Paul: Lo November 1985, mitufala excited for travel go lo first missionary assignment blo mitufala lo Liberia, West Africa. Taem plane hem stop lo airport lo Senegal, Anne sei, “Winim wan hour nomoa, bae iumi tufala arrive lo Liberia!” Seknomoa mitufala herem announcement: “Olketa passenger for Liberia mas go daon from plane. Wanfala coup kamap lo Liberia and olketa stopem plane for landing lo there.” So for ten days, mitufala stap witim olketa missionary lo Senegal, and gohed for herem nius abaotem Liberia, staka pipol nao dae and gavman putim olketa curfew, and if man no obey, bae olketa sutim hem lo gun.

Anne: Mitufala man for careful lo wat mitufala duim. Taem mi smol olketa kolem mi, ‘Man for Wari.’ Mi savve fraet nomata for akrosim road! Nomata olsem, mitufala disaed for go lo assignment nomata hem danger.

Paul: Mi and Anne growap lo west England and ples mitufala born hem just eit kilometer (5 mi) from each other. Stret afta hae skul mitufala start for pioneer. Parents blo mi and mami blo Anne barava encouragem wei for pioneer. Olketa barava sapotim wei for duim full-taem service. Taem mi 19 years old, mi kasem privilege for waka lo Bethel, and Anne joinim mi lo Bethel afta mitufala marit lo 1982.

Anne: Mitufala lovem assignment lo Bethel, bat mitufala laek for serve lo ples wea garem big need. Taem mitufala waka witim samfala lo Bethel wea missionary bifor, datwan mekem mitufala laek for duim tu. For thri years, mitufala prea specific abaotem datwan evri naet, then lo 1985, mitufala hapi tumas for kasem invitation for attendim mek-79 class blo Gilead! Mitufala kasem assignment for go lo Liberia, West Africa.

Paul: Mitufala go lo first flight wea olketa letem for go bak lo Liberia. Situation lo there hem still nogud, pipol fraet and gavman still putim curfew. Nomata if eni car mek noes big lo market, datwan mekem pipol panic. For helpem mitufala no fraet, mitufala savve readim samfala Psalms evri  naet. Nomata olsem, mitufala barava lovem datfala assignment. Anne waka lo field, and mi waka lo Bethel witim John Charuk. a Training wea mi kasem, barava helpem mi bikos John garem staka experience and understandim situation blo olketa brata and sista.

Anne: Why nao mitufala barava lovem assignment lo Liberia? Bikos lo olketa brata and sista. Olketa showimaot love, pipol for story, and faithful. Mitufala klos lo olketa and olketa kamap niu famili blo mitufala. Olketa savve givim gud advaes wea strongim mitufala. Mifala enjoyim tumas ministry. Olketa haosholder laekem tumas for herem gud nius and no hapi if story hem finis kwiktaem! Pipol lo street savve enjoyim olketa Bible discussion. Olketa savve hapi if iu join in lo story. Mifala garem staka Bible student, gogo hem no isi for study witim evriwan. Datwan hem gud problem wea mifala hapi for deal witim!

Paul: For fofala year, situation lo kantri peaceful lelebet. Bat then lo 1989, barava nogud samting happen, civil war hem start. Olketa rebol tekovarem area raonem Bethel lo July 2, 1990. For thri months, mifala lus contact witim evriwan aotsaed lo kantri, includim famili blo mifala and olketa lo world hedquarter. No eni law and order stap, kaikai hem short, and olketa reipim staka woman. Datfala situation gohed for 14 years, and hem affectim full kantri.

Anne: Samfala pipol lo wanfala tribe faet and killim dae pipol blo nara tribe. Olketa fighter garem olketa hevi weapon and werem kaleko wea luk frightening and stap evriwea lo street, and olketa gohed steal lo evri building. Samfala man ting lo wei for killim dae pipol, olsem for ‘killim dae chicken’ nomoa. Staka dead body stap lo olketa road blok, and samfala road blok hia stap klosap lo Bethel. Olketa killim dae samfala faithful Witness, includim tufala missionary blo iumi.

Olketa Witness putim laef blo olketa lo danger for haedem olketa brata and sista from olketa rebol or soldia wea gohed for killim dae eniwan from nara tribe. Olketa missionary and Bethelite tu duim olsem. Olketa Witness wea ranawe kam lo Bethel, samfala sleep downstairs and samfala stap upstairs. Mitufala sharem rum blo mitufala witim famili wea sevenfala insaed.

Paul: Each day, olketa fighter trae for kam insaed for lukim if mifala haedem eniwan. Mifala markem fofala person for duim security: tufala  watch kam from window, taem nara tufala go lo gate. If tufala lo gate keepim hand lo front, hem minim evriting olraet. Bat if tufala putim hand lo bihaen, hem minim olketa man hia kros, so tufala security lo window bae kwiktaem haedem olketa brata and sista.

