They born me for 1948 for Netherlands. The next year, my family pack go São Paulo, Brazil. My papa and mama no de miss church service, and our family de always read Bible together after we chop evening food. For 1959, we pack comot from Brazil go United States and for there, we live for Massachusetts.

All of us for our family na eight, and my papa really do e best to care for us. E do different-different kind of work. E work as person wey de go from place to place de sell company product, road construction worker, and still work with international airline. We really happy say e work with the airline because that one give us the chance to fit travel go different-different place.

When I dey high school, I de always ask myself say, ‘Wetin I go do when I don grow?’ Some of my friends go university, and others enter army. As for me, I no fit be soldier because I no first like quarrel not to talk of fight. I go university so that chance no go dey for me to enter army. But for inside my mind, I really want help people because I feel say that one go make my life get meaning.

I choose to study anthropology (the study of humans) for university because I really like to know how life start. They teach us say life start by e self and they expect say we go just believe say na true. But for me, the way they explain some things no make sense because e mean say we go believe-am without reason, and no be so science de work.

For university, they no teach us anything about to live clean life. But the main thing wey they teach us na to do anything wey we fit to get good result. I de go party and de use hard drugs and this one de make me happy, but the happiness no de last. So I ask myself say, ‘Na the kind life wey I want be this?’

As time de go, I pack go city of Boston and start to go university for there. I work for holiday to fit get the money wey I need for my school. Na that time I meet Jehovah Witness person for the first time. My workmate wey be Jehovah Witness, tell me about the “seven times” wey dey Daniel chapter 4 and explain say we de live for the last days. (Dan. 4:13-17) I just know say if I continue to discuss with-am from Bible, and believe wetin I de learn, e go make me change the way I de live my life. So I do my best to run from this workmate.

When I dey university, I learn other things wey go help me fit do volunteer work for South America. I think say I go really happy if I de help people wey get problem. But I come see say even this one no give me wetin I want for life. This one make everything tire me, I come stop to go university for the end of that school year.

For May 1970, I pack go Amsterdam for Netherlands. For there, I work for the same airline wey my papa work. Because of this work, I travel go plenty place. I visit different-different country for Africa, North and South America, Europe and Asia. Na that time I see say no matter the country wey I go, all of them get their own serious problem and e just be like say they no know how to solve-am. E really dey my mind to use my life do better thing. This one make me go back to United States and enter the same university wey I dey before for Boston.

But as I go back to school, e no hard me to see say the things wey them de teach for the university no answer my questions about life. I go meet one of my professor for advice because I no know wetin I go do. Wetin e talk shock me. E ask me say: “Why you want continue? Why you no just stop?” E no need to talk-am two times! So I comot from university and I no go back again.

As I never still get the happiness wey I de find, I join one group wey no accept the normal way of life and wey feel say they want make peace and love dey. Me and some of my friends travel go different-different place for United States, go reach Acapulco for Mexico. We live with other people wey get the same believe like us and they be like people wey no get problem for life. But as I dey with them, I see say their life no get meaning and their happiness no de last. Instead, they sabi lie, and person no fit trust them.

When I small, I tell myself say when I grow, I go de use boat travel for sea. Around this time, this thing start to come my mind again. But I want be captain, no be to de work for people. The only way I fit do this one na to get my own boat. One of my friend wey e name na Tom still like to travel for sea, just like me. We decide say we go use boat travel round the world together. Wetin dey my mind na to find one far island wey be like paradise and wey dey free from city life.

Me and Tom travel go Arenys de Mar, near Barcelona for Spain. For there we buy one boat wey the name na Llygra and e long reach 31-foot (9.4 m). Then we repair the boat so that e go let us travel for sea. As e be say we no de hurry to reach where we de go, we remove the engine so that we go see space to keep more drinking water. Then we attach two paddle wey long reach 16-foot (5 m) for the boat. This one go help us fit pass where them de park ships and boats. After everything don ready, we start our journey to Seychelles one fine Island for Indian Ocean. Our plan na to pass West Africa, from there pass Cape of Good Hope for South Africa. We use stars, some maps, books, and simple instruments wey go help us know the correct direction. We really happy say this things help us fit know the correct place wey we dey.

Small time we come see say our old wooden boat no good reach to use travel for sea. About six gallons (22 L) of water de leak enter the boat for one hour! As I talk for the beginning, when heavy breeze blow for the sea, serious fear catch me, I come start to pray. That na the first time wey I pray after many years. I promise God say, if I survive, I go do my best to know-am. The heavy breeze stop and for the first time, I do wetin I promise.

I start to read Bible when we still dey for the sea. Imagine how I sitdown for my boat with the plenty water wey surround us, the only thing wey I de see na different-different fish, and the way the sky de reflect ontop the water. For night, the plenty star wey I see really sweet me, and they make me really believe say God dey, and say e de care for us.

