Mi born lo 1948, lo wanfala smol vilij lo southwest Nigeria. Lo datfala taem, Uncle Moustapha, young brata blo dadi blo mi and Wahabi, big brata blo mi baptaes and kamap Jehovah’s Witness. Taem mi naen years, dadi blo mi dae. Mi barava sorre tumas. Wahabi sei bae mifala lukim moa dadi taem hem resurrect. Datwan mekem mi laek for studyim Bible. Mi baptaes lo 1963. Then thrifala nara brata blo mi tu baptaes.

Lo 1965, mi go stap witim big brata blo mi Wilson lo Lagos and mi enjoyim klos association witim olketa regular pioneer lo Igbobi kongregeson. From olketa hapi and strong for duim ministry, datwan encouragem mi, and lo January 1968, mi tu start for pioneer.

Brata Albert Olugbebi wea waka lo Bethel, organizem wanfala spesol meeting witim mifala olketa young wan abaotem need for spesol pioneer lo north Nigeria. Mi still tingim olketa encouraging koment blo Brata Olugbebi. Hem sei: “Iufala young, and iufala savve iusim taem and strong blo iufala for Jehovah. Staka waka stap for duim lo field!” Mi laek olsem profet Isaiah and go lo eni ples wea Jehovah sendem mi, so mi givim wanfala application.—Isa. 6:8.

 Lo May 1968, mi kasem assignment for spesol pioneer lo city lo Kano, lo north Nigeria. Diswan hem during lo datfala Biafran War (1967-1970), wea barava distroem datfala city and then war hia muv go lo east Nigeria. Wanfala brata trae for convincim mi for no go. Bat mi sei lo hem: “Thankiu for tingim mi. Bat if Jehovah laekem mi for duim disfala assignment, mi sure bae hem stap witim mi.”

Hem sorre samting tumas for lukim situation lo Kano. War hia barava distroem datfala big city. Samfala taem lo ministry, mifala savve lukim dead body blo pipol wea olketa killim dae. Nomata samfala kongregeson stap lo Kano, staka brata and sista ranawe bikos lo datfala war. Hem no winim 15 pablisa nao olketa stap, and olketa fraet and discourage. Olketa hapi tumas taem mifala sixfala spesol pioneer kasem olketa. Mifala encouragem olketa and olketa kasem comfort. Mifala helpem olketa for organizem olketa meeting and preaching waka moa, and for sendem field service report and literature order lo branch.

Mifala olketa spesol pioneer start for lanem Hausa languis. From mifala storyim Kingdom message lo languis blo pipol lo there, staka pipol lisin lo mifala. Bat, olketa pipol wea joinim main religion lo there no laekem mifala for preach, so mifala mas barava careful. Wantaem, wanfala man ranem mi and partner blo mi witim naef. Bat from mitufala ran fast winim hem, mitufala escape! Nomata mifala feisim samfala danger, Jehovah “mekem [mifala] stap lo sef ples” and namba lo olketa pablisa start for grow. (Ps. 4:8) Distaem, winim 500 pablisa stap lo 11-fala kongregeson lo Kano.

Then lo August 1968, bihaen mi stap lo Kano for tu-thri month, mi and nara tufala spesol pioneer kasem assignment for go lo Niamey, wea hem kapitol blo Republic of Niger. Mifala experiencem hao Niger, lo West Africa, hem wanfala lo olketa region lo earth wea hot tumas. And tu, mifala mas lane hao for preach lo hot ples and  lanem French languis, wea hem official languis lo there. Nomata hem no isi, mifala trustim Jehovah and preach lo datfala city witim tu-thri pablisa lo there. No longtaem nomoa, klosap evriwan lo Niamey wea savve read garem wanfala copy blo datfala Bible study buk, Truth Where Bringim Man Long Life All-the-Way. Pipol even kam lukaotem mifala and ask for eni copy!

Mifala luksavve hao olketa authority no laekem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Lo July 1969, mifala kam tugeta for attendim first circuit assembly lo datfala kantri, and samting olsem 20 pipol nao attend. Mifala luk forward for tufala niu pablisa for baptaes. Bat lo first day blo assembly, olketa police kam and stopem datfala program. Olketa tekem mifala olketa spesol pioneer and circuit overseer lo police station. Afta olketa kwestinim mifala, olketa talem mifala for mas report bak lo next day. From mifala luksavve bae hem danger, mifala arrangem baptism tok for kamap lo wanfala haos, and then mifala duim baptism lo wanfala river.

Tu-thri week bihaen, gavman orderim mi and nara faevfala spesol pioneer for lusim Niger. Olketa givim mifala 48 hour for lusim kantri, and mifala mas arrangem datwan seleva. Mifala obeyim datwan, and mifala go stret lo branch office lo Nigeria, and lo there, mifala kasem niu assignment.

Mi kasem assignment for go lo Orisunbare, wanfala vilij lo Nigeria. Mi enjoyim preaching waka and duim olketa Bible study witim wanfala smol grup blo olketa pablisa lo there. Bat afta six month, branch talem mi for go bak seleva lo Niger. Firstaem, mi sapraes and fraet, bat then mi luk forward for meetim moa olketa brata and sista lo Niger!

Mi go bak lo Niamey. Day bihaen mi arrive, wanfala bisnis man from Nigeria luksavve mi wanfala Witness and hem askem olketa kwestin abaotem Bible. Mifala study tugeta, and afta hem stop for smoke and drink alcohol, hem baptaes. Mi hapi for preach witim olketa brata and sista lo olketa difren region lo Niger, and mi lukim hao lo olketa year wea go pas pipol acceptim truth lo there. Firstaem mi arrive, 31 Witness lo kantri, then taem mi lusim kantri, namba hem go ap kasem 69 pablisa.

