, and this two young sister dem use to enjoy their field service. They use to study with plenty children while me and Adel will study with their parents. In fact, certain time we wor studying with 11 families. It not stay long, we wor conducting plenty Bible studies that wor making progress and we wor able to form one new congregation!

First, I wor the only elder in the area. So the branch office tell me to conduct the meetings every week for the eight publishers in Culion and then to do the same thing for the nine publishers in one village they call Marily. You can ride boat for three hours to go to this village. After the meetings, me and my family use to walk through the mountain area for plenty hours to conduct Bible studies in one village they call Halsey.

Plenty people take the truth in Marily and in Halsey. So we build Kingdom Halls there. Just like in Linapacan, the brothers and interested people in Marily work and provide most of the materials to build the Kingdom Halls. The Kingdom Hall in Marily wor able to take 200 people. They also build it in the way that allow us to make it big for assemblies.

GRIEF, LONELINESS, AND HAPPINESS AGAIN

In 1993 when the children wor big, me and Adel started doing circuit work in the Philippines. Then in 2000, I attended the Ministerial Training School so they can train me to be teacher for that school. I wor feeling that I wor not qualify, but Adel always use to encourage me. She use to remind me that Jehovah will give me the strength to be able to do my new assignment. (Phil. 4:13) Adel knew that Jehovah will help me because Jehovah been helping her to do her assignment even though she wor sick.

In 2006 when I wor teaching, the doctor say Adel wor having some kindna sickness they call Parkinson disease. We wor really confuse! When I tell Adel that we must leave our assignment so I can take care of her, she say, “Please find one doctor who can help me with my sickness, and I know Jehovah will help us to continue with our assignment.” For the next six years, Adel continue in her assignment without complaining. When she wor not able to walk again, she use to preach from her wheelchair. Even when it wor not easy for her to talk, she use to try to make short comments in meetings. Plenty brothers and sisters use to send Adel message to tell her thank you for her fine example until she die in 2013. I spent more than 30 years with my faithful and loving wife. So when she die, I started feeling bad and lonely again.

Adel wanted me to continue in my assignment, and that what I do. I continue to be busy, and that what help me to not be too lonely. From 2014 to 2017, I wor assign to visit Tagalog congregations in countries where the brother dem wor not free to preach. After that, I use to visit Tagalog congregations in Taiwan, America, and Canada. In 2019, I wor teaching English students in the School for Kingdom Evangelizers in India and Thailand. I wor happy doing all this assignment dem. When I working for Jehovah, that the time I can really be happy.

WE CAN ALWAYS GET THE HELP WE NEED

Any new assignment I get, I can try to get close to the brothers and sisters that there, so to leave them can’t be easy. During time dem like this, I learn to put all my trust in Jehovah. He always been helping me, and it na make me to accept any change with my whole heart. Now-now, I special pioneer in the Philippines. I na get use to my new congregation. They been encouraging me and taking care of me. I also happy to see Samuel and Shirley following their ma fine example.—3 John 4.

Yes, I na go through plenty things in my life, like looking at my dear wife suffering and dying from some kindna bad sickness. I na also learn to accept new changes in my life. But I na see that Jehovah “is not far off from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) Jehovah hand “not too short” to support and strengthen his servant dem, even in places that far off. (Isa. 59:1) Jehovah that my Rock and he been helping me throughout my life, so I really grateful to him. I wor never by myself.