I laugh because I not know my friend to be someone who get interest in God business. I ask him, “Wetin you know about the Bible?” He not answer me right away. Then he told me that his ma that Jehovah Witness and he learn some thing them from her. I really wanted to know, so I ask him to tell me more about the Bible.

We were talking until it was late in the night. My friend told me that the Bible say that Satan ruling the whole world. (John 14:30) Maybe this one not strange to yor but for me, this idea was new and interesting. All I knew that, God who fair and kind was the one ruling the whole world. But it not make sense to me because of the thing them I was seeing happening in the world. I already saw plenty things that worry me even though I was just 26 years old.

My pa was pilot for the American Army. So when I was small, I knew that it was possible for the country them to fight nuclear war because the army people were ready to use their nuclear weapon anytime. The war in Vietnam happen when I was in college in California. I join the other student them to demonstrate. Police people use to be running behind us with baton. They also use to fire tear gas that use to choke us and make us to not see good. That time, everything was just scatter and everybody was doing their own thing. They were killing politicians, people were demonstrating and destroying things. Everybody was having their own idea about how things should be. Everything was just confusing.

In 1970, I started working on the north coast of Alaska and I made plenty money. Then I went to London, bought one motorbike and started going. I was not having any particular place in mind. After some months, I reach in Africa. When I was going, I saw people who also wanted to be free from all their problem them.

 So, the thing the Bible say about Satan ruling the world made sense to me because of all the thing them I na see and hear. But if God not controlling the world, then wetin he doing. I wanted to know.

After some months, I found the answer. And from that time, I also started to know and love plenty brothers and sisters who were faithful to God even though they were going through problems.

When I went back to London, I found my friend ma, and she gave me one Bible. Later on, when I went to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, one Jehovah Witness saw me reading it under the streetlight, and he help me to learn more. From there, I went to Dublin in Ireland, and found the Jehovah Witnesses branch office. I knock on the front door. When I enter, I saw Brother Arthur Matthews, who was wise and experience. I told him that I wanted to study the Bible, and he agree to study with me.

I was having zeal for the study so I read the books and magazines that Jehovah Witnesses produce. And I also read the Bible. I was really enjoying it! To the meetings, I saw that even small-small children knew the answer for questions that the big-big book people been thinking on for plenty years. Question them like: ‘Why bad things can happen? God that who? Wetin can happen to people when they die?’ All my friend them were Jehovah Witnesses because that the only people I knew in the whole country. They help me to love Jehovah and to do his will.

I got baptize in 1972. After one year, I started pioneering and join one small congregation in Newry in Northern Ireland. I rented one house near the mountain. I use to practice my talks in front of the cow them that use to be on the field around my area. It use to be looking like they paying attention to me while they eating. They never use to give me counsel, but they help me to know how to look at people when I giving my talk. I became special pioneer in 1974. Brother Nigel Pitt and myself pioneer together and we became life time friends.

Violence was plenty in Northern Ireland that time. So some people use to call Northern Ireland “the land of the bomb and the bullet.” It was common to see people fighting in the street, shootings, and car bombings and other bad thing them. Politics and religion were the cause of these problem them. But the Protestant and Catholic people knew that Jehovah  Witnesses can’t put their hand in politics. So we were free to preach and nobody use to gave us hard time. The people we use to preach to knew where and what time violence will be somewhere. And they use to warn us so we can’t go there.

But still, we use to face some situations that were dangerous. One day me and Denis Carrigan, who was also pioneering, went to preach in one town that not far from us. No Jehovah Witness was living in that town and we only preach there one time before. One woman accuse us that we secret British soldiers. She said it maybe because two of us were not sounding like Irish people. The thing she said made us scary because when you just make friend with soldier people they will kill you or maybe they will shoot you in your knee. We were standing outside waiting for the bus. We were feeling cold and nobody else was with us. Then we saw one car and it stop to the same place the woman accuse us. She came outside and started talking to the two men them in the car and was pointing to us. The men them came to us and ask us some question them about the time the bus can come and go. When the bus came, they and the driver talk. We were not hearing what they were talking. No other passenger was on the bus, so we were convince that they finish planning to do bad to us outside the town. But it not happen like that. When I was coming from in the bus, I ask the driver: “Wetin the men them were asking you about us?” He said: “I told them I know yor. So yor must not worry. Yor safe now.”

In 1976 I met Pauline Lomax to one district assembly a in Dublin. She was special pioneer and she came from England to visit. She was spiritual, humble, and kind to people. She and her small brother, Ray, grew up in the truth. After one year, me and Pauline got marry. And we continue special pioneering in Ballymena, in Northern Ireland.

We serve in the circuit work for some time in Belfast, Londonderry, and other dangerous areas. The faith our brother and sister them show really encourage us. Some of them left their religious beliefs they been having for long time and hatred for people from different background just to serve Jehovah. He really bless and protected them!

