In 1980 the branch office assigned us to work as translators -a work for which we felt totally unqualified. 14:9) We wondered, ‘Would publications ever be produced in Tuvaluan, a language spoken by fewer than 15,000 people?’ Jehovah answered those questions, proving to us two things: (1) He wants his Word proclaimed “among the islands far away,” and (2) he wants those whom the world views as “humble and lowly” to take refuge in his name. How could they do personal study? When they started coming to the meetings, what songs could they sing, what material could they use, and how could they even prepare for the meetings? How could they ever progress to baptism? These humble people needed spiritual food in their own language! ( 1 Cor. But what could we use to study with them? We had no publications in their language. After we had not spoken English for a number of years, Tuvaluan became our main language.īefore long, many started to show an interest in the truth. This meant total immersion in the language and in village life. As there were no homes available to rent, we ended up living with a Witness family in the main village. On the other hand, we had what some might call the ideal situation for learning a new language. At first, we didn’t have a clue what you were trying to say!” Years later, one of those with whom we studied in those early days told us: “We are so happy that you can speak our language now. Instead of telling people that divination was wrong, we were in fact telling them to avoid using measuring scales and walking sticks! We did, however, need to learn the language in order to conduct the numerous Bible studies that we had started, so we kept on trying. But we soon realized that we did not understand the correct meaning of most of the words we were learning. The only book available in the language was the “New Testament.” There were no dictionaries or language courses, so we decided to try to learn from 10 to 20 new words each day. During that time, I married a beautiful Tasmanian girl, Jenny Alcock, and for four years we served together as special pioneers in isolated assignments in Smithton and Queenstown. 3:18, 19) So with my parents’ consent, I left school and started pioneering in January 1971 at the age of 15, having received the required school certificate.įor the next eight years, I had the privilege of pioneering in Tasmania. Would I accept a scholarship to go to university? As much as I loved books and learning, I am grateful that my mother had helped me to acquire a stronger love -one for Jehovah. Then, however, it came time for a serious decision. ![]() ![]() In high school in Glenorchy, in the island state of Tasmania, I won several awards for academic achievement. But my love of reading helped me in school. When we went on family road trips, it must have been frustrating for my parents to see me sitting in the backseat reading a book rather than looking at the scenery. I was baptized in the Queensland outback in 1968.Įver since I was young, I have loved reading and I have been fascinated by language. She got baptized the following year, and my father, Ron, came into the truth 13 years later. Shortly thereafter, my mother, Estelle, started studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. ![]() I WAS born in Queensland, Australia, in 1955. ![]() Baptized in Queensland, I enjoyed pioneering in Tasmania and missionary work in Tuvalu, Samoa, and Fiji
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