I Try Well Well to Follow Good Example

NA December 10, 1936 dem born me for Wichita, Kansas wey dey U.S.A. We be four wey my papa and mama born and name be the first. My papa name na William and my mama name na Jean, dem be Jehovah Witness. Na my papa be company servant that time. Na company servant dem dey call person wey dey direct the things wey dey happen for congregation. My grand mama name na Emma Wagner, na im teach my mama the truth wey dey inside Bible. My grand mama still study many people, one of dem na Gertrude Steele. Gertrude Steele serve as missionary for many years for Puerto Rico.a So I get many better example to follow.

I REMEMBER MANY BETTER EXAMPLE

One Saturday evening, when I dey five years, me and my papa dey give people wey dey pass Watchtower and Consolation (wey be Awake! now). That time, the country join dey fight World War II. One doctor wey don drink come dey curse my papa because as e be Christian e no gree join people go fight war. E talk sey my papa too dey fear, and sey e dey dodge make dem no carry am go fight war. The man stand for my papa front tell am sey, “Try nack me, you this fear fear man!” I come dey fear, but I like wetin my papa do. My papa no mind am, e continue to dey give magazine to people wey gather. As one soldier dey pass, the doctor come shout tell am sey, “Do something to this fear fear man!” The soldier know sey the man don drink, so e come tell am sey, “Go house make the drink clear for your eye!” Two of dem come comot. When I remember the kind strong mind wey Jehovah give my papa that day, I dey thank am. My papa get two barbing salon, and the doctor na one of im customer.

When I dey eight years, my papa and mama sell our house and barbing salon. Dem come build one small house wey person fit carry waka. We come park go where Jehovah Witness people no too plenty for Colorado make we for help dem. Na near Grand Junction we stay, and dem pioneer for there. Dem still do farm work and train animal for there to support theirself. Jehovah bless their preaching work, and before you know, dem don start one congregation. For June 20, 1948, me and other people wey study Bible baptize for one river, and na my papa baptize us. Billie Nichols and im wife join us baptize. Billie Nichols and im wife, and their pikin and e wife later be circuit overseer.

We get many friend wey love Jehovah and wey dey use their time preach. Especially Don and Earlene, Dave and Julia, and Si and Martha wey come from Steele family. We and dem dey always talk about Jehovah. Dem really help me well well. Dem help me see sey I go happy if I put God Kingdom first for my life.

I GO ANOTHER PLACE

When I dey 19 years, one of our family friend wey im name na Bud Hasty tell me sey make I come join am dey pioneer for United States. The circuit overseer tell us sey make we go Ruston for Louisiana because many Jehovah Witness wey dey there don stop to go meeting. E tell us sey make we do all the meeting no matter how many people come. We come see one better place wey we fit dey do meeting and we arrange the place. We do all the meeting. And for some time, na only two of us dey come. We dey handle meeting part turn by turn, and the person wey sitdown go answer all the question. If demonstration dey, two of us go dey platform and nobody go dey to listen! At last, one old sister come start to dey come meeting. And before you know, some people wey we dey teach Bible, and people wey no dey come meeting before, come start to dey come, na so the congregation come dey grow.

One day wey we dey preach, me and Bud come meet one Church of Christ pastor. The pastor talk about some place for Bible wey I never hear before. This one touch me, come make me think well well about wetin I believe. Na one week I take find answer to all the question wey e ask. That one really help me to know the truth wey dey Bible, and I no come dey fear to meet another pastor again.

E no too tey wey circuit overseer come tell me sey make I go El Dorado for Arkansas, to help the congregation for there. When I dey there, I still dey go Colorado go meet people wey want register me for army. One time when I dey go there, some pioneer join me for my motor, and as we dey go we get accident for Texas wey scatter my motor. We come call one brother wey come carry us go im house and still carry us go meeting. Dem come announce for the congregation sey we get accident. The brothers and sisters come contribute money for us and the brother wey help us that time still sell my motor for $25.

