Mi Servem Jehovah lo Cuba for Samting Olsem 70 Years

Mi tingim bak laef lo smol vilij blo mifala hem barava peaceful. Mifala stap klosap lo samfala relative blo mifala, olsem olketa aunty, uncle, and olketa grani. Mifala garem kaikai and mifala hapi.

Taem mi samting olsem faev years old, parents blo mi start for studyim Bible witim Walton Jones. Hem brata wea strong for duim ministry and hem savve wakabaot 10 hours for kasem vilij blo mifala. Each taem hem kam, staka lo famili blo mi savve hipap lo haos blo grani blo mi for discussim Bible for staka hour witim hem. Parents blo mi, witim uncle Pedro and aunty Ela, laekem tumas wat olketa lanem, so no longtaem, olketa baptaes and kamap Jehovah’s Witness. Distaem Ela hem klosap 100 years old and hem gohed for pioneer lo Cuba.

Lo datfala taem, Olketa Jehovah Witness garem freedom for worship lo Cuba. Pipol savve gud lo mifala bikos mifala preach from haos tu haos, karem olketa briefcase, and olketa basket wea fulap lo Bible literature. And evri ples mifala go, mifala wakabaot! Mi garem olketa gud memory abaotem datfala “taem wea hem isi,” wea mi sevem Jehovah. Bat klosap mifala bae kasem “taem wea hem hard.”—2 Tim. 4:2.

HARD TAEM HEM START

Lo datfala sem year wea mi samting olsem faev years old, dadi blo mi and uncle blo mi go lo nara part lo island for attendim wanfala assembly. Bat sorre samting, during datfala trip tufala garem typhoid fever from tufala drinkim dirty wata. Mi savve tingim bak taem wea tufala kam bak, evri hair blo uncle blo mi hem aot bat hem still laef. Dadi blo mi nao dae. And dat taem dadi 32 years old nomoa.

Afta dadi dae, mami blo mi disaed for tekem mifala for go stap witim brata blo hem lo Lombillo vilij. Datwan minim mifala mas lusim olketa relative, olsem grani blo mifala wea mifala lovem tumas. Nomata olsem, famili blo mifala gohed worshipim Jehovah.

Lo August 26, 1957, mi baptaes lo wanfala man-made lake klosap lo Lombillo. Mi ten years old lo dat taem. Then no kasem tufala year yet, laef hem barava change nao for Olketa Jehovah’s Witness lo Cuba. Lo 1959, wanfala communist gavman tekova lo gavman blo Cuba.

So mifala stap anda lo niu gavman wea laekem kantri for garem strong army. Datwan affectim pipol blo Jehovah bikos lo evri ples wea olketa stap, olketa no joinim politik and no joinim army. From datwan, mifala isisi lusim nao freedom for worship wea mifala bin enjoyim. Gogo, gavman banim preaching waka and olketa meeting blo mifala, and staka faithful brata go lo prison. Staka taem olketa killim nogud samfala brata and no givim kaikai for olketa. Samfala taem, kaikai wea olketa givim garem blood insaed, wea iumi no fit for kaikaim bikos hem againstim wat Bible talem.

Nomata mifala feisim olketa challenge hia, mifala gohed for meet tugeta for worshipim Jehovah. (Heb. 10:25) Mifala even garem olketa assembly lo olketa farm or lo olketa nara ples lo kantri. Mi tingim wantaem wanfala brata letem mifala for hipap for assembly insaed haos for keepim olketa sheepsheep blo hem. Mifala no fit for klinim datfala ples or even aotem olketa sheepsheep from datfala haos. Nomata olsem, mifala hipap nao witim olketa sheepsheep hia for datfala assembly!—Mic. 2:12.

Mifala tinghae tumas lo olketa brata wea waka hard for helpem mifala for kasem olketa spiritual kaikai lo datfala taem. For example, olketa recordim olketa assembly program lo cassette and then olketa sendem lo olketa nara Witness lo kantri. Samfala taem, tufala brata nomoa savve kasem assignment for preparem, givim, and recordim evri tok lo wanfala program. Bikos olketa brata hia savve recordim olketa tok lo ples wea haed, samfala taem mifala savve herem krae blo kokorako and olketa nara noes insaed recording. If assembly kamap lo ples wea no garem paoa, wanfala brata savve padolem baesikol wea stap lo wan ples wea wanfala smol machine connect lo wheel blo hem for supplyim paoa. From datwan, mifala savve garem paoa for pleim datfala recording and lisin lo program. Nomata mifala no garem freedom for worship or no garem evri pablikeson wea olketa brata and sista lo olketa nara kantri garem, mifala no short lo eni spiritual kaikai. And mifala barava hapi for worshipim Jehovah tugeta.—Neh. 8:10.

