Mi born lo 1955, famili blo mifala garem thrifala boy and mi nao youngest. Mi grow ap klosap lo saed sea lo southern Finland, wea distaem pipol kolem lo city blo Vantaa.

Mami blo mi baptaes and kamap Jehovah’s Witness tu-thri year bifor mi born. Bat dadi blo mi againstim truth and no letem mami blo mi for study witim mifala or for tekem mifala lo olketa kongregeson meeting. So mami savve teachim olketa main Bible truth lo mifala taem dadi no stap.

From taem mi pikinini, mi disaed for obeyim Jehovah. For example, taem mi seven years old, skul teacher blo mi kros lo mi bikos mi no laek for kaikaim blood pancake wea olketa kolem lo verilättyjä (Diswan hem hom kaikai blo Finland). Teacher blo mi hem skwisim cheeks blo mi witim wan hand for openem lips blo mi, and nara hand hem holem fork wea garem pis pancake and trae for pushim insaed mouth blo mi. Bat mi pushim aot fork from hand blo hem.

Taem mi 12 years old, dadi blo mi dae. Afta datwan, mi savve attendim olketa kongregeson meeting. Olketa brata lo kongregeson kaen tumas lo mi, and datwan helpem mi for fren klos witim Jehovah. Mi start for readim Bible evriday and studyim gud olketa pablikeson blo iumi. Gudfala wei for study olsem helpem mi for baptaes nomata mi 14 years old, lo August 8, 1969.

 No long taem bihaen mi finis skul, mi start for regular pioneer. Insaed tu-thri week nomoa, mi muv for serve lo ples wea garem big need, lo Pielavesi, wea hem klosap midol lo Finland.

Lo Pielavesi, mi meetim wanfala gele wea nem blo hem Sirkka wea gogo hem kamap waef blo mi, wea mi lovem tumas. Mi laekem hem bikos hem hambol and spiritual sista. Hem no aftarem big nem and material samting. Mitufala laek for duim best blo mitufala lo service blo Jehovah, and willing for duim eni assignment. Mitufala marit lo March 23, 1974. Instead for go honeymoon, mitufala go serve lo Karttula, ples wea garem big need for samfala pablisa for preach.

Start lo taem wea mitufala marit, mitufala luksavve Jehovah bae kea for olketa material need blo mitufala if mitufala putim Kingdom first. (Matt. 6:33) For example, lo Karttula, mitufala no garem car. Firstaem, mitufala savve iusim baesikol. Bat lo winter hem savve cold tumas. And for preach lo full territory blo kongregeson, mifala needim car. Bat mitufala no garem selen for peim.

Mitufala no expectim dat big brata blo mi bae kam visitim mitufala. Hem givim car blo hem for mitufala. Hem peim finis tu insurance blo datfala car. Fuel nomoa bae mitufala peim. So mitufala garem nao vehicle wea mitufala needim.

Jehovah showim lo mitufala hao hem nao bae provaedem olketa material need blo mitufala. And lo saed blo mitufala, mitufala bae putim Kingdom first lo laef.

Taem mitufala attendim Pioneer Service Skul lo 1978, Raimo Kuokkanen, a wea hem wanfala instructor blo mifala, encouragem mitufala for apply for Gilead Skul. So mitufala start for lanem English mekem mitufala savve qualify for attend. Bat lo 1980, bifor mitufala apply, mitufala kasem invitation for serve lo branch office lo Finland. Lo datfala taem, olketa Bethelite no savve apply for Gilead. Mitufala laek for serve lo ples wea Jehovah sei hem best, and no ples wea mitufala tingse hem best. So mitufala acceptim invitation. Nomata olsem, mitufala gohed for lanem English just in case mitufala garem chance for apply for Gilead.

 Tu-thri year bihaen, Governing Body sei olketa Bethelite savve apply for Gilead. Stretawe mitufala fillimap application, bat hem no bikos mitufala no laek for stap lo Bethel. Really, mitufala laek for mekem mitufala available for serve lo eni ples wea garem big need if mitufala qualify. Olketa acceptim mitufala for attendim Gilead, and mitufala graduate lo mek-79 class, lo September 1985. Mitufala kasem assignment for go lo Colombia.

