MI ADMIT long Valley Forge General Hospital, long Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, long United States. Datwan hem long midol bilong year 1970. Long datfala taem mi wanfala soldia and mi 20 year. Mi barava sik big. Wanfala nurse chekim blood pressure bilong mi evri 30 minute. Nurse hia wea young tu, hem luk wari. Blood pressure bilong mi hem gogo daon, so mi sei long hem: “No enitaem iu lukim eniwan dae, iaman?” Hem just luk wari go moa, and sei: “Ia, mi no lukim eniwan dae yet.”

Long datfala taem, mi tingse bae mi dae nao. Bat hao nao gogo mi end ap long hospital? Bae mi storyim samfala samting wea happen long laef bilong mi.

Mi kasem datfala sik taem mi waka insaed wanfala hospital long Vietnam, taem war hem gohed long there. Mi enjoyim waka wea mi duim for helpem olketa wea sik and wea garekil, and goal bilong mi hem for kamap wanfala doctor for operatim man. Mi arrive long Vietnam long July 1969. Long firstfala week mi no waka, bat mi kasem training and getius long datfala ples.

No longtaem bihaen mi start for waka insaed hospital long Mekong Delta, long Dong Tam, olketa helicopter tekem kam staka soldia wea garekil long datfala war. Mi man wea tinghae long kantri bilong mi and mi enjoyim waka wea mi duim, so mi tu laek for helpem olketa. Olketa tekem kam olketa soldia hia long olketa smol rum for duim operation. Fofala doctor nao insaed long each rum, and olketa waka hard for trae sevem laef bilong olketa soldia hia. Mi lukim samfala bigfala blak bag insaed olketa helicopter, bat olketa no daonem. Insaed olketa bag hia hem samfala part bilong body bilong olketa soldia wea bomb pisisim olketa. Hem nao samfala nogud samting wea mi lukim long datfala war.

Taem mi young mi herem samfala teaching bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Mami bilong mi study witim olketa Witness, bat hem nating baptaes. Mi tu joinim datfala study and mi barava enjoyim. Wantaem mitufala step-dadi bilong mi draev go pas long wanfala Kingdom Hall. Mi askem hem: “Wanem kaen lotu nao datwan?” Hem sei: “Iu no krangge for  followim pipol hia!” From mi lovem and trustim step-dadi bilong mi, mi followim wanem hem talem, and for longtaem bihaen datwan mi no story witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness nao.

Bihaen mi kam bak from Vietnam, mi luksavve mi barava needim God. Mi barava feel nogud long olketa samting wea mi lukim long datfala war. Staka pipol no savve abaotem evri samting wea gohed long datfala war long Vietnam. Samfala pipol march for showimaot olketa no hapi long datfala war and olketa soldia wea go for faet. Pipol hia sei tu staka pikinini nao dae long datfala war.

So mi start for go long olketa difren church. Mi lovem God bat mi no hapi long olketa samting wea mi lukim long olketa church. Gogo, mi go long wanfala Kingdom Hall bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Delray Beach, Florida. Datfala meeting hem long wanfala Sunday long February 1971.

Taem mi kasem Kingdom Hall, pablik tok hem klosap finis nao, bat mi stap for Wastaoa study wea kamap bihaen. Mi no rememberim wanem datfala study hem abaotem, bat samting wea mi rememberim nao hem olketa smol pikinini wea lukluk long Bible for faendem olketa scripture. Mi barava sapraes long datwan! Mi lisin and gohed for lukluk long evri samting wea happen. Bihaen long meeting, taem mi redi for go, wanfala brata wea hem 80 year hem kam story long mi. Nem bilong hem Jim Gardner. Hem showim mi wanfala buk wea garem title Truth Where Bringim Man Long Life All-the-Way, and hem sei long mi: “Mi laek givim diswan long iu.” Then mitufala mekem arrangement for studyim Bible long Thursday morning.

Datfala Sunday naet mi mas waka. Mi waka long wanfala hospital long Boca Raton, long Florida. Shift bilong mi hem start long 11 klok long naet go kasem 7 klok long morning. From mi no busy tumas, mi start for readim datfala Truth buk. Wanfala nurse kam and aotem datfala buk from hand bilong mi. Hem luk long title and tok big olsem: “Hao, bae iu joinim olketa nao?” Mi aotem datfala buk from hand bilong hem and sei: “Mi just start readim disfala buk, bat luk olsem bae mi joinim olketa nao ia!” Hem go from mi, and mi readim datfala full buk long datfala naet.