MITUFALA PIONEER AND GAREM PIKININI

Taem mi 18 years old, mi start for regular pioneer lo Florida taon. Samting olsem wan year bihaen, mi kamap spesol pioneer lo Camagüey, wea hem kapitol city blo wanfala province lo Cuba. Hem nao ples wea mi meetim Emilia, wanfala beautiful sista from Santiago de Cuba. Mitufala fren, and insaed sem year mitufala marit.

Mi start for waka full taem lo wanfala lo olketa sugar mill wea gavman onam. Mi and Emilia no fit nao for pioneer, nomata olsem, mitufala laek for gohed busy lo olketa spiritual activity. So mi arrange for duim shift wea start lo 3:00 a.m. go kasem11:00 a.m. Mi no really laek for wekap early, bat datfala schedule allowim mi for evritaem duim ministry and attendim evri meeting witim Emilia.

Lo 1969, Gustavo, wea hem firstborn son blo mitufala hem born. Lo datfala taem olketa askem mi for duim moa full taem service olsem circuit overseer. Lo Cuba, lo datfala taem, hem normal for olketa circuit overseer garem pikinini. Mitufala barava busy, bat lo semtaem hapi tumas. Hem privilege for mi and Emilia garem chance for helpem olketa brata and sista lo wei olsem. Taem mitufala lo circuit waka, son blo mitufala Obed hem born, then Abner, and samfala year bihaen, dota blo mitufala Mahely, hem born.

Taem mi ting go bak lo olketa year wea mifala spendem lo circuit waka, hem mekem mi hapi for lukim hao Jehovah blessim pipol blo hem lo Cuba. And hem barava blessim hard waka blo mi and Emilia for teachim olketa pikinini blo mitufala for lovem Jehovah. Distaem bae mi storyim laef blo mi and Emilia lo olketa taem hia wea mitufala duim circuit waka.

BANIM CIRCUIT WAKA

Lo olketa year blo 1960 and 1970, mifala start for lukim hao datfala ban affectim waka blo mifala. Olketa Kingdom Hall hem klos. Gavman sendem aot olketa missionary from kantri. Olketa arrestim staka young brata and sendem olketa go lo prison. And branch office lo Havana hem klos.

Bikos lo datfala ban, mifala savve visitim olketa kongregeson lo olketa weekend nomoa. So mifala savve iusim tufala weekend for visitim each kongregeson. Mifala no tekem staka samting, and staka taem mifala iusim baesikol, bikos datwan nao sef wei for duim visit. Pipol no savve taem mifala visitim olketa kongregeson. Mifala duim lo wei wea hem luk olsem mifala visitim nomoa olketa relative. Hem isi nomoa for duim olsem. For tok stret, mifala barava feel olsem famili nao, so mifala mas no forget dat mifala visitim olketa for givim encouragement. (Mark 10:​29, 30) Nomata olsem, mifala need for gohed careful. Bikos staka taem olketa police savve followim and kwestinim mifala. If police faendaot, olketa bae arrestim tu olketa brata wea mifala stap witim.—Rom. 16:4.

Lo olketa taem hia wea mifala visit, mifala savve lo staka brata and sista wea barava kaen nomata olketa no garem staka material samting. Lo samfala area, olketa moskito staka tumas, bat olketa brata and sista kaen tumas for givim mifala only moskito net wea olketa garem, mekem mifala savve sleep gud lo naet. Olketa narawan willing for askem mifala for stap witim olketa nomata olketa no garem inaf kaikai. From datwan, samfala taem mifala savve tekem go samfala kaikai for sharem witim olketa.

