Mi born lo 1927 lo wanfala smol taon klosap lo Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Dadi and mami blo mi garem faevfala pikinini—Jetha, Don, mi, Karl, and Joy. Mifala evriwan disaed for iusim full laef blo mifala for servem Jehovah. Jetha attendim second class blo Gilead lo 1943. Don kasem assignment for waka lo Bethel lo Brooklyn, New York, lo 1944, then Karl kam lo Bethel lo 1947, and then lo 1951, Joy tu kam waka lo Bethel. Nambawan example blo olketa, and parents blo mi, barava encouragem mi for duim moa samting for Jehovah.

Dadi and Mami savve laekem tumas for readim Bible and tufala lovem God, and tufala teachim mifala olketa pikinini for garem semkaen love. During lo World War I lo Europe, Dadi hem wanfala soldia, bat bihaen datfala war, hem no interest for joinim eni church. Mami barava hapi dat hem laef and kam bak hom, and hem sei: “Karl, iumi go lo church olsem iumi duim bifor.” Dadi sei: “Bae mi wakabaot witim iu go lo there, bat bae mi no go insaed.” Mami ask: “Why nao olsem?” Dadi sei: “During lo war, olketa bigman lo sem religion nomoa prea for blessim olketa soldia and weapon lo tufala saed wea faet againstim each other! Hao, God sapotim tufala saed evriwan?”

Wanday, taem Mami lo church, tufala Jehovah’s Witness kam lo haos blo mifala. Olketa offerim lo Dadi tufala volume blo datfala Bible study buk Light, wea storyim buk blo Revelation. Dadi interest for readim and acceptim tufala buk hia. Taem Mami lukim olketa buk hia, hem start for readim. Then wanday, hem lukim wanfala announcement lo niuspepa wea invaetem eniwan for joinim wanfala Bible study wea olketa bae iusim tufala Light buk hia. Mami disaed for go. Taem hem arrive lo there, wanfala olo woman openem door. Mami blo mi holem up datfala buk and showim lo hem and ask, “Iufala studyim diswan lo hia?” Olo woman hia sei: “Yes, my gele, kam insaed.” Lo week bihaen, mifala pikinini tu go witim hem, and afta, mifala evritaem savve followim hem.

Lo wanfala meeting, conductor askem mi for readim Psalm 144:​15, wea sei olketa wea worshipim Jehovah olketa hapi. Mi barava laekem tumas datfala verse, and nara tufala scripture, 1 Timothy  1:​11, wea sei Jehovah hem “datfala hapi God,” and Ephesus 5:​1, wea sei iumi mas “followim wei bilong hem.” Mi luksavve mi shud hapi taem mi duim samting for Creator blo mi and mas thankiu lo hem for datfala privilege, datwan hem important samting wea mi tingim for full laef blo mi.

Only kongregeson wea klosap lo mifala, hem 32 kilometer (20 mi) farawe lo Chicago. Nomata olsem, mifala savve attendim olketa meeting, and savve blo mi lo Bible hem gohed for grow. Mi remember, wantaem conductor askem sista blo mi Jetha for koment. Taem mi lisin lo hem, mi ting olsem: ‘Mi savve lo ansa. Mi shud apim hand blo mi for givim koment.’ Mi start for prepare and givim olketa koment. Bat samting wea moa important, mi gohed grow lo spiritual wei, olsem tufala brata and tufala sista blo mi. Then mi baptaes lo 1941.

Mi especially rememberim convention lo Cleveland, Ohio lo 1942. Winim 50 nara location lo United States connect lo datfala program thru lo telephone. Famili blo mifala stap lo olketa tent lo area wea olketa brata arrangem, wea olketa kolem lo “trailer city.” Lo datfala taem World War II hem gohed, and pipol barava againstim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Lo evening, mi lukim olketa brata parkim olketa car and hem feis go aot from camp. Olketa arrange for samwan insaed each car for security for full naet. If eniwan kam for mek trabol, olketa brata hia bae onem headlight blo car mekem olketa wea laek attak no savve lukluk, and then evriwan pressim horn blo car. Taem olsem, olketa nara brata savve ran kam for help. Taem mi lukim, mi ting olsem, ‘Pipol blo Jehovah prepare gud for evriting!’ Datwan mekem mi no feel fraet, so mi sleep gud, bat no eniwan kam for mek trabol.

