Wanem hem happen lo datfala naet hem mekem mi start for tingim sapos God hem stap. Bat bifor mi storyim next samting wea happen, mi bae storyim samfala samting wea happen taem mi pikinini and hao gogo mi laek lane abaotem God.

Mi born lo 1937 lo taon blo Guesnain, lo north part blo France. Lo taon hia, pipol waka lo mine for digim coal wea stap anda lo graon. Dadi blo mi duim datkaen waka and hem man for waka hard. Hem laekem olketa samting for mas stret. Taem hem lukim olketa wakaman kasem hard taem or stap lo danger, hem duim samting, olsem for encouragem olketa for strike. Mi olsem dadi blo mi wea no laek lukim pipol kasem hard taem. Dadi no laekem tu hao olketa priest garem staka material samting, bat olketa askem olketa wakaman hia wea poor tumas for givim kaikai and selen lo olketa. From datwan, dadi no storyim religion or God lo mi.

 Taem mi smol, mi savve plei soccer witim olketa pikinini wea parents blo olketa kam from nara kantri. Mami blo mi hem woman from Poland. Mi no laekem hao samfala lo France les lo pipol from nara kantri. Mi laekem evriwan for stap gud tugeta and garem peace.

Gavman blo France sei olketa young man mas joinim army, so lo 1957 mi lo army nao, and mi lo Algeria lo datfala naet mi storyim finis wea mi singaot lo God. Bat mi hapi tumas from mi lukim wild donkey nao kam and no wanfala soldia! Nomata olsem, datfala war mekem mi start for ting abaotem God, and mi garem olketa kwestin olsem: Waswe, laef hem olsem nao? Waswe, God tingim iumi olketa man? Waswe, enitaem world bae garem peace?

Taem mi holiday witim parents blo mi lo haos blo olketa, wanfala Jehovah’s Witness kam preach and givim mi wanfala Bible, wea hem French Catholic transleison. Bihaen mi go bak lo Algeria, mi start for readim datfala Bible. Wanfala scripture wea mekem mi sapraes nao hem Revelation 21:3, 4 wea sei: “Tent bilong God hem stap witim olketa man. . . . Hem bae draem evri tias long eye bilong olketa. No eniwan bae dae and no enitaem bae pipol sorre or krae or feelim pain tu. Olketa samting wea happen bifor hem nomoa nao.” * Hem firstaem for mi savve lo diswan, so mi laek savve sapos diswan hem tru.

Lo 1959, mi finis lo army. Bihaen datwan mi meetim François, wanfala Jehovah’s Witness wea teachim mi staka samting from Bible. Olsem example, hem teachim mi hao Bible sei nem blo God hem Jehovah. (Ps. 83:18, NW) François explainim tu hao Jehovah bae stretem evri samting lo earth, hao Jehovah bae mekem earth kamap paradaes, and hao Jehovah bae mekem toktok lo Revelation 21:3, 4 kamap tru.

Mi barava laekem olketa teaching hia bikos olketa mek sense lo mi. Bat mi luksavve tu wanem olketa priest teachim no kam from Bible, so mi barava kros and mi laekem pipol for savve olketa teaching hia no stret! Mi olsem dadi blo mi wea no patient witim olketa. Mi laek duim samting stretawe!

François witim samfala nara brata helpem mi for kontrolem kros blo mi. Olketa explainim hao olketa Christian shud no judgem pipol, bat duim waka for helpem pipol savve lo gud nius abaotem Kingdom blo God. Hem nao waka wea Jesus and olketa follower blo hem duim. (Matt. 24:14; Luke 4:43) Mi mas lanem tu hao for story lo kaenfala wei lo pipol wea garem difren religion. Bible sei: “Wakaman bilong Lord mas no raoa, bat hem mas kaen long evriwan.”—2 Tim. 2:24.

Mi changem samfala samting lo laef blo mi, and lo 1959 mi baptaes lo wanfala circuit assembly. Lo there mi meetim wanfala sista wea nem blo hem Angèle, and mi  laekem hem. Mi start for attendim olketa meeting lo kongregeson blo hem, and lo 1960 mitufala marit. Mi lovem tumas waef blo mi, and mi ting lo hem olsem wanfala present from Jehovah.—Provebs 19:14.

Mi lanem staka gud samting from olketa brata wea wise and garem experience. Mi barava tinghae lo disfala advaes: For duim gud eni assignment, iumi mas hambol and followim toktok lo Provebs 15:22 wea sei: “Plande advaes, bae plan gohed.”

Lo 1964, mi luksavve why hem important for followim datfala advaes bikos lo datfala year mi kamap circuit overseer. Mi visitim olketa kongregeson for encouragem and strongim olketa brata and sista. Bat mi 27 years nomoa and no garem experience, so mi mekem samfala mistek. Nomata olsem, mi lane from olketa mistek, and mi lanem staka samting from gudfala advaes blo olketa mature brata.

Mi laek storyim wanfala example abaotem datwan. Bihaen mi visitim wanfala kongregeson lo Paris, wanfala mature brata ask sapos hem savve story witim mi. So mi sei, “OK.”

Hem sei, “Louis, doctor savve helpem sikman or man wea healthy?”

Mi sei, “man wea sik.”

