MIFALA hipap long Brookings, South Dakota, U.S.A. Hem barava cold bikos winter season hem klosap for start. Mifala standap insaed wanfala haos for keepim olketa animal. Wanfala big container wea olketa wakem long kapa for olketa animal drink insaed stap long there. Wata wea stap insaed hem cold tumas. Maet iu laek for savve why nao mifala standap long there. Bifor mi storyim datwan, mi laek storyim samfala samting wea happen long laef bilong mi.

Mi born long March 7, 1936. Mi garem tufala brata and wanfala sista, and mi nao last born long famili. Mifala garem wanfala smol farm long South Dakota and mifala waka long datfala farm. Dadi and mami dedicate and baptaes for kamap Jehovah’s Witness long 1934. So samting wea barava important long tufala nao hem for duim wanem God laekem. Dadi bilong mi Clarence, hem company servant (wea distaem olketa kolem chairman bilong olketa elder) long smol kongregeson bilong mifala long Conde, South Dakota. Bihaen, uncle bilong mi Alfred tu duim sem waka.

Famili bilong mifala evritaem attendim olketa meeting and preach long haos tu haos for storyim wanem Bible talem abaotem future. Training wea mifala olketa pikinini kasem from dadi and mami, and example bilong tufala, barava helpem mifala for tinghae long olketa spiritual samting. Mi and sista bilong mi, Dorothy, kamap anbaptaes pablisa taem mitufala six year nomoa. Long 1943, mi joinim Theocratic Ministry Skul, wea hem just start long datfala taem.

Evri year mifala savve attendim convention and olketa assembly. Brata Grant Suiter hem givim tu-thri tok long wanfala convention long 1949  long Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Mi tingim yet tok bilong hem wea garem title, “It Is Later Than You Think!” Hem sei evri Christian wea dedicate long Jehovah shud barava busy for talemaot gud nius abaotem Kingdom bilong God wea rul finis. Datfala tok encouragem mi for dedicate long Jehovah. Long next circuit assembly long Brookings long November 12, 1949, mifala standap insaed long datfala haos for keepim olketa animal wea mi storyim finis, and mifala redi for baptaes. Mifala fofala nao baptaes insaed datfala big container wea olketa animal savve drink long hem.

Bihaen mi baptaes, mi markem goal for pioneer. Mi start for pioneer long January 1, 1952, taem mi 15 year. Staka long famili bilong mi encouragem mi for kasem datfala goal. Olsem Bible talem: “Man wea fren witim pipol wea wise bae hem wise.” (Prov. 13:20) Taem mi pioneer, mi and uncle Julius, wea hem tu wanfala pioneer, savve waka tugeta staka taem long ministry. Nomata hem 60 year, mi hapi tumas for waka witim hem, and mi lanem staka samting from hem bikos hem worshipim Jehovah for staka year finis. No longtaem bihaen, Dorothy tu start for pioneer.

Taem mi young, dadi and mami savve invaetem olketa circuit overseer and waef for kam stap witim mifala. Tufala wea barava helpem mi, hem Jesse and Lynn Cantwell. Tufala barava encouragem mi. Samfala taem olketa askem mi for waka witim olketa long ministry taem olketa visitim olketa kongregeson wea stap klosap. Mi hapi tumas for waka witim tufala and datwan hem mekem mi laek for pioneer.

Nara circuit overseer wea visit bihaen hem Bud Miller, and waef bilong hem Joan. Taem tufala visitim kongregeson bilong mifala mi 18 year, so long datfala taem mi mas go lukim wanfala komiti for olketa disaedem sapos bae mi joinim army or nomoa. Komiti hia laekem mi for duim samfala waka wea long konsens bilong mi hem againstim komand bilong Jesus for no teksaed long politik. Bat mi laek for duim preaching waka. (John 15:19) So mi askem olketa for letem mi duim datfala waka.

Taem mi go for lukim datfala komiti, Brata Miller sei hem bae kam witim mi. Datwan  strongim mi bikos Brata Miller hem man for story, hem no savve fraet, and hem savve gud long olketa scripture. Bihaen mitufala story witim olketa, olketa sei bae mi no joinim army, bat mi bae duim preaching waka. From mi pioneer, datwan mekem mi fit for kasem nara spiritual goal bilong mi for waka long Bethel.

No longtaem bihaen datwan, mi kasem assignment for waka long Bethel long Staten Island, New York, long ples wea olketa kolem Watchtower Farm. Mi waka long there for thrifala year. Mi barava enjoyim waka bilong mi long there bikos mi meetim and waka witim staka brata and sista wea encouragem and helpem mi.

Datfala radio station WBBR hem stap tu long farm long Staten Island. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness iusim datfala radio station from 1924 go kasem 1957. Bat mi and samting olsem 20-fala narawan waka long farm. Staka long mifala young and no savve hao for waka long farm. Bat wanfala anointed brata, Eldon Woodworth, hem waka witim mifala. Hem olsem dadi bilong mifala and hem teachim mifala staka samting. Taem samwan feel nogud long narawan, Brata Woodworth savve sei long mifala, “Hem nambawan samting for Jehovah iusim iumi for duim olketa waka bilong hem nomata iumi no perfect.”

