Long 1913, dadi bilong mi John Mills, baptaes long New York City taem hem 25 year. Brata Russell nao givim baptism tok. No longtaem bihaen, Dadi go long Trinidad, and taem hem long there hem maritim Constance Farmer, wanfala strong Bible Student. Dadi savve helpem fren bilong hem, Brata William Brown, for showim “Photo-Drama of Creation.” Tufala duim datwan go kasem taem Brata Brown and waef kasem assignment for go long West Africa long 1923. Dadi and mami gohed stap long Trinidad. Tufala evriwan garem hope for go long heven.

Mifala naenfala pikinini. Firstborn, hem Rutherford, hem nem followim president bilong Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society long datfala taem. Mi born long December 30, 1922, and mi nem followim Clayton James Woodworth, editor bilong The Golden Age (distaem hem Wekap!). Parents bilong mi mek sure mifala evriwan skul, bat main samting wea tufala encouragem mifala for duim hem for aftarem olketa spiritual goal. Mami savve tumas hao for iusim Bible for explainim samting. Dadi laekem tumas for storyim olketa Bible story, and hem savve actim tu olketa story hia.

Gud samting kamaot from hard waka bilong tufala. Long faevfala boy insaed famili, thrifala long mifala nao attendim Gilead Skul. Thrifala long olketa sista bilong mi pioneer for staka year long Trinidad and Tobago. Gud example and teaching bilong parents helpem mifala for gohed stap insaed organization bilong Jehovah. Encouragement bilong tufala helpem mifala for gohed faithful and garem gudfala laef.—Sams 92:13.

Haos bilong mifala hem main ples wea olketa pioneer savve hipap. Staka taem olketa savve storyim Brata George Young, wanfala missionary from Canada wea visitim Trinidad. Parents bilong mi tu storyim olowe brata and sista Brown wea  olketa bin pioneer tugeta bifor. Long datfala taem brata and sista Brown serve long West Africa. Evri samting hia mekem mi barava laek preach nomata mi ten year nomoa.

Olketa magasin bilong iumi long datfala taem savve tok stret abaotem false religion, raverave wei long bisnis, and corruption long politik. From datwan, long 1936, olketa bigman bilong church bihaenem governor bilong Trinidad for banim evri Watch Tower pablikeson. Mifala haedem olketa literature bat gohed givimaot go kasem taem evri literature hia finis. Mifala duim olketa information march, iusim olketa baesikol for march, givimaot olketa pepa and karem olketa saen. Mifala joinim grup long Tunapuna wea garem saond car, and mifala go preach long olketa farawe ples long Trinidad. Mi barava enjoyim datwan! Evri spiritual samting hia mekem mi laek baptaes taem mi 16 year nomoa.

Gudfala example bilong famili and olketa experience hia mekem mi laek kamap missionary. Mi still feel olsem taem mi go long Aruba long 1944 and waka witim Brata Edmund Cummings. Mitufala hapi tumas for hipap witim tenfala pipol wea kam long Memorial long 1945. Long year bihaen, first kongregeson hem start long there.

No longtaem bihaen, mi preach long Oris Williams, wanfala gele wea mi waka witim. Oris strong tumas for defendim biliv bilong hem. Bat taem hem studyim Bible, and lanem tru samting wea Bible teachim, hem baptaes long January 5, 1947. Gogo bihaen, mitufala start for laekem each other and mitufala marit. Oris start for pioneer long November 1950. Mitufala Oris barava hapi tumas and garem gudfala laef.

Long 1955, mitufala kasem invitation for attendim Gilead Skul. Bifor mitufala go long skul, mitufala resign from waka, salem haos and olketa nara samting and lusim Aruba. Long July 29, 1956, mitufala graduate long mek-27 class bilong Gilead and kasem assignment for go long Nigeria.

Oris ting bak, and sei: “Spirit bilong Jehovah savve helpem man for deal witim gud and nogud samting long missionary laef. Mi no olsem hasband bilong mi wea laek for missionary. Mi laek garem haos and pikinini. Bat mi changem tingting taem mi luksavve hem important for preachim gud nius. Bihaen mitufala graduate, mi redi nao for duim missionary waka. Bat taem mifala redi for go insaed ship, Queen Mary, Worth Thornton, wea waka long office bilong Brata Knorr, hem kam baebae long mitufala and talem hao mitufala bae serve long Bethel. Firstaem mi no really laekem. Bat mi kwiktaem changem datfala tingting and gogo mi barava enjoyim Bethel. Mi kasem staka difren assignment. Assignment wea mi barava laekem, hem long reception. Mi lovem pipol and mi garem chance for story witim olketa brata and sista long Nigeria. Staka wea kam, body bilong olketa dust, olketa taed, laek for drink and hangre taem olketa arrive. Mi hapi tumas for welkamim olketa and givim wanem olketa needim olsem kaikai and drink. Evri samting hia hem holy waka for Jehovah and datwan mekem mi barava hapi and satisfae.” Tru nao, evri assignment bilong mitufala hem helpem mitufala for garem gudfala laef.

