“DADI,” “PAPA,” “UNCLE.” Hem nao hao staka young wan long Bethel kolem mi. And from mi 89 year, mi barava laekem taem olketa kolem mi olsem. Olketa naes toktok hia olsem blessing from Jehovah from mi servem hem for 72 year insaed full-taem service. From mi experiencem staka samting long waka bilong God, datwan mekem mi fit for barava encouragem olketa young wan hao olketa bae kasem reward sapos olketa no letem eni samting mekem olketa wikdaon.—Mektu Kronikols 15:7.

Parents bilong mi muv from Ukraine go long Canada. Olketa go stap long Rossburn, wanfala taon long Manitoba province. Mifala garem 8-fala boy and 8-fala gele, and mi nao mek-14 pikinini. Dadi laekem tumas Bible and hem readim long mifala evri Sunday morning, bat hem ting olketa lotu hem samting wea pipol iusim for kasem selen nomoa. And hem savve mekfani olsem, “Hu nao peim Jesus taem hem duim preaching and teaching waka?”

Gogo, fofala brata and fofala sista bilong mi acceptim truth. Sista bilong mi Rose pioneer go kasem taem hem dae. Bifor hem dae, hem gohed for encouragem evriwan for mas obeyim toktok bilong God. Hem sei: “Mi laek lukim iufala insaed niu world.” Firstaem big brata bilong mi, Ted, hem man for preach abaotem hellfire. Evri Sunday morning hem preach long radio and tok strong long olketa wea lisin and sei man wea sin bae bone for olowe insaed hellfire. Bat bihaen, hem kamap wanfala faithful servant bilong Jehovah wea strong for preach.

Wanday long June 1944, taem mi kam bak from skul mi lukim wanfala buklet wea garem title The Coming World Regeneration * antap tebol. Mi start readim first page, mek-tu page, and gogo mi no savve stop for readim. Bihaen mi finis for readim disfala buklet, mi disaed for worshipim Jehovah olsem Jesus.

Hao nao gogo buklet hia stap antap tebol? Big brata bilong mi Steve sei tufala man wea salem buk and buklet nao kam long haos bilong mifala. And hem sei: “Mi baem datwan bikos hem faev cent nomoa.” Tufala man hia kam bak moa long Sunday bihaen. Tufala talem hao tufala Jehovah’s Witness  and olketa iusim Bible for ansarem eni kwestin bilong pipol. Mifala tinghae long datwan bikos dadi and mami teachim mifala for respectim Bible. Tufala talem tu hao wanfala convention bilong olketa Witness bae kamap long Winnipeg, taon wea sista bilong mi Elsie stap. Mi disaed for attendim datfala convention.

Mi raedem baesikol for samting olsem 320 kilometer for go long Winnipeg, bat mi stop for lelebet taem long Kelwood, taon wea tufala Witness wea visitim mifala olketa stap. Taem mi stap long there, mi attendim wanfala meeting and mi just minim wanem nao wanfala kongregeson. And mi just start for luksavve evri man, woman, and young wan shud preach from haos-tu-haos olsem Jesus.

Taem mi kasem Winnipeg, mi meetim big brata bilong mi Jack, wea stap long northern Ontario and hem kam for convention tu. Long first day bilong convention, olketa announcem hao baptism bae kamap. So mitufala Jack disaed for baptaes long datfala convention. Mitufala disaed for pioneer bihaen mitufala baptaes. Jack start for pioneer stretawe bihaen datfala convention. From mi 16 year mi mas go bak skul, bat long year bihaen mi tu start regular pioneer.

Mi start pioneer witim Stan Nicolson long Souris, taon long Manitoba province. Kwiktaem nomoa mi luksavve pioneer waka hem no evritaem isi. Mitufala start for short long selen, nomata olsem mitufala gohed preach. Wanday, mitufala wakabaot kam bak bihaen mifala preach full day, and mitufala hangre tumas and no garem eni selen nao. Taem mitufala kasem haos, mitufala barava sapraes for lukim wanfala big bag kaikai front long door. Kam kasem distaem, mitufala no savve hu nao putim datfala bag long there. Datfala evening mitufala kaikai gogo barava fulap nao. From mifala no letem eni samting mekem mifala wikdaon, mifala kasem datfala nambawan blessing! Tru nao, kasem end long datfala month, mi fat winim enitaem bifor.

Tu-thri month bihaen, mitufala kasem assignment for go long taon bilong Gilbert Plains, wea stap samting olsem 240 kilometer north long Souris. Long datfala taem, each kongregeson garem wanfala big chart long platform wea showim report bilong kongregeson evri month. Long wanfala month, report bilong kongregeson hem low, so mi givim wanfala tok long kongregeson mekem olketa brata and sista luksavve olketa need for duim moa samting. Bihaen datfala meeting, wanfala olo pioneer sista wea hasband bilong hem no insaed truth, hem krae and tok olsem: “Mi traem best, bat hem nomoa wanem mi fit for duim.” Taem hem tok olsem, mi tu krae and sei sorre long hem.