I live in Ireland for ten years. Then in 1981 they invited us to attend the 72nd class of Gilead. After our graduation, they assign us to Sierra Leone in West Africa.

We were living in the missionary home with 11 wonderful people. All of us were using one kitchen, three toilets, two bathrooms, one telephone, one washing machine, and one dryer. No good current. Rats were in the house, and cobras use to be in the basement.

Even though living conditions were not too good, we really use to enjoy the field service. The people were having respect for the Bible and they really use to listen to us. Plenty people study and took the truth. The people use to call me “Mister Robert.” And they use to call Pauline “Missus Robert.” After some time, I started work to the branch. I use to spend more time to the branch and small time in field service. So people started calling Pauline “Missus Pauline.” Then they started calling me “Mister Pauline.” Pauline use to like it!

Plenty of the brother them were poor, but  Jehovah use to take care of them in some ways that they were not expecting. (Matt. 6:33) I remember one sister who was having small money to buy food just for that day for she and her children. But she gave all the money to one brother who was sick to buy malaria medicine. That same day, one woman who she was not expecting came to her. The woman pay the sister to fix her hair. Situation them like this happen plenty times.

We stay in Sierra Leone for nine years. Then they reassign us to Bethel in Nigeria. We were living in big branch office now. They assign me to do the same type of office work that I was doing in Sierra Leone. But it was not easy for Pauline. Because in Sierra Leone, she use to spend 130 hours every month in field service and she was having plenty good-good Bible studies. But now they assign her to the sewing room and she use to spend her whole day fixing clothes. It took some time for her to get use to it. But she got to know that other people were grateful for the work she was doing. So she focus on doing her best to encourage her fellow Bethelites.

We were having plenty things to learn about the culture in Nigeria because it was new to us. One day, one brother came to my office and show me one sister who just came to Bethel. When I was trying to shake her hand, she bow down all the way to my foot. I was surprise! I remember two scriptures straight: Acts 10:25, 26 and Revelation 19:10. I started thinking, ‘I must tell her to not do it?’ But I remember that they invited her to Bethel, so she knew what the Bible say.

All the time we were talking, I was really feeling embarrass. So later on, I did some research. I learn that the sister was following one of their tradition that some people were still following in the country. The men them use to bow down the same way too. So it was not worship but that was just way to show respect. Some example them like that in the Bible too. (1 Sam. 24:8) I was happy that I not say anything to embarrass my sister even though I never knew the culture.

We na meet plenty Nigerians who show that they having strong faith in Jehovah. Let  talk about the example of Isaiah Adagbona. b He learn the truth when he was young man. But the doctor them say he was suffering from leprosy. So they sent him to the leprosy camp. He was the only Jehovah Witness in that camp. Even though he was in that condition, he still help more than 30 people who were having leprosy to take the truth. He help to form one congregation in the camp.

In 1996, they assign us to the branch in Kenya. Since my visit to Kenya that I talk about at the beginning, that was my first time going back to the country. We were living in Bethel. And plenty monkeys use to come there. They use to steal from the sisters when they carrying fruit. One day, one sister in Bethel left her window open. When she came home, she saw plenty monkey them enjoying the food in her room. She yell and ran outside. The monkey them too yell and jump through the window.

Me and Pauline join one Swahili congregation. It not stay long, they assign me to conduct the Congregation Book Study (now we can call it Congregation Bible Study). But I never knew the language too good. I use to study the material in advance, so I was able to read the question them. But when the brother them make comment that was different small from the one in the book, I was not able to understand them. It use to embarrass me! I use to feel sorry for the brother and sister them too. But I was encourage by the way the brother them were patient and humble to let me conduct the meeting.

We were in Kenya for almost one year. Then they invited us to Bethel in Brooklyn, New York in 1997. We were living in the country where people having plenty material things. And plenty material things can bring problems. (Prov. 30:8, 9) But even in country like that, our brother and sister them showing that they get strong faith. Our brothers not use their time and material things to make their self rich. But they use this thing them to support the good work that Jehovah organization doing.

For plenty years, we na see how the brother and sister them show faith in different-different situations. Even though the people in Ireland use to like fighting business, we saw how our brother them was faithful. In Africa, our brother them were poor. And no Witnesses were around the place they were living, but still they remain faithful. And even though people get plenty material things in America, our brother them continue to show their faith. Jehovah can be really happy when he look down and see his people showing their love for him in different-different type of situations!

The years na fly “more quickly than a weaver’s shuttle.” (Job 7:6) Now-now we working with our brother them to the world headquarters in Warwick, New York. And we happy to continue working with people who really love one another. We happy and satisfy to do anything we able to do to support our King, Jesus Christ, who will soon bless plenty faithful people.—Matt. 25:34.