Throughout Our Life, We Na Learn Plenty Lessons From Our Grand Instructor

MY PARENTS EXAMPLE

To the end of 1950, my parents move from Italy to live in Kindersley in Saskatchewan, Canada. It not stay long, they learn the truth, and it wor the most important thing in our life. I can still remember when I wor small, I use to spend plenty time with my family in the field service. Sometime I can joke about it and say I start “auxiliary pioneering” when I wor eight years old!

My parents wor poor, but they still set good example in making sacrifice for Jehovah. For example, in 1963 they sell plenty of their thing dem to get money to attend the international convention in Pasadena, California in America. In 1972 we travel 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) to Trail, British Columbia, in Canada. We went there to help to preach to people who can speak Italian in that area. My pa wor janitor. He not accept promotion to his working place so he can focus on serving Jehovah.

I happy that my parents set good example for we the children dem. Their example wor the first part of my training in Jehovah service. It help me to learn this important lesson: If I continue to put the Kingdom first, then Jehovah will take care of me.—Matt. 6:33.

THE FIRST TIME WE START FULL-TIME SERVICE

In 1980, I marry Debbie, one fine sister who wor focus on serving Jehovah. We wanted to enter full-time service, so Debbie start pioneering three months after our wedding. One year after we get marry, we move to one small congregation where they needed more people to preach, and I start pioneering too.

After some time, we get discourage and we wanted to move. But first, we talk with the circuit overseer. When he wor talking with us, he wor honest but he do it with love. He say: “Yourself part of the problem too. Yor only focusing on the problem dem yor going through. But if yor focus on the good-good thing dem that happening around yor, yor will see it.” And that just the advice we needed. (Ps. 141:5) We wor quick to follow his advice, and it not stay long we start seeing plenty good-good thing dem. Plenty brothers and sisters wanted to do more in the congregation and for Jehovah, even the young people and some people who partner wor not in the truth. That wor good lesson for us. We learn to look for the good-good thing dem that wor happening around us and wait for Jehovah to help us with any problem we wor going through. (Mic. 7:7) It make us to be happy again, and things improve.

The teacher dem in our first pioneer school serve in other countries before. They show us some pictures and talk about the problem dem they face and the blessing dem they get. This one make us to want serve as missionaries. So we decide to set the goal to be missionaries.

To reach our goal, in 1984 we move to Quebec where they can speak French. It more than 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) from British Columbia. That mean, we wor coming learn new culture and new language. Another problem we wor facing that money business. One time, the only thing we wor having to eat, wor potatoes that one farmer use to give us for free. Debbie learn how to cook potatoes different-different ways! Even though we wor going through this problem dem, we try our best to always be happy. Beside that, we wor able to see that Jehovah wor really taking care of us.—Ps. 64:10.

One day, we receive call that we wor not expecting. That wor invitation for us to go serve in Bethel in Canada. We wor happy to go to Bethel, but we wor not too happy because we already apply to go to Gilead. But we still accept the invitation. When we reach there, we ask Brother Kenneth Little, who wor serving on the Branch Committee and say, “So what yor will do about the way we apply to go to Gilead?” He say, “When we reach to that bridge, we will cross it.”

One week later, we reach to that bridge because they invite me and Debbie to attend Gilead. So we wor having decision to make. Brother Little tell us say: “No matter what yor choose, sometime you will start thinking why I not choose the other one. None of this assignment dem better pass the other one; Jehovah can bless everything.” So we accept the invitation to go Gilead, and we na see for ourself that the thing Brother Little talk that true. We can always tell other people this same thing when they thinking about what kindna assignment to choose.

WHEN WE WOR MISSIONARIES

We wor happy to be among the 24 students who wor in the 83rd class of Gilead. It wor in April 1987 in Brooklyn, New York. Brother Ulysses Glass and Jack Redford wor our main teachers. The five months finish quick, and we graduate on September 6, 1987. They assign me and my wife, with John and Marie Goode to Haiti.

Since 1962 when they force the missionary dem that wor in Haiti to move from there, they never send any missionary there again. Three weeks after our graduation, we wor in Haiti in one small congregation that wor having 35 publishers way in the mountains. We wor young and we wor not having experience, and only two of us wor in the missionary home. The people wor really poor, and most of them wor not able to read. When we wor there, the people wor having political problem. People try to overthrow the government, people use to demonstrate and heavy storm use to blow.

We wor able to learn plenty things from the brother and sister dem in Haiti who always remain strong and happy. Life wor hard on plenty of them, but they love Jehovah and the ministry. One older sister wor not able to read, but she learn 150 Bible verse by heart. The thing dem that wor happening everyday, convince us more to continue preaching the Kingdom message because that the only thing that can solve human being problems. It really made us happy to see some of our first-first Bible student dem serving as regular pioneers, special pioneers, and elders.