Long Thursday, taem mitufala Brata Gardner redi for duim firstfala study, mi askem hem: “So, wanem buk nao bae iumi studyim?” Hem sei: “Datfala buk wea mi givim long iu.” Mi sei: “Mi readim finis.” Brata Gardner sei: “Hao sapos iumi storyim firstaem chapter wan.” Mi sapraes long staka samting wea mi no minim taem mi readim. Mitufala readim staka scripture insaed long King James Bible bilong mi. Long datfala taem nao mi start for lane abaotem trufala God, Jehovah. Long datfala morning mitufala Brata Gardner studyim thrifala chapter insaed long Truth buk. Bihaen datwan, mitufala studyim thrifala chapter insaed datfala buk evri Thursday morning. Mi barava enjoyim datfala study. Brata Gardner hem wanfala anointed brata and hem savve long  Brata Charles Russell taem hem laef. Hem bigfala privilege for hem study witim mi!

Bihaen tu-thri week, mi kamap anbaptaes pablisa. Jim helpem mi long staka samting taem mi start for kam insaed long truth, and tu hem helpem mi for no fraet for duim ministry. (Acts 20:20) Taem mitufala Jim waka tugeta long ministry, mi start for barava enjoyim datwan. Kam kasem distaem mi still tingim ministry hem nambawan privilege. Hem nambawan samting for waka tugeta witim God!—1 Cor. 3:9.

Distaem mi laek story abaotem love wea mi garem long firstaem for Jehovah. (Rev. 2:4) Datfala love for Jehovah hem helpem mi for deal witim olketa nogud samting wea mi lukim long war wea mi no savve forgetim, and staka nara hard samting long laef bilong mi.—Isa. 65:17.

Mi still tingim yet samting wea happen long mi long wanfala day long 1971. Step-dadi bilong mi talem mi for mas aot from haos bilong hem wea mi stap long hem. Hem no laekem eni Jehovah’s Witness for stap long there! Long datfala taem mi garem lelebet selen nomoa. Mi tek pei evri fortnight, and just iusim klosap full pei bilong mi for peim kaleko for preaching. Mi garem samfala selen long bank, bat datfala bank hem stap farawe long Michigan, wea hem nao ples wea mi growap. So mi mas sleep long car bilong mi for tu-thri day. Mi savve shave and wasim feis long olketa bathrum long olketa petrol station.

Wanday, long datfala taem wea mi sleep insaed car, mi arrive long Kingdom Hall tu-thri hour bifor grup hem meet for go preaching. Shift bilong mi  long hospital hem just finis. Taem mi sidaon bihaen long Kingdom Hall long ples wea no eniwan savve lukim mi, mi start for rememberim olketa nogud samting wea mi lukim long datfala war long Vietnam. Mi tingim olketa soldia wea fire bonem olketa and smel bilong datwan, and tu olketa soldia wea barava garekil nogud. Mi tingim yet samfala young soldia wea no laek dae and askem mi for helpem olketa. Mi savve olketa bae dae, bat mi traem best for no showim datwan and for comfortim olketa. Taem mi gohed sidaon bihaen long Kingdom Hall and tingim evri samting hia, strongfala feeling hem kamap insaed long heart bilong mi and mi feel sorre tumas.

Mi prea long Jehovah and long semtaem mi gohed krae fogud. (Ps. 56:8) Mi start for tingting strong abaotem resurrection hope. Then mi luksavve long nambawan samting wea bae kamaot from resurrection. God bae mekem olketa young man wea dae long datfala war for laef bak, and olketa bae garem chance for lane abaotem hem. (Acts 24:15) Evri nogud samting wea kamaot from datfala war bae finis. Taem mi tingim datwan, hem barava kasem heart bilong mi and hem barava strongim love bilong mi for Jehovah. Mi nating forgetim datfala day kam kasem distaem. Start long datfala taem mi waka hard for tingim evritaem love wea mi garem long firstaem for Jehovah, especially taem mi kasem olketa hard taem.

Long taem bilong war, pipol savve duim olketa barava nogud samting. Mi tu olsem. Bat tufala scripture nao barava helpem mi. Firstfala scripture hem long Revelation 12:10, 11, wea sei waka bilong iumi for preach and blood bilong datfala Pikinini Sheepsheep, hem mekem God for winim Devil. Mek-tu scripture hem Galatia 2:20. Datfala verse mekem mi luksavve Christ hem dae “for sevem mi.” Jehovah iusim datfala blood bilong Christ for forgivim olketa sin bilong mi. Datwan helpem mi for garem klinfala konsens, and mekem mi barava laek for helpem nara pipol for savve long olketa tru samting abaotem God bilong iumi Jehovah, wea garem bigfala mercy!—Heb. 9:14.

Taem mi ting go bak long laef bilong mi, mi barava tinghae long wei wea Jehovah hem evritaem lukaftarem mi. Olsem example, long day wea Jim hem faendaot mi sleep insaed car bilong mi, hem story witim wanfala sista wea garem wanfala resthaos. Mi barava sure Jehovah iusim Jim and datfala sista for provaedem naesfala ples for mi stap. Jehovah hem barava kaen! Hem lukaftarem olketa wea faithful for worshipim hem.

