They born me for May 19, 1940, for one town wey them de call Amioûn, for Lebanon. After some years, our family pack go one city wey them de call Tripoli. Love dey our family, we dey happy, and we de serve Jehovah. Na five children my papa and mama born, three girls and two boys, and na me be last born. The thing wey my papa and mama put as number one thing for life no be money. The number one thing for our family na Bible study, Christian meeting, and preaching work.

Some anointed Christians dey our congregation. One of them na Michel Aboud. That time, na this brother de conduct wetin we be de call Congregation Book Study. The brother learn the truth for New York, and e start the preaching work for Lebanon for the year 1921. I no go fit forget the way e respect and help two young sisters wey graduate from Gilead School. Their name na Anne and Gwen Beavor. They become our good friends. After plenty years, I really dey happy as I see Anne for United States. After sometime, I still see Gwen. That time, e don marry Wilfred Gooch and de serve for Bethel for the branch office wey dey London, for England.

When I dey young, Jehovah Witness people for Lebanon no plenty. But we de put all our heart to teach people the things wey we know for Bible. We do this one even with the problem wey some of the leaders for religion de give us. I still remember some things wey we face.

One day, me and my sister wey e name na Sana de preach for one big building. As we dey one place for the building de preach to people, one priest come meet us. Person go don call the priest. The priest start to insult my sister. E provoke and push my sister go down for the step, and my sister wound. Person call police, and police sofri make sure say my sister get the help wey e need. They take the priest go police station, and they see say the priest carry gun. The oga for the station ask the priest say: “Who you even be? You be leader for religion or you be gang leader?”

One thing wey I still remember well na when our congregation rent bus to go preach for one town wey far from city. We de enjoy ourself for there until one priest for the area hear wetin we de do. So e gather plenty people to attack us. They give us trouble, they even stone us, and wound my papa. I remember say blood full my papa face. My papa and mama go back to where the bus park, and the rest of us follow them with fear. But, I no go ever forget wetin my mama talk as e de care for my papa, e say: “Jehovah, abeg forgive them. They no know wetin them de do.”

Another one na when we go village go visit our family people. We see one leader for religion for my grand papa house. The man na bishop. E know say my papa and mama na Jehovah Witness. Even though say na only six years I dey that time, e ask me say: “You, why you never baptize?” So I talk say I still be small boy, and I need to know more things for Bible and get strong faith before I baptize. E no like wetin I talk. So, e tell my grand papa say I no de respect person.

But this kind bad things no happen everytime. Lebanese people de make friend and them de treat visitors well. So we fit preach to plenty people and study with plenty of them.

When I still dey school, one young brother from Venezuela visit Lebanon. E join our congregation and start to date my sister wey e name na Wafa. After sometime, they marry and they go live for Venezuela. For the letters wey Wafa write, e try to encourage my papa say make my papa move the whole family go Venezuela. Wafa do like that because e don really miss us. Last-last, we listen to Wafa and we pack!

 We reach Venezuela for 1953 and we begin live for Caracas near the place wey president de live. Because I still be young boy, e de really sweet me anytime wey I see the president de pass sometimes with e big-man motor. But e no easy for my papa and mama to begin enjoy the new country, their language, their culture, their food, and the weather. As they just start to enjoy the new place, one bad thing happen.

My papa start to sick. We no expect-am because our papa na strong man and e no de too sick. We no even remember anytime wey e don sick before. Then, doctor see say my papa get cancer for one part of the body wey them de call pancreas. So, they do operation for my papa. But the sad thing be say, e die after one week.

E really dey hard to explain how the situation pain us reach. I be dey only 13 years that time. We no expect say our papa go die that time, and we feel say we no go ever dey happy again. For sometime, e hard my mama to accept say e husband don die. But we come see say life must continue, and Jehovah help us endure. I graduate from secondary school when I dey 16 years for Caracas. That time, I really want help to support my family.

My sister wey e name na Sana marry Rubén Araujo. This brother graduate from Gilead School and e go back to Venezuela. My sister and e husband decide to go live for New York. My family decide say I go go university. So I go New York, so that I go fit live with my sister and e husband and de go school from their house. My sister and e husband really help me to dey tight with Jehovah as I de live with them. Apart from that one, plenty mature brothers dey our Brooklyn Spanish congregation. I really dey happy say I come know Milton Henschel and Frederick Franz. The two of them serve for Brooklyn Bethel.

