Bihaen 1940, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness studyim Bible witim parents blo mi. Nomata tufala stop for studyim Bible, mami blo mi gohed kasem olketa Wastaoa and Wekap! magasin. Lo 1950, wanfala international convention kamap lo New York City, and famili blo mi attendim datfala convention.

No longtaem bihaen, Brata Lawrence Jeffries visitim mifala. Hem laek helpem mi for savve lo truth. Firstaem, mi tingse Olketa Jehovah’s Witness shud sapotim gavman and joinim army. Mi talem hem hao sapos evriwan lo America no go faet lo war, enemy bae kam tekovarem full kantri. Brata Jeffries askem mi kwestin for helpem mi ting raonem datwan. Hem sei: “Wat nao bae Jehovah God duim if evriwan lo America worshipim hem and enemy kam attakim olketa?” Wanem hem talem abaotem datwan and olketa nara samting mekem mi luksavve hao tingting wea mi garem hem no stret. Datwan mekem mi interest for lanem truth lo Bible.

Mi start for readim olketa old Wastaoa and Wekap! magasin wea mami keepim lo wanfala rum andanit lo haos. Datwan mekem mi luksavve diswan nao truth, so taem Brata Jeffries sei for studyim Bible witim mi, mi acceptim. Mi start tu for attendim meeting evritaem. Mi laekem tumas wat mi lanem, so mi start for joinim preaching waka. Mi changem goal blo mi taem mi luksavve ‘bikfala de blong Jehovah barava kolsap.’ (Sefenaea 1:14) From mi laek for helpem pipol for lanem truth lo Bible, mi disaed for no go lo university.

Lo June 13, 1956, mi graduate from hae skul, and thrifala day bihaen mi baptaes lo wanfala circuit assembly. Lo datfala taem, mi no savve bae mi kasem staka blessing from mi iusim laef blo mi for lane abaotem Jehovah and teachim pipol abaotem hem.

Sixfala month bihaen mi baptaes, mi regular pioneer. Wanfala article lo Kingdom Ministry blo December 1956, hem garem title “Waswe, Iu Savve Go Preach lo Ples wea Garem Need?” Mi laek for go help lo ples wea no garem staka pablisa for preach.​—Matt. 24:14.

Mi muv lo wanfala kongregeson lo Edgefield, South Carolina wea garem 4-fala pablisa nomoa, and mi nao mek-faev. Mifala savve meeting insaed rum lo haos blo wanfala brata. Evri month, mi savve spendem 100 hour lo ministry. Mi busy tumas from mi leadim olketa brata and sista lo ministry and from mi givim olketa tok lo kongregeson. Taem mi duim olsem, mi lanem staka samting abaotem Jehovah.

Mi studyim Bible witim wanfala woman wea ownim wanfala bisnis for lukaftarem olketa funeral lo Johnston, taon wea no farawe from ples mi stap. Datfala woman sei mi savve waka part-taem for hem, and hem letem mifala iusim wanfala haos blo hem olsem Kingdom Hall.

Brata Jolly Jeffries, son blo datfala brata wea studyim Bible witim mi, hem muv kam from Brooklyn, New York, for mitufala pioneer tugeta. Mitufala stap insaed caravan wea wanfala brata givim for mitufala iusim.

Lo South Carolina, wages hem smol tumas. Man savve waka for full day and kasem tu or thri dollar nomoa. Wantaem, mi iusim olketa last coin blo mi for baem samfala kaikai lo wanfala stoa. Taem mi kamaot, wanfala man sei lo mi: “Hao, iu laek waka? Bae mi peim iu wan dollar for wan hour?” Hem givim mi waka for klinim wanfala construction area wea hem tekem thrifala day. Mi luksavve Jehovah helpem mi for stay lo Edgefield. Nomata mi no garem staka selen, mi garem chance tu for go lo 1958 international convention wea kamap lo New York City.