After we don travel for some weeks, we reach where them de park ship for Alicante for Spain. For there we decide to sell our old boat so that we fit buy better one. E no surprise us as we no quick see person wey go buy-am since the boat don old, e no get engine and e de leak. But e give me plenty time to read my Bible.

As I de read the Bible, the more I de see-am as book wey fit help me succeed for life. I really like as Bible make-am clear say make we de live clean life and make we no de do sex wey God hate. So I start to wonder why plenty people—even me—wey call theirself Christians no de follow this advice.

I decide say I go start to live clean life, so I stop to de use hard drugs. For my mind, I dey sure say people dey wey de follow this advice for  Bible, and I want meet them. This one make me pray for the second time and I beg God say make e help me fit meet them.

For me, the best way to find true religion, na to de check them one by one, until I see-am. As I de waka for the streets of Alicante, I see plenty place wey people de use for worship. But most of them get image for there, so e easy for me to know say they no be true religion.

One Sunday afternoon, I climb one hill wey person fit from there see the area. For there I read James 2:1-5, wey talk say e bad to favor people just because them rich. When I de go back to where my boat dey, I see one place wey resemble where people de use for worship. For front of the door, they write: “Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

I tell myself say, ‘I go try this people, so that I go see how they go treat me.’ So I enter the Kingdom Hall without shoe, with plenty beard-beard, and tear-tear jeans. The attendant take me go sitdown with one old sister, and the old sister help me open all the Bible verse wey the person wey de give talk, read. After the meeting, e really surprise me the way people greet me. One man invite me to e house so that we go talk about Bible. But because I never read my Bible finish, I tell-am say, “I go tell you when I don ready.” And I continue to go all the meeting.

After some weeks, I visit the man for e house and e answer my question about Bible. One week later, the man give me one bag wey plenty fine cloth dey inside. E tell me say the person wey get the cloths dey prison and na because e de follow Bible advice say make we love people and no fight war. (Isa. 2:4; John 13:34, 35) Now, I dey sure say I don see wetin I de find—the people wey de follow the clear message for Bible about clean life! No be island wey be like paradise I de find again, but na to study Bible well and really understand-am. So I go back to Netherlands.

Na four days e take me to reach Groningen for Netherlands. For there, I need to work to get the things wey I need. For one carpenter shop wey I say make they give me work, they say make I fill one form. For the form, they ask me say wetin be my religion, and I write say, “Jehovah Witness.”  When the owner of the shop read the form, I notice say e face just change. E talk say, “I go call you.” But e no ever call me.

I go another carpenter shop and ask the owner if e need help. E say make I show-am my certificate and wetin show say I don do the work before. I explain say I don repair wooden boat before. I surprise when e talk say, “You fit start work this afternoon, but I want make you put one thing for mind. I no want make you cause problem for my shop because I be Jehovah Witness, and I de follow wetin Bible talk.” I surprise de look the man and tell-am say, “Me too!” Because of my long hair and beards e tell me say, “Ok, I go study Bible with you!” I happy to accept the Bible study. Now I see why the other shop owner no call me as e promise. Jehovah use this one answer my prayer. (Ps. 37:4) I work for the brother shop for one year, and e de study Bible with me that time. Then I baptize for January 1974.

After one month, I start to pioneer, and e really make me happy. And the next month, I pack go Amsterdam so that I fit support the new Spanish group wey they form for there. I really happy to de teach Bible students with Spanish and Portuguese language. For May 1975, they make me special pioneer.

One day, one special pioneer sister come our Spanish meeting, to show us e Bible student wey come from Bolivia. The special pioneer name na Ineke. So me and sister Ineke decide to de write letter to each other so that we fit know each other well. Small time, we come see say we get the same plan. We marry for 1976 and continue our special pioneer work until 1982, when they invite us to the 73 class of Gilead. We really surprise and happy when they send us go East Africa, and we serve for Mombasa for Kenya for five years. Then for 1987, they send us go Tanzania, where the government just remove the ban for our work. We stay Tanzania for 26 years before we go back to Kenya.

To de help people wey get good heart learn about the truth for Bible, give me real happiness. For example, my first Bible student for Mombasa na one man wey I meet for preaching. After I give the man two magazine, e ask me say, “Wetin I go do when I read-am finish?” The next week, we start to study Bible with the new book wey they just release for Swahili, wey the title na You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. The man baptize after one year, and start to pioneer. Since that time, the brother and e wife don help almost 100 people become servants of Jehovah.

When I come understand how to get real happiness for life, I feel like the business man for Bible wey see precious stone, and e do everything to get-am. (Matt. 13:45, 46) I want use all my life help other people make they get better life. Me and my dear wife don see-am direct, how Jehovah de bless e people, and de help them enjoy real happiness for life.