Them born me for 1927 for one small town near Chicago, for Illinois, U.S.A. My papa and mama get five children. The five of us na: Jetha, Don, me, Karl, and Joy. All of us decide say we go use all our heart serve Jehovah. Them invite Jetha go the second class of Gilead for 1943. Them invite Don to Bethel wey dey Brooklyn for New York, for 1944, Karl for 1947 and Joy for 1951. The better example of my papa and mama, with the example of my brothers and sisters, really encourage me to do more for Jehovah.

My papa and mama de read Bible well-well and them teach us make we love God. After my papa fight for Europe for World War I, e no come like to de go church again. My mama happy well-well say my papa come back house as e no die for the war, so e tell my papa say: “My husband, make we go church as we de do before.” My papa talk say: “I go follow you reach the church, but I no go enter.” My mama ask-am say: “Why?” My papa come talk say: “For the war, leaders for religion de pray for soldiers wey de fight each other even though say them come from the same religion. Who God go support?”

After some time, when my mama comot go church, some Jehovah Witness people come preach for our house. Them give my papa volume one and volume two of the book wey the title na Light. This book de talk about the book of Revelation. My papa like the book and e collect them. As my mama see the book, e start to read them. One day, my mama read one newspaper and e see say them de invite people to come study the book wey the title na Light, so my mama go. When my mama reach there, na one old woman open the door. My mama come show-am one of the books and ask-am say: “Them de study this book for here?” The woman talk say: “Yes, come inside.” The next week, our mama carry us go the place and we come de go there every week.

One day for the meeting, the person wey de conduct the meeting ask me to read Psalm 144:15. That verse talk say people wey de worship Jehovah, de happy. I like that verse and two other verse them, wey be 1 Timothy 1:​11, wey talk say, Jehovah na “happy God,” and Ephesians 5:1, wey talk say, make we de “follow the example of God.” I decide  say I go serve God wey make me, and I go thank-am for the honor wey e give me to serve-am. Na this two things I don de try do for my life.

The congregation wey near us pass dey for Chicago, and na 32 kilometers (20 miles) from where we de stay. But even as the place far reach, we still de go and I come de know Bible more-more. I remember one time wey the person wey de conduct one part for the meeting call Jetha make e answer question. As e de talk, I come de think for my mind say, ‘I know the answer, I for fit raise my hand to comment.’ So I start to prepare so that I go fit de answer question. The one wey dey important pass be say, just as e be for my brothers and sisters, my friendship with Jehovah come de tight more-more. I baptize for 1941.

I no go fit forget the convention wey we attend for Cleveland, Ohio for 1942. E pass 50 other places wey people join the convention with telephone. Our family stay for tent with other families near the place wey we do the convention. That time, them de fight World War II and them de suffer Jehovah Witness people more-more. For night, the brothers park their motor to face outside. Everybody agree say person go dey inside each motor, de guard them for the whole night. If e be like say trouble want start, the brothers go on the light of the motor make e enter the eye of the people wey want attack them so that them no go see well. Them go come press the horn for the motor so that other brothers go run come help them. I think-am say ‘Jehovah people de always prepare for everything!’ This one make my mind come down. I sleep well and no bad thing happen.

After many years, when I think about wetin happen for that convention, I see say my mama no fear at all. E use all im heart trust Jehovah and im organization. I no go ever forget im better example.

Small time before the convention, my mama become regular pioneer. So e really put mind for the talks wey dey about how to serve Jehovah full-time. As we de go house, my mama talk say, “I for like to continue to pioneer, but I no go fit continue and still take care of the house well.” So our mama ask us if we fit de do some things to help for house. We talk say yes, so our mama give each of us one or two rooms wey we go de clean for morning before we chop morning food. When we don go school, our mama go check the house to dey sure say e dey clean before e go go preaching. Our mama de busy well-well but e de always take care of us. Anytime wey we get break for school and we go house go chop, or when we come house after school, our mama de always care for us. Sometimes, after we close from school, we de follow our mama go preaching. This one help us understand the work wey pioneers de do.

I start to pioneer when I dey 16 years. Even though say my papa never de serve Jehovah that time, e really want know how my preaching work de go. One evening, I tell-am say even though I de try my best for the preaching work, I never see anybody wey agree to study Bible with me. I wait small, then I come ask-am say, “You go like study Bible with me?” E think-am small, then e agree  make I start to study Bible with-am. So my papa na my first Bible student and this one na really big honor for me!

