The next year, they announce for the Bethel family say South Africa branch need people because they just get one new printing machine. I give them my name say I go like to go, and I really dey happy say they choose me. They still choose three other Bethelites for Canada. And their name na Dennis Leech, Bill McLellan, and Ken Nordin. They tell us say we go stay long for South Africa!

I call my mama for phone, and I talk say: “Mama, I want tell you something. I de go South Africa!” My mama na quiet woman, but e get strong faith and e dey tight with Jehovah. My mama no talk plenty things, but I know say e support me. Even though say my mama and my papa no dey happy say I go dey far from them, they no ever complain about my decision.

Four of us first go Brooklyn Bethel. For there, they train us for three months about how to do one type of printing. Then, we enter one ship wey de go Cape Town for South Africa. I just reach 20 years that time. We use train travel from Cape Town go Johannesburg. We start this long journey for evening. The first place wey we stop for early morning, na one small town wey almost be like desert. The name na Karoo. Dust full everywhere, and the place hot. The four of us look outside from window, and we begin wonder which kind place we dey. We begin worry about how this our new assignment go be. After, when we come back to this area, we see say this small-small town them, na really fine place and peace dey.

For some years, my work na to operate one machine wey them de call Linotype. I de arrange the lines of the letters to print the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. This machine na better machine and e no easy to operate. The branch office no de only print for South Africa, but them de print for plenty other countries for Africa. The magazines wey them de print dey for plenty language wey people de speak for Africa. We dey happy say the new printing machine wey make us come from Canada de really do plenty work.

After, I work for where them de call Factory Office. For this place, them de care for some things wey them de do for printing, shipping, and translation.  My life dey busy, I de enjoy-am, and e get direction.

For 1968, I marry one pioneer sister wey e name na Laura Bowen. This sister de live near Bethel that time. Apart from that one, e de type for Translation Department. That time, people wey just marry no de live for Bethel. So, the branch talk say make we go serve as special pioneer. This one worry me small because for Bethel, I get food and I get place to stay. But after ten years for Bethel, how we go fit pay for everything wey we need with only the small amount of money wey them de give special pioneers? Every month, each of us go receive 25 rand (wey be $35 U.S. that time). But na only if we make our hours, we reach the number of return visit, and we place the number of books wey we suppose place. From that money we go pay house rent, buy food, use-am for transport, use-am treat ourself when we no well, and for other things wey we need.

They say make we go pioneer near one city wey them de call Durban, for one area wey the name na Indian Ocean. Plenty people for there na Indian people. Many of them na from the family line of the people wey move go South Africa to work for the sugar industry around the year 1875. Now they get other work wey them de do, but they no forget their culture and their food, even one kind sweet food wey them de call curries. Them de speak English, so we no need to learn another language to preach to them.

That time, na 150 hours special pioneers suppose de report every month for preaching. So, me and my wife plan to use six hours preach for the first day. The weather hot. We no get return visit and Bible study, so we spend just six hours for door to door preaching. One time after we start to preach, I check my watch and I see say na only 40 minutes we don spend! I begin think how we go fit do the special pioneer work.

Small time, we arrange ourself well. Everyday, we prepare bread and put soup or coffee for inside flask. When we want rest small, we go pack our small tortoise car under one tree wey near us. Sometimes, some fine Indian children go stand around de look us because we dey different. After some days, we see say after two or three hours pass, time go just de move fast-fast.

We really dey happy say we come teach the truth for Bible to people for this area! The people de care for strangers well. We see say this Indian people get respect, them dey kind, and they love God. Plenty people for Hindu religion accept the message wey we come give them. They really like to learn about Jehovah, Jesus, Bible, the peace wey we go enjoy for Paradise, and the hope wey people wey don die get. After one year, we get 20 Bible study. Everyday, we de chop our main food with any family wey we de study Bible with. We really dey happy.

Small time after, they change our assignment. They say make we go do circuit work for one area around Indian Ocean. We de stay with one-one family every week when we visit congregation, and we de work with the publishers to encourage them. Them de treat us as if we be part of their family, and we enjoy the time wey we spend with them, their children, and their animals wey they get for house. Two sweet years pass. Then before we know, branch office call us. The brother wey call talk say, “We go like make wuna come back to Bethel.” The answer wey I give na, “But, we dey happy for where we dey o.” But the truth na say, we dey ready to work for Jehovah for any place wey e want use us.

My assignment for Bethel na for Service Department. Na special thing for me to work with plenty mature brothers for there wey get experience. That time, after circuit overseer visit congregation, e go write report to branch office. Then from wetin the circuit overseer send, the Service Department go write letter go the congregation. The letters wey Service Department de send na to encourage the congregation and give them any direction wey they need. No be small work the secretary them de do. They go translate the report wey circuit overseer send, from Xhosa,  Zulu, and other language to English. Then they go translate the letters wey branch write for English to the African language them. I really thank this translators for their hard work. They still help me understand the things wey our black brothers and sisters for Africa de face.

