LIFE STORY
I See Something Wey Better Pass to Be Doctor
FOR 1971, e sweet me as I de tell one husband and wife say, “The thing wey you de tell me na wetin I don de hope for since I dey small!” That time, I just open my first hospital as new doctor. Who be that husband and wife, and wetin be that thing wey I be de hope for? Make I tell you how that discussion change wetin dey important pass to me for life, and why I believe say that thing wey I hope for when I dey small go soon happen.
They born me for 1941 for the place wey them de call Paris for France. Our family no too get money. I really like to go school. But when I dey ten years, e really pain me when I get one sickness wey them de call tuberculosis. And because of this one, they say make I stop to go school that time. So doctors advice me say make I rest for some time so that the sickness no go worse. So for many months, I de read dictionary and de listen to programs wey one university for Paris de do for radio. I really happy when my doctor say I don dey okay and I fit start school again. I tell myself say, “The work wey doctors de do really dey wonderful o!” From that time, I begin hope say I go fit cure people wey de sick. Anytime wey my papa ask me wetin I go like to be when I grow up, I de always talk the same thing say, “I go like be doctor.” So to be doctor come be the number one thing for my life.
SCIENCE MAKE ME NEAR GOD
Our family de go Catholic church. But, I no too know about God and I get many questions wey I go like know the answer. Na only after I start to study medicine for university, I come believe say na somebody make life.
I remember the first time when I use one special glass to look wetin de happen for inside one plant. E really sweet me when I see how the plant de protect e self from heat and cold. I still see how something for inside the plant de small pass as e be when salt touch-am, and how e de big more when they put-am inside ordinary water. Because of this kind thing and many other things wey plants and animals de fit do, they fit survive when things around them change. When I see how the things inside plants and animals arrange well, I come really believe say life no just start by e self.
For my second year for medical school, I come de see-am say God really dey. For the class wey
we de study about human body, we learn how wetin dey inside the lower part of our hand (or, forearm) de help us make we fit bend and straight our fingers. The way our muscles join our bones and the way everything de work together really dey wonderful. For example, I learn say something wey be like strong wire de hold the muscles for the lower part of our hand join the second bone of our fingers. This thing wey be like strong wire divide into two to support the finger make e fit set well. Something still join this things wey be like strong wire to the bones of the finger. If they no make our fingers like this, this things wey be like strong wire for dey tight, dey straight, and our fingers for no de work well. This one come make-am dey clear to me say the Person wey make our body really get sense.When I study how baby de start to breath after they born-am, the work of the Person wey make life come even de sweet me more. When the pikin dey belle, e no need to breath because the air wey e de get from e mama de help-am breath. Na the reason why air never enter the small-small air bags for inside e body. Some weeks before they born the pikin, something wey be like oil de cover inside all the air bags. And when they born the pikin and e breath for the first time, wonderful things de happen. One hole for inside the heart of the pikin de close, and this one de push blood make e flow go one part for inside the body wey them de call lungs. Because of that thing wey be like oil, air de quick enter the air bags. As this one just happen, the baby go fit de breath by e self.
Because I want know the Person wey make this wonderful things, I come dey serious with my Bible reading. I really see the sense wey dey the laws wey God give Israel people more than 3,000 years ago, about how they go de care for their health. God tell Israel people say make them de cover their shit, make them de always use water clean their body, and make them de separate anybody wey de show sign like say e get sickness wey fit spread. (Lev. 13:50; 15:11; Deut. 23:13) Bible don already talk about this things long time ago. But na only 150 years ago, science people know about how disease de spread. And I come know say the laws about things wey concern sex for the book of Leviticus, help the whole nation of Israel to get better health. (Lev. 12:1-6; 15:16-24) I see say the Person wey make everything give this laws to Israel people for their own good, and say e bless people wey obey e commandments. I come really dey sure say Bible na from God, but that time, I no know the name of this God.
HOW I FIRST MEET MY WIFE AND HOW I LEARN ABOUT JEHOVAH
When I de study to be doctor for university, I fall in love with one girl wey e name na Lydie. We marry for 1965 when I don go far for school. We born six children. But for 1971, we don already get three of them. My wife don really support me well, both for my work as doctor and for family.
