Them born me for December 22, 1929, for Noville. Noville na one small village wey get nine farm and e near Bastogne, wey dey Belgian Ardennes. When I de grow, I really happy with my papa and mama as we de work for the farm. Everyday, me and my junior brother wey im name na Raymond de use hand press milk comot from our cow, and de keep the milk for our house. For our village, everybody de work together to help each other.

My papa name na Emile and my mama name na Alice, and them be Catholics. Them de go church every Sunday. But around 1939, pioneers from England come our village and them arrange with my papa to de give-am Consolation magazine, wey them de call Awake! now. Quick-quick, my papa see say wetin the magazine de talk na true, and e start to read Bible. When e stop to go church, our neighbors wey be our friends before start to dey against-am. Them try force my papa make e no leave Catholic church.

E pain me well-well when I see how them de treat my papa. This one make me pray to Jehovah say make e help my papa. This na the prayer wey I talk about for the beginning of this article. I happy well-well when I see say our neighbors no de worry my papa again. This one make me know say Jehovah “de hear prayer.”

Nazi Germany attack Belgium for May 10, 1940, and this one make many people run comot from the country. Our family run go the south part of France. As we de run sometimes, we de meet German and French army wey de fight each other.

After, we come back to our village and we see say them don thief plenty of our things. Na only our dog, Bobbie, dey there to welcome us. Things  like this make me ask myself say, ‘Why war dey and why suffer plenty?’

Around that time, Brother Emile Schrantz a wey be pioneer and elder visit us. And this one really encourage us. E use Bible explain why we de suffer and answer plenty other questions wey I de ask about life. This one make my friendship with Jehovah strong more, and e make me trust say Jehovah na God of love.

Even before the war end, our family get the chance to talk to other Jehovah Witness people. For August 1943, Brother José-Nicolas Minet come visit where we de stay to give talk. For im talk, e ask say, “Who want baptize?” Me and my papa raise our hand up. And we baptize for one small river near our farm.

For December 1944, German army start the last main attack of World War II for West part of Europe. Them de call this attack Battle of Bulge. We de live near the area wey this fight de happen, and we hide for one place wey dey under our house for about one month. One day when I go outside to give our animals food, bomb fall for our farm and destroy the roof of the house wey we de keep our animals. One American soldier wey dey near the farm shout say, “Lie down!” I run go meet the soldier and I lie down. E put im helmet for my head to protect me.

After the war, we succeed to de talk to the brothers for Liège congregation, wey dey around 90 kilometers (56 miles) from us, for the north side. After sometime, we form one small study group for Bastogne. I start to work for one company wey de handle tax matter, and I get the chance to study law. Later, I work for local government office. For 1951 we do one small circuit assembly for Bastogne. About one hundred people come the assembly. One sister wey be regular pioneer, wey e name na Elly Reuter dey among them. The sister use bicycle travel about 50 kilometers (31 miles) to fit attend the assembly. Small time, we start to like each other and agree say we go marry each other. Them just invite  Sister Elly that time to attend Gilead School for United States. E write to our world headquarters to explain why e no go fit attend the school that time. Brother Knorr wey be president of Watch Tower that time reply im letter say maybe one day, e go attend Gilead School with im husband. We marry for February 1953.

That same year, me and Elly attend the New World Society Assembly wey them do for Yankee Stadium for New York. For there, I meet one brother wey tell me say make I come de work for-am, and e invite me make I come dey stay for United States. After we pray about the matter, me and Elly decide say we no go accept the work, instead, we go back to Belgium to support the small group wey get ten publishers for Bastogne. The next year, my wife born our son wey e name na Serge, and we happy well-well. But seven months later, Serge start to sick and e die. We pray to Jehovah and tell-am how we de feel, and the hope wey we get say we go see-am again for Paradise comfort us.

For October 1961, I see one work wey I go de do some days in a week, and this one go allow me to pioneer. But that same day, I receive phone call from the branch servant for Belgium. E ask me if I fit serve as circuit servant, wey them de call circuit overseer now. But I tell-am say, “We fit do regular pioneer small before we start this work?” And them gree. After we pioneer for eight months, we start circuit overseer work for September 1962.

After we do circuit overseer work for two years, them invite us to come work for Bethel wey dey Brussels for Belgium. We start to serve there for October 1964. And Jehovah really bless us for this new assignment. Brother Knorr visit our branch for 1965, and e surprise me say e no tey after im visit, them make me branch servant. Later, them invite me and Elly to attend class 41 of Gilead School. Wetin Brother Knorr talk 13 years ago finally happen. After the school, them send us back to Belgium branch.