Kaen mistek olsem wea mi duim savve happen long eni young brata and datwan savve mekem man feel wikdaon. Bat mi lanem hao winim wei for letem mistek wea man duim mekem hem wikdaon, man shud lane from datwan. Sapos man gohed faithful for duim waka bilong hem, bae hem kasem blessing.

Mi kasem nambawan privilege for attendim mek-14 class bilong Gilead Skul taem mi 21 year nomoa and mi graduate long February 1950! Staka long class bilong mifala kasem assignment for go long Quebec long Canada, wea hem province wea olketa story long French languis. Long datfala ples olketa barava persecutim olketa Witness. Mi kasem assignment for go long Val-d’Or, wanfala taon long ples wea olketa duim gold-mining. Wanday, grup bilong mifala go preach long Val-Senneville, vilij wea stap klosap. Wanfala priest sei bae hem killim mifala sapos mifala no lusim datfala vilij. From priest hia tok olsem, mi tekem hem long kot, and hem mas peim fine. *

Datfala samting and olketa nara samting wea happen bihaen, hem part long wei wea olketa brata faet hard for kasem freedom for worship long Quebec. Roman Catholic Church kontrolem Province long Quebec for winim 300 year. Olketa bigman bilong church and olketa bigman bilong politik waka  tugeta for persecutim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Long datfala taem hem no isi, and mifala no staka tu. Nomata olsem, mifala no letem datwan mekem mifala wikdaon. Samfala long Quebec wea garem honest heart acceptim truth. Mi garem privilege for study witim samfala long olketa hia. Mi study witim wanfala famili, wea insaed famili hia olketa tenfala. Evriwan start for worshipim Jehovah. Wei wea olketa no fraet helpem olketa narawan for lusim Catholic Church. Mifala gohed preach, and gogo mifala winim olketa hard taem hia!

Long 1956, mi kasem assignment for go serve long Haiti. Staka niu missionary stragol for lanem French languis, nomata olsem pipol willing for lisin. Stanley Boggus, wanfala missionary sei: “Mifala sapraes from pipol willing for teachim mifala hao for talem stret olketa languis toktok.” From mi lanem French languis taem mi stap long Quebec, firstaem datwan helpem mi. Bat no longtaem bihaen mifala luksavve olketa brata and sista no story long French languis bat olketa story nomoa long Haitian Creole. So mifala olketa missionary mas lanem languis bilong olketa for helpem olketa. From mifala duim datwan, mifala kasem blessing from hard waka bilong mifala.

For helpem olketa brata and sista moa, Governing Body appruvim wei for transleitim Wastaoa and olketa nara pablikeson long Haitian Creole. From datwan, namba bilong olketa wea attendim meeting hem gohed grow long datfala kantri. Long 1950, Haiti garem 99 pablisa nomoa, bat kasem 1960 datfala namba hem winim 800 pablisa! Long datfala taem, mi kasem assignment for serve long Bethel. Long 1961, mi hapi for conductim Kingdom Ministry Skul. Mifala trainim 40 elder and spesol pioneer. Long convention long January 1962, mifala encouragem olketa brata for duim moa samting long ministry, and samfala kasem assignment olsem spesol pioneer. Evri samting hia kamap long barava taem bikos olketa mas redi for taem pipol againstim olketa.

Long January 23, 1962, no longtaem bihaen convention, olketa kam long branch office and arrestim mi and Andrew D’Amico, wanfala missionary, and olketa tekem evri Awake! bilong January 8, 1962 (long French languis). Datfala Awake! quotem  toktok bilong samfala French niuspepa wea storyim hao olketa long Haiti duim spiritism wea olketa kolem voodoo. Samfala pipol no laekem datfala toktok and olketa tingse mifala long branch office raetem datfala article. Tu-thri week bihaen, gavman aotem olketa missionary from kantri. * Nomata olsem, olketa brata wea kasem training, gohed for duim gud datfala waka. Mi barava tinghae long faithful fasin bilong olketa and wei wea olketa grow long spiritual wei. Distaem olketa garem New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures long Haitian Creole. Diswan hem samting wea mifala bin hope for kasem.

Bihaen mi serve long Haiti, mi kasem assignment for serve olsem missionary long Central African Republic. Then mi kasem privilege for serve olsem traveling overseer and then branch overseer.

