Bihaen wan year, mifala lo Bethel famili herem South Africa branch needim samfala for go waka lo there bikos olketa garem niu printing machine (rotary printing press). Mi talem branch mi willing for go, and olketa chusim mi and thrifala nara brata, Dennis Leech, Bill McLellan, and Ken Nordin. Olketa talem mifala niu assignment blo mifala hem lo South Africa branch!

Taem mi kasem assignment hia mi ringim mami and sei: “Mami, mi garem nius for talem iu. Bae mi go lo South Africa!” Mami hem wanfala faithful sista, bat hem no woman for story tumas. Nomata hem no talem staka samting, mi savve hem acceptim disison blo mi. Dadi and mami no stopem mi for go, bat tufala sorre bikos mi bae stap farawe.

Firstaem, mi and thrifala brata go lo Brooklyn Bethel for thrifala month for kasem training lo datfala niu printing machine. Mi 20 years nomoa. Bihaen lo training, mifala go lo kago ship for kasem Cape Town, South Africa. Then for kasem Johannesburg, mifala go lo train start lo evening. Lo early morning next day train hem stop lo smol taon blo Karoo, ples wea no garem staka tree. Taon hia hot tumas, and smoke and dust kam insaed train. Mifala luk go aotsaed and sei “wat kaen ples ia?” Mifala start for warim niu assignment blo mifala. Samfala year bihaen, mifala kam bak lo ples hia and luksavve olketa smol taon olsem Karoo barava naes ples for visitim.

For tu-thri year mi waka lo wanfala machine (Linotype) wea mi setimap olketa iron leta followim wanfala laen, redi for printim Watchtower and Awake! magasin. Branch printim olketa magasin lo staka languis blo South Africa and blo olketa nara kantri lo Africa. Mifala hapi niu printing machine wea mifala kam from Canada for waka lo hem savve printim staka pablikeson!

Bihaen datwan, mi waka lo Office blo Factory wea lukaftarem printing, shipping, and transleison. Mi busy lo waka, bat mi hapi and satisfae.

Lo 1968, mi maritim Laura Bowen wea stap klosap lo Bethel. Hem pioneer and duim waka for Transleison Department tu. Lo datfala taem olketa wea singol and chus for marit bae lusim Bethel, bat olketa givim mifala assignment for spesol pioneer. From mi stap lo Bethel for tenfala year and kasem evri samting mi needim, mi wari abaotem hao mi bae peim rent, kaikai, transport, medical, and olketa nara samting wea mifala needim witim smol selen wea spesol pioneer kasem. Sapos mifala reportim olketa hour, namba blo return visit, and namba blo buk wea olketa markem for olketa spesol pioneer, lo end blo month mifala bae kasem samting olsem $35 US each.

Mitufala spesol pioneer witim wanfala smol grup wea stap klosap lo big taon blo Durban. Staka pipol blo India stap lo Durban. Lo samting olsem 1875, samfala grani blo olketa kam from India for waka olsem slave lo olketa sugarcane planteison. Distaem olketa wea born lo South Africa duim olketa difren kaen waka, bat olketa gohed followim culture and kaikaim kaikai blo India, olsem olketa naes curry. From olketa story lo English, hem isi for mifala preach lo olketa.

From spesol pioneer mas kasem 150 hour lo wanfala month, mifala plan for duim sixfala hour lo first day mifala preach. Lo Durban, hem barava hot. From mifala no garem return visit or Bible study mifala mas duim preaching waka nomoa for sixfala hour. Gogo, mi tingse tu-thri hour go pas, batawea, taem mi lukim hanwas hem 40 minute nomoa! So mi tingting, waswe, mifala fit for spesol pioneer tu?

From datwan mitufala luksavve mifala need for organize gud. So evriday mifala redyim firstaem lelebet kaikai, supsup, or coffee. Taem mifala need for rest mifala parkim car lo shade blo wanfala tree and drinkim coffee lelebet. Olketa pikinini interest tumas for kam lukluk lo mifala from mifala no luk semsem olsem olketa! Mifala luksavve kaen schedule olsem mekem day for go pas kwiktaem.

Mitufala barava hapi for preach lo pipol blo India lo datfala territory bikos olketa welkamim mifala, showimaot respect, kaen, and tinghae lo olketa spiritual samting. Nomata olketa followim Hindu religion, staka interest for lane abaotem Jehovah, Jesus, Bible, niu world, and hope for olketa wea dae finis. Bihaen wan year mifala garem 20-fala Bible study. Evriday mifala kaikai witim olketa difren famili wea mifala study witim. Datwan mekem mitufala for barava hapi.

Seknomoa, mifala kasem nara assignment for duim circuit waka lo olketa kongregeson lo east saed blo South Africa. Each week mifala visitim wanfala difren kongregeson and waka witim olketa pablisa for encouragem olketa. Mifala stap witim olketa difren famili and hapi tu for spendem taem witim olketa pikinini, puskat, and dog blo olketa. Mifala enjoyim circuit waka for tufala year, then wan day branch ringim mifala. Olketa sei, “Mifala ting for iufala kam bak lo Bethel.” Mi mekfani and sei, “Hem olraet, mifala barava hapi lo hia.” Nomata olsem, mifala willing for duim eni waka wea olketa talem.

Olketa askem mi for waka lo Service Department lo Bethel wea mi waka witim olketa mature brata wea duim datfala waka for staka year. Lo datfala taem, bihaen circuit overseer visitim kongregeson hem sendem report lo Service Desk. Then bae mifala sendem leta lo kongregeson for encouragem or givim direction lo olketa. Olketa brata duim bigfala waka for transleitim olketa report hia go lo English from olketa languis olsem Xhosa, Zulu, and olketa nara languis. Then olketa transleitim olketa English leta blo mifala go lo olketa languis hia. Mi tinghae lo olketa brata from olketa helpem mi  for minim tu olketa hard taem wea olketa blak brata and sista feisim.