Hem sei: “Ia. Waka blo iu tu olsem wanfala doctor, bat mi lukim iu spendem staka taem witim olketa brata olsem kongregeson overseer, wea gohed gud lo spiritual wei. Kongregeson blo mifala garem staka brata and sista wea wikdaon, niu lo truth, or savve feel shame. Olketa bae laekem iu for spendem taem witim olketa, or for go kaikai lo haos blo olketa.”

Mi tinghae lo gudfala advaes blo datfala brata. Wanem hem talem showimaot hem barava lovem olketa sheepsheep blo Jehovah. Nomata mi no laek herem mi duim mistek, mi stretawe followim advaes blo hem. Mi thankiu lo Jehovah for olketa brata olsem.

Lo 1969 and then lo 1973, mi kasem assignment for overseer blo Food Service Department lo international convention lo  Colombes, Paris. Lo convention blo 1973, mifala mas garem inaf kaikai for samting olsem 60,000 pipol for faevfala day! Mi barava warim datwan. Bat mi luksavve hem important for followim toktok blo Provebs 15:22 wea sei for askem advaes from olketa narawan. So mi askem olketa wea savve tumas abaotem kaikai, olsem olketa wea savve kuki, peim kaikai, plantim vegetable, and salem meat. From mifala evriwan waka tugeta, mifala duim nao datfala assignment.

Then lo 1973, olketa invaetem mi and Angèle for waka lo Bethel lo France. First assignment wea mi kasem hem for helpem olketa brata lo Cameroon lo Africa for kasem literature bikos gavman lo there banim preaching waka between 1970 and 1993. Datfala waka no isi and mi tingse mi no fit. Maet olketa lo branch komiti luksavve lo datwan, so olketa talem toktok for encouragem mi. Olketa sei: “Olketa brata and sista lo Cameroon barava needim spiritual kaikai. Iumi nao for givim lo olketa!” So mi duim nao datfala assignment.

Samfala taem mi mas meet witim olketa elder from Cameroon so mi go lo kantri wea stap lo border blo Cameroon for duim datwan. Olketa elder hia no fraet for kam, and mifala faendem wei for olketa brata lo Cameroon savve kasem spiritual kaikai. Jehovah barava blessim hard waka blo mifala, and insaed 20 year wea gavman banim waka, olketa brata lo Cameroon kasem The Watchtower and Our Kingdom Service evri month and no misstim eni pablikeson hia.

Nomata taem mifala fren yet, mi luksavve Angèle fren gud witim Jehovah, and hem gohed yet for duim datwan. Olsem example, lo evening blo day wea mitufala marit, hem  askem mi for prea lo Jehovah abaotem plan blo mifala for duim staka samting tugeta lo waka blo Jehovah. And Jehovah ansarem datfala prea.

Angèle helpem mi tu for barava trustim Jehovah. Olsem example, lo 1973 mifala kasem invitation for waka lo Bethel, bat mi hol bak lelebet bikos mi laekem tumas circuit waka. Bat Angèle sei from mitufala dedicate finis lo Jehovah, mifala shud duim eni samting wea organization blo Jehovah askem. (Heb. 13:17) Mi luksavve wanem hem talem hem tru! So mitufala waka lo Bethel nao. Mi tinghae tumas lo waef blo mi bikos hem showimaot olketa gudfala wei, and datwan helpem mifala for stap gud tugeta and mekem olketa gud disison.

Mifala olo nao, and Angèle gohed for sapotim mi. Olsem example, mitufala Angèle waka hard for savve gud lo English bikos staka skul blo organization hem lo English languis. And nomata taem mitufala winim 70 years finis, mitufala joinim English kongregeson. From mi member blo branch komiti lo France, hem no isi for garem taem for lanem English, bat mitufala Angèle helpem each other. Distaem mifala winim 80 years, and mifala gohed prepare for olketa meeting blo kongregeson lo English and French languis. Nomata mifala olo, mitufala gohed for traem best for go lo olketa meeting and duim preaching waka. Mitufala luksavve Jehovah blessim hard waka blo mifala for lanem English languis.

Lo 2017, mifala kasem big blessing. Mitufala Angèle garem privilege for attendim Skul for Brata lo Branch Komiti and Waef lo Watchtower Educational Center lo Patterson, New York.

Jehovah nao best teacher blo pipol blo hem. (Aesaea 30:20) So nomata iumi olo or young, iumi savve kasem nambawan education from hem! (Diutronomi 4:5-8) And mi lukim taem olketa young wan lisin lo Jehovah and olketa mature brata and sista, olketa gohed gud lo spiritual wei and kamap mature Christian tu. Provebs 9:9 sei: “Tisim waes man bae hemi waes go moa, tisim stret man bae hemi save go moa.”

Nomata 60 year go pas finis, samfala taem mi tingim datfala taem mi soldia lo Algeria. Lo datfala taem mi no savve olketa gud samting wea bae happen lo laef blo mi. Mi hapi from olketa narawan teachim mi staka gud samting! Jehovah blessim mitufala Angèle and mitufala tinghae lo evri samting mitufala duim. So mitufala laek gohed for lane from Jehovah and from olketa mature brata and sista wea lovem Jehovah.