WHY nao gogo dadi talem kaen toktok olsem? Bae mi explainim samting wea happen. Mi born long July 29, 1929, and mi growap long wanfala vilij long Bulacan province long Philippines. Long datfala taem laef no isi, bikos full kantri garem hard taem saed long selen. Taem mi young yet World War II hem kamap. Army bilong Japan tekovarem Philippines. Bat vilij bilong mifala stap farawe lelebet, so datfala faet no affectim mifala tumas. Mifala no garem radio, television, and niuspepa, so mifala herem nomoa nius abaotem war from olketa narawan.

Mifala eitfala pikinini and mi nao second born, and taem mi eit year olketa grani tekem mi for stap witim olketa. Nomata mifala Catholic, grandadi interest long staka difren lotu and hem savve tekem olketa lotu buk from olketa fren bilong hem. Mi tingim yet taem hem showim mi olketa buk olsem Protection, Safety, and Uncovered long Tagalog languis, * and tu, wanfala Bible. Mi barava interest for readim Bible, especially fofala Gospel. Taem mi readim datwan, hem mekem mi laek followim example bilong Jesus.—John 10:27.

Army bilong Japan lusim Philippines long 1945. Long datfala taem parents bilong mi laekem mi for go bak long olketa. Grandadi talem mi for mas go. So mi go nao.

No longtaem bihaen, long December 1945, wanfala grup bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea kam from taon bilong Angat kam for preach long vilij bilong mifala. Wanfala olo Witness kam long haos and explainim wanem Bible talem abaotem “olketa last day.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Hem invaetem mifala for attendim wanfala Bible study long vilij wea stap klosap. Parents bilong mi no go bat mi nao go. Samting olsem 20 pipol long there and samfala askem olketa Bible kwestin.

Mi no minim wanem olketa tok abaotem so mi disaed for go aot from olketa. Bat then olketa start  for singim wanfala Kingdom song. Datfala song here naes tumas, so mi disaed for stap moa. Bihaen datfala song and prea, olketa invaetem evriwan for attendim wanfala meeting long Angat long Sunday.

Samfala long mifala wakabaot samting olsem 8 kilometer for go long datfala meeting long haos bilong famili bilong Cruz. Samting olsem 50 pipol attend and mi sapraes for lukim olketa smol pikinini tu givim ansa abaotem olketa deep samting long Bible. Bihaen mi attendim samfala meeting moa, Brata Damian Santos, wanfala olo pioneer wea bifor hem wanfala mayor, invaetem mi for go long haos bilong hem. Klosap full naet mitufala story abaotem Bible.

Long datfala taem, staka long mifala kwiktaem acceptim truth taem mifala lanem olketa main Bible teaching. Bihaen tu-thri meeting nomoa, olketa brata ask sapos mifala laek baptaes. Mi sei, “Ia, mi laek baptaes.” Mi savve mi laek for ‘waka hard for Lord, wea hem nao Christ.’ (Col. 3:24) Mifala go long river wea stap klosap, and mi witim nara brata baptaes long February 15, 1946.

Mifala luksavve from mifala baptaes mifala need for followim example bilong Jesus for preach evritaem. Taem mi duim datwan dadi no hapi, hem sei: “Iu young tumas iu no fit for preach. And taem iu baptaes long river no minim iu kamap man for preach nao.” Mi explainim long hem hao God laekem iumi for preachim gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong God. (Matt. 24:14) Mi talem hem, “Mi need for duim wanem mi promisim long God.” Datfala taem nao dadi talem raf toktok wea mi storyim finis. Hem barava laek stopem mi for preach. Datwan nao firstaem wea mi mas lusim samting for mekem mi kasem olketa spiritual goal.

Famili bilong Cruz invaetem mi for stap witim olketa long Angat. Olketa encouragem mi and young dota bilong olketa, Nora, for kamap pioneer. Mitufala evriwan start pioneer long November 1, 1947. Nora go pioneer long nara taon and mi gohed sapotim preaching waka long Angat.

Bihaen mi pioneer for tufala year, Earl Stewart, brata from branch office, givim tok for winim 500 pipol long wanfala pablik ples long Angat. Hem givim tok hia long English, then bihaen mi transleitim olketa main point go long Tagalog languis. Mi skul for sevenfala year nomoa, bat from olketa teacher iusim English evritaem datwan helpem mi for savve lelebet long English. And tu, from tu-thri pablikeson nomoa stap long Tagalog languis mi mas studyim staka pablikeson long English. Datwan helpem mi for transleitim datfala tok and mi duim olsem long olketa nara tok bihaen tu.

Long sem day mi transleit for Brata Stewart, hem talem kongregeson, branch office laekem wan or tufala pioneer brata for help long Bethel taem olketa missionary attendim Theocracy’s Increase Assembly long New York, U.S.A. long 1950. Mi wanfala brata wea olketa invaetem. So mi mas lusim moa ples wea mi stap for followim Lord, bat distaem mi go for waka long Bethel.

Mi startim niu assignment bilong mi long Bethel long June 19, 1950. Hem long wanfala big old haos wea stap insaed land wea hem 1 hectare wea garem staka big tree raonem. Samting olsem 12-fala singol brata waka long there. Long early morning, mi waka long kitchen. Then start from naen o’klok mi waka long laundry for ironim kaleko. Long aftanun, mi duim sem samting. Bihaen olketa missionary kam bak from datfala international assembly, mi gohed waka long Bethel. Mi pasolem olketa magasin for sendem long pipol, raetem information bilong pipol wea ask for kasem olketa magasin, and waka long reception. Mi duim eni waka wea olketa talem mi for duim.

Long 1952, mi hapi for kasem invitation for attendim mek-20 class bilong Gilead Skul witim sixfala brata from Philippines. Staka samting wea mifala lukim and experiencem long United States hem niu and difren from laef bilong mifala long hom.

Olsem example, mifala mas lane for iusim staka difren kaen samting wea mifala no iusim bifor. Weather tu barava difren! Wanfala morning mi go aot and lukim evriting hem white and luk naes.  Datwan hem firstaem for mi lukim snow. Snow hia hem cold tumas, barava cold!

Bat nomata mifala mas change for fitim olketa samting hia, mi enjoyim tumas nambawan training wea mi kasem long Gilead. Olketa instructor iusim olketa teknik for teach wea barava helpem mifala. Mifala lane for duim olketa deep research and study. Training wea mi kasem long Gilead barava strongim wei wea mi fren witim Jehovah.

Bihaen mi graduate, mi kasem assignment for spesol pioneer long Bronx, New York City for lelebet taem. So mi fit for attendim datfala New World Society Assembly long July 1953, wea kamap long there. Bihaen datfala assembly, mi kasem assignment for go bak long Philippines.

Olketa brata long branch office sei: “Distaem bae iu go long circuit waka.” Datwan wanfala chance for mi followim footstep bilong Lord, wea hem tu gogo long olketa difren taon for helpem olketa sheepsheep bilong Jehovah. (1 Pet. 2:21) Olketa assignim mi for duim circuit long wanfala big area long central Luzon, wea hem nao biggest island long Philippines. Insaed datfala circuit mi visitim olketa province olsem Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and Zambales. For visitim samfala taon, mi mas akrosim olketa maunten wea olketa kolem Sierra Madre. No eni pablik transport kasem olketa ples hia, so mi askem olketa trak draeva sapos mi savve sidaon antap olketa log wea olketa tekem long trak bilong olketa. Staka taem olketa tekem mi, bat datfala gogo hem no isi.

Staka kongregeson just start and olketa smol nomoa. So olketa brata hapi tumas taem mi helpem olketa for organizem gud olketa meeting and field service.

Bihaen, olketa changem circuit bilong mi for duim full area long Bicol region. Olketa garem staka isolate grup wea olketa spesol pioneer stap for duim olketa unassign territory. Long wanfala haos, olketa garem nomoa wanfala toilet wea olketa digim hol and putim tufala haf log akros. Taem mi step antap, tufala log hia foldaon insaed hol and mi foldaon go witim tu. Hem tek longtaem for mi klinim miseleva and redi for breakfast!

Taem mi long datfala assignment nao, mi start for tingim bak Nora, wea start pioneer long Bulacan. Hem spesol pioneer long Dumaguete City, so mi go visitim hem. Bihaen datwan, mitufala raet long each other, and then, long 1956 mitufala marit. Stretawe bihaen wedding, mitufala visitim kongregeson long Rapu Rapu Island. Mifala mas wakabaot farawe and go ap long olketa maunten, bat mitufala hapi tumas for waka tugeta olsem hasband and waef for helpem olketa brata and sista wea stap farawe.

Bihaen samting olsem fofala year wea mitufala duim circuit waka, mitufala kasem invitation for go waka long branch office. Long January 1960, mitufala start waka long Bethel. Kam kasem distaem, mi lanem staka samting taem mi waka witim olketa brata wea garem olketa big responsibility, and Nora kasem staka difren assignment long Bethel tu.

Taem mi gohed waka insaed Bethel, mi garem chance for lukim nambawan wei wea waka long Philippines hem gohed for grow big. Firstaem wea mi kam long Bethel taem mi young and singol yet, samting olsem 10,000 pablisa nomoa stap long full kantri. Distaem winim 200,000 pablisa nao stap long Philippines and staka handred Bethelite gohed for sapotim preaching waka.

Taem preaching waka gohed for grow, gogo Bethel hem kamap smol tumas. So Governing Body askem mifala for lukaotem eni land for buildim niu Bethel. Mi and overseer bilong printery mitufala go long area wea stap klosap long branch for askem sapos eniwan laek for salem land bilong hem. No eniwan laek for salem, bat wanfala man sei: “Mifala Chinese no salem land. Mifala baem land.”

Wanday, mifala no expectim bat wanfala man wea ownim land hem ask sapos mifala laek for peim land bilong hem bikos hem bae muv go long United States. Then mifala seke bat nara neiba tu laek for salem land bilong hem and hem talem olketa narawan tu for duim sem samting. Gogo mifala peim tu land bilong man wea sei, “Mifala Chinese no salem land.” From datwan, pis land bilong branch hem barava kamap big. Mi barava bilivim Jehovah God nao mekem datwan kamap.

Long 1950, mi nao barava young member long Bethel famili. Distaem mi and waef bilong mi nao olo winim evriwan long Bethel. Mi no regret for followim Lord for duim eni samting wea hem laekem. Hem tru, parents bilong mi raosem mi from haos, bat Jehovah mekem mi kamap part long wanfala big famili wea worshipim hem. Mi barava sure Jehovah savve provaedem evri samting wea iumi needim nomata wanem assignment iumi kasem. Mi and Nora thankiu tumas long Jehovah from evri samting wea hem givim and mifala encouragem olketa narawan for duim samting for lukim wei wea Jehovah bae blessim olketa.—Mal. 3:10.

Jesus invaetem datfala man for kolektem tax wea nem bilong hem Matthew Levi. Jesus sei: “Iu kam followim mi.” Wanem nao Matthew duim? “Hem getap and lusim evri samting bilong hem and hem go followim Jesus.” (Luke 5:27, 28) Mi tu garem chance for followim Jesus and mi barava laek for encouragem olketa narawan for duim sem samting and for kasem staka blessing.