We come fit travel go Wichita, where one of our family friend wey im name na Everidge Frank “Doc” McCartney dey pioneer. E get two pikin wey be twins. Their name na Frank and Francis, dem be my friend and we still be tight friend till now. Dem sell their old motor for me for $25, the same price wey dem take buy my own wey don spoil. Na the first time be this wey I really see sey Jehovah don give me wetin I need because I dey put im Kingdom first. The McCartney family come show me one sister wey love Jehovah, im name na Bethel Crane. Im mama name na Ruth, this im mama no dey use preaching play. E dey stay for Wellington, Kansas. E continue to dey pioneer even when e don pass 90 years. E no reach one year before me and Bethel marry. Na 1958 we marry. E join me dey pioneer for El Dorado.

WE HAPPY TO GO

When we think about the better example wey we follow as we dey grow, we come tell our self sey we ready to do anything wey Jehovah organization sey make we do. Dem come send us go Walnut Ridge for Arkansas as special pioneer. For 1962, we happy as dem invite us go the 37th class for Gilead. We surprise sey Don Steele dey the same class. When we graduate, dem come send me and my wife go Nairobi, for Kenya. As we comot for New York, e remain small make we cry. But as we meet our brothers for airport wey dey Nairobi, we come dey happy.

Before we know, we start to like Kenya and enjoy our preaching for there. The first person wey we study Bible with wey come dey do well na Chris and Mary Kanaiya. Dem still dey pioneer for Kenya. After one year, dem come tell us sey make we go Kampala for Uganda. Na we come be the first missionary for there. We really happy well well for there, because many people wey ready to learn the truth wey dey inside Bible dey there. And dem come be Jehovah Witness. But after we don stay Africa for three years and six month, we comot because we go get pikin. We come go back to United States. We nearly cry when we dey comot for Africa, e pain us pass when we dey comot for America. The reason wey make am pain us be sey we don come like the people for Africa. Who know? We fit come back one day.

HOW WE TAKE TRAIN OUR TWO PIKIN

We come go Colorado, and na there my papa and mama dey stay. E no tey my wife born our first pikin, im name na Kimberly. After one year and five months, we come get another pikin. Im name na Stephany. We know sey to train pikin no easy, so we no use am play at all. We try help dem love Jehovah when dem still small. We want make dem follow our better example. Na true sey better example fit help pikin do well, but that one no mean sey the pikin go serve Jehovah as e dey grow. Even my junior brother and sister stop to serve Jehovah. But I dey pray sey dem go come back, come follow the better example wey my papa and mama take train dem.

E sweet us to train our pikin and we dey always do things together. Since we stay near Aspen wey dey Colorado, all of us learn how to ski (one game wey dem dey do on top snow), make we fit dey do am together sometimes. This one give us time to dey talk with dem. We still dey travel with dem go inside bush, and we dey enjoy how we take dey gather round fire dey story together. Even though dem small, dem dey ask us sey “Wetin I go do when I don grow?” and “Which kind person I go marry?” We try to help dem put wetin God want for mind. We want make dem use their life take serve Jehovah and make dem marry person wey get that kind plan. We try help dem know sey e no too good to quick marry. We dey always use this word for dem “Wait until you reach or pass 23 years.”

We remember how our papa and mama take train us, so all of us dey try go meeting and preaching together every time. We arrange make some people wey dey do full-time work for Jehovah stay our house sometimes. We dey always happy to tell dem about the time wey we be missionary. We talk sey one day all of us fit travel go Africa, and our pikin want make we go.

We dey always do family study. For the family study, we dey act drama of things wey fit happen for school. We go let our pikin do the part of Jehovah Witness wey dey answer question. Dem really like am, this one dey make dem happy to learn and e dey give dem mind. As dem dey grow, dem come dey complain about the family study. One day, I come vex tell dem sey we no go do family study that day. Dem surprise, dem come start to dey cry sey dem want do family study. We come see sey we don dey help dem love Jehovah from their mind. As dem dey grow, dem come like the family study, and we dey always allow dem talk wetin dey their mind. Sometimes e no easy for us, especially when dem tell us sey dem no believe some things wey we dey teach dem. But, we don really know wetin dey their mind. After we talk about am with dem, dem go come gree for wetin Jehovah talk.

