Lo samting olsem 1920, taem parents blo mi singol, tufala lane abaotem Jehovah. Mi born lo England lo 1939. Taem mi smol boy, mi go lo olketa meeting witim parents blo mi and gogo mi joinim Theocratic Ministry Skul. Mi rememberim yet taem mi givim first tok blo mi. Mi mas standap antap lo box mekem mi tol lelebet for story kam from speaker stand. Mi six years nomoa, and mi fraet tumas taem mi lukim evri brata and sista lukluk kam lo mi.

Firstaem for mi preach seleva, mi eit years nomoa. Dadi blo mi typem presentation blo mi lo wanfala card. First haos mi go lo hem, wanfala man readim datfala card and tekem buk “Let God Be True”! Mi hapi tumas and mi ran go lo dadi for talem hem abaotem datwan. Preaching waka and olketa meeting mekem mi barava hapi and helpem mi for laek duim full-taem service.

Dadi peim subscription for The Watchtower for mi. Datwan barava helpem mi for tinghae lo truth insaed Bible. Mi luk forward tumas for kasem and for readim each magasin. Datwan helpem mi for fren gud witim Jehovah and for dedicate lo hem.

Lo 1950, mi and parents blo mi delegate lo Theocracy’s Increase Assembly lo New York. Theme for Thursday, August 3, hem “Missionary Day.” Brata Carey Barber, wea gogo hem member blo Governing Body, givim baptism tok lo datfala day. Lo end blo tok, Brata Barber talem mifala wea bae baptaes for standap then hem askem tufala kwestin. Mi sei, “Yes!” Mi 11 years nomoa, bat mi luksavve for baptaes hem serious samting. Nomata olsem, mi fraet for go insaed lo pool for baptaes from mi no savve swim.  So uncle blo mi wakabaot witim mi go lo pool and gohed story lo mi mekem mi no fraet tumas. Then wanfala brata liftim mi ap and givim mi go lo nara brata wea standap insaed pool. Datfala brata daonem mi anda lo wata, then hem givim mi go bak lo brata wea standap aotsaed lo pool. From evri samting happen kwiktaem tumas, leg blo mi nating tasim nomoa botom lo pool. Start kam lo datfala day, Jehovah gohed helpem mi for followim stretfala road.

Nomata mi laek for pioneer, olketa teacher lo skul laekem mi for go lo university. So mi followim nao wanem olketa laekem and go lo university. Bihaen tu-thri month, mi luksavve from mi busy lo university datwan mekem hem hard for duim olketa spiritual samting. So mi prea abaotem datwan lo Jehovah and mi disaed for finis from university. Mi raetem leta lo university for talem olketa bae mi finis lo end blo datfala year. Stretawe bihaen datwan, mi start for pioneer and mi barava trustim Jehovah for lukaftarem mi.

Lo July 1957, mi kasem assignment from London Bethel for go lo Wellingborough for pioneer lo datfala taon. Olketa sei Brata Bert Vaisey, wanfala pioneer brata wea garem experience stap lo there. And hem bae fit for helpem mi. Mi lanem staka samting from hem. Hem wanfala strong pioneer wea helpem mi for garem gud schedule for ministry. Brata Vaisey, mi, and sixfala olo sista nomoa lo kongregeson, so mi mas prepare gud and mi garem staka part lo meeting. From mi duim olsem, datwan helpem mi for trustim Jehovah and no fraet for givim koment.

For lelebet taem mi mas go lo prison from mi no joinim army. Bihaen datwan, mi meetim Barbara, wanfala spesol pioneer sista. Gogo mitufala marit lo 1959, and mifala willing for go lo eni ples wea Branch assignim mifala. First assignment hem lo Lancashire, northwest England. Then lo January 1961, mi kasem invitation for attendim Kingdom Ministry Skul for wanfala month lo London Bethel. Lo end blo skul, mi sapraes taem mi kasem assignment for duim circuit waka. So mi and Barbara go lo Birmingham, mekem mi kasem training for tufala week from wanfala circuit overseer wea garem staka experience. Then Branch sei for mitufala start for duim circuit waka lo Lancashire and Cheshire.

Lo August 1962, taem mitufala holiday, mifala kasem envelope from branch office. Insaed envelope hem garem application for Gilead Skul! Mitufala prea abaotem datwan, then mifala fillimap olketa form and kwiktaem sendem go bak lo branch office. Faevfala month bihaen datwan, mifala go lo Brooklyn, New York, for attendim mek-38 class blo Gilead for tenfala month.

