Fulfillim Desire blo Mi for Helpem Deaf Pipol

Mi born lo 1941 insaed wanfala deaf famili wea stap lo Virrat, Finland. Parents blo mi and staka relative blo mi and smol brata and smol sista blo mi, evriwan deaf. Mifala communicate lo saen languis.

Lanem Olketa Nambawan Samting From Bible

Saen languis hem barava no allowed lo boarding skul wea mi attendim, wea hem samting olsem 240 kilometer (150 mi) from hom blo mifala. Lo datfala taem olketa skul lo Finland iusim oral approach, so olketa forcem mifala lanem spoken languis and lip reading. If teacher blo mifala lukim mifala story lo saen languis, hem bae hitim mifala witim wanfala ruler or stik and finger blo mifala bae boela for samfala day.

Afta hae skul, mi go lo wanfala agriculture college bikos parents blo mi garem wanfala farm, and mi need for lanem samfala trade blo olketa farmer. Taem mi kam bak mi lukim olketa Watchtower and Awake! Magasin lo tebol lo haos. Dadi talem mi dat olketa magasin hia explainim olketa nambawan samting from Bible and samfala pipol nao kam conductim study witim hem and mami blo mi. Olketa iusim pen and pepa for communicate witim parents blo mi wea deaf tu.

Dadi storyim lo mi wat hem lanem hao anda lo Kingdom blo God, disfala earth bae kamap wanfala beautiful paradaes and olketa wea dae bae resurrect. Bat wat mi savve nao dat pipol bae go lo heven. Mi tingse masbi dadi no minim gud wat olketa Witness hia talem, bikos olketa no story lo saen languis.

Taem datfala couple kam moa for visitim parents blo mi, mi askem olketa abaotem wat dadi blo mi talem, tufala sei. “Wat dadi blo iu talem hem tru.” Then olketa showim mi wat Jesus talem abaotem resurrection lo John 5:28, 29. Olketa story abaotem hao God bae klin evri wicked samting from earth and pipol bae stap olowe lo earth and bae garem perfect health and stap lo peace.—Psalm 37:10, 11; Daniel 2:44; Revelation 21:1-4.

Mi laek for savve moa abaotem datwan, so mi start for studyim Bible witim wanfala brata wea nem blo hem Antero. Hem no savve lo saen languis, so for mi ansarem olketa kwestin lo study buk, mi raetem ansa blo mi lo wanfala pepa. Then Antero readim and raetem moa lo datfala pepa eni additional kwestin or koment. Witim diskaen wei for study, hem mas spendem tu hour each week for study witim mi.

Lo 1960, mi attendim wanfala convention blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea olketa interpretim program go lo saen languis. Lo Friday aftanun, wanfala announcement kamap dat lo next day wanfala baptism bae kamap. So, lo Saturday morning, mi tekem kaleko and towel witim mi and mi baptaes.a No longtaem bihaen, parents blo mi, smol brata and sista blo mi tu baptaes.

Sharem Bible Truth

Mi laekem for sharem wat mi lanem witim olketa nara deaf, and best wei for kasem olketa hem for story lo saen languis. So mi start for preach firstaem lo olketa deaf lo hom taon blo mi.

No longtaem bihaen, mi muv go lo Tampere, wea hem wanfala big industrial city. Mi go lo evri haos for lukaotem olketa deaf pipol, mi savve ask sapos olketa savve lo eniwan wea deaf. Hem nao hao mi startim Bible study, and insaed tu-thri year nomoa, Tampere garem winim tenfala deaf pablisa.

Lo 1965, mi meetim wanfala beautiful sista wea nem blo hem, Maire. Mitufala marit lo year bihaen. Maire kwiktaem lanem saen languis and hem kamap wanfala helpful fren blo mi insaed fifti year wea mitufala servem Jehovah tugeta.

Tu years bihaen, mitufala garem wanfala son wea nem blo hem, Marko, wea hem no deaf. Lo haos, hem lanem Finnish languis, wea datwan mother tongue blo hem, and Finnish Saen Languis. Marko hem baptaes taem hem 13 years.

Gogo staka niu wan joinim saen languis grup blo mifala lo Tampere. So lo 1974, mifala muv go lo nara city wea nem blo hem Turku, wea no staka deaf Witness stap. Mifala go lo haos-tu-haos moa for lukaotem olketa deaf pipol. During olketa year wea mifala stap lo Turku, 12-fala lo olketa Bible student blo mi baptaes.

