People Wey First Be Sister for Church Don Become Jehovah Witness

Felisa: Na for Spain I grow and my family no too get money. Na Catholic church my family dey go and we no dey take church matter play at all. Even self, that time, e get 13 people for my family wey e be sey some of dem na priest and some of dem dey work for church. One person for my mama family na priest and na teacher before e die, for one Catholic school. After e die, Pope John Paul II even talk sey e don be “saint” for heaven. My papa work na to dey use iron make things, and my mama dey do farm work. Na eight pikin my mama born and na me be the senior.

E get war wey dem fight for Spain when I dey 12 years. After the war, dem put my papa for prison because government no like as my papa dey do im own politics. E come hard for my mama to fit see food give all of us. Wetin my mama come do be sey, e come carry three of my small sister, Araceli, Lauri, and Ramoni, go stay for convent (the place where Catholic sisters wey dey work for the church dey stay), wey dey for Bilbao. Na for there my small sister dem go see food chop belefull.

Araceli: That time I dey 14 years, Lauri dey 12 years, and Ramoni dey 10 years. E come dey do us like sey mek we go house back. Na cleaner work we dey do for the convent. Na there we dey for two years before the Catholic sisters for there come carry us go another big convent wey dey Zaragoza, where dem dey take care of old people. Our work for there na to clean kitchen, and the work dey make us tire well well.

Felisa: After, my mama and my uncle wey be priest, come sey dem go carry me go join my sister dem for the convent wey dey Zaragoza because of one boy wey want mek I be im girlfriend. I really want stay for convent because I love God. That time, na every day I dey go church. I want even be Catholic missionary, like one of my family person wey be missionary for Africa.

But when I dey the convent, e come dey do me like sey no be the things wey I get for mind to do, I go fit do. The Catholic sisters no even advise me sey mek I be missionary, as I get for mind before. So, after one year, I come go house back go help that my uncle wey be priest. I come dey help am work for im house and we dey pray the Rosary together every evening. One thing wey I still like to do that time, na to arrange flower wey dey inside the church and I dey dress Mary image and the “saint” image.

Araceli: Na when I dey Zaragoza I make the first promise wey people wey want be Catholic sister, dey make. Na that time the Catholic sisters for there come separate all of us. Dem carry me go one convent for Madrid and dem carry Lauri go another convent wey dey Valencia. Na only Ramoni come dey for Zaragoza. When I dey Madrid I come make the second promise. Many