For many years, I get the chance to use wetin I know about law to defend our brothers and sisters for Europe and other place, so that their government go allow them worship Jehovah. (Phil. 1:7) Because of this one, I get the chance to meet government people for more than 55 country wey them ban our work. I no de tell the government people say I know law well-well, but I de tell them say “I be man of God.” I de always pray to Jehovah make e help me, because I know say “the heart of king [or judge] be like river for the hand of Jehovah. E de direct-am go anywhere wey E want.”—Prov. 21:1.

I still remember wetin I discuss with one member for European Parliament. I beg plenty times say I want talk to-am, and e later agree to talk  to me. E talk say: “I go give you only five minutes, and when e reach, I no go add even one minute.” I bend my head and start to pray. The man ask me wetin I de do. I raise my head up and tell-am say, “I just thank God because you de work for-am.” E ask me say, “Wetin you mean?” I show-am wetin dey for Romans 13:4. Since e de go Protestant church, e respect Bible. Wetin happen after? We talk for thirty minutes and the meeting go well. E even talk say e respect the work wey Jehovah Witness people de do.

For many years, our brothers don get many case for different-different court for Europe for matter wey concern why Christian no de put hand for politics, who go care for pikin, tax matter, and other things. Na wonderful honor I get to see how Jehovah de help us win the different-different case. Jehovah Witness people don win more than 140 case for the European Court of Human Rights!

Around 1990, I work with Brother Philip Brumley, from world headquarters, and Brother Valter Farneti, from Italy, so that Cuba government go fit allow our brothers and sisters worship Jehovah. I write to Cuba embassy for Belgium and then, I meet the person wey them appoint to handle our matter. For the first meeting wey we do, we no succeed to solve the problem.

After we pray to Jehovah make e help us, we ask permission from government, and them allow us to fit bring 5,000 Bible to Cuba. The Bible reach Cuba and them no disturb us, so we share them to brothers and sisters. This one make us see say Jehovah de bless wetin we de do. Then we still ask government make e allow us bring 27,500 Bible. Them allow us. As we help the brothers and sisters get their own Bible, this one really make me happy.

I don visit Cuba many times to help our brothers so that government go fit allow them worship Jehovah well. This one don help me know many government people.

For 1994, e pass 1,000,000 people wey them kill for the war wey them fight against Tutsi people for Rwanda. E pain us say them kill some of our brothers and sisters. Small time, them tell some brothers to go give the brothers and sisters for Rwanda wetin them need.

When we reach Kigali wey be the capital of Rwanda, we see plenty hole wey bullet make for  the wall of the translation office, and the office wey we de keep our books them. We hear plenty story of our brothers and sisters wey them kill with cutlass. But we still hear story of how brothers and sisters show love to each other. For example, we meet one brother wey them hide for inside one hole wey dey under ground for 28 days, and na one Hutu family wey be Jehovah Witness hide-am. For one meeting wey we do for Kigali, we encourage and comfort more than 900 brothers and sisters.

The next place wey we go na Zaire, wey them de call Democratic Republic of Congo now. We go find brothers and sisters from Rwanda wey run go refugee camps wey near one city wey them de call Goma. We no see them, so we pray to Jehovah say make e help us see them. We see somebody wey de waka come meet us, and we ask-am if e know any Jehovah Witness person. E answer say, “Yes, I be Jehovah Witness, and I go like to carry una go meet the brothers wey dey relief committee.” After we meet the brothers wey dey the committee, we meet about 1,600 brothers and sisters wey run from Rwanda because of the war, to encourage and comfort them. We still read the letter wey Governing Body write to them. The brothers and sisters happy well-well when we read the part of the letter wey talk say: “We de always remember una for our prayers. We know say Jehovah no go ever leave una.” Wetin Governing Body talk really happen. Today, Jehovah Witness people wey dey Rwanda pass 30,000!

After we don marry for about 58 years, my dear wife Elly die for 2011. I pray to Jehovah and tell-am how I de feel, and e comfort me. As I de preach to other people, this one too comfort me.

Even though say I don pass 90 years, I still de preach every week. Other things wey de make me happy be say, I de help Legal Department for Belgium branch, use my story encourage other people, and encourage young people for Bethel.

I pray to Jehovah for the first time, 84 years ago. And since that time, I don de near Jehovah more-more. I really happy say for all my life, Jehovah don show me say e de listen to my prayer.—Ps. 66:19. b