HOW WE TAKE MANAGE WHEN THINGS CHANGE

We no know sey we go quick train our pikin like this. Jehovah and im organization really help us. We do wetin we fit do to help dem love Jehovah. We happy well well sey as dem finish secondary school, dem start to pioneer, and dem learn work to support theirself. Dem come follow two sister go where Jehovah Witness no too pleny for Cleveland wey dey Tennessee. E pain us well well as dem comot, but we happy sey dem dey use their life serve Jehovah as pioneer. Me and my wife come start to dey pioneer again, na this one come make fit do more for Jehovah. We do circuit overseer work when e no dey, and we still help for convention.

Before our pikin dem travel go Tennessee, dem visit the Bethel wey dey London for England. Na there Stephany wey dey 19 years that time, meet Paul Norton. Paul Norton na one young brother wey dey work for Bethel. When dem travel again, my other pikin, Kimberly come meet one of im work mate wey im name na Brian Llewellyn. When Stephany dey for 23 years, e come marry Paul. After one year, when Kimberly dey 25 years, e come marry Brian. So two of dem wait until dem reach or pass 23 years. We like the brothers wey dem marry and we support dem.

Our pikin dem tell us sey our example, and the example of our papa and mama help dem. E really help dem follow wetin Jesus talk to ‘put God Kingdom first’ even when things hard for dem. (Matt. 6:33) For April 1998, dem invite Paul and Stephany go the 105th Gilead school. When the school finish, dem come send dem go Malawi wey dey Africa. Na that same time dem invite Brian and Kimberly to come work for the Bethel wey dey London. Dem come later transfer dem go the Bethel wey dey Malawi. We happy no be small, because we know sey the only way young people fit use their life well, na to use am serve Jehovah.

WE STILL HAPPY TO GO

Na January 2001 Brother Marais call me from Patterson wey dey New York, as I don talk before for up. Na Brother Marais be the Translation overseer. E come tell me sey dem dey arrange English class for all the people wey dey translate, and dem want train me to be one of the teacher for the class. I dey 64 years that time. Me and my wife pray about the matter, we still talk about the matter with our mama dem wey don old, to hear wetin dem go talk. Two of dem sey dem want make we go even though sey we no go dey around to help dem. I come phone dem back and tell dem sey we go happy well well to go.

My mama come get one bad sickness wey dem dey call cancer. I come tell my mama sey we go stay make we fit join my sister Linda take care of am. My mama come tell me sey: “No try am, you go add join my sickness if you no go.” My sister still want make we go. We really like am as dem support us, and we still like the way our friend dem for the area take help us! The next day, after we comot from house go the Watchtower Educational Center wey dey Patterson, Linda call me sey my mama don die. We know sey if e still dey alive, e go tell us to put eye well well for our work. So we really put body for our new work.

We surprise sey the first place wey dem send us go na the same Bethel wey our pikin with their husband dey for Malawi. At last we come dey together again! After, we come go train people wey dey translate for Zimbabwe and Zambia. After we don train people wey dey translate for three and half years, dem come sey make we go back to Malawi go write the story of Jehovah Witness wey suffer because dem no gree go fight war.b

For 2005, e no easy for me and my wife and we nearly cry as we go back to where we dey stay for Basalt wey dey Colorado. We continue to dey pioneer for there. For 2006, my first pikin Kimberly and im husband Brian come dey stay near us dey train their two pikin, their name na name na Mackenzie and Elizabeth. My second pikin Stephany and im husband Paul, still dey the Bethel wey dey Malawi and im husband dey Branch Committee for there now. I don dey reach 80 years now, and I dey happy when I see other brothers, wey I senior dey do the work wey I dey do before for congregation. Na the better example wey we follow, na im dey make us dey happy well well. And we still happy sey we show the same example to our pikin and grand pikin.