Na the book, “The Truth Shall Make You Free” I use study with my papa. After some time, I come see say my papa de help me know how to study Bible well and teach people well. For example, one evening after we read one paragraph finish, e tell me say: “I see wetin the book talk, but how you take know say wetin the book talk correct?” I no get the answer to that question that time, so I tell-am say, “I no go fit explain-am give you now, but by the time we go study again, I go get answer for you.” And na wetin happen be that. I see some verse for Bible wey show say wetin we learn from the book correct. This one help me to de do research before we study so that I go fit de conduct the study well. As I continue to do research, this one really help me fit make the way I de study Bible better pass before, and e still help my papa understand wetin e de learn. My papa de really do wetin e de learn and e baptize for 1952.

I dey 17 years when I comot from house. My sister, Jetha, a become missionary, and my brother, Don, start to serve for Bethel. The two of them love the work wey them de do and this one really encourage me. So I apply to go Bethel and I still apply for Gilead School, then I leave the matter for Jehovah hand. Them invite me go Bethel for 1946.

I don do different-different work for Bethel and this one make me learn many new things. I don dey for Bethel for 75 years now and I don learn how to print books and do account work. I still learn how to de buy things wey we need for Bethel and how to send things from Bethel go other place. The one wey I de enjoy pass na the morning worship and other Bible lecture wey them de give for Bethel.

My junior brother, Karl, wey come Bethel for 1947 still teach me many things. E de study Bible well-well and e sabi teach Bible well. E get one time wey I tell-am say make e help me for my talk. I tell-am say I don do plenty research but I no know how I go use the plenty things wey I don gather. E ask me one question wey help me know wetin I go do for the talk. E talk say: “Brother Joel, wetin be the title of your talk?” At once, I just know wetin I go do. I need to use only the articles wey concern my talk, and leave the other ones. I no ever forget this thing wey I learn.

For person to de happy as e de work for Bethel, e need to de do im best for the preaching work. If  e do this one, e go fit get better-better experience. One experience wey I no go ever forget, na wetin happen one evening for New York City. Me and one brother go visit one woman wey don collect Watchtower and Awake! before. We tell the woman say, “This evening, we de help people learn better-better things from Bible.” The woman talk say, “If na Bible una want talk about, make una come inside.” We read and talk about many verse for Bible wey talk about God Kingdom. This one really touch the woman sotey e call many of im friends to join the study the next week. The woman and im husband later start to serve Jehovah.

I look for sister to marry for 10 years before I see my wife. Wetin help me see better wife? I pray to Jehovah and think about wetin I want do with my life after I marry.

After the convention for 1953 for Yankee Stadium, I meet one sister wey im name na Mary Aniol. Sister Mary and my sister, Jetha, attend the second class of Gilead School together and them send two of them go serve as missionary for the same place. Mary really happy to tell me about im missionary work for some countries wey dey around Caribbean sea and the different-different people wey e don follow study Bible. As we come de know each other, we come see say the two of us get-am for mind to continue to serve Jehovah full-time. The love wey we get for each other come strong well-well and we marry for April 1955. For many ways, my wife really show say e be gift from Jehovah and say e be better example for other people to copy. E de really happy to do any work wey the organization give-am. My wife de work well-well, e de really care about people, and e put God Kingdom as the number one thing for im life. (Matt. 6:33) We do circuit work for three years, and for 1958, them invite us go Bethel.

I learn plenty things from my wife. For example, when we just marry, we decide say we go de read Bible together, and we de read about 15 verses everyday. After we read, we go come talk about how we fit do wetin we don learn from the place wey we read. My wife de always tell me things wey e learn for Gilead School and the time wey e de serve as missionary. The things wey I learn from my wife really help me to improve the way I de give talks and e still help me know how to de encourage sisters.—Prov. 25:11.

My dear wife die for 2013. But, I know say I go see my wife again for Paradise. But until that time, I go continue to learn and trust Jehovah with all my heart. (Prov. 3:5, 6) I de really happy and e de make my mind come down anytime wey I think about wetin Jehovah people go do for the new world. To learn new things from Jehovah and about Jehovah na part of the things wey we go do for the new world. True-true, I go continue to thank Jehovah for all the things wey e don already teach me and the different-different ways wey e take show me im special favor.