Lo mek-tu day blo datfala convention, wanfala spesol samting happen. Mi meetim Ruby Wadlington, wea hem regular pioneer lo Gallatin, Tennessee. From mitufala evriwan garem goal for duim missionary waka, mitufala attendim Gilead meeting lo datfala convention. Bihaen, mitufala raraet lo each other. Then mi kasem invitation for givim pablik tok lo Gallatin. Mi iusim datfala chance for askem Ruby for maritim mi. Mi muv lo kongregeson blo Ruby, and mitufala marit lo 1959.

Taem mi 23 years, mi kamap kongregeson servant (wea distaem hem coordinator blo body of elders) lo Gallatin. Charles Thompson hem wanfala niu circuit overseer and mifala nao first kongregeson wea hem visitim. Nomata hem garem staka experience lo truth, hem askem mi wat kaen help olketa brata and sista needim, and wat nao olketa circuit overseer bifor duim for helpem olketa. Mi lane from hem hao hem gud for olketa elder askem olketa kwestin, and savve lo full story bifor mifala deal witim olketa samting.

 Lo May 1964, mi kasem invitation for attendim Kingdom Ministry Skul wea kamap lo South Lansing, New York. Olketa wea conductim datfala skul helpem mi for laek gohed lanem moa samting abaotem Jehovah and for strongim go moa frenship blo mi witim hem.

Mi and Ruby kasem invitation for duim circuit waka lo January 1965. First circuit blo mitufala hem kavarem bigfala area, start from Knoxville, Tennessee, go kasem Richmond, Virginia. Olketa kongregeson lo North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia tu insaed lo datfala circuit. Mitufala visitim nomoa kongregeson blo olketa blak brata and sista, bikos lo datfala taem lo south part lo United States, blak and white pipol no savve meet tugeta. From olketa brata and sista hia no garem staka samting, mifala lane for sharem wanem mifala garem witim olketa. Wanfala brata wea circuit overseer for longtaem finis teachim mi wanfala important leson. Hem sei: “Taem iu visitim kongregeson no act olsem boss bat kamap brata blo olketa. Iu savve helpem olketa if olketa ting lo iu olsem brata blo olketa.”

Taem mifala visitim wanfala smol kongregeson, Ruby startim Bible study witim wanfala woman wea garem smol gele wea wan year. Taem no eniwan lo kongregeson fit for study witim hem, Ruby savve raetem leta lo hem for duim study. Next taem mifala visit, woman hia kam lo evri meeting. Taem tufala spesol pioneer sista muv go lo datfala kongregeson, tufala gohed study witim hem, and no longtaem bihaen hem baptaes. Lo 1995, samting olsem 30 year bihaen, lo Patterson Bethel wanfala young sista story witim Ruby. Sista hia hem dota blo datfala woman wea Ruby study witim bifor. Hem and hasband blo hem lo Patterson for attendim mek-100 class blo Gilead Skul.

Mek-tu circuit blo mifala hem lo central Florida. Lo datfala taem mifala needim car, so mifala peim wanfala car wea no expensive tumas. Bat lo first week nomoa, wata pump hem nogud nao. Mifala no garem selen moa for repairim. Mi ringim wanfala brata wea mi savve hem maet fit for helpem mifala. Hem talem wakaman blo hem for fixim car blo mifala, and hem sei mifala no need for peim. And hem givim samfala selen olsem present for mifala tu! Datwan hem nambawan example lo hao Jehovah lukaftarem pipol blo hem. Datwan remindim mifala for mas kaen lo narawan tu.

Taem mifala visitim olketa kongregeson, mifala savve stap lo haos blo olketa brata and sista. Datwan mekem mifala garem staka gud fren. Wantaem, mifala stap lo haos witim wanfala famili and mi typem report abaotem kongregeson. From hem no finis, mi lusim insaed lo typewriter. Taem mi kam bak lo evening, mi faendaot thri year old son blo datfala famili hem pressim olketa key lo typewriter hia and spoelem datfala report. Taem hem big, evritaem mi lukim hem, mi savve mekfani lo hem lo hao hem trae for “helpem” mi for finisim datfala report.

Lo 1971, mi kasem wanfala leta abaotem niu assignment for kamap distrik overseer lo New York City. Mitufala no expectim datwan! Taem mifala muv lo there, mi 34 years nomoa. Mi hapi tumas taem olketa brata and sista welkamim mi, firstfala blak distrik overseer blo olketa.