First assignment blo mitufala lo Colombia hem for waka lo branch office. Mi trae for duim gud assignment blo mi, bat afta wan year lo branch, mi laek for change assignment. Hem nao first and only taem lo laef blo mi wea mi ask for difren assignment. Bihaen, mitufala kasem assignment for kamap field missionary lo city blo Neiva, lo region blo Huila.

Evritaem mi enjoyim field ministry. Taem mi singol and pioneer lo Finland, samfala taem mi savve preach early lo morning go kasem evening. And bihaen mitufala just marit, mi and Sirkka savve spendem full day lo preaching. Taem mifala preach lo olketa farawe territory, samfala taem mitufala savve sleep lo car. Datwan sevem taem for travel and mitufala savve start early lo next day.

Taem mitufala kamap field missionary, mitufala kasem bak sem hapi wea mitufala experiencem bifor lo ministry. Kongregeson blo mifala hem grow, and olketa brata and sista lo Colombia savve showimaot love, respect, and barava tinghae.

Klosap lo assignment blo mitufala lo Neiva, samfala taon stap wea no garem eni Witness. Mi wari abaotem hao nao gud nius bae kasem olketa area hia. Diswan bikos olketa area hia garem olketa rebol and hem no sef for pipol from difren taon for go lo there. So mi prea for samwan lo olketa taon hia for kamap Witness. Mi tingse datfala person mas stap lo hia lo Neiva mekem hem lanem truth. So mi talem Jehovah tu dat afta hem baptaes, hem mas kamap mature lo spiritual wei and go bak lo hom taon blo hem for preach. Bat really, Jehovah garem finis wanfala best plan wea gud winim wat mi tingim.

No longtaem bihaen, mi start study witim wanfala young man wea nem blo hem Fernando González. Hem stap lo Algeciras, wanfala lo olketa taon hia wea no garem eni Witness. Fernando savve travel for winim 50 kilometer for kam lo Neiva for waka. Hem barava prepare gud for each study, and stretawe start for attendim meeting. Start lo first week wea hem study, Fernando savve hipimap samfala lo hom taon blo hem and teachim wat hem lanem.

Sixfala month bihaen Fernando start for study, hem baptaes lo January 1990. Then hem start for regular pioneer. From hem kamap Witness and stap lo Algeciras, hem sef nao for branch office sendem olketa spesol pioneer lo datfala ples. Lo February 1992, wanfala kongregeson start lo datfala taon.

Hao, Fernando preach nomoa lo hom taon blo hem? Nomoa! Afta hem marit, hem and  waef blo hem muv go lo San Vicente del Caguán, nara taon wea no garem eni Witness. Lo there, tufala help for startim wanfala niu kongregeson. Lo 2002, Fernando kamap wanfala circuit overseer, and hem and waef blo hem, Olga, continue for duim traveling waka kam kasem distaem.

Disfala experience helpem mi for lanem dat hem important for specific taem iumi prea abaotem olketa samting wea join witim olketa theocratic assignment blo iumi. Jehovah savve duim wat iumi no fit for duim. And waka for harvest hem blo Jehovah, no blo iumi.—Matt. 9:38.

Lo 1990, mitufala kasem assignment for duim traveling waka. First circuit wea mifala duim hem lo, Bogotá. Mitufala fraet incase mitufala no duim gud disfala assignment. Mitufala ordinary pipol wea no garem eni spesol talent. Mitufala no getius for stap lo wanfala busy city. Bat Jehovah fulfillim promis blo hem lo Philippi 2:13: “Samting wea mekem God hapi nao hem for givim paoa long iufala mekem iufala savve laek duim samting and for iufala duim datwan.”

Gogo, mitufala assign for duim circuit lo Medellín, city wea mi storyim lo start. Pipol lo there getius lo street violence and hem kamap normal samting. For example, taem mi conductim wanfala Bible study, wanfala sut-aot hem start aotsaed lo haos wea mi kam lo hem. Mi redi for tek-kava, bat Bible study hia gohed readim paragraf and nating fraet. Taem hem finis for read, hem excuse and go aot saed. Bihaen lelebet taem, hem kam bak witim tufala pikinini blo hem and sei: “Sorre tumas, mi go for tekem kam olketa pikinini blo mi.”