That time for South Africa, government put law make oyibo people and black people no de do things together. Oyibo people and black people de live for different areas. So, people wey no come from the same place no de spend time together. Our black brothers from Africa de speak their own language, them de preach with their own language, and de do congregation meeting for their own language.

I no know plenty black people for Africa, because the area wey my congregation assignments de always cover, na English side. But now, I don get the chance to learn about black African people and their culture. I learn about the problems wey our brothers de face because of the traditions for their area, and the things wey religion de teach. This brothers really get strong heart. Them de reject traditions wey Bible no support. And they no de gree put hand for things wey concern demons, even though say their family people and village people de really suffer them. For village area them, people really dey poor. Plenty of them no too go school or they no even go at all. But them de respect Bible.

I get the special chance to handle some court case wey concern the freedom wey we get to worship God, and the right wey we get to decide whether we go put hand for politics matter or war. Them de drive our young children from school because they no de join for prayer and church song for school. As I de see the way this children hold Jehovah tight and get strong heart, this one really make my faith strong.

Our brothers face another problem for one small country for Africa wey them de call Swaziland before. When King Sobhuza II die, they say make everybody for the country do some things wey people de do when person die. The men go scrape their hair, and the women go cut their hair short. They really suffer plenty brothers and sisters as they no gree do this things, because this things connect with demon worship. We really dey happy as they no leave Jehovah! We learn plenty things about to dey faithful, to hold God tight,  and to dey patient from our African brothers. And this one make our faith strong more.

For 1981, I go work for Printery again to help know how to use computers de do the printing work. I really enjoy this time, no be small! The way them de print things don really change. One man wey de help one company sell things give branch office one new machine wey them de call phototypesetter, and e allow us to try the machine for free. So after, we remove the nine machine wey them de call Linotype, and put five new phototypesetter. We still put one new printing machine. Things just de move fast-fast!

Computer help us bring out new ways to arrange how the things wey we write go be ontop the page them. So, we begin use wetin we de call MEPS or Multilanguage Electronic Publishing System. Technology don really better pass before, from when four of us wey be Bethelite come work for South Africa from Canada! (Isa. 60:17) That time, four of us don marry better pioneer sisters wey their love for Jehovah really dey strong. Me and Bill still dey Bethel that time. Ken and Dennis don start to get children, and them de live near Bethel.

The work for the branch de plenty. The number of language wey them de translate our book to, and the number wey them de print, de plenty more-more. And them de send them go other branch office them too. Because of this one, we come need to build new Bethel. The brothers build new Bethel for one fine area wey dey west side for Johannesburg. And they dedicate-am for 1987. I really dey happy say I join for that work. And I serve as Branch Committee member for South Africa for many years.

E really surprise us when they talk for 2001 say make I come serve for the new Branch Committee wey they form for America. Even though say e really pain us to leave our work and friends for South Africa, we glad as we join the Bethel family for United States and start new life.

E really worry us because we go dey far from my wife mama wey don de old. For New York, we no go fit do plenty things for my wife mama. But, my wife three sisters talk say they go help care for the things wey their mama need. They talk say, “We no go fit do full-time service, but if we care for mama, this one go help wuna continue wuna assignment.” We really dey happy for wetin they do.

Just as my wife sisters talk say they go care for their mama, my brother and e wife wey de live for Toronto, Canada, help us care for my mama. That time, my papa don already die, and my mama don de live with my brother and e wife for more than 20 years. We really thank them for the love and care wey they give my mama until e die, small time after we reach New York. Na blessing to get family members wey dey ready to make any change wey they need to make for their life, so that they go fit care for papa or mama wey don old. And sometimes, this kind work no de easy at all.

For some years for United States Bethel, I work for where them de produce our publications. The way them de do the work now don even dey simple more, and them de use new-new technology. E never take long time wey I start to work for Purchasing Department. For 20 years now, I don de work for this big branch, and I really dey happy. Now, the number of Bethel family members dey around 5,000, plus around 2,000 commuters.

Sixty years ago, I no ever think say I go dey here. For all this years, my wife Laura don use all e heart support me. True-true, our life really make sense! We really enjoy the different-different assignment wey we don do. And we no go forget all the better people wey we don work with. Some of this people na people wey we meet when we go for branch work for different-different branch for the world. Now wey I don pass 80 years, they don reduce my work as many young brothers dey wey they don train to do the work.

Psalm 33:12 talk say: “The people wey their God na Jehovah go dey happy.” The thing wey this verse talk really dey correct! I really de glad say I don fit serve Jehovah with e happy people.