Because my wife Danièle de notice things quick-quick, e talk for my ear say: “No bother to call police, they don already reach here!” Na so we hear as one motor stop for the front of the hotel. After some minutes, they arrest us. But wetin my wife talk give me small time to give some documents to one brother wey e dey there.

As them de carry us go police station, I start to think about how Jehovah bless me with this kind bold woman wey e get love for Jehovah and e organization. That one na just one example of the many times wey me and my wife work together as team. Make I explain wetin make us visit different-different country where they ban our preaching work.

They born me for one Catholic family for 1930, for Croix. Croix na one small town for northern France. Our family de attend Mass every week and my papa na worker for church. But when I don de reach 14 years, something happen wey e open my eye to see the lie-lie for church.

German army de stay for France that time when second world war still dey on. Our priest de always tell us to support the Nazi government wey e de control the town of Vichy. Wetin e talk shock us! Like many other people for France, we de hide to listen to BBC radio. Na this radio station de tell us news about the army wey them de fight Germany (Allied forces). When the Allied forces start to win for September 1944, the priest no waste time to change the side wey e de support. E even arrange make the church do thanksgiving to celebrate-am. This thing wey the priest do shock me no be small. E make me start to doubt leaders for church.

My papa die after the war. My senior sister de live with e husband for Belgium. So, na only me dey to care for my mama. I get good job. The person wey I de work for and e sons be strong Catholic. Even though say I get bright future for the company, I know say I go soon face some test.

Later, my senior sister Simone wey e don become Jehovah Witness come visit us for 1953. E use Bible explain the lie-lie wey Catholic  Church de teach, about hellfire, trinity, and the lie-lie teaching say soul no de die. That first time, I argue say the Bible wey e use no be Catholic Bible. But after some time, I start to see say na true e talk. Later, e give me some Watchtower, and I no waste time to read them for night. E no hard for me to understand say na the truth be this, but I de fear say I go lose my job if I become Jehovah Witness.

For some months, I use my time study the Bible and some topics for Watchtower. I later agree to go Kingdom Hall. The love wey I feel for there really touch me. One brother wey e get experience study the Bible with me for six months and I baptize for September 1954. After, as I see my mama and my younger sister come serve Jehovah, e make me happy.

E pain me say my mama die before the 1958 international convention wey them do for New York. I attend this convention. As I return from the convention, I leave my job and start to pioneer since I no get anybody to care for again. Later, I meet one pioneer sister wey e name na Danièle Delie. Na this sister later become my dear wife and we marry for May 1959.

Danièle don start full-time service for one village for Brittany, and the place far from e house. E need strong heart to preach for that Catholic area, and to travel with bicycle go different-different village. Like me, e de do all this one because e know say time no dey. We feel say the end fit don really near. (Matt. 25:13) My wife de think more about other people and this one don help us remain for full-time service.

Some days after we marry, they send us to circuit work. This one make us live simple life even more. The first congregation wey we visit get 14 publishers, and the brothers no even get space for their house where we fit stay. So we use mattress sleep for platform inside Kingdom Hall. No be say we really enjoy-am, but e make our back straight!

We always de get plenty things to do, but e no hard for Danièle to adjust to circuit work. Sometimes, I de get meeting wey I no plan for with elders, and Danièle go wait for inside our small car, but e no ever complain. Na only two years we do circuit work. And for the two years, we learn say for husband and wife to succeed, they need to talk to each other from their heart and work together as one.​—Eccl. 4:9.

For 1962, they invite us to the 37th class of Gilead School for Brooklyn, New York. That time, the school de last for ten months. Out of 100 students wey them invite for the class, na only 13 husbands and their wives dey. So we dey happy say we get the honor to attend together. I still de remember the faithful brothers wey we meet for there. Some of them na, Frederick Franz, Ulysses Glass, and Alexander H. Macmillan.

 For the school, they teach us how we fit de look things well. For some Saturday afternoons, after our class, they go carry us go see fine-fine places for New York City. And we know say on Monday we go write test about the things wey we see. Many times we de tire when we come back on Saturday evening. But the brother from Bethel wey e take us around go ask us questions to help us remember wetin we go write for test. One Saturday afternoon, we trek go many places for the city. We go one place where people de learn about meteors and meteorites. And for American Museum of Natural History, they teach us the difference between alligator and crocodile. As we come back to Bethel, the person wey e take us round ask us say: “So, wetin be the difference between meteor and meteorite?” Because Danièle don really tire, e just answer say, “Well, meteorites get long teeth!”

