Bifor mi storyim wanem hem happen bihaen datwan, firstaem bae mi storyim hao gogo mi duim full-taem service.

Mi born lo 1942 lo Curaçao, wanfala island lo Caribbean wea barava luk naes. Dadi blo mi kam from Suriname, bat hem kam stap lo disfala island for waka. Tu-thri year bifor mi born, dadi blo mi hem wanfala lo olketa first wan lo Curaçao for baptaes and kamap Jehovah’s Witness. a Hem study witim mifala olketa pikinini evri week, nomata samfala taem mifala noti and no laek study. Taem mi 14 years, dadi tekem famili blo mifala go bak lo Suriname for lukaftarem mami blo hem wea olo.

Lo Suriname, mi associate witim olketa young wan lo kongregeson wea strong for worshipim Jehovah. Age blo olketa winim mi lelebet and olketa regular pioneer. Taem olketa storyim olketa experience blo olketa lo ministry, mi lukim olketa hapi tumas. Bihaen lo olketa kongregeson meeting, mi and olketa fren blo mi savve storyim tu olketa Bible topic. Samfala taem mifala bae go sidaon samwea for story and lukluk lo olketa star. Olketa fren hia helpem mi for disaedem wanem mi laek for duim lo laef blo mi, wea hem nao for waka for Jehovah. So mi baptaes taem mi 16 years. Then, mi regular pioneer taem mi 18 years.

Mi lanem staka samting taem mi pioneer, and olketa samting hia helpem mi taem mi duim olketa nara assignment. Wanfala samting mi lanem, hem hao hem important for trainim narawan. Taem mi start for pioneer, Willem van Seijl, wanfala missionary hem barava helpem mi. b Hem trainim mi lo hao for  lukaftarem olketa responsibility lo kongregeson. Lo datfala taem, mi no savve hao datfala training bae barava helpem mi. Wan year bihaen, mi kasem assignment for duim spesol pioneer waka and mi helpem olketa isolate grup wea stap farawe lo bush lo Suriname, so mi tinghae lo training wea mi kasem from olketa brata! Start lo datfala taem, mi gohed followim example blo olketa for trainim narawan.

Mek-tu samting mi lanem, hem for garem simpol laef and for organize. Lo start blo each month, mi and spesol pioneer partner blo mi savve plan for peim olketa samting wea mitufala bae needim for datfala month. Then wanfala bae go lo taon for peim olketa samting hia. Mitufala mas careful lo hao mitufala iusim allowance and mek sure kaikai blo mitufala no ran aot bifor end lo month, bikos if mitufala ran aot lo kaikai, hem hard for eniwan helpem mitufala. Start taem mi young, mi lane for garem simpol laef and for organize, and mi luksavve datwan helpem mi for duim gud waka blo Jehovah.

Mek-thri samting mi lanem, hem hao hem gud for teachim pipol lo languis blo olketa. Start taem mi smol, mi savve story lo Dutch, English, Papiamento, and Sranantongo (nara nem blo disfala languis hem Sranan), wea hem main languis blo Suriname. Bat lo bush, mi lukim hao hem important for story lo languis blo pipol lo there, bikos datwan mekem olketa barava interest lo gud nius. Samfala languis hia, olsem Saramaccan, hem no isi for mi story lo hem, bikos lo hao olketa tiunem toktok blo olketa. Nomata olsem, mi waka hard for lanem datfala languis, and mi hapi mi duim datwan. Lo olketa year wea go pas, mi helpem staka pipol for lanem truth bikos mi story lo languis blo olketa.

Bat samfala taem mi talem samting lo languis blo olketa wea mi shame lo hem. For example, wanfala woman wea story lo Saramaccan languis wea studyim Bible yet, hem garem bele soa. Mi min for askem hem sapos hem olraet, bat really mi askem hem sapos hem babule! Hem shame tumas taem mi askem hem olsem. Nomata mi mekem samfala mistek olsem, mi no hol bak for story lo languis blo pipol lo olketa assignment blo mi.

Lo 1970, olketa appointim mi for kamap circuit overseer. Lo datfala year mi showim wanfala slide program wea garem title “Visiting the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses” lo staka isolate grup lo bush. Mi and olketa nara brata savve go insaed wanfala long wooden boat followim river for kasem olketa. Mifala tekem generator, container petrol, olketa kerosene lamp, and slide projector. Bihaen mifala lusim boat, mifala mas karem evri samting hia go lo bush for kasem ples wea mifala bae showim datfala slide program. Wanem mi no savve forgetim nao hem hao pipol lo olketa isolate  area laekem tumas olketa program hia. Mi hapi tumas for helpem olketa for lane abaotem Jehovah and organization blo hem. Nomata datwan hem hard waka, mi hapi taem mi lukim pipol fren witim Jehovah.

Nomata mi luksavve for stap singol hem mekem hem isi for duim assignment blo mi, mi still laek for marit. So mi prea for faendem wanfala waef wea bae hapi for joinim mi lo disfala assignment wea no isi. Wan year bihaen, mi frenim Ethel, wanfala spesol pioneer wea willing for waka hard for Jehovah. From taem hem smol, Ethel tinghae tumas lo aposol Paul and laek for followim example blo Paul lo ministry blo hem. Mitufala marit lo September 1971 and start for duim circuit waka tugeta.