From mi distrik overseer, mi enjoyim tumas for teachim pipol abaotem Jehovah evri weekend lo olketa circuit assembly. Staka circuit overseer lo datfala distrik garem moa experience winim mi. Wanfala lo olketa hem givim baptism tok taem mi baptaes. Narawan hem Theodore Jaracz, wea gogo hem kamap member blo Governing Body. Lo datfala circuit, mifala garem tu staka experience brata wea waka lo Brooklyn Bethel. Mi tinghae tumas lo hao olketa circuit overseer and Bethelite hia barava hambol. Mi lukim hao olketa brata hia depend lo toktok from Bible and faithful for sapotim organization blo Jehovah. Datwan mekem hem isi for mi duim waka blo distrik overseer.

Lo 1974 Governing Body assignim olketa nara circuit overseer for duim distrik waka, and mi duim moa circuit waka, distaem lo South  Carolina. Lo datfala taem, olketa blak and white brata and sista savve meet tugeta nao lo olketa kongregeson and circuit, so datwan mekem olketa hapi tumas.

Lo end lo 1976, mi kasem assignment for duim circuit waka lo Georgia between Atlanta and Columbus. Mi tingim taem wea mi givim wanfala funeral tok for faevfala blak pikinini wea dae from samfala bonem haos blo datfala famili. Mami blo olketa pikinini hia admit lo hospital from olketa garekil lo datfala fire. Staka blak and white brata and sista kam lo hospital for comfortim tufala. Mi lukim bigfala love wea olketa brata and sista hia showimaot. Taem pipol blo Jehovah showimaot olketa tingim each other, datwan savve helpem olketa for no givap lo eni hard taem.

Lo 1977, branch askem mifala for go lo Brooklyn Bethel for help lo wanfala project for tu-thri month. Taem datfala project gogo for finis, tufala Governing Body member story witim mi and askem sapos mi and Ruby willing for gohed waka lo Bethel. Mitufala hapi for duim datwan.

For 24 year mi waka lo Service Department, wea staka taem mifala mas deal witim olketa situation wea no isi for deal witim, and samfala hard kwestin wea mifala kasem. Lo staka year wea go pas, Governing Body provaedem olketa gaedlaen wea followim olketa Bible principle. Diswan helpem Service Department for ansarem olketa kwestin hia, and mifala iusim datwan tu for trainim olketa circuit overseer, elder, and olketa pioneer. Olketa gaedlaen hia helpem olketa for strongim frenship blo olketa witim Jehovah. And datwan help tu for strongim organization blo Jehovah.

Start lo 1995 kasem 2018, mi wanfala hedquarter representative, wea bifor olketa savve kolem lo zone overseer. Mi savve visitim olketa branch office, and mi savve meet witim olketa Branch Komiti, olketa Bethelite, and olketa missionary for encouragem olketa and for helpem olketa witim eni problem. Evritaem mi and Ruby tu kasem encouragement from olketa naes experience wea olketa sharem witim mitufala. For example, mifala visitim Rwanda lo 2000. Olketa storyim hao olketa brata and Bethel famili deal witim datfala taem lo 1994, wea wanfala tribe trae for killim dae evriwan lo nara tribe. Staka lusim olketa famili and fren blo olketa. Nomata olketa kasem olketa barava hard taem, olketa garem hope, and gohed faithful, and hapi.

Distaem mitufala winim 80 years. For 20 year finis mi lo United States Branch Komiti. Nomata mi no go lo university, mi kasem best education from Jehovah and organization blo hem. Datwan mekem mi fit for teachim Bible truth lo olketa narawan wea savve helpem olketa for kasem laef olowe. (2 Cor. 3:5; 2 Tim. 2:2) Mi lukim hao Bible helpem pipol for garem gudfala laef and helpem olketa for fren witim Jehovah. (Jas. 4:8) Mi and Ruby laek for iusim eni chance for encouragem olketa brata and sista for gohed tinghae lo privilege for lane abaotem Jehovah, and for teachim truth lo olketa narawan. Datwan nao nambawan privilege blo iumi wea worshipim Jehovah!