E really surprise us say they send us go Bethel for France. And na there we serve for more than 53 years. For 1976, I start to help like Branch Committee coordinator. They still send me go visit plenty countries for Africa and Middle East where they ban our work. Na e make us travel go Gabon. And na there we get the experience wey we talk for the beginning of this story. The truth be say, that time, I no feel say I qualify to handle all the assignments wey they give me. But na the support of Danièle help me to handle any kind of assignment.

From the beginning, me and my wife love our Bethel assignment. My wife learn English for about five months before we go Gilead. E later become good translator for our publications. Our bethel work de make us happy. But na things wey we de do for our congregation de make us happy more. When I remember when me and Danièle enter Paris metro train for night, na true say we tire, but e de make us happy say we don conduct plenty Bible study together. E really pain me when I see say my wife Danièle no fit do as e de do before because of sickness

For 1993, they find out say Danièle get breast cancer. Na operation and chemotherapy be the treatment. This treatment dey very painful. After fifteen years, doctors still see say Danièle get another serious cancer. But because Danièle really like translation work, e de manage go work anytime e feel better.

Even as Danièle de really sick, e never enter our mind to leave Bethel. But when person dey Bethel and e de sick, e no dey easy, especially if people no know how serious the sickness dey. (Prov. 14:13) Even when Danièle don de reach 80 years, e still dey beautiful and you no go know say e de sick when you look e face. E no de feel sorry for herself. But, e de always think about other people. Danièle know say to help people, e need to listen to them. Danièle no ever claim say e be counselor; but e use e own experience to help plenty sister make them no fear cancer.

 We still get to endure new problems. When Danièle no fit work full-time again, e de try e best to support me more-more. E do many things to make life easy for me. This one give me chance to continue de serve as Branch Committee coordinator for 37 years. For example, e de prepare everything so that we fit chop together for afternoon and then relax small everyday.​—Prov. 18:22.

Danièle really like to focus on the good things about life. Then cancer come again for the third time. This one really make us weak. Plenty chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment make Danièle weak sotey e no fit move. When I see my dear wife as e de struggle to find wetin to talk, even as she be good translator, this one really make me sad.

Even when we feel say our power don finish, we continue to pray to Jehovah and we trust say e no go ever allow us to suffer wetin pass our power (1 Cor. 10:13) We continue to thank Jehovah for the help wey e give us from Bible, the brothers for Bethel medical department and the fine support of our brothers and sisters for the whole world.

We de always beg Jehovah to help us know the kind treatment wey we go choose. One time, my wife no get any treatment. The doctor wey e don de treat Danièle for 23 years no fit explain why my wife no de know anything after every chemotherapy treatment. The doctor no know any other treatment. That time, we no really know wetin go happen. Then, another doctor agree to treat Danièle. E just be like say Jehovah don help us to cope with our fear.

As we no de worry too much about tomorrow, e help us to cope with fear. As Jesus talk, “each day get enough trouble.” (Matt. 6:34) Our smile and the hope say things go better don really help us. For example, when Danièle no do chemotherapy treatment for two months, na so e tell me as e de smile say: “Na now I de even feel better” (Prov. 17:22) Even as Danièle de suffer, e always like to practice the new Kingdom songs with loud voice

As my wife de always feel say things go better, this one don give me the power to continue. Make I talk true, for the 57 years wey we don marry, Danièle take good care of me. E no even want show me how to fry egg! So when my wife de sick, I learn how to wash plate, wash cloths and even prepare simple food. I don break some glass cups as I de wash them, but I really like to do things to make Danièle happy. *

When I look back, I see say I don learn important lessons from wetin we don face like sickness and old age. First, make we no dey too busy sotey we forget to show love for our dear husband or wife. We must try our best when we still get power to take care of the people wey we love. (Eccl. 9:9) Second, Make we no worry too much about small-small things, if we de worry, we fit no see the blessings wey we de enjoy everyday.​—Prov. 15:15.

When I think about our life for full-time service, I de feel say Jehovah bless us pass wetin we even expect. I de feel like the person wey e write Psalm 116, e talk say: “Jehovah don treat me well.”​—Ps. 116:7.