Nara anointed brata, Brata Frederick Franz, hem tu waka witim mifala. Hem brata wea barava wise and hem savve gud long Bible. Hem laek for story long mifala wanwan. Nem bilong brata wea savve kuki for mifala hem Harry Papargyropoulos, bat bikos nem hia hem hard tumas for mifala talem, mifala kolem hem Brata Harry Peterson. Hem tu wanfala anointed brata, and hem laekem tumas for duim ministry. Brata Peterson hem duim gud assignment bilong hem long Bethel, bat hem laek for duim preaching waka tu. Evri month hem savve givimaot staka handred magasin. And tu, hem savve gud long Bible and hem savve ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mifala.

Waka bilong mifala long farm hem for redyim olketa frut and vegetable for putim insaed long olketa tin. Evri year mifala wakem samting olsem  42,600 liter long olketa frut and vegetable for Bethel famili. Mi waka witim Etta Huth, wanfala sista wea hem barava wise. Hem wakemaot olketa recipe wea mifala savve followim taem mifala redyim olketa frut and vegetable. Samfala sista savve kam waka witim mifala, and Etta nao savve organizem waka bilong olketa. Nomata Etta savve tumas hao for duim waka bilong hem, hem evritaem showimaot respect long olketa overseer long there. Hem showimaot gudfala example for mifala evriwan.

Mi meetim Angela Romano taem hem kam for waka long farm witim olketa nara young sista. Etta helpem hem taem hem lanem truth. Gogo mitufala Angie marit long April 1958, and mitufala worshipim Jehovah tugeta for 58 year. From Angie faithful long Jehovah, datwan strongim marit bilong mitufala. Hem wanfala wise woman, and mi savve depend long hem for sapotim mi.

Long 1957, taem olketa brata salem WBBR radio station long Staten Island, mi go waka long Brooklyn Bethel for lelebet taem. Then from mitufala Angie marit mi lusim Bethel. Mitufala pioneer long Staten Island for thrifala year, and for lelebet taem mi waka for olketa wea peim WBBR. Niu radio station hia nem bilong hem, WPOW.

Mitufala Angie disaed for no garem staka samting, mekem mifala free for duim eni assignment wea mifala kasem. Long 1961, mifala kasem assignment for go spesol pioneer long Falls City, long Nebraska. Bat no longtaem bihaen mitufala kasem invitation for attendim Kingdom Ministry Skul for wanfala month long South Lansing, long New York. Mitufala barava enjoyim datfala skul, and mitufala tingse bihaen datwan mitufala bae go bak long Nebraska. So mitufala barava sapraes taem mifala kasem niu assignment for duim missionary waka long Cambodia, wanfala kantri long Southeast Asia! Staka samting wea mitufala lukim, herem, and teistim long there hem niu long mifala. Mitufala laekem tumas for talemaot gud nius abaotem Kingdom long there.

Bat then wanfala problem kamap saed long gavman, so mitufala mas lusim Cambodia and go stap long South Vietnam. Bihaen tufala year, mi kasem bigfala sik, so mitufala mas go bak long United States. Hem tek taem for mi kamap gud, bat bihaen datwan, mitufala start for pioneer moa.

Long March 1965, mitufala start for duim traveling waka. Mitufala Angie duim circuit and distrik waka for 33 year, and mitufala help long olketa convention tu. Mi laekem tumas for duim disfala waka bikos mi savve enjoyim tumas olketa convention. For samfala year, mitufala visitim olketa kongregeson wea stap long New York City, and mitufala savve attendim olketa convention wea kamap long Yankee Stadium.

Long olketa year wea go pas, mi and Angie kasem staka difren assignment and samfala no isi  tu. Long 1995, mi kasem assignment for teach long Ministerial Training Skul. Bihaen thrifala year, mitufala kasem assignment for go waka long Bethel. Mi lusim Bethel for 40-fala year finis, so mi hapi for go bak moa long Bethel, ples wea mi start for duim spesol full-taem service. Firstaem, mi waka long Service Department and mi teach long samfala Bible skul tu. Then long 2007, Governing Body hem startim wanfala department for olketa Theocratic Skul, and for tu-thri year, mi overseer long datfala department.

Governing Body changem staka samting long olketa skul long Bethel. Skul for olketa elder hem start long 2008 and insaed tufala year, winim 12, 000 elder nao kasem training long Patterson and Brooklyn Bethel. Distaem datfala skul hem gohed tu long staka nara kantri. Long 2010, nem bilong Ministerial Training Skul hem change for Bible Skul for Olketa Singol Brata, and olketa startim wanfala niu skul wea olketa kolem long Bible Skul for Olketa Hasband and Waef.

Long September 2014, tufala skul hia join tugeta and olketa kolem datwan long Skul for Olketa Kingdom Evangelizer. Olketa wea savve attendim datfala skul hem olketa hasband and waef, and olketa singol brata and sista. Olketa brata and sista long samfala nara kantri hapi tumas taem olketa herem datfala skul bae kamap tu long ples bilong olketa. Mi hapi bikos staka brata and sista bae garem chance for attendim olketa theocratic skul. And mi hapi tumas for meetim staka wea changem samfala samting long laef bilong olketa mekem olketa savve attendim disfala skul.

Taem mi ting abaotem laef bilong mi, mi thankiu long Jehovah for olketa wise pipol wea helpem mi for savve long Jehovah and for worshipim hem. Samfala young and samfala olo winim mi, and samfala kam from olketa difren kantri, bat evriwan hia lovem Jehovah. Mi hapi for garem olketa fren wea wise wea teachim and helpem mi.