My papa and mama learn the truth after 1920 before they marry. They born me for 1939. When I be young boy for England, I de follow my papa and mama go meeting. And after, I join Theocratic Ministry School. Till today, I still de remember how I feel when I climb ontop one small box for platform, so that I go fit tall reach the speaker-stand to do my first assignment. Na six years I dey that time, and fear really catch me as I de look all the big-big people wey sit-down de hear my talk.

My papa help me type some simple things for one card wey I go fit de use preach. Na eight years I dey when only me go knock for person door to preach for the first time. E really sweet me when the person wey I preach to read my card, and quick-quick e collect the book wey the name na “Let God Be True”! I run go tell my papa for the street. The preaching work and our meetings give me joy and help me to want serve Jehovah full-time.

The truth for Bible begin touch me more-more after my papa start to order my own Watchtower. I de read the Watchtower one by one as e de come. This one make me get more trust for Jehovah. And as time de go, I give my life to Jehovah.

For 1950, me and my papa and mama attend the Theocracy’s Increase Assembly for New York. On Thursday, August 3, the topic for the assembly that day na “Missionary Day.” That day, na Brother Carey Barber wey later be Governing Body member, give the baptism talk. After e ask the people wey want baptize the two question for the end of the talk, I stand up and say, “Yes!” Na 11 years I dey that time. Even with that one, I know say I don make important decision. But fear de catch me to enter the water because I never  learn how to swim. My uncle escort me and make my mind come down say everything go dey fine. True-true, the thing happen quick-quick, sotey my leg no touch the down of the water. After one of the brothers for the water baptize me finish, e carry me give another brother and this other brother carry me comot from the water. Since that important day, Jehovah don continue to make my road straight.

When I finish secondary school, I be want pioneer. But my teachers encourage me to go university. As they don worry me too much, I do wetin they talk and go university. But small time, I come see say, I no go fit continue to dey strong for truth and still de do well for my school. So, I decide say I go stop school. I pray to Jehovah about the matter. And with respect, I write letter to my teachers and tell them say I want stop school. Na for the end of that first year I stop. With full trust say Jehovah go help me, quick-quick, I start to pioneer.

For July 1957, I start to pioneer for one town wey them de call Wellingborough. I tell the brothers for London Bethel to give me one pioneer brother wey get experience wey I fit join. Brother Bert Vaisey teach me many things. Na correct pioneer wey really like preaching. And e help me to arrange my time well. Na me, Brother Vaisey and six old sisters dey for the congregation. To prepare and de comment for all the meeting de make me trust Jehovah more-more and show say I get faith.

After I spend small time for prison because I no gree join military, I meet Barbara, one special pioneer sister. We marry for 1959, and we ready to go anywhere wey they say make we go. The first place wey we serve na Lancashire, for northwest England. Then, for January 1961 they invite me for Kingdom Ministry School for London Bethel. The school go take one month. E surprise me say, as I finish, they say make I go do traveling work. For two weeks, I receive training from one circuit overseer wey get experience, for one city wey them de call Birmingham. And they agree make Barbara join me. Then after, we move go our own assignment for Lancashire and Cheshire.

For August 1962 when we dey vacation, we receive one letter from branch office. The thing wey dey inside the letter na forms for Gilead School! After we don pray to Jehovah about the matter, me and Barbara fill the form and quick-quick we send-am back to branch office as they say make we do. After five months, we attend the 38th class of Gilead School for Brooklyn, New York. Na ten-month Bible school e be.

For Gilead School, we learn plenty things about Bible, our organization and our brothers and sisters for the whole world. That time, I dey 24 years and Barbara dey 23 years. We really learn plenty things from other students for the class. Na big favor for me to work together everyday with Brother Fred Rusk, one of our instructors. One important thing wey the brother de  always talk about and wey I learn na say, make I de always correct people for the right way. This one mean say, I go make sure say any advice wey I de give na from Bible. Different-different brothers give talk for the school, and some of them na Nathan Knorr, Frederick Franz, and Karl Klein. This brothers really get experience. We the students learn plenty things from the example of Brother A. H.  Macmillan. This brother really dey humble. The talk wey e give, teach us about how Jehovah help e people for all the things wey they face from 1914 to the beginning part of 1919!

As the school don de end, Brother Knorr tell me and Barbara say na for Burundi we go serve. This place dey for Africa. Quick-quick, we run go Bethel library to check Yearbook so that we go know how many publishers dey for Burundi that time. E surprise us say we no see anything about how many publishers dey for the country! Na that time we know say, they never start to preach for the place wey we de go. And we no know plenty things about Africa. Fear really catch us. But after we pray about the matter, our mind come down.

For our new assignment, everything for there different from all the things wey we don experience. Their weather, their culture, and their language. So now, we need to learn French. Another problem wey we face na place wey we go stay. Two days after we move go Burundi, one of our classmate wey e name na Harry Arnott visit us as e de go back to e assignment for Zambia. E help us find one house, and na that house be our first missionary home. But after small time, government people start to worry us because they no know anything about Jehovah Witness people. So as we just start to enjoy our assignment, government people tell us say we no go fit stay for the country if we no get work permit. So as things be like that, we need to comot for the country. We move go another country wey the name na Uganda.