Anne: Bihaen staka week, wanfala grup force for kam insaed. Mi and wanfala sista go insaed bathrum and lokim door. Insaed bathrum, wanfala cupboard stap wea garem smol ples for haed. Datfala sista skwis for haed insaed. Olketa fighter hia garem machine gun and kam upstairs. Olketa hitim big door lo bathrum. Paul sei: “Waef blo mi nao iusim bathrum.” Mi stragol for klosim ples wea sista hia haed insaed and hem mek noes and tek taem for putim bak evriting lo cupboard. Mi fraet nogud olketa suspect, so full body blo mi start for seksek. Hao nao bae mi openem door? Mi talem silent prea and barava askem Jehovah for help. Then mi openem door, and taem mi story voice blo mi no seksek. Wanfala lo olketa pushim mi lo saed and go stret for datfala cupboard, hem openem, and chekim evriting insaed. Hem no savve bilivim dat no eniwan insaed. Hem and grup blo hem go chekim olketa nara rum and insaed lo ruf. Bat, olketa no faendem eniwan.

Paul: For staka month, mifala barava short lo kaikai. Bat spiritual kaikai nao gohed for strongim mifala. Bethel morning worship hem “breakfast” blo mifala, and datwan gohed strongim mifala.

If kaikai and wata hem finis, no eniwan savve stap lo Bethel, and olketa wea mifala haedem bae army kam killim olketa. Jehovah evritaem provaedem wat mifala needim lo raet taem, hem olsem mirakol. Jehovah lukaftarem need blo mifala and helpem mifala for deal witim feeling for fraet.

Nomata situation kamap dark tumas, truth gohed for shaen braet. Staka taem olketa brata and sista mas ranawe for sevem laef blo olketa, bat olketa gohed garem strong faith and no panic. Samfala sei war hem “practice for taem blo big trabol.” Olketa elder and young brata no fraet and duim best for helpem olketa brata and sista. Taem olketa ranawe, olketa gohed stap tugeta, datwan openem olketa niu territory for preach and olketa savve meeting lo olketa Kingdom Hall wea olketa wakem lo bush. Olketa meeting encouragem olketa nomata situation no isi, and preaching helpem olketa for deal witim datfala hard taem. Taem mifala distributim relief supply, hem barava encouragem mifala taem olketa brata ask for preaching basket winim for ask for kaleko. Staka pipol laek for lisin lo gud nius bikos olketa sorre and feel nogud. Olketa sapraes for lukim olketa Witness hapi and positive, and shaen olsem laet insaed lo darkness. (Matt. 5:​14-16) Olketa brata and sista strong for gohed preach and datwan even mekem samfala lo olketa raf fighter for change and kamap Witness.

Paul: Samfala taem mifala mas lusim kantri, thri taems mifala go for short taem and tu taems for wan full year. Wanfala missionary sista barava explainim hao mifala feel, hem sei: “Lo Gilead, olketa teachim mifala hao for givim full heart lo assignment, and mifala duim datwan. So for lusim olketa brata lo datkaen situation, hem olsem mifala lusim heart blo mifala lo there!” Gud samting nao, mifala still fit for helpem olketa brata lo Liberia taem mifala stap lo olketa kantri wea klosap.

Anne: Lo May 1996, fofala lo mifala lusim branch lo vehicle blo Bethel and tekem staka important document. Mifala laek draev for 16 kilometer (10 mi) lo narasaed lo taon wea hem sef lelebet. Bat semtaem nomoa faet brek aot. Olketa sutsut lo air, stopem vehicle, pullim mifala thrifala aot, and draevem go datfala vehicle wea Paul still insaed. Mifala barava shock. Seknomoa, mifala lukim Paul wakabaot kam insaed crowd and hed blo hem blood. Mifala tingse olketa sutim hem, bat then mifala luksavve if olketa sutim hem hard for hem wakabaot! Wanfala man for faet nao hitim hem taem hem pushim hem aot from vehicle. Gud samting nao, hem just smol garekil nomoa.

Wanfala military vehicle redi for go and hem fulap witim pipol wea laek for ranawe. Mifala laek klae go insaed bat no eni spes, so mifala hol strong nomoa lo saed. Datfala draeva full speed, and klosap mifala foldaon. Mifala singaot for hem stop, bat hem fraet tumas, so hem no lisin. Samhao, mifala hol strong and taem mifala arrive full body hem seksek from mifala fraet tumas and olketa masol hem taed fogud.

Paul: Kaleko blo mifala dirty and brek, mifala no garem eniting, mifala luk lo each other and wonder, ‘Hao nao iumi survive?’ Mifala sleep lo wanfala open field saed lo wanfala helicopter wea garem staka bullethole, wea lo next day hem nao tekem mifala go lo Sierra Leone. Nomata mifala hapi dat mifala laef, mifala barava wari abaotem olketa brata and sista.

