When I finally start to pioneer, my life change pass the way I expect. (Eph. 3:20) But you fit de wonder how that one happen. Make I start from the beginning.

They born me for Berlin, Germany, some months after World War II start for 1939. As the war don de end for 1945, military planes begin drop plenty bomb for the city of Berlin. One time, as them de throw bomb, they bomb our street. So me and my family run go hide inside one place wey they build for protection. After, we run go one place wey them de call Erfurt so that we go dey safe. Na for this place they born my mama.

My mama really find the truth. So e begin read books wey people write and e check different-different religion, but e no see the truth. Around 1948, two Jehovah Witness come our house. My mama tell them make they come inside, and e ask them many question. After about one hour, e tell me and my junior sister say, “I don see the truth!” Small time after, my mama, my sister, and me begin attend meeting for Erfurt.

For 1950, we pack go back to Berlin. That time, we join Berlin-Kreuzberg Congregation. After some time, we pack go another place for Berlin. For there, na Berlin-Tempelhof Congregation we join. As time de go, my mama baptize, but I feel say I never ready for baptism. Why?

Because I de really shame, to do more for Jehovah hard for me that time. I follow people go preaching for two years, but I no preach to anybody. Things change when I start to spend time with some brothers and sisters. This brothers and sisters don show before say, they get strong heart and their love for Jehovah dey strong. Some of them don stay prison for Nazi concentration camps or East German prison. Other ones don hide carry some publications enter East Germany, even though say they for arrest them and put them for prison. Their example really touch me. So I think-am say, if this brothers fit put their life for  danger and dey ready to go prison for Jehovah and their brothers, then I need to really do something so that I no go too de shame again.

The way I de shame start to reduce when I join one special preaching campaign for 1955. Brother Nathan Knorr announce for inside one letter say the campaign na the biggest one wey the organization don ever arrange. This letter dey inside the Informant. * Brother Knorr talk say if all publisher join for the campaign, that month go be the best month wey we don experience for the preaching work. And the thing wey e talk, na true! Small time after, I give my life to Jehovah and baptize for 1956. Na me, my papa and my sister baptize together. But after, I still make another important decision.

For years, I know say I suppose to start pioneering, but I continue to shift-am go front. For Berlin, I first decide to learn how to do business with people from other countries; I de buy and sell things. After that one, I decide say I go work for some time so that I go get more experience for my work. So for 1961, I accept one work for Hamburg. Na for this city the biggest seaport dey for Germany. The more I de like my work, the more I de shift full-time service go front. Wetin I go do?

I thank Jehovah say e use brothers to help me. They help me see say to serve God dey important pass any other thing. Some of my friends that time don start to pioneer and they show me good example. Apart from that one, one brother wey e name na Erich Mundt encourage me make I trust Jehovah. They don put this brother for concentration camp before. E talk say for the camp, some brothers trust theirself and after, their faith come weak. But other brothers for there really trust Jehovah. Na this ones continue to serve Jehovah well and they help Jehovah’s organization dey strong.

Another thing be say, Brother Martin Poetzinger no stop to encourage the brothers. E tell them say, “The best thing wey you fit get na strong heart!” After, this brother serve as member of the Governing Body. After I don think deep about wetin the brother talk, I stop my work and start to pioneer for June 1963. No decision for better pass this one wey I make! After two months, even before I begin look for another work, they invite me to serve as special pioneer. After some years, Jehovah bless me pass the way I expect. They invite me make I attend class 44 of Gilead School.

One important lesson wey I learn, especially from Brother Nathan Knorr and Brother Lyman Swingle na, “Make you no tire quick-quick for your assignment.” They encourage us make we continue for our assignment even if e hard. Brother Knorr talk say: “Which place your mind go dey? The dirty, the insects, and the poverty? Or you go notice the trees, the flowers, and the happy people? Learn to love the people!” One day, when Brother Swingle explain why some brothers tire quick-quick, the thing touch Brother Swingle sotey water full e eye. So e stop to talk for some time until e fit continue again. This thing really touch me and I make up my mind say I no go ever disappoint Christ or e faithful brothers.​—Matt. 25:40.