I work for one hospital for three years, before I get my own small hospital. Small time after, the husband and wife wey I talk about for the Acts 15:28, 29) Then, the woman and e husband show me the thing wey God Kingdom go do. The Kingdom go remove suffer-suffer, sickness, and death. (Rev. 21:3, 4) With joy I talk say, “The thing wey you de tell me na wetin I don de hope for since I dey small.” I study to be doctor because I want help people. The discussion sweet me sotey we talk for one hour thirty minutes. When the husband and wife don go, I know say I no get any business again with Catholic church. And I still learn say that Person wey make everything, wey I don de like, get name, and e name na Jehovah!
beginning of the story, come for treatment. As I want write the medicine wey they go give the husband, the wife talk say, “Abeg doctor, make nothing wey concern blood dey inside the medicine.” This one surprise me. So I ask say, “Why you want-am like that?” E tell me say, “We be Jehovah Witness people.” I never hear of Jehovah Witness people before or wetin them de teach about blood. The woman bring e Bible come out, and e show me why they no de take blood. (Me and that husband and wife wey be Jehovah Witness, meet for my hospital three times, and we talk pass one hour. I tell them say make they come my house so that we go fit get more time to talk about Bible. Even though say my wife agree to join us for the Bible study, e no gree say some of the things wey e learn for Catholic church no dey correct. So I invite one Catholic priest come our house. We use only Bible argue about the things wey church de teach till night. The things wey we discuss come make my wife really believe say Jehovah Witness people de teach the truth. After that one, the love wey we get for Jehovah come de strong, sotey the two of us baptize for 1974.
I DECIDE TO PUT JEHOVAH FIRST FOR MY LIFE
As I learn wetin God get for mind for humans, this one come make another thing be the number one thing for my life. For me and my wife, na to serve Jehovah come be the number one thing for our life. We make up our mind say we go train our children to follow the things wey Bible talk. We teach our children to love God and people. This one make our family really dey tight.—Matt. 22:37-39.
When me and my wife remember how our children de see as we de always agree about the things wey we decide as their papa and mama, this one de always give us joy. They know say the thing wey Jesus command say “make wuna ‘Yes’ mean yes, and make wuna ‘No’ mean no,” na the thing wey we de follow for our house. (Matt. 5:37) For example, when one of our daughters dey 17 years, my wife no allow-am make e follow some particular young people go out. One person among the young people come tell our daughter say, “If your mama no gree, make you go tell your papa.” But our daughter talk say, “Nothing go change. Them de always agree.” True-true, our six children see say the two of us de always agree to follow wetin Bible talk. We thank Jehovah say today, plenty people for our family de serve Jehovah.
Even though say the truth don change the things wey I de put as number one for my life, I want use wetin I don learn as doctor to help Jehovah people. So, I serve as doctor for Bethel wey dey Paris, and after, for the new Bethel wey dey one town wey them de call Louviers. For almost 50 years now, I don de use some days for the week to work for Bethel. For the whole of this time, I don make some friends for the Bethel family and they really dey dear to me. Some of them don pass 90 years now. I surprise one day when I meet one new Bethelite, and I enjoy the surprise. I find out say na me be the doctor wey help e mama when they want born-am 20 years ago!
I DON SEE HOW JEHOVAH DE REALLY CARE FOR E PEOPLE
For all this years, my love for Jehovah don grow as I de see how e de use e organization guide and protect e people. Around 1980, Governing Body form one program for America to help doctors and people wey study things about medicine, to really understand why Jehovah Witness no de take blood.
Then for 1988, Governing Body form one new Bethel department wey the name na Hospital Information Services. This department first de care for Hospital Liaison Committees (HLC) wey they form for United States, to help Jehovah Witness people find doctors wey respect our decision about blood. When they form HLC for different-different place for the world, they form for France too. E de really surprise me to see how Jehovah’s organization de really support sick brothers and sisters for time wey they need help!
THE HOPE WEY I GET FROM SMALL PIKIN GO HAPPEN
To be doctor na the number one thing for my life before. But as I think about the things wey I put as number one for my life, I come see say e dey important to help people know and serve Jehovah, the Person wey life come from. I see say this one dey important pass to help them as doctor. After I retire, me and my wife spend plenty hours every month as regular pioneers de preach the good news about God Kingdom. We still de do as our power reach for this work wey de save people.
I still de do wetin I fit do to help people wey no well. But I know say even the best doctor no go fit heal all sickness or stop death. So I de really wait for the time when pain, sickness, and death no go dey again. For that Paradise wey go soon come, I go fit learn about the things wey God don make, forever. And part of this things go be the wonderful way wey God make our body. True-true, the thing wey I hope for when I dey small go soon happen for complete way. I really dey sure say better de come for future!