Anne: Taem mifala arrive lo Bethel lo Freetown, Sierra Leone, mifala sef and olketa lukaftarem mifala gud. Bat, mi start for rememberim evri nogud samting mi lukim lo war. During lo day, mi feel fraet tumas, mi expectim samting for happen, and evriting raonem mi hem no klia and feel olsem hem no real. Staka taem lo naet, body blo mi full swet and seksek taem mi wekap, and mi feel fraet tumas. Mi no savve brith gud. Paul savve hagem mi and prea witim mi. Mitufala savve singim olketa Kingdom song go kasem taem mi feelim peace. Mi tingse mi start for mentol and bae hard serve olsem missionary.

Mi no savve forgetim next samting wea happen. Lo datfala sem week mifala kasem tufala magasin. Wanfala hem Awake! blo June 8, 1996. Hem garem article, “Coping With Panic Attacks.” Taem mi readim, mi just minim samting wea kasem mi. Second magasin, hem Wastaoa blo May 15, 1996, wea garem article “Paoa Bilong Olketa Kam From Wea?” Datfala Wastaoa garem piksa blo wanfala butterfly wea wing blo hem brek. Article hia explainim hao lo sem wei wea wanfala butterfly savve kaikai and flae nomata hem garekil, iumi tu savve kasem strong from spirit blo Jehovah for gohed helpem olketa narawan nomata iumi deal witim staka problem saed lo feeling. Datwan hem spiritual kaikai lo raet taem from Jehovah wea strongim mi. (Matt. 24:45) Taem mi duim research and keepim olketa article wea story abaotem situation olsem, datwan barava help. Gogo, mi savve hao for deal witim olketa nogud memory and feeling blo mi for fraet.

Paul: Each taem mitufala go bak lo Liberia hem olsem mitufala go bak hom, and mitufala hapi tumas. Kasem end lo 2004, mitufala stap lo datfala assignment for klosap 20 years. Datfala war hem end. And olketa plan for duim construction lo branch. Bat seknomoa, olketa askem mitufala for go lo niu assignment.

 Datwan hem no isi. Mitufala lovem tumas olketa brata and sista lo Liberia, so hao nao bae mitufala savve lusim olketa? Mitufala rememberim hao taem mitufala go lo Gilead mitufala lusim famili blo mitufala tu, bat taem mitufala putim laef blo mitufala lo hand blo Jehovah, hem blessim mitufala, so mitufala acceptim datfala niu assignment for go lo Ghana, wea hem kantri wea stap klosap.

Anne: Mitufala krae taem mitufala lusim Liberia. Mitufala sapraes taem Frank, wanfala wise olo brata, hem sei: “Iutufala mas forgetim mifala nao!” Hem explainim: “Mifala savve bae iutufala no forgetim mifala, bat putim full heart blo iutufala lo niu assignment blo iutufala. Datwan hem from Jehovah, so focus lo olketa brata and sista lo there.” Diswan strongim mitufala for deal witim challenge for go lo niu lo ples wea staka no savve lo mitufala.

Paul: Bat kwiktaem nomoa mitufala start for savve gud and lovem olketa brata and sista lo Ghana. Staka Witness nao lo there! Mitufala lanem staka samting from olketa niu frens wea loyal and garem strong faith. Mitufala serve lo Ghana for 13 years, then mitufala kasem nara sapraes. Olketa askem mitufala for go serve lo East Africa branch lo Kenya. Nomata mitufala barava missim olketa frens lo olketa nara assignment, kwiktaem nomoa mitufala start for fren klos lo olketa faithful brata and sista lo Kenya. And kam kasem distaem, mitufala still serve lo disfala big territory wea garem big need.

Anne: Lo olketa year wea go pas, mi experiencem staka situation wea mekem mi fraet and seksek. Olketa danger or situation wea mekem iumi stress, savve affectim body and feeling. Iumi no expectim Jehovah for protectim iumi from olketa samting hia. If mi herem saond blo gun, hem mekem mi for laek vomit and hand blo mi savve numb. Bat mi lane for depend lo wat Jehovah provaedem for helpem iumi, includim sapot blo olketa brata and sista. And mi lukim dat if iumi garem gud spiritual schedule, Jehovah savve helpem iumi for gohed stap lo assignment.

Paul: Samfala savve ask, “Wat nao iutufala lovem abaotem assignment blo iutufala?” Hem tru, olketa kantri luk beautiful, bat olketa savve dangerous and no stable tu. So really, wat mitufala lovem hem no kantri. Bat hem olketa brata and sista wea olsem famili blo mitufala. Nomata iumi kam from difren kantri and baekgraon, iumi wan mind. Mitufala tingse mitufala go for encouragem olketa, bat really olketa nao strongim mitufala.

Lo each assignment, mitufala lukim hao olketa brata and sista olsem mirakol from Jehovah. Taem iumi part lo kongregeson, iumi garem famili and hom. Iumi sure dat if iumi continue for depend lo Jehovah, hem bae strongim iumi nomata wat nao happen.—Phil. 4:13.