When we wor in Haiti, I meet one young Latter-Day Saints missionary name Trevor, and we use to discuss the Bible one-one time. After some years, I receive one letter from him that I wor not expecting. He say: “I will be getting baptize during the next assembly! I want come back to Haiti to serve as special pioneer in the same area where I use to be Latter-Day Saints missionary.” And that just what he and his wife do for plenty years.

FROM EUROPE TO AFRICA

They assign us to the part of Europe where plenty people wanted to learn the truth. In 1992 we reach in Ljubljana, Slovenia, near the place my parents grow up before they move to Italy. They wor still fighting war in the area that they use to call Yugoslavia. The branch office in Vienna, Austria, and the office dem in Zagreb, Croatia, and Belgrade, Serbia, use to look after the work in that area. But now, each country wor coming get their own Bethel.

That mean we wor coming learn another new language and culture again. The people who wor living there use to say, “The language really hard.” And that true, it wor really hard! We wor happy for the faithful brother and sister dem who wor ready to accept any change the organization make. And we use to see how Jehovah bless them for it. We wor able to see again how Jehovah can correct matters and always do it the right time. The lesson dem we learn before and the new one dem we learn in Slovenia, help us to go through the problem dem we face.

But our life continue to change. In 2000 they assign us to Côte d’Ivoire, in West Africa. Then in November 2002, because of the war we run away to Sierra Leone. That time, the war they fight in Sierra Leone for 11 years just finish. It wor hard to leave from Côte d’Ivoire just like that. But the lesson dem we learn help us to continue to be happy.

We focus on the plenty people who wanted to learn the truth and on our loving brother and sister dem who remain faithful throughout the war. Even though things wor hard on them, they wor willing to share the small thing they wor having. One sister gave Debbie some clothes. When Debbie not wanted to hold it, the sister encourage her to take it. She say: “During the war, the brother dem in other countries use to help us. So now, that our time to help.” We decide to follow their fine example.

After some time, we went back to Côte d’Ivoire, but they start fighting there again. So in November 2004, we wor force to run away again. We went in helicopter, and each of us wor having only one bag. That night they carry us to one French army base and we sleep on the floor. Then the next day they carry us to Switzerland. We reach to the branch way in the night. The Branch Committee and the Ministerial Training School teachers with their wife dem came outside to welcome us. They hug us, give us food, and other small-small thing dem. It really touch our heart.

They assign us for short time in Ghana and then after the war cool down in Côte d’Ivoire, we went back there. The way the brothers wor kind to us, help us to go through all this problem dem. Me and Debbie agree that even though we can always see this love among Jehovah people, we must never overlook it. In fact, later on we get to know that this problem dem wor important part of our training.

TO THE MIDDLE EAST

In 2006 we receive one letter from world headquarters that we get new assignment to go to the Middle East. That mean, we wor coming see new things, face new problems, learn new language and culture again. We wor having plenty things to learn in this area that wor having plenty problem because of politics and religion. We use to like the way the brother dem use to speak different-different language in the congregations. And we also use to like the way they wor united because they follow direction. We really use to like the brother dem because of the way they wor brave to bear it when their family members, schoolmates, workmates, and neighbor dem go against them.

We attend the 2012 special convention in Tel Aviv, in Israel. Since Pentecost 33 C.E., this convention wor the first time for plenty of Jehovah people to come together in one place. That wor something to really remember!

During that time, they send us to visit one country where they restrict our work. We carry some of our literature, go field service, and attend small assemblies. They use to be having army people with gun and check points all over. But we use to feel safe because we wor careful when we going field service with the few publishers.

BACK TO AFRICA

In 2013 we get different assignment to go serve in the branch in Kinshasa, Congo. That fine country but plenty people there poor because the people can fight war there most of the time. From the beginning we say, “We know Africa; we ready to go.” But we wor still having plenty things to learn, especially when it come to traveling in area that wor not having good road. We wor having plenty good-good thing dem to think on like the way the brother dem wor faithful and happy, even though things wor hard on them. They love field service, and they always try their best to come to meetings and assemblies. We wor able to see for ourself how plenty people wanted to learn the truth only because Jehovah bless our work. The time we spend in full-time service in Congo, teach us very important lesson and we get friend dem who looking just like family to us.

To the ending of 2017, we get another new assignment again to go South Africa. That wor the biggest branch we ever serve in and the work they give us to do, we never do it before. We wor having plenty thing dem to learn again but the things we learn in our other assignment dem help us. We love the plenty brother and sister dem who been faithful to Jehovah for long. And it really touch our heart to see the Bethel family working together, even though they come from different-different background and cultures. It easy to see that Jehovah blessing his people with peace because they willing to put on the new personality and apply Bible principles.

Throughout the years, me and Debbie na get good-good assignment dem, learn different-different cultures, and learn new-new language. It wor not always easy, but Jehovah been using his organization and the brother dem to take care of us. (Ps. 144:2) The plenty thing dem we learn in full-time service na help us to be better Christians.

I happy for the way my parents train me, the way my wife Debbie support me, and the good-good example dem the brothers and sisters set. When we think about the future, we ready to continue learning lessons from our Grand Instructor.