Ethel growap insaed famili wea no garem staka material samting, so hem no hard tumas for hem deal witim samfala samting lo traveling waka lo bush. For example, taem mifala visitim olketa kongregeson wea stap farawe lo bush, mitufala no tekem staka samting. Mifala mas waswas kaleko and swim lo river. And tu, mifala kaikaim eni samting wea olketa brata and sista givim, maet eni samting wea olketa huntim lo bush or lo river, olsem olketa iguana or wanfala kaen fish wea nem blo hem piranha. Taem no eni plate stap, mifala kaikai insaed leaf banana. Taem no eni naef, fork, or spoon stap, mifala kaikai lo hand. From mi and Ethel feisim olketa challenge tugeta for duim waka blo Jehovah, datwan mekem mitufala barava klos and fren gud witim Jehovah. (Eklesiastes 4:12, SIPB) Nomata samfala taem hem no isi, mifala nating regret!

Wantaem wea mifala kam bak bihaen mifala visitim wanfala isolate grup lo bush, samting wea mi storyim lo start lo disfala  story hem happen. Taem front blo boat blo mifala hem go insaed lo wata, kwiktaem nomoa hem kamap moa. Gud samting nao, mifala werem olketa laef jacket and mifala no foldaon insaed river, bat wata hem fulap insaed boat. Mifala kapsaetem evri kaikai lo olketa pot insaed river and mifala iusim for belaotem wata from boat.

From mifala torowem evri kaikai, mifala fishing go daon followim river, bat mifala no kasem eni fish. So mifala prea lo Jehovah for givim mifala kaikai for datfala day. Stretawe bihaen mifala prea, wanfala brata torowem fishing laen lo river and kasem wanfala big fish wea fitim mifala faevfala for kaikaim lo evening, and mifala barava satisfae nao.

Bihaen mitufala duim circuit waka for faevfala year, mitufala faendaot bae mitufala garem baby. Mi hapi lo datwan, bat mi warim bae mifala hao? Mi and Ethel barava laek for gohed lo full-taem service. Lo 1976 Ethniël hem born, and tu and haf year bihaen, Giovanni, mek-tu son blo mitufala, hem born.

From need hem big lo Suriname, branch office sei for mi gohed duim circuit waka. Taem tufala son blo mi smol, branch assignim mi for lukaftarem olketa circuit wea no garem staka kongregeson. Datwan minim each month mi savve duim circuit waka for tufala week and pioneer lo hom kongregeson for tufala week. Taem mi visitim olketa kongregeson wea klosap lo mifala, Ethel and tufala boy savve kam witim mi. Then taem mi visitim olketa kongregeson and duim olketa assembly lo bush, mi go seleva.

Mi mas barava plan gud mekem mi duim evri responsibility blo mi. Mi mek sure famili blo mi duim famili worship evri week. Taem mi go visitim olketa kongregeson lo bush, Ethel duim famili worship witim tufala pikinini. Bat taem mi stap, mifala trae for duim olketa samting tugeta. And tu, mi and Ethel savve pleim olketa game witim tufala boy, and go strol witim tufala. Staka taem mi savve wekap leit for preparem olketa tok blo mi. And Ethel hem barava olsem gudfala waef wea Provebs 31:15 (SIPB) storyim, bikos hem savve getap early for redyim evri samting mekem famili savve breakfast and text tugeta bifor tufala boy go skul. Mi barava tinghae lo hao Ethel duim staka samting for sapotim mi, mekem mi fit for duim evri responsibility wea Jehovah givim lo mi!

 Mitufala waka hard for helpem tufala boy for lovem Jehovah and for enjoyim ministry. Mitufala laekem tufala seleva nao for laek duim full-taem service, and no duim datwan for mekem mitufala hapi nomoa. Mitufala evritaem storyim hao full-taem service savve mekem man hapi, nomata samfala taem hem no isi. Bat mifala mekhae lo hao Jehovah helpem and blessim famili blo mifala. And tu, mifala mek sure tufala garem olketa gud fren wea strong for worshipim Jehovah.

Jehovah evritaem lukaftarem famili blo mifala. And mi tu duim part blo mi for sapotim famili. Experience blo mi lo taem wea mi singol and duim spesol pioneer waka lo bush teachim mi for sevem selen for baem wanem mifala needim. Nomata olsem, samfala taem from olketa situation wea kamap mifala no garem evri samting wea mifala needim. Bat lo taem olsem, mifala lukim hao Jehovah helpem mifala. For example, start lo 1986 go kasem 1992, war gohed lo Suriname. Lo datfala taem hem hard for kasem wanem mifala needim. Nomata olsem, Jehovah helpem mifala.—Matt. 6:32.

Lo full laef blo mitufala, Jehovah lukaftarem and helpem mifala for hapi and satisfae. Tufala son blo mitufala mekem mitufala hapi tumas, and hem privilege for mifala helpem tufala for worshipim Jehovah. And mifala hapi tu from tufala disaed for duim full-taem service. Ethniël and Giovanni graduate from Skul for Olketa Kingdom Evangelizer, and distaem tufala witim tufala waef waka lo branch office lo Suriname.

Mi and Ethel olo nao, bat mitufala still busy for duim spesol pioneer waka for Jehovah. From mitufala busy, mi savve mekfani and sei mi no garem taem yet for lane hao for swim! Mi hapi tumas mi iusim laef blo mi for waka for Jehovah. From taem mi smol yet mi disaed for iusim laef blo mi for duim full-taem service, and datwan hem best disison wea mi mekem.