Waka lo Baltics

Lo 1987, Marko kasem invitation for go serve lo Bethel. Saen languis grup blo mifala lo Turku barava gohed strong, so mifala mekem plan for muv go moa lo nara ples.

Lo datfala taem, olketa territory lo Eastern Europe start for open. So, lo January 1992, mi travel witim nara deaf brata for go lo Tallinn, Estonia.

Mifala contactim wanfala sista lo there wea brata blo hem deaf. Nomata hem no interest lo Kingdom message, hem helpem mifala for contactim staka deaf lo Estonia. Lo last naet blo visit blo mifala, hem tekem mifala go lo wanfala meeting blo Estonian Association for olketa Deaf lo Tallinn. Mifala arrive early and putim olketa magasin and buk lo wanfala tebol, lo Estonian and Russian languis. Mifala givimaot samting olsem 100 buk and 200 magasin and kasem samting olsem 70-fala address. Datfala evening, faondeson blo saen-languis ministry lo Estonia hem start!

No longtaem bihaen, mitufala Maire start for mekem olketa preaching trip go lo Estonia. Mifala katem daon waka for selen and kamap regular pioneer. Lo 1995, mifala muv go lo Helsinki mekem hem isi for travel lo ship for kasem Tallinn. Result lo ministry blo mifala lo Estonia hem winim wat mifala expectim!

Mifala garem staka Bible study wea fitim for mifala lukaftarem, and 16-fala lo olketa student blo mifala progress for baptism, includim tufala fleshly sista wea blind and deaf. Mi iusim tactile saening for conductim Bible study witim tufala.

For study witim olketa deaf pipol hem challenging. Lo datfala taem, no eni saen languis pablikeson hem available, so mi savve putim tugeta olketa piksa from olketa pablikeson blo iumi and mekem wat olketa kolem lo scrapbook.

Branch office lo Finland askem mi for visitim Latvia and Lithuania for faendem hao for helpem pipol lo saen languis field lo olketa kantri hia. Mifala visitim olketa kantri hia staka taem and helpem olketa lokol brata and sista lo there for faendem olketa deaf pipol. Klosap evri kantri garem own saen languis blo olketa. So mi lanem saen languis blo Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and samfala Russian Saen Languis, wea olketa deaf from Russia wea stap lo Baltics savve iusim.

Bat bihaen mifala travel for eit years lo Estonia and olketa nara Baltic state, sorre samting nao happen, Maire kasem Parkinson’s disease, and mitufala mas stop.

Organize for Helpem Olketa Deaf

Lo 1997, wanfala saen languis transleison grup hem start lo Finland Branch. From mifala stap klosap, mitufala Maire savve help for preparem olketa saen languis pablikeson, and mi still duim kam kasem distaem. Mitufala waka tugeta witim son blo mitufala, Marko. Bihaen, hem and waef blo hem, Kirsi, help for trainim olketa saen languis grup lo olketa nara kantri.

And tu, branch office organizem olketa course for helpem olketa hearing pablisa for lanem saen languis. From olketa course hia, staka joinim saen languis, sapotim preaching waka and olketa meeting, and duim olketa responsibility lo kongregeson.

Mi Still Garem Desire for Help

Lo 2004, mitufala Maire help for formim first Finnish saen languis kongregeson lo Helsinki. Insaed thri years nomoa, kongregeson hia kamap strong and garem staka pioneer.

Then, mitufala start mekem plan for muv lo nara ples wea garem big need. Lo 2008, mifala muv go klosap lo Tampere and joinim bak moa lo saen languis grup wea mifala lusim 34 years ago. Wan year bihaen, datfala saen languis grup hem kamap mek-tu saen languis kongregeson lo Finland.

Gogo, health blo Maire hem kamap worse. Mi hapi for lukaftarem hem go kasem taem hem dae lo 2016. Nomata mi missim Maire tumas, mi barava luk forward for lukim hem lo niu world, taem wea sik bae finis.—Isaiah 33:24; Revelation 21:4.

For winim 60 years finis, mi barava enjoyim waka for sharem gud nius witim olketa deaf pipol and mi still garem datfala desire for laek duim datwan.