Winston, abeg tell us how you start to search for God.

My family no too get interest for religion. And na for one farm for Queensland, Australia I grow up. People no dey the area. So because of that one, I no too meet other people apart from my family members. I start to search for God when I dey around 12 years. I pray and ask God say I want know the truth about who e really be. After, I come leave the farm and get work for Adelaide, for South Australia. I meet Pam when I dey 21 years for Sydney when I go vacation for there. Pam tell me about the British-Israel religious group, this group claim say British people come from tribes of Israel. The group claim say they be the ten tribes of the northern kingdom wey other nation carry as slave for 740 B.C.E. So when I go back to Adelaide, I discuss that topic with my workmate. But my workmate don already start to study Bible with Jehovah Witness people. We discuss for some hours, but na only the things wey Jehovah Witness people believe e just de talk about. Na that time I come know say God don de answer that prayer wey I pray when I dey small. Na so I start to learn the truth about my Creator and e Kingdom! I don see the “precious stone wey the value high.”​—Matt. 13:45, 46.

Pam, you self start to search for that precious stone when you dey young. How you manage get-am?

I grow up for family wey get interest for religion, for one town wey them de call Coffs Harbour, for New South Wales. My papa and mama, and my grand papa and grand mama believe the things wey British-Israel group de teach. From  small pikin, they teach us to believe say God de favor people wey their forefathers na British people. So my younger brother, older sister, me and my many cousins believe-am. But for inside my mind, I know say something de miss, and I no dey close to God. When I dey 14 years, I go check different-different church. Some of them na Anglican, Baptist, and Seventh-day Adventist. But they no help me know God.

After, my family pack go Sydney. Na there I meet Winston, when e come vacation. As e talk before, e start to study Bible with Jehovah Witness people because of our discussion about religion. So all the letters wey e send to me na so-so Bible verse full inside! True-true, when e send the first letters come I vex. But as time de go, I come see say na the truth.

For 1962, I pack go Adelaide so that I go near Winston more. E don already arrange make I stay with one Witness husband and wife. Their name na Thomas and Janice Sloman. They be missionaries before for Papua New Guinea. They really show me love and help me to know more about Jehovah. Na only 18 years I dey that time. Na so me self start to study Bible, and small time I come really dey sure say I don see the truth. After me and Winston marry, we start the kind life wey de give us joy for the service of Jehovah. No matter the problem, this kind life wey we choose to live de only make us value the fine precious stone more-more.

Winston, tell us about your experience when you first start to serve Jehovah.

Small time after me and Pam marry, Jehovah begin open ‘big door’ for us to do more for e work. (1 Cor. 16:9) The first door na regular pioneering. Na Brother Jack Porter and e wife Roslyn encourage us to start. That time, e serve our small congregation as circuit overseer. (But now, we de serve together as Australasia Branch Committee members.) Me and my wife enjoy our pioneer work for 5 years. When I dey 29 years, they say make we go circuit work for South Pacific Islands. The Islands na American Samoa, Samoa, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. That time, all this Islands dey under Fiji branch.

That time, people for some of the Islands de suspect Jehovah Witness, so we de dey careful and use our sense well. (Matt. 10:16) The congregations for there really small, and some of them no fit provide the place wey we go sleep. So we ask the village people if we go fit stay for their place, and they really help us.

Winston, you really get interest for translation. Wetin make you start to like the work?

When we start to serve for the island state of Tonga, they no too get our publications for their language. Na only small number of tract and booklet the brothers and sisters get for Tongan, wey be one of the Polynesian language. Na the book wey be The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life them de use study with people for English. So, for one elders school wey we do for four weeks, three elders wey no too sabi English agree say they go translate the Truth book for Tongan language. When the brothers translate finish, my wife type-am and we send-am to United States branch so that they go print-am. Na about eight weeks we use finish-am. Even though say the translation no dey good as e suppose to be, the book help many Tongan people learn the truth. Me and my wife no be translators, but that experience move us to really get interest for translation work.

Pam, how life for the islands dey different from life for Australia?

Life for there really dey different! For some place them, e fit be serious heat or cold, some fit be mosquitoes, and other place fit be rats, sickness, and we no de get enough food sometimes. But even with all this one, for the end of each day, we de get peace of mind when we de look the ocean from our fale. That one na the Samoan name for house wey get thatch roof with no wall for Polynesia. Some nights wey moon go really shine, all the coconut trees go show clear,  and the ocean go just de shine. Those good times make us think deep and pray, and this one help us put our mind for better things instead of things wey fit worry us.

We come love the children, them de really make us laugh. When they see white people like us them de want know about us. When we visit one of the village wey them de call Niue, one small boy rub the hair for my husband hand and talk say, “I like your feathers.” The truth be say, e never see person wey get hair for hand like that before, and e no know how e go describe-am!