Lo December 1977, mi go bak lo Nigeria for kasem training. Lo end blo datfala thri week course, Branch Komiti coordinator, Malcolm Vigo, givim wanfala leta from Sierra Leone branch for mi readim. Olketa brata lo there laekem wanfala healthy, singol pioneer brata wea savve story lo English and French languis mekem hem duim circuit waka lo Guinea. Brata Vigo talem hao training wea mi kasem hem for datfala assignment. Hem talem mi hao assignment hia hem no isi.  Hem sei: “Tingting gud abaotem bifor iu acceptim.” Stretawe, mi sei lo hem: “From Jehovah nao hem sendem mi, bae mi go.”

Mi tekem plane for go lo Sierra Leone and meet witim olketa brata lo branch office. Wanfala Branch Komiti member sei lo mi: “Mifala no savve staka samting abaotem Kingdom waka lo Guinea.” Nomata branch lukaftarem preaching waka lo Guinea, hem no isi for olketa story witim olketa pablisa lo there bikos lo politikol situation lo kantri. Tu-thri taem olketa trae for sendem eni brata for visitim olketa brata and sista lo Guinea, bat hem hard. So olketa askem mi for go lo Conakry, kapitol blo Guinea for trae for kasem residency permit.

Taem mi arrive lo Conakry, mi go lo embassy blo Nigeria and meetim ambassador. Mi talem hem hao mi laek for preach lo Guinea. Hem talem mi for go bak bikos olketa savve arrestim mi or killim mi. Hem sei: “Go bak lo Nigeria and preach lo there,” bat mi sei: “Mi disaed for stap.” So datfala ambassador raetem leta for askem Guinean Minister of the Interior for helpem mi, and hem duim datwan.

No longtaem bihaen, mi go bak lo branch office lo Sierra Leone and talem olketa brata abaotem disison blo datfala minister. Olketa brata hapi tumas taem olketa herem Jehovah blessim gogo blo mi. Mi kasem nao residency permit for stap lo Guinea!

Since 1978 tu 1989, mi duim circuit waka lo Guinea, Sierra Leone, and mi duim substitute circuit waka lo Liberia. Firstaem, mi savve sik tumas. Samfala taem datwan savve happen taem mi lo olketa isolate area. Bat olketa brata duim best blo olketa for tekem mi lo hospital.

Wantaem, mi barava sik lo malaria and garem worm lo bele. Gogo taem mi recover, mi faendaot olketa brata bin discussim ples for olketa berem mi! Nomata laef blo mi stap lo olketa danger olsem, no enitaem mi ting for lusim assignment blo mi. Mi convince hao God nomoa savve protectim iumi, bikos nomata iumi dae bae hem resurrectim iumi moa.

Lo 1988, mi meetim Dorcus, wanfala barava hambol pioneer sista wea lovem Jehovah. Mitufala marit and duim circuit waka. Dorcas barava sapotim mi lo assignment blo mitufala and hem willing for mekem staka sakrifaes for Jehovah. Mitufala savve karem olketa tings blo mitufala and wakabaot for samting olsem 25 kilometer for kasem olketa kongregeson. For kasem olketa kongregeson wea stap farawe, mitufala savve iusim eni transport wea available for travel lo olketa road wea mud and garem olketa pot-hol.

Dorcus hem brave tumas and no fraet. For example, samfala taem mifala savve akrosim olketa river wea garem staka crocodile. Wantaem mifala travel for faev days, and mifala mas iusim kanu for akrosim wanfala river bikos bridge hem brek. Taem Dorcus standap and redi for go aot from kanu, hem foldaon insaed river hia wea deep  tumas. Mitufala no savve swim, and staka crocodile insaed datfala river. Lake nao samfala young man jamp insaed river and rescuem hem. For samfala taem, mitufala savve fraet tumas taem mitufala tingim datwan, bat mifala continue lo assignment blo mitufala.

Lo 1992, mitufala barava sapraes for savve Dorcus hem babule. So mifala need for disaed if bae mifala gohed lo full-taem service. Mifala ting olsem, “Jehovah nao givim disfala present lo iumi tufala!” So mitufala nemim dota blo mitufala lo Jahgift. Fofala year afta Jahgift hem born, brata blo hem Eric hem born tu. Tru nao, tufala evriwan present from Jehovah. Jahgift bin waka for samfala taem lo remote transleison office lo Conakry, and Eric hem ministerial servant.

Gogo Dorcas mas stop for spesol pioneer taem olketa pikinini smol, bat hem gohed regular pioneer. Witim help blo Jehovah, mi continue for spesol pioneer. Taem olketa pikinini growap, Dorcus spesol pioneer moa. Distaem mitufala missionary lo Conakry.

Mi evritaem go lo ples wea Jehovah sendem mi. Mi and waef luksavve Jehovah protectim and blessim mitufala evritaem. From mitufala trustim Jehovah, mitufala misstim staka problem and stress wea kasem pipol wea trustim material samting. Lo personal experience blo mitufala, mitufala luksavve hao “God wea . . . savve sevem pipol” nomoa, hem Jehovah. (1 Chron. 16:35) Mi sure “Jehovah . . . bae protectim” laef blo olketa wea trustim hem “olsem man wea protectim barava spesol samting wea hem garem insaed basket.”—1 Sam. 25:29.