Lo datfala taem gavman blo South Africa sei olketa blakman and whiteman mas stap difren, so olketa no associate witim each other. Olketa blak brata story lo languis blo olketa, preach lo languis blo olketa, and attendim kongregeson wea story lo datfala languis.

From mi joinim olketa kongregeson wea iusim English languis mi no savve lo staka blak brata and sista. Bat lo waka blo mi, mi garem chance for lane abaotem culture and kastom blo olketa. Mi faendemaot staka blak pipol poor and no garem gud education, bat olketa tinghae lo Bible. And mi faendemaot tu olketa garem samfala kastom wea olketa expectim olketa brata and sista for followim. Olketa Witness barava showimaot faith taem olketa no joinim olketa devildevil samting nomata samfala lo famili and olketa narawan lo vilij barava againstim olketa!

Mi garem privilege for waka lo samfala kot case abaotem raet blo olketa Jehovah’s Witness pikinini for no teksaed lo politik and for no worship witim olketa nara religion. Mi tinghae tumas lo strongfala faith blo olketa Witness pikinini wea no join lo prea and song blo nara religion lo skul, nomata skul expellim olketa.

Lo datfala taem olketa brata and sista lo Swaziland, wanfala kantri lo Africa mas deal witim nara hard samting. Taem King Sobhuza II, king blo Swaziland hem dae, gavman talem evriwan for followim wanfala kastom blo olketa for showimaot respect lo man wea dae. Olketa man mas rezam hed and olketa woman mas katem hair short, bat datfala kastom join witim wei for worshipim olketa laen dadi. So olketa brata and sista no followim datwan, and gavman persecutim olketa. Mifala tinghae tumas lo olketa brata and sista wea gohed faithful lo Jehovah! Example blo olketa strongim faith blo mifala.

Lo 1981, mi kasem assignment for waka moa lo Printing Department. Waka blo mi  hem for wakemaot hao for mekem printing machine waka witim computer. Printing waka hem start for change, so hem barava interesting taem! Wanfala company givim free for branch wanfala niu machine (phototypesetter) wea winim Linotype machine. Gogo mifala changem naenfala Linotype machine witim faevfala niu machine hia. Mifala kasem wanfala niu rotary offset printing machine tu. Datwan mekem mifala fit for printim staka pablikeson!

Organization designim wanfala MEPS program (Multilanguage Electronic Publishing System) for mekem olketa word and piksa lo pablikeson luk naes. Lo datfala taem technology barava change from olketa old type printing machine wea mi and thrifala brata kam from Canada for waka lo hem! (Aesaea 60:17) Mifala evriwan maritim olketa spiritual pioneer sista. Mi and Laura gohed waka lo Bethel, and Bill and waef tu. Bat Ken witim waef and Dennis witim waef garem olketa pikinini and stap klosap lo Bethel.

Staka waka gohed lo branch. Mifala start for transleitim and printim olketa pablikeson lo staka languis, and mifala sendem samfala pablikeson hia lo olketa nara branch. So mifala need for wakem niu branch. Olketa wakem datfala branch lo wanfala naes part lo west Johannesburg, and dedicatem lo 1987. Mi hapi tumas for lukim waka gohed gud lo South Africa and for member blo Branch Komiti for longtaem lelebet.

Lo 2001 mifala kasem invitation wea mifala no expectim for muv lo United States branch, and for mi kamap member blo Branch Komiti. Mifala sorre for lusim olketa fren blo mifala and South Africa branch, bat mifala luk forward for joinim Bethel famili lo United States.

Mifala warim mami blo Laura wea olo bikos mifala bae stap farawe from hem taem mifala lo New York. Bat thrifala sista blo Laura sei olketa willing for duim evri samting for lukaftarem mami. Thrifala sei, “Mifala no insaed lo full-taem service so mifala bae lukaftarem mami mekem iutufala savve gohed duim assignment blo iutufala.” Mifala barava tinghae lo wanem olketa duim.

Brata blo mi and waef blo hem wea stap lo Toronto, Canada tu helpem mifala saed lo mami blo mi wea hem wanfala widow. Mami stap witim tufala for winim 20 year finis. Mitufala barava tinghae hao olketa lukaftarem gud mami go kasem taem hem dae. No longtaem bihaen mitufala kasem New York mami hem dae. Mitufala tinghae tumas lo wanem olketa lo famili blo mifala duim for lukaftarem tufala mami blo mitufala wea olo, nomata samfala taem hem no isi!

Lo United States branch mi waka lo printery for samfala year, wea distaem olketa iusim niu technology saed lo printing. Bat gogo mi waka lo Purchasing Department kasem distaem. Mi hapi tumas for waka lo disfala big branch for 20 year finis. Distaem branch garem samting olsem 5,000 Bethelite and samting olsem 2,000 duim commuter waka!

Taem mi 20 years and lusim Canada, mi nating tingim bae mi enjoyim staka privilege olsem. Laura barava sapotim mi lo evri samting mitufala duim. Mi barava enjoyim laef blo mi! Mitufala tinghae lo olketa difren assignment wea mitufala duim, and tu mifala garem chance for visitim olketa difren branch raonem world. Mitufala waka witim and meetim staka naes brata and sista lo olketa assignment hia. Distaem mi winim 80 years so mi no duim staka waka olsem bifor, bat mi savve staka nara brata fit for duim waka hia.

Wanfala psalm sei pipol blo Jehovah bae hapi. (Sams 33:12) Datwan kamap tru for mi! Mi barava hapi mi iusim laef blo mi for duim waka blo Jehovah witim hapi pipol blo hem.