Long datfala taem, staka Kingdom Hall barava simpol nomoa. Mi lane for kolektem olketa drae grass from bush and wakem long olketa ruf. Pipol wea go pas sapraes tumas for lukim mi duim datfala waka. Datwan encouragem tu olketa brata for wakem and repairim Kingdom Hall bilong olketa. Olketa bigman long religion tok spoelem mifala bikos church bilong olketa garem kapa bat mifala no garem. Nomata olsem, mifala gohed wakem ruf bilong olketa Kingdom Hall bilong mifala witim drae grass. Bat olketa stop for tok spoelem mifala taem wanfala big wind kasem Bangui, wea hem kapitol taon. Wind hia aotem kapa bilong wanfala church and torowem long main road. Bat, olketa drae grass long Kingdom Hall bilong mifala hem stap nomoa. For gohed organizem gud Kingdom waka, mifala wakem wanfala niu branch office and missionary hom insaed faevfala month nomoa. *

Long 1976 olketa banim Kingdom waka long Central African Republic, and mi kasem assignment for go long N’Djamena, kapitol taon bilong Chad. Long there nao mi meetim Happy, wanfala strong spesol pioneer, wea kam from Cameroon. Mitufala marit long April 1, 1978. Long datfala sem month, war hem kamap so mifala ranawe go long south part bilong datfala kantri. Bihaen datfala war, mitufala go bak and faendaot hao haos bilong mitufala hem kamap hedquarter bilong wanfala grup wea insaed datfala faet. Olketa tekem evri literature, and tu, wedding dress bilong Happy and evri wedding present bilong mitufala. Bat mifala no letem datwan mekem mifala wikdaon. Mitufala hapi nomoa from mitufala tugeta yet and luk forward for duim samfala waka moa.

Tufala year bihaen, olketa letem preaching waka for gohed moa long Central African Republic. So mitufala go bak and duim traveling waka long there. Mitufala stap insaed wanfala smol bas wea garem bed wea man savve foldim, hem garem wanfala 200 liter container for wata, gas fridge, and wanfala gas stove. Olketa gogo bilong mifala no isi. Wantaem, police stopem mifala 117 taem followim road.

Staka taem temperature long there savve kasem 50 degrees Celsius. Long taem bilong olketa assembly, samfala taem hem hard for faendem inaf wata for baptism. So olketa brata savve digim ples wea river bin ran long hem and olketa isisi tekem wata and fulimap insaed wanfala drum wea man bae baptaes insaed.

Long 1980 olketa assignim mitufala go long Nigeria. For tu and haf year wea mitufala stap long there, mitufala help for prepare for construction bilong niu branch. Olketa brata baem wanfala tu-story warehouse wea olketa bae aotem and buildim long area bilong niu branch. Wanfala morning, mi klae go ap long datfala building for help for aotem. Gogo for midolday, mi start klae kam daon long sem ples wea mi go ap followim. Bat from olketa aotem finis samfala samting, mi step miss nomoa and mi foldaon go daon nao. Mifala tingse samting  wea happen long mi hem barava serious, bat bihaen olketa X-rayim and checkim mi, doctor talem Happy: “Iu no wari. Samfala masol bilong hem nomoa tear, bat bae hem olraet bihaen tu-thri week.”

Long 1986 mitufala go long Côte d’Ivoire, and mitufala duim traveling waka. Then mitufala go tu long Burkina Faso. Long datfala taem mitufala no tingim hao gogo mitufala bae stap long Burkina.

Mi lusim Canada long 1956, then long 2003, bihaen 47 year, mitufala Happy go bak long Canada Bethel. Mitufala citizen bilong Canada, bat mitufala feel olsem mitufala bilong Africa.

Then long 2007, taem mi 79 year, mitufala go bak moa long Africa! Mitufala kasem assignment for go long Burkina Faso, and mi serve olsem wanfala member bilong Kantri Komiti. Bihaen, olketa changem datfala office for kamap remote transleison office wea stap anda long Benin branch, and long August 2013 mitufala kasem assignment for go long Benin Bethel.

Mi barava laekem tumas for duim ministry nomata distaem mi olo and no fit for duim staka samting. From mi kasem help from olketa elder and waef bilong mi, insaed thrifala year wea go pas, mi hapi for lukim tufala Bible study bilong mi Gédéon and Frégis, tufala baptaes. Distaem tufala gohed strong for worshipim Jehovah.

Gogo, mitufala muv go long branch long South Africa, and Bethel famili gohed for lukaftarem mi. South Africa hem mek-seven kantri long Africa wea mi serve long hem. Then long October 2017, mitufala kasem nambawan blessing for attendim dedication long world hedquarter long Warwick, New York. Mitufala no savve forgetim datfala taem!

Datfala 1994 Yearbook, long page 255 hem encouragem evriwan wea gohed and no givap for staka year for followim disfala toktok: “Yufala mas stap strong, an tingting blong yufala mas no wikdaon. Bae [Jehovah] givim plande gud samting long yufala fo olketa gudfala waka wea yufala duim.” (Mektu Kronikols 15:7) Mi and Happy disaed strong for followim disfala encouragement and mitufala encouragem olketa narawan tu for duim sem samting.