We first de worry say we de go Uganda and we no get visa, but we trust Jehovah say e go help us. One brother from Canada wey de serve for where they need more publishers for Uganda, help us explain our condition for the immigration officers. And so they allow us to stay for some months so that after some time, we go fit apply to get permit to stay for the country. That fine answer wey the  immigration officers give us show us say Jehovah really de help us.

The way things be for Uganda really dey different from the way things be for Burundi. The preaching work don already start for Uganda. But na only 28 Jehovah Witness dey for the whole country. We see many people wey de speak English for the territory. Small time we come know say, if we really want help many people learn about Jehovah, we need to learn at least one of their language. We start to preach for one area wey them de call Kampala, and other place wey dey around-am. For there, na Luganda many people de speak pass. And so we decide to learn Luganda language. E take us many years before we sabi speak the language well. But the language really help us for the work. Na that time we understand other things wey our Bible students really need to learn. When they see say we really care about them, and we de try our best to show-am, they open their heart and tell us how them de feel about the things wey them de learn.

We get joy as we meet people wey get better heart for our preaching work, and as them accept the truth for Bible. But we get more joy as another thing wey we no expect happen. They say make we do traveling work for the whole country. The Branch for Kenya say make we find better place them wey special pioneers go fit stay so that they go fit help for the preaching work. So, we start to travel to different-different place for the country. Plenty times, the people wey we meet dey good to us, and this people never even meet Jehovah Witness people for their life before. They welcome us well and even cook for us.

Another type of travel come after. From Kampala, I travel for two days with train to Kenyan port for Mombasa. And then, I enter ship go Seychelles, to one group for one island for Indian Ocean. After, from 1965 to 1972, Barbara join me as we de always travel go Seychelles. That time, na only two publishers dey there. But after, they become group. And small time, they become congregation. I still travel go visit the brothers for Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

For Uganda, the situation change after military start to rule the country. The serious things wey happen for some years really show me say sense dey to obey wetin Bible talk, say: “Pay Caesar the things wey be Caesar own.” (Mark 12:17) The situation worse sotey, one time they say make all the foreigners for that country go register for any police station wey near them pass. Quick-quick we obey. Some days after, as we de drive for Kampala, secret police officer come meet me and another missionary. Fear really catch us! They talk say we be spies and take us go the main police station, and we explain say we be missionaries and say we no de cause trouble. We tell them say we don already register for police station, but they no gree listen. They arrest us and carry us go the police station wey near our missionary home. We really dey happy as we see the officer wey dey for desk, e know say we don register before. So, e tell them say make they release us!

Those days, fear de really catch us anytime wey we reach any military check point, especially if na soldiers wey don over drink stop us. But every time wey we reach there, we de sofri pray, and we de feel-am say our mind de come down as they allow us pass and they no do us anything. But the  sad thing be say, for 1973 they say make all missionary wey come from another country comot for Uganda.

Our assignment change again. This time they say make we go Côte d’Ivoire for West Africa. This one na another big change for us. This one mean say we go learn new culture, and we go de speak French again everytime, we go mix and live well with other missionaries from different-different country! Even with all this one, we see again say na Jehovah de direct things, as humble people wey get good heart no waste time to accept the truth. So we see-am say, our trust for Jehovah make our road straight.

Then, something wey we no expect happen. Doctor tell Barbara say e get cancer. Even as we travel many times to get better treatment, for 1983, e come dey clear to us say we no go fit continue with our assignment for Africa again. This one really pain us no be small!

The cancer worry Barbara well-well as we de serve for London Bethel, and the condition worse sotey e die. Brothers and sisters for Bethel really support me no be small. One particular husband and wife really help me to cope, and continue to trust Jehovah. After, I meet one sister wey be commuter for Bethel, e name na Ann. This sister get experience as special pioneer, and e get love for Jehovah. This things really show me say, e hold Jehovah tight. Me and Ann marry for 1989, and we don de serve for London Bethel since that time.

From 1995 to 2018, I get the chance to visit different-different branch office as world headquarters representative (before, them de call-am zone overseer). I don visit about 60 different-different country. For each of the visit, I see reason to believe more-more say Jehovah de bless e servants no matter the situation.

For 2017, one of the visit bring us back to Africa. I really dey happy to carry Ann go Burundi for the first time, and two of us really surprise to see how the publishers for there don plenty! For the same street wey I de preach from house to house that time for 1964, na there our fine Bethel home dey now. And more than 15,500 publishers don dey for the country now.

I really over glad when I receive the list of all the place wey I go visit for 2018. For the list, one of the place wey they say make I visit na Côte d’Ivoire. When we reach Abidjan, wey be the capital of the country, e be me like say I don come back home. I check the book wey they write the phone number of the brothers and sisters wey de work for Bethel, to know people wey de stay for the next room after our own. But I notice one name wey I know. And the person na Brother Sossou. I remember say, e don serve as the city overseer when I dey for Abidjan. After, I come know say, no be that Sossou wey I know. This one na e pikin.

Jehovah no ever fail to do wetin e promise. Many things wey I don face don really make me know say, when we trust Jehovah e go always make our road straight. Now, we really want continue to dey for the road wey go make us get better future for Paradise.​—Prov. 4:18.