When we receive our assignment, some Bethelites ask some of us the place wey the organization assign us go. They talk fine-fine things about each assignment until I talk say my own na: “Congo (Kinshasa).” They first stop small, and the only thing wey they talk na: “Oh, Congo! Jehovah go dey with you!” That time, people de hear bad-bad news about Congo (Kinshasa) say fight dey the place and them de kill people. But I continue to think about the lessons wey I don learn for Gilead. Small time after our graduation, for September 1967, me, Heinrich Dehnbostel, and Claude Lindsay, travel go the capital of Congo wey them de call Kinshasa.

After we reach Kinshasa, we learn French for three months. Then we use plane go Lubumbashi, near Zambia border for south side of Congo. This place far. Before-before, them de call Lubumbashi, Elisabethville. We begin live for one missionary house and the place dey for center of the city.

 For many place for Lubumbashi, people never hear the good news. So na we be the first people to tell many of them about the truth. This one really make us glad. Small time, the number of Bible student wey we get plenty pass wetin we fit de conduct. We still preach for government workers and police people. Many of them show deep respect for Bible and our preaching work. The main language wey the people de speak na Swahili. Because of this one, me and Claude Lindsay still learn that language. After some time, they say make we join Swahili congregation.

Na true say we enjoy plenty fine things, but things no still easy for us that time. Many times, we de meet drunk soldiers with gun or policemen, and them de talk say we do things wey we no do. Them de really give us trouble. One day when we de do congregation meeting for the house wey the missionaries de stay, plenty policemen just enter with gun wey they carry. They take us go their central police station. They say make we sit-down for ground, and we dey there until around ten o’clock for night before they release us.

For the year 1969, Jehovah’s organization say make I go do traveling work. For the circuit wey I serve, sometimes I de waka long distance, and I de pass inside bush and potopoto. This things na common thing for Africa. For one village, one fowl with e small-small children sleep for under my bed for night. I no de forget how the fowl wake me up with loud noise before morning reach. I de like-am when I think about some evenings wey me and the brothers go sit-down round fire and talk about Bible truth together.

 That time, some people claim say they be brothers, but they still de support one group wey the name na Kitawala. * This one na one of the biggest problem wey we face. Some of them baptize and even become elders for congregation. As Bible talk, this kind people for inside congregation be like stones wey people no de see because the stones hide. But real brothers and sisters expose this people. (Jude 12) As time de go, Jehovah remove this people from congregation. After that one, many-many people begin enter the organization.

For 1971, they say make I serve for the branch office for Kinshasa. For there, I do different-different work, like to receive and send letters, to handle publications wey congregation order, and work with service department. For Bethel, I learn how to organize the work for big country wey things like road, water, electricity, and transportation no too good. Sometimes, our mails wey we de send with plane, de reach congregations after some months. After the plane drop the mails, na boats de carry-am. But for the water, some kind plants wey them de call hyacinth fit hold the boat for some weeks. This plants fit grow to form something like thick carpet for the water. Even with this kind problem and other ones, we still succeed for the work.

I de surprise to see how the brothers de use small amount of money de arrange big-big convention. Them de carve platform from termite hill (or, ant house), and they go use long elephant grass as wall. And to make the seats dey soft, they go fold the grass somehow. Them de use bamboo as pole, and use one plant wey the name na reed to make roof and table. Them de make the reed like mat. Since they no get nail, them de peel the back (bark) of tree and use-am instead of nails. I de always like-am when I see as this brothers and sisters de work hard with good ideas. I come really love them. I really miss them when organization send me go another place for different assignment!