Long May 1971, mi garem samfala samting wea mi mas duim long Michigan. Taem mi go mi fulimap bihaen long car bilong mi witim olketa pablikeson, and then mi start for draev long highway wea olketa kolem Interstate 75. No longtaem bihaen mi lusim Florida, evri buk hia hem finis nao. Mi storyim gud nius abaotem Kingdom long enikaen ples. Mi go preach long olketa prison, and mi givim tract long olketa man wea mi meetim long olketa rest area tu. Samfala taem mi tingim sapos eniwan wea mi story witim long datfala taem hem kam insaed truth, or nomoa.—1 Cor. 3:6, 7.

Nomata mi strong olsem for preach, mi mas lane tu for tingim feeling bilong olketa wea mi preach long olketa, especially famili bilong mi. Love wea mi garem for Jehovah mekem mi no fraet for preach, bat samfala taem mi no tingim feeling bilong pipol. Mi barava lovem tufala brata bilong mi, John and Ron, and taem mi preach long tufala mi savve tok stret nomoa long tufala. Bihaen, mi mas sei sorre long tufala from mi no tingim feeling bilong tufala taem mi story long olketa. Nomata olsem, mi still prea for tufala kam insaed long truth wanday. Distaem, training wea mi kasem from Jehovah hem  helpem mi for tingim feeling bilong olketa wea mi preach long olketa.—Col. 4:6.

Mi lovem Jehovah, and mi lovem samfala narawan tu. Wanfala wea mi barava lovem tu hem waef bilong mi, Susan. Taem mi singol mi laekem waef wea bae helpem mi for duim Kingdom waka. Susan hem faithful sista wea strong long spiritual wei. Mi tingim wanfala taem wea mi go visitim hem taem mitufala fren yet. Susan hem sidaon long varanda long haos bilong mami and dadi bilong hem long Cranston, long Rhode Island. Hem gohed readim wanfala Wastaoa magasin. Samting wea mi tinghae long hem nao, hem readim wanfala long olketa smol article long datfala magasin, and hem chekim tu olketa scripture long Bible bilong hem. Mi ting olsem: ‘Diswan hem wanfala spiritual sista!’ Mitufala marit long December 1971, and mi tinghae long wei wea hem sapotim mi kam kasem distaem. Samting wea mi laekem tumas abaotem Susan nao, hem lovem mi, bat hem lovem Jehovah winim mi.

Mitufala Susan garem tufala boy, Jesse and Paul. Jehovah hem blessim tufala taem tufala growap. (1 Sam. 3:19) From tufala fren gud witim Jehovah, mitufala Susan barava praod long tufala. Tufala gohed faithful long Jehovah bikos tufala tu tingim love wea tufala garem long firstaem for Hem. Tufala evriwan duim full-taem service for winim 20 year  finis. Mi praod tu long tufala dota-in-law bilong mi, Stephanie and Racquel, and mi ting long tufala olsem really dota bilong mi. Tufala son bilong mi maritim tufala sista hia wea strong long spiritual wei and wea lovem Jehovah God long full heart and strong bilong tufala.—Eph. 6:6.

Bihaen mi baptaes, mi stap for 16 year long Rhode Island, and mi garem olketa gudfala fren long there. Mi still tingim staka gudfala elder wea mi waka tugeta witim olketa long there. And tu, mi tinghae long staka traveling overseer wea barava helpem mi. Hem nambawan privilege for waka witim olketa man wea lovem Jehovah! Long 1987, mifala muv go long North Carolina long wanfala kongregeson wea needim samfala pablisa moa, and mifala fren gud witim olketa brata and sista long there tu. *

Long August 2002, mitufala Susan kasem invitation for waka long Bethel long Patterson long United States. Mi waka long Service Department, and Susan waka long laundry. Hem laekem tumas datfala waka! Then, long August 2005, mi kasem privilege for kamap member bilong Governing Body. Mi ting long datwan olsem wanfala barava bigfala privilege wea mi no fit for kasem. Susan hem wari abaotem diswan bikos hem no sure hao nao mifala bae deal witim bigfala responsibility and waka hia. Hem wari tu abaotem wei wea mifala bae travel long staka ples, bikos hem savve fraet for flae insaed aeroplane. Susan sei waef bilong olketa nara Govening Body member nao storyim samfala idea wea helpem hem for sapotim mi. Mi barava tinghae long wei wea hem sapotim mi.

Insaed office bilong mi, mi putim staka piksa wea mekem mi ting go bak long olketa gud samting wea mi kasem long laef bilong mi. Mi kasem finis staka nambawan blessing from mi traem best for tingim evritaem love wea mi garem long firstaem for Jehovah!