Long 1961, mifala famili hipap tugeta moa long Trinidad, and Brata Brown storyim olketa naes experience bilong hem long Africa. Mi storyim tu waka wea gohed long Nigeria. Brata Brown putim hand bilong hem raonem mi and sei olsem long Dadi: “Johnny, iu no kasem Africa, bat Woodworth kasem!” Then Dadi sei: “Gohed waka, Worth! Gohed waka!” Kaen encouragement olsem from olketa olo wea garem staka experience strongim mi for gohed duim gud ministry.

Long 1962, mi garem privilege for kasem moa training long mek-37 class bilong Gilead, for tenfala month. Brata Wilfred Gooch, branch overseer long Nigeria, attendim mek-38 class, then hem kasem assignment for go long England. So mi kamap overseer long Nigeria branch. Olsem Brata Brown, mi travel long staka ples tu, and savve gud and lovem olketa brata long Nigeria. Nomata  olketa no garem staka material samting, wei wea olketa hapi and satisfae showimaot wei for garem gudfala laef hem no depend long selen or olketa material samting. Nomata laef hem hard, mi hapi for lukim olketa luk neat, klin, and werem kaleko wea showimaot respect long olketa meeting. Long convention, staka savve kam long olketa big trak for karem cargo and bolekajas * (trak long Nigeria wea olketa modifyim for garem ruf). Staka taem olketa trak hia garem olketa interesting saen. Wanfala saen sei: “Staka smol drop wata savve kamap bigfala sea.”

Datfala saen barava tok tru! Taem each wan waka hard, waka bae grow. Bifor, United States nao only kantri wea garem winim 100,000 pablisa, bat long 1974, Nigeria tu kasem 100,000 pablisa. Waka hem barava grow!

Nomata preaching waka long Nigeria gohed grow, civil war tu kamap worse start long 1967 kasem 1970. For staka month, olketa brata wea stap long Biafra, narasaed long Niger River, hard for kasem branch office. So mifala mas tekem spiritual kaikai for olketa. Olsem mi storyim long start, mifala mas akrosim datfala river staka taem, and wei for prea and trustim Jehovah barava helpem mifala.

Mi tingim yet olketa danger taem hia wea mi mas akrosim Niger River. Hem danger tumas from olketa samting olsem sik, olketa soldia, and staka nara samting tu. Hem barava danger for go thru long ples wea army bilong gavman stap, bat hem worse long ples wea army bilong Biafra stap. Wantaem, mi akrosim Niger River long naet taem river ran. Mi go long kanu from Asaba for kasem Onitsha, and then go for encouragem olketa elder long Enugu. Narataem, mi go encouragem olketa elder long Aba, wea army stopem olketa long taon hia for no onem laet long naet. Wantaem, long Port Harcourt, mifala mas kwiktaem prea for finisim meeting bikos army bilong gavman tekovarem army bilong Biafra long datfala taem.

For meet witim olketa brata hia hem important tumas bikos hem helpem olketa for luksavve Jehovah lovem olketa, and tu, olketa mas luksavve olketa need for wan mind and no teksaed. Olketa brata and sista long Nigeria faithful go kasem taem datfala war hem finis. Love and wei wea olketa wan mind hem strong winim wei for heitim pipol from difren tribe. Hem bigfala privilege for sapotim olketa long datfala hard taem!

Long 1969, mi assistant bilong Brata Milton Henschel taem hem chairman bilong “Peace on Earth” International Assembly long Yankee Stadium, New York. Datfala training kamap long barava taem, bikos long 1970 mifala garem “Men of Goodwill” International Assembly long Lagos, Nigeria. Bikos civil war hem just finis, blessing bilong Jehovah nomoa mekem datfala assembly fit for gohed. Datfala assembly spesol bikos hem kamap long 17-fala difren languis, and 121,128 nao attendim. Brata Knorr and Brata Henschel and olketa nara visitor chartam plane from United States and England for attend, and 3,775 niu wan nao baptaes. Datwan winim namba wea baptaes long Pentecost! No enitaem mi busy olsem datfala taem wea mi help for organizem assembly hia. Namba bilong olketa pablisa long Nigeria hem barava grow fast winim staka nara kantri!

Insaed winim 30 year wea mi stap long Nigeria, samfala taem mi serve olsem traveling overseer and zone overseer long West Africa. Olketa missionary barava hapi for kasem encouragement and help wea olketa needim. Mi hapi tu for encouragem and helpem olketa luksavve Jehovah no forgetim olketa! Waka hia helpem mi for luksavve wei for interest long narawan savve strongim olketa, and helpem organization bilong Jehovah for gohed strong and garem wan mind.

Help from Jehovah nomoa mekem mifala fit for deal witim olketa problem wea kamap long taem bilong civil war and taem mifala sik. Mifala barava lukim klia blessing bilong Jehovah.

Oris sei olsem: “Staka taem mitufala savve malaria. Wantaem, Worth hafded and mifala tekem hem long hospital long Lagos. Olketa sei maet bae hem dae, bat mi hapi bikos hem no dae. Taem hem gud bak hem story abaotem Kingdom  bilong God long nurse wea lukaftarem hem. Bihaen, mitufala Worth go visitim datfala nurse, Mr. Nwambiwe, for storyim Bible. Hem acceptim truth and bihaen hem kamap wanfala elder long Aba. Mi hapi for helpem staka for worshipim Jehovah, nomata olketa Muslim tu. Mitufala barava hapi hem for savve gud long pipol long Nigeria, for lanem culture, kastom, and languis bilong olketa, and for barava lovem olketa.”

So nara samting wea mitufala lanem hem nao: For duim gud assignment bilong mitufala, mitufala mas lovem olketa brata and sista nomata culture bilong olketa hem difren.

Long 1987, bihaen mitufala serve long Bethel long Nigeria, mitufala kasem niu assignment for missionary long naesfala island long Saint Lucia long Caribbean. Hem wanfala naes assignment, bat mitufala feisim samfala niu challenge. Long Africa, pipol savve maritim staka waef, bat long Saint Lucia, problem nao man and woman savve stap tugeta bat no marit. Nomata olsem, toktok bilong God muvim staka Bible student bilong mitufala for changem laef bilong olketa.

From mitufala start for olo, Governing Body muvim mitufala go long world hedquarter long Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., long 2005. Mi thankiu long Jehovah for givim mi naesfala waef, Oris. Sorre samting nao, hem dae long 2015, and mi barava missim hem tumas. Hem nambawan fren bilong mi wea evritaem showimaot love. Insaed 68 year wea mitufala stap tugeta mi barava lovem hem tumas. Samting wea mekem mitufala hapi insaed marit, and long kongregeson, hem nao for respectim hedship arrangement, willing for forgive, gohed hambol, and showimaot olketa wei bilong holy spirit.

Taem mitufala feel nogud or wikdaon long eni samting, mitufala askem Jehovah for gohed blessim wanem mitufala duim. Taem mitufala gohed willing for change, mitufala lukim hao evri samting savve kamap gud, and hao long future, evri samting bae nambawan!—Aesaea 60:17; 2 Cor. 13:11.

Long Trinidad and Tobago, Jehovah blessim waka bilong parents bilong mi and olketa narawan, and distaem report showimaot hao 9,892 nao joinim tru worship. Long Aruba, staka brata waka hard for strongim first kongregeson wea mi joinim bifor. Distaem datfala island hem garem 14-fala kongregeson wea gohed gud. Long Nigeria, namba bilong pablisa hem go ap kasem 381,398. And long island bilong Saint Lucia, 783 pablisa sapotim Kingdom bilong Jehovah.

Distaem mi winim 90 year finis. Sams 92:14 sei olsem abaotem olketa wea waka for Jehovah: “Nomata olketa ya i olo finis, olketa strong olowe nomoa olsem . . . tri wea hemi strong an laef yet an hemi gohed yet fo garem plande frut.” Mi barava hapi bikos mi duim waka bilong Jehovah. Gudfala example bilong famili bilong mi encouragem mi for duim waka bilong Jehovah witim full heart. From Jehovah garem bigfala love, hem helpem mi for garem gudfala laef taem mi duim waka bilong hem.—Sams 92:13.