For 1974, they transfer me go the branch office for Nairobi, Kenya. Plenty work dey Kenya. The branch for there de organize the preaching work for ten countries around Kenya, and government stop our work for some of the countries. Different-different times, they send me go visit this countries, especially Ethiopia. For there, people suffer our brothers and this brothers endure serious trouble. Many of them receive serious beating and they put some of them for prison. They even kill some of them. But this brothers endure and them dey faithful because their friendship with Jehovah and each other dey tight.

For 1980, one fine thing happen to me. I marry Gail Matheson. E come from Canada, and na my classmate for Gilead. After the school, we write letters to each other. That time, Gail na missionary for Bolivia. After 12 years, we meet again for New York. Then after some time, we marry for Kenya. I really thank my wife because e de always think about things the way Jehovah de think, and my wife dey okay with the things wey e get. My wife de always support me, e de show me love, and e dey very special to me.

For 1986, they say make me and my wife go traveling work and I go still serve as Branch Committee member the same time. For our traveling work, we serve many countries wey the branch for Kenya de care for.

I remember one time wey we de arrange convention for Asmara (for Eritrea) for the year 1992. That time, government never stop our work for there. But the only house wey we see na one farm house. The outside of the house wor-wor, but the inside even wor-wor pass the outside. When the day of the convention reach, wetin I see really surprise me. The brothers don make inside the house dey fine so that we fit use-am worship Jehovah. Many family bring fine cloth for decoration, and with their fine-fine idea, they use-am cover all  the wor-wor place. Na 1,279 people come the convention. We really enjoy-am and we happy.

Things no really dey easy for us for the traveling work because na different-different place we de stay every week. For one visit, we stay for one big fine house near ocean. For another visit, we stay for one simple place wey they make with zinc. The toilet far from the house small, with about 300 feet (100 m). But no matter the place wey we serve that time, the thing wey we de remember pass any other thing na the preaching. The publishers and pioneers de use all their heart de do the preaching work. When we finish our assignment for there, we leave many dear friends wey we really miss.

Before the end of 1980 and the beginning of 1990, we register our work for different-different country wey Kenya branch de care for. Wetin be the result? We form different-different branch office and country office. For 1993, they send us go the office for Addis Ababa, for Ethiopia. Before-before, we de hide do our work for there, until government come de allow us.

Jehovah don bless the work for Ethiopia. Many brothers and sisters don serve as pioneer. If you divide the number of publishers into four part, almost one of the part de serve as regular pioneer every year, since 2012. Apart from that one, the schools wey Jehovah’s organization arrange don really train people, and we don build pass 120 Kingdom Hall. For 2004, the Bethel family pack go new building. One Assembly Hall still dey for the same land. All this one na blessing.

For years now, me and my wife don form tight friendship with brothers and sisters for Ethiopia. We really love them because them dey kind and de show love. Because of our health problems, organization say make we go serve for Central Europe branch. For there, the brothers de really take care of us, but we really miss our dear friends for Ethiopia.

We see how Jehovah don make e work de grow. (1 Cor. 3:6, 9) For example, I remember when I first preach to some people for Congo. This people na Rwanda people, but they come find copper for Congo. That time, no publisher dey for Rwanda. Now, the publishers for Rwanda don pass 30,000. For 1967, Congo (Kinshasa) get around 6,000 publishers. But now, the number don pass 230,000, and more than one million people attend Memorial for 2018. For all the country them wey Kenya branch de care for that time, the number of publishers don pass 100,000.

More than 50 years ago, Jehovah use different-different brothers and sisters help me start full-time service. Even though say I still de shame, I don learn how to really trust Jehovah well. The things wey I don experience for Africa don help me learn how I fit dey patient. I don still learn how I fit dey okay with the things wey I get. Brothers and sisters accept us and care for us, they don endure big problems, and they don show their trust for Jehovah. Me and my wife really like the example of this dear brothers and sisters. I use all my heart thank Jehovah for the special favor wey e show us. Jehovah don really bless me pass the way I expect.​—Ps. 37:4.