E really pain us for heart to see the poor condition wey many of this people de live. Their area fine, but they no get better hospital or health center to take care of theirself, and na only small water they get to drink. Even with all this one, e no be like say our brothers and sisters de worry. Na normal life for them. They happy say their family dey with them, they get the place wey them de worship Jehovah, and say God even give them the chance to be e servants. Their example help us to put eye for the things wey dey important pass for life, and continue to live simple life.

Pam, sometimes, na you de fetch water and prepare wuna food for this kind condition wey you no master before. How you manage cope?

I really thank Jehovah say my papa train me. My papa teach me many things wey help me. E teach me how to make fire for open place and use-am cook, and how to manage things and survive hard time. One time wey we visit Kiribati, we stay for one small house wey the roof na thatch, the floor na coral, and the wall na bamboo. To cook simple food, I de dig hole for ground so that I go fit make fire and I use coconut peel as fuel. As for water, I line up for well with the village women. They tie rope for one stick wey long reach two meters (or six feet), and they tie bucket for the rope so that they go fit fetch the water come up. The thing be like fishing rod. But instead of hook wey they tie for the other end of the rope, na bucket they tie for this one. Na turn by turn them de fetch the water. They go twist their hand and throw the bucket so that the bucket go bend and fetch water. I think say e easy, until e reach my turn. I try many times, the bucket go only hit the water and just float, e no de gree bend! After everybody don stop to laugh me, one of the women come help me. The people for there really get good heart and them de help that time.

Two of wuna come really love wuna assignment for the islands. Wuna fit tell us some experience from there wey wuna no fit forget?

Winston: E take us some time to understand some of their culture. For example, when the brothers give us food, them de give us all the food wey they get for house. We no first know say we go leave some food for them. So we de finish everything wey they serve us! But as we come know, we de leave some food for them. Even with all this our mistake, they still understand. They really dey happy to see us about every six months when we come visit them for circuit work. Apart from the brothers and sisters for that village, na we be the only Witness wey they don ever see that time.

Our visits still make the different-different community know about our organization. Plenty people for the area think say na the brothers form their own religion. But when me and my wife come visit the brothers, the people come know say our religion na real organization wey de care about each other for the whole world. And wetin they see really affect them.

Pam: One thing wey I no fit forget happen when we visit Kiribati. Na only one congregation dey, and brothers and sisters no plenty. Na only one elder they get, and e name na Itinikai Matera. The brother try e best to take care of us. One day, e come with basket wey only one egg dey inside. E talk say: “This one na for wuna.” That time, we no de too see chicken egg chop; e dey like big man food for us. That good wey e do really touch our heart, even though say na small thing.

 Pam, some years after, your pikin die because of miscarriage. Wetin help you to cope?

For 1973, I get belle when we dey for South Pacific. And so, we decide to go back to Australia. But after four months, our pikin die. The thing really break our heart, we really feel the pain. But as time de go, the pain de go down, but e no go down finish until we receive The Watchtower of April 15, 2009. The topic wey be “Question Wey Some People Don Ask” talk about the question whether resurrection hope dey for pikin wey die for e mama belle. The topic really encourage us say the matter dey for Jehovah hand, and God de always do the right thing. Jehovah go heal all the pain wey this world don make us suffer as e go direct e Son to destroy ‘all the work wey Satan don do.’ (1 John 3:8) The topic still help us to value the ‘precious stone’ wey we get more-more, because nothing for this life better pass to serve Jehovah. I wonder how our life for be if we no get the Kingdom hope.

After our pikin die, we start full-time service again. We serve for some months for Australia Bethel. And after, we go back to circuit work. For 1981, after we serve for four years for New South Wales and Sydney, they invite us to Australia branch, na so them de call-am that time. And na there we dey since that time.

Winston, your experience for South Pacific Islands help you for your work as member of Australasia Branch Committee?

Yes, for different-different ways. Before, Australia de take care of American Samoa and Samoa. But after, they join New Zealand branch with Australia. So now, Australia, American Samoa and Samoa, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Niue, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, and Tonga na part of Australasia branch territory. And I don visit many of this place as branch representative. The experience wey I get as I work with those faithful brothers and sisters for the islands don really help me as I de serve them now from the branch office.

To end this story, I go like talk say our experience for many years don teach us say no be only people wey don grow fit search for God. Young people too want that “precious stone wey the value high,” even though say their family members no get interest. (2 Ki. 5:2, 3; 2 Chron. 34:1-3) But the truth be say, Jehovah na God of love wey want everybody both young and old people to get life!

When me and Pam start to search for God more than 50 years ago, we no know where that search go carry us go. The truth about the Kingdom na really precious stone wey get high value sotey money no fit buy-am! We don make up our mind to hold that precious stone tight with all our power!