When my first year for university don de end, I start to think about wetin I go do with my life. I don read and really think about article for Watchtower magazine wey talk about Christians wey get plan of wetin they go use their life do for Jehovah. I see how the pioneers and the Bethelites for my congregation really dey happy and I want be like them. But, I never baptize that time. I know say I need to give my life to Jehovah. So I give my life to Jehovah and I baptize for March 30, 1957.

After I baptize, I start to think about pioneering. I really want be pioneer, but I see say that one go hard me. E no go easy to pioneer and still de go university. Me and my family write many letters to each other about my plan to stop university, go back to Venezuela, and start to pioneer.

 I go back to Caracas for June 1957. But I see say things no easy for my family. They need person wey go de work to support the family. How I fit help? I see bank work, but I really want pioneer. After all, na wetin make me come back be that. I really ready to do the two. For some years, I work for bank and still de pioneer. I really dey busy, but my pioneer work de give me joy!

Another thing wey give me joy na when I marry one fine sister wey e name na Sylvia. This sister come from Germany and e really love Jehovah. Sylvia be don pack go Venezuela go live with e papa and mama. As we marry, we get two children after some time. One boy and one girl. The boy name na Michel (Mike) and the girl name na Samira. Another thing be say, I start to care for my mama. My mama come live with us. I stop to pioneer because I need to care for my family. But I no stop to put all my heart for the preaching work. Me and my wife de auxiliary pioneer anytime wey we fit when we dey vacation.

My children still dey school when I get the experience wey I talk about for the beginning of this story. The truth na say, I de really live fine and other people wey de work for bank de respect me. But I want make people de see me as servant of Jehovah. I continue to think about wetin I fit do so that people go de see me like that. So me and my wife sit-down together and we begin discuss how we go de manage our money. If I stop my work for the bank, they go settle me with big money. Because we no de owe anybody money, we think-am say if we make our life simple, we go still get enough money to care for ourself for long time.

E no easy to make that decision. But my dear wife and my mama support the decision well. So, I go start to pioneer again! This one really make me happy! E just be like say everything don balance. But before we know, we hear another news wey surprise all of us.

One day, our doctor tell us say Sylvia my wife get belle. This one really surprise two of us! The news give us joy no be small. But I think about the decision wey I don already make to be pioneer. As e don be like this, I fit still pioneer? Small time, we begin  prepare to welcome our new family member. But what about the things wey I don sofri plan?

After we don discuss the things wey we plan, we decide say I fit still pioneer. We born Gabriel for April 1985. Even with that one, I stop the bank work and I start to pioneer again for June 1985. After sometime, I come be Branch Committee member. But the branch office no dey for Caracas. This one mean say I go de travel about 50 miles (80 km) for two days or three days every week.

The branch office be dey one town wey them de call La Victoria. So, we decide as family say we go pack go La Victoria so that we go dey near Bethel. This one no easy for us. I really thank my family for the thing wey they do and I love them no be small. The way they behave really help me. That time, Baha my sister dey ready to care for our mama. Mike don marry that time, but Samira and Gabriel still dey with us for house. This one mean say they go leave their friends for Caracas as they go follow us pack go La Victoria. And my dear wife Sylvia, still need to learn how to live for small town instead of the busy city wey e dey before. And all of us need to learn how to sabi live for small house. True-true, e no really easy as we decide to move from Caracas go La Victoria.

But things change again. Gabriel marry and Samira go live for e own place. Then for 2007, they invite me and my wife come Bethel, and we still dey there till today. Mike our senior pikin, de serve as elder and e de pioneer with e wife wey e name na Monica. Gabriel na elder and e de serve for Italy with e wife wey e name na Ambra. Apart from say Samira de pioneer, e still de support work for Bethel from e house.

True-true, I don make plenty important decisions for my life. But I no regret anyone. I go make the same decisions again. I really glad for all the things wey I don fit do for Jehovah. For all the years, I don see say e really dey important to always dey tight with Jehovah. Whether the decision wey we need to make dey big or small, Jehovah fit give us the peace wey “pass anything wey person fit understand.” (Phil. 4:6, 7) Me and my wife de really enjoy Bethel work and we feel say Jehovah don bless our decision because we de always put Jehovah first for our life.