Mitufala kam akrosim samfala nara danger tu. Wanfala taem mifala go preaching, then waef blo mi ran kam lo mi, and hem fraet fogud and hem sei dat samwan trae for sutim hem lo gun. Datwan mekem mi seke fogud. Bat bihaen, mifala faendaot datfala man wea holem gun hem no aim for sutim Sirkka, bat hem sutim wanfala man wea go pas next lo hem.

Gogo, mitufala savve hao for deal witim street violence. Mitufala kasem encouragement from hao olketa Witness lo datfala ples no givap for deal witim kaen situation olsem and samfala situation wea worse moa. Mitufala luksavve if Jehovah helpem olketa, bae hem helpem mitufala tu. Mitufala evritaem followim advaes blo olketa elder, careful evritaem, and leavim evri nara samting lo hand blo Jehovah.

Samfala taem situation kamap wea mitufala tingse hem danger, bat hem no olsem. Wantaem, mi standap aotsaed lo haos wea mi visitim and mi herem tufala woman shout and tok nogud lo each other. Mi no interest for lukim taem pipol argue, bat haosholder kolem mi go lo varanda lo haos blo hem. Then mi faendaot hao tufala woman wea shout and tok nogud hem really tufala parrot wea imitatim hao olketa neiba savve argue.

Lo 1997, mi kasem assignment for kamap instructor lo Ministerial Training Skul. b Mi evritaem hapi for attendim olketa theocratic skul, bat no enitaem mi tingim dat bae mi kasem privilege for kamap instructor.

Bihaen, mi kamap distrik overseer. Taem datfala arrangement stop, mi duim moa circuit waka. So for winim 30 years, mi hapi for serve olsem instructor and traveling overseer. Mi kasem staka blessing lo olketa assignment hia. Bat, evritaem hem no isi. Bae mi storyim why.

Mi man wea no fraet for talemaot tingting blo mi. Diswan helpem mi for deal witim olketa challenge wea no isi. Bat, samfala taem mi ova tumas taem mi trae for stretem samfala samting lo kongregeson. Samfala taem, mi talem olketa brata for showimaot love and flexible witim olketa narawan. Bat fani samting, lo olketa taem olsem mi nao no showimaot olketa wei hia.—Rome 7:​21-23.

Bikos mi garem olketa wik point olsem, samfala taem mi feel discourage. (Rome 7:24) Gogo, wanfala taem mi prea lo Jehovah and talem hao ating hem gud for mi lusim missionary service and go bak lo Finland. Lo datfala evening, mi attendim wanfala kongregeson meeting. Encouragement wea mi kasem lo datfala meeting, helpem mi for gohed lo assignment blo mi and waka hard for winim olketa wik point blo mi. Kam kasem distaem, hao Jehovah ansarem prea blo mi hem barava kasem heart blo mi. And tu, mi barava tinghae lo wei wea hem helpem mi for winim olketa wik point blo mi.

Mi and Sirkka barava tinghae lo Jehovah for olketa privilege wea mitufala kasem for duim full-taem service for klosap full laef blo mitufala. And tu, mi barava thankiu lo Jehovah for givim mi loving and faithful waef wea sapotim mi kam kasem distaem.

Klosap bae mi 70 years old and bae mi stop for duim olketa privilege olsem field instructor and traveling overseer. Nomata olsem, mi no feel sorre. Why? Bikos mi barava bilivim dat samting wea mekhae lo Jehovah hem wei wea iumi hambol taem servem hem, and praisem hem from heart wea fulap witim love and wei for tinghae. (Mic. 6:8; Mark 12:​32-34) For mekhae lo Jehovah, hem no minim for iumi mas garem wanfala important assignment.

Taem mi tingim bak olketa assignment wea mi duim, mi luksavve hem no bikos mi gud winim olketa narawan, or mi kasem olketa privilege hia bikos mi garem bigfala savve. Barava nomoa nao! Really, Jehovah givim olketa assignment hia bikos hem kaen tumas. Hem willing for givim olketa privilege hia nomata mi garem olketa wik point. Mi luksavve mi fit for duim olketa assignment hia only bikos Jehovah helpem mi. Taem olsem, olketa wik point blo mi hem showimaot Jehovah nao garem big paoa.—2 Cor. 12:9.