Lo Gilead Skul, mifala lanem staka samting abaotem Bible and organization blo Jehovah, and lane for tinghae lo olketa brata and sista  evriwea lo world. From mi 24 years and Barbara 23 years nomoa, mifala lanem staka samting from olketa nara student. Lo skul, evriday olketa student garem assignment for duim waka. Mi hapi tumas for waka witim Brata Fred Rusk wea hem wanfala instructor blo Gilead. Brata Rusk teachim mi hao hem barava important for iusim olketa scripture taem mi givim kaonsel. Samfala brata wea kam givim tok lo Gilead Skul hem Nathan Knorr, Frederick Franz, and Karl Klein. Mifala tinghae tu lo example blo Brata Alexander Macmillan wea barava hambol. Hem kam givim tok abaotem hao Jehovah helpem pipol blo hem from 1914 go kasem 1919, taem olketa kasem staka hard samting.

Klosap lo end blo Gilead Skul, Brata Knorr talem mi and Barbara, mitufala bae kasem assignment for go lo Burundi lo Africa. Mitufala ran go lo library blo Bethel for luk insaed Yearbook for faendaot haomas pablisa nao lo Burundi. Mifala seke for faendaot Burundi no garem eni pablisa! Mifala no savve lo staka samting abaotem Africa, and mifala just luksavve Burundi hem kantri wea no eniwan preach lo there bifor. Mitufala barava fraet, bat mifala prea abaotem, and datwan helpem mifala.

Lo Burundi, weather and culture barava difren from eni samting mifala experiencem bifor, and mifala mas lanem tu French languis. Taem mitufala arrive, mifala need for faendem ples for stap. Tufala day bihaen, Harry Arnott, brata wea mifala skul tugeta lo Gilead, kam visitim mitufala bifor hem go bak lo assignment blo hem lo Zambia. Hem helpem mifala for faendem haos, wea hem kamap first missionary hom blo mitufala. No longtaem bihaen datwan, olketa wakaman blo gavman wea deal witim passport start for againstim mifala nomata olketa no savve eni samting abaotem waka blo mifala Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Gogo, olketa sei mitufala no savve stap lo kantri from mifala no garem pepa from gavman for letem mifala for waka lo there. Mitufala sorre from mifala just start for enjoyim datfala assignment, then mifala mas go nao. So mifala muv go lo nara kantri lo Africa, Uganda.

Taem mitufala kasem border blo Uganda, mifala mas deal witim visa, bat mifala gohed trustim Jehovah. Wanfala brata from Canada wea  stap lo Uganda kam for helpem mifala for explainim lo wakaman blo gavman why mitufala kam lo there. Datfala man sei nomata mitufala no garem visa, mifala savve stap lo Uganda, bat mifala mas stretem visa insaed tu-thri month. Datwan mekem mitufala luksavve Jehovah helpem mifala for stap lo there.

Uganda hem difren from Burundi bikos hem garem 28 Witness wea duim preaching waka. Lo territory, mifala meetim staka pipol wea savve lo English. Nomata olsem, mifala luksavve mifala need for lanem languis blo olketa mekem mifala helpem olketa for minim gud truth. So mitufala lanem Luganda languis bikos mifala preach lo pipol blo Kampala wea story lo datfala languis. Nomata hem tek tu-thri year for savve lo datfala languis, hem barava helpem mifala for duim gud preaching waka! Datwan helpem mitufala for minim olketa Bible study and for luksavve hao for helpem olketa. And olketa tu feel free for storyim tingting blo olketa abaotem wanem olketa lanem.

Mitufala hapi tumas for helpem olketa hambol pipol hia for lanem truth. Bat then, mifala kasem nara privilege tu wea mekem mifala hapi. Olketa askem mifala for duim traveling waka. Wanfala taem, Kenya branch sei for mitufala go lo olketa taon blo Uganda for lukaotem eni ples wea pipol interest mekem olketa spesol pioneer savve go lo there. Nomata samfala wea mifala preach lo olketa no meetim eni Witness bifor, olketa barava kaen lo mifala and wakem kaikai for mifala.