Taem mitufala visitim olketa kongregeson, mitufala no fit for tekem evri pikinini witim mitufala. So mitufala savve tekem wanfala nomoa, and olketa narawan savve stap witim mami and sista blo mi lo haos. For travel witim baby hem wanfala protection tu. Wantaem, police chekim mifala for olketa literature, bat mifala haedem olketa literature hia lo basket for putim dirty diaper, wea hem ples wea police no laek for chekim.

Mi barava tinghae lo Emilia for evri samting wea hem duim for kea for olketa pikinini, and sapotim mi during olketa year wea mitufala lo full-taem service. And for mi, mi fit for duim waka blo mi lo mill and sem taem duim tu responsibility blo mi olsem circuit overseer. Hao nao mi fit for duim datwan? Samfala taem, mi waka ovataem, wan or tu taems lo week, mekem mi savve off lo weekend. Bat then, waka blo mi hem change. Mi kamap wanfala team leader and mi mas waka seven days lo week. Mi no savve changem datfala schedule. Bat mi faendaot dat if mi givim inaf waka for team blo mi busy lo hem lo weekend, olketa savve duim tu waka blo mi taem mi go visitim olketa kongregeson. Mi ting olketa boss blo mi no savve dat mi no waka lo olketa weekend!

GOHED FOR HAPI NOMATA ASSIGNMENT CHANGE

Wanday, lo 1994, olketa brata wea lukaftarem waka lo Cuba askem 80-fala traveling overseer includim mi, for attendim wanfala spesol meeting lo Havana. Mifala hapi tumas for meetim each other afta staka year! Lo meeting hia, firstaem, mifala discussim samfala change insaed organization. Then mifala herem wanfala sapraesing announcement. Olketa brata hia talem dat olketa bae givim nem blo mifala lo olketa gavman official. Why nao olketa laek duim datwan?

Olketa explainim dat olketa bin garem meeting witim olketa gavman official, bikos olketa laek impruvim relationship between gavman and Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa gavman official hia laekem list blo evri nem blo olketa circuit overseer. Mifala evriwan agree for givim nem blo mifala. Start from dat taem, relationship wea mifala garem witim olketa gavman official hem impruv.

Gogo, mifala savve free for meet and preach, nomata mifala no register yet for kamap legal religion lo kantri. Bihaen, mifala faendaot dat olketa garem finis nem blo samfala traveling overseer, bat olketa laek confirmim if wat olketa garem hem stret.

Lo September 1994, mifala kasem permission for openem bak moa branch office. And guess wat, mifala savve iusim moa datfala sem building wea for 20 years hem bin sat daon.

Then lo 1996, mi and Emilia kasem wanfala phone kol wea hem invitation for serve lo Bethel. Mi barava seke lo datfala invitation, bat bihaen, mi talem olketa brata dat mi garem tufala pikinini lo haos wea mi garem responsibility for lukaftarem. Olketa brata ting raonem situation blo mi and bihaen olketa talem dat olketa still laekem mitufala for serve lo Bethel. Mitufala acceptim datwan and start mekem plan for famili muv go lo Havana.

For tok stret, lo first taem mi no enjoyim Bethel service. Mi duim traveling waka for staka year, so mind and heart blo mi hem lo field. Mi faendem hem no isi for waka lo office. Bat olketa nara Bethelite and especially waef blo mi, Emilia, helpem mi for adjustim tingting blo mi. Gogo, mi hapi moa, and distaem mi barava hapi for serve lo Bethel.

Distaem mi and Emilia mitufala olo nao. Mitufala hapi tumas taem mitufala tingim evri brata and sista, wea mitufala garem privilege for savve lo olketa and waka witim olketa for staka year. And mitufala hapi go moa for lukim olketa pikinini and olketa grani blo mitufala gohed servem Jehovah. Mitufala garem sem feeling olsem aposol John wea sei: “No eni samting hem winim hapi wea mi kasem taem mi herem olketa pikinini blo mi gohed wakabaot followim truth.”—3 John 4.

Distaem mi and Emilia serve lo Bethel for samting olsem 30 years finis, and nomata mitufala olo and mas deal witim sik cancer, mitufala gohed duim best lo olketa assignment blo mitufala. During lo olketa year wea mitufala lo service blo Jehovah, mitufala feisim samfala challenge, bat mitufala barava hapi dat mitufala gohed servem “datfala hapi God” for samting olsem 70 years lo hia lo Cuba!—1 Tim. 1:11; Ps. 97:1.