Staka year bihaen, taem mi ting bak lo datfala convention, mi just realizim hao mami blo mi nating luk olsem hem wari or fraet. Hem garem full trust lo Jehovah and organization blo hem. Mi bae no forgetim nambawan example blo hem.

No longtaem bifor datfala convention, Mami start for regular pioneer. So lo taem blo convention, hem barava lisin lo olketa tok wea story abaotem full-taem service. Taem mifala go bak hom, hem sei, “Mi laek for gohed pioneer, bat mi hard for duim datwan and lo semtaem lukaftarem gud haos.” Then hem askem mifala for helpem hem. Mifala sei yes, so hem givim each wan lo mifala assignment for klinim wan or tufala rum evri morning bifor breakfast. Bihaen mifala go lo skul, hem bae chekim haos for mek sure evriting hem stret and then hem just go lo ministry. Hem savve barava busy, bat no enitaem hem forget for lukaftarem mifala olketa pikinini. Taem mifala kam bak lo haos for lunch and afta skul, hem evritaem stap for helpem mifala. Samfala taem afta skul, mifala go witim hem lo ministry, datwan helpem mifala for understandim hao for pioneer.

Mi start for pioneer taem mi 16 years old. And nomata Dadi no wanfala Witness yet, hem interest for savve lo progress blo mi. Wan evening, mi storyim lo hem dat mi trae hard for garem Bible study, bat mi no faendem eniwan wea laek for study. Then mi stop lelebet and sei, “Hao, iu willing for iumi tufala study?” Hem ting raonem lelebet then hem sei,  “Mi no tingim eni reason for mi no duim datwan.” So, first Bible student blo mi hem dadi blo mi. Datwan hem nambawan privilege!

Mitufala study lo datfala buk “The Truth Shall Make You Free.” Taem mitufala gohed study, mi luksavve Dadi trae for helpem mi kamap gud student and teacher. For example, wan evening bihaen mitufala readim wanfala paragraf, hem sei: “Mi lukim wat buk hia talem. Bat hao nao iu savve if wat buk hia talem hem tru?” Mi no redi for ansarem kaen kwestin olsem, so mi sei: “Mi no savve pruvim lo iu lo distaem, bat bae mi duim research and ansarem lo next study blo iumi.” And hem nao wat mi duim. Mi faendem olketa verse wea sapotim point wea mifala story abaotem. Bihaen datwan, mi savve prepare gud for study blo mitufala, and mi lane for duim research. Datwan helpem mi and dadi blo mi for kamap strong lo spiritual wei. Dadi followim wat hem lanem and hem baptaes lo 1952.

Mi lusim hom taem mi 17 years old. Jetha a hem kamap missionary, and Don, hem wanfala Bethelite. Tufala lovem tumas assignment blo tufala, datwan barava encouragem mi. So mi apply for Bethel and Gilead Skul and leavim evri samting lo hand blo Jehovah. Wat nao result? Lo 1946, mi kasem invitation for waka lo Bethel.

Insaed olketa year wea go pas, mi kasem staka difren Bethel assignment, so mi lanem staka niu samting. Tru nao, insaed 75 years wea mi stap lo Bethel, mi lane for help for wakem olketa buk and duim accounting. And mi lanem tu hao for duim waka for baem olketa tings for Bethel and hao for sendem tings go lo olketa nara ples. Bat, main samting wea mi enjoyim, hem nao olketa spiritual education program wea kamap lo olketa morning worship and Bible lecture lo Bethel.

Mi lanem staka samting tu from young brata blo mi, Karl, wea kam waka lo Bethel lo 1947. Hem wanfala excellent student and teacher blo Bible. Wantaem mi askem hem for helpem mi preparem tok blo mi. Mi explainim lo Karl dat mi garem evri information, bat mi no savve hao for putim tugeta datfala information. Hem helpem mi for luksavve, taem hem askem mi wanfala kwestin nomoa, hem sei, “Joel, wat nao theme blo iu?” Kwiktaem nomoa mi kasem point, mi need for iusim nomoa information wea fitim theme wea mi bae storyim. Mi no savve forgetim datwan.

Samting wea helpem man for gohed hapi lo Bethel, hem nao for busy lo ministry, datwan savve  mekem iumi garem olketa naes experience. Wanfala experience wea mi tingim hem kamap lo wanfala evening lo Bronx area lo New York City. Mi and wanfala brata go lo haos blo wanfala woman wea bin acceptim Wastaoa and Wekap! magasin. Mitufala startim story blo mifala olsem, “Dis evening mitufala laek helpem pipol for lane abaotem samfala samting lo Bible wea savve strongim iumi.” Hem sei, “If iutufala laek storyim Bible, kam insaed.” Mifala readim and discussim samfala scripture abaotem Kingdom blo God and niu world wea bae kamap. Luk olsem, hem barava laekem, so lo week bihaen hem invaetem samfala frens blo hem for joinim mifala for story. Gogo bihaen, hem and hasband blo hem kamap olketa faithful servant blo Jehovah.

Mi laek for marit, bat hem tekem samting olsem 10 years bifor mi faendem samwan wea mi laekem for hem kamap waef blo mi. Wat nao helpem mi for faendem gud waef? Mi prea and ting abaotem disfala kwestin, ‘Wat nao bae mitufala duim bihaen mitufala marit?’

Lo 1953 convention lo Yankee Stadium, mi meetim wanfala sista wea nem blo hem Mary Aniol. Hem and sista blo mi Jetha, attendim second class blo Gilead, and tufala kamap missionary partner. Mary savve hapi tumas for storyim olketa missionary assignment blo hem lo Caribbean and story abaotem olketa Bible study wea hem conductim. Taem mitufala savve lo each other, mitufala luksavve mitufala garem sem spiritual goal. Love blo mitufala for each other hem kamap strong, and mitufala marit lo April 1955. Mary hem wanfala present from Jehovah and hem showimaot gud example. Hem hapi for duim eni assignment. Hem waka hard, barava kea abaotem olketa narawan, and evritaem Kingdom hem first samting lo laef blo hem. (Matt. 6:33) Mitufala serve lo circuit waka for thri years, and lo 1958, mitufala kasem invitation for waka lo Bethel.

Mi lanem staka samting from Mary. For example, taem mitufala just marit, mitufala disaed for duim Bible reading tugeta, mifala savve readim 15-fala verse. Bihaen wanfala lo mitufala readim wanfala sekson, mitufala bae story raonem olketa scripture hia and discussim hao for applyim lo laef blo mifala. Staka taem, Mary storyim for mi olketa samting wea hem lanem lo Gilead or lo taem wea hem duim missionary waka. Olketa discussion olsem, helpem mi for minim gud staka samting and hem helpem mi for impruvim hao mi givim tok and hao for encouragem olketa sista.—Prov. 25:11.

Dear waef blo mi Mary hem dae lo 2013. Mi laek tumas for lukim hem moa lo niu world! Bat taem mi gohed for weit, mi barava laek for gohed lane and trustim Jehovah witim full heart blo mi. (Prov. 3:​5, 6) Mi kasem comfort and hapi taem mi ting abaotem wat pipol blo Jehovah bae duim lo niu world. Datwan includim wei for lane from Nambawan Teacher blo iumi and for lanem staka samting moa abaotem hem! Yes, mi barava thankiu tumas lo hem, from hem teachim mi staka samting and from hem duim staka samting wea showimaot hem barava kaen tumas.