Narataem, miseleva duim wanfala gogo. Mi travel lo train for tufala day from Kampala for go kasem Mombasa, wanfala port lo Kenya. Then mi go lo ship for kasem olketa island lo Seychelles for visitim tufala pablisa lo there. From 1965 go kasem 1972, Barbara kam witim mi for duim circuit visit lo Seychelles. Gogo olketa garem grup lo there, and bihaen hem kamap kongregeson. Lo olketa nara gogo, mi visitim olketa brata lo Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

Lo Uganda, seknomoa army tekovarem gavman. For staka year bihaen datwan pipol safa and fraet. Lo datfala taem mi luksavve hem important for followim datfala Bible principle for “givim go bak long King samting wea hem bilong King.” (Mark 12:17) Wantaem, olketa talem evriwan wea kam from nara kantri for mas go lo police station for givim nem blo olketa. Stretawe mitufala duim datwan. Tu-thri day bihaen, mi and nara missionary draev go lo taon and samfala police stopem trak blo mitufala. Mifala fraet fogud! Olketa tekem mifala lo central police station bikos olketa sei mitufala olketa spae, bat mifala talem olketa mifala missionary. Mitufala sei mifala givim nem finis lo olketa police, bat olketa les for herem mifala. Olketa arrestim mitufala and draevem mifala go lo police station klosap lo missionary hom. Mifala barava hapi taem policeman lo there luksavve lo mitufala and talem olketa mifala givim nem finis. Hem talem olketa for letem mifala go free!

Lo datfala taem, olketa soldia savve blokem road for chekim olketa trak, and staka taem olketa savve drunk. Datwan mekem mifala fraet, so mifala prea and datwan strongim mifala. Evritaem olketa letem mifala for go pas. Lo 1973, mifala sorre taem gavman sei evri missionary from nara kantri mas lusim Uganda.

 Mitufala kasem nara niu assignment for go lo Côte d’Ivoire, lo West Africa. Diswan hem bigfala change. Olketa lo there garem difren culture and mifala start for story moa lo French languis. Mifala mas trae for minim tu wei blo olketa missionary from olketa nara kantri. Nomata olsem, mifala luksavve hao Jehovah nao leadim kam pipol lo datfala kantri wea hambol for acceptim truth. From mifala trustim Jehovah, hem showim mifala stretfala road for mitufala followim.

Bat then nogud samting happen lo mitufala. Mifala seke fogud taem doctor sei Barbara garem cancer. Nomata Barbara kasem staka treatment from olketa doctor lo Europe, lo 1983 mitufala luksavve mifala hard for gohed lo assignment blo mifala lo Africa. Datwan mekem mitufala sorre tumas!

Mitufala waka lo London Bethel, and Barbara barava sik big lo cancer, gogo hem dae. Olketa lo Bethel famili barava comfortim and helpem mi. Mi tinghae tumas lo wanfala hasband and waef wea helpem mi for deal witim feeling for barava sorre and helpem mi for gohed trustim Jehovah. Gogo mi meetim Ann wea hem commuter lo Bethel, and lo bifor hem spesol pioneer. Hem sista wea fren gud witim Jehovah and tinghae lo olketa spiritual samting. Mitufala Ann marit lo 1989, and distaem mifala gohed waka lo London Bethel.

Start lo 1995 go kasem 2018, mi garem privilege for kamap world hedquarter representative (wea bifor hem zone overseer). Mitufala visitim klosap 60-fala kantri. Lo each kantri, mi lukim hao Jehovah lukaftarem gud pipol blo hem nomata wanem hard taem olketa kasem.

Lo 2017, mitufala visitim Burundi lo Africa. Hem firstaem for Ann go lo there. Mitufala barava hapi for lukim hao staka pipol kam insaed lo truth! Lo wanfala road wea mi savve followim for preach lo 1964, distaem Bethel nao lo there, and olketa sapotim preaching waka blo winim 15,500 pablisa.

Mi barava hapi taem mi kasem list blo olketa kantri for mi visitim lo 2018. Wanfala kantri hia hem Côte d’Ivoire. Taem mifala arrive lo Abidjan, wea hem kapitol blo Côte d’Ivoire, hem olsem mi kam bak lo hom blo mi. Mitufala stap lo Bethel, and mi lukim nem blo Brata Sossou wea mi savve lo hem lo list blo olketa telephone namba. Lo bifor hem city overseer blo Abidjan, and hem stap lo rum klosap lo rum blo mifala. Batawea hem no datfala brata, hem son blo hem!

Jehovah keepim promis blo hem. Mi lukim hao taem mi kasem hard taem, sapos mi trustim Jehovah, hem evritaem showim stretfala road for mi followim. Mitufala laek for gohed worshipim Jehovah and gohed followim datfala road wea lead go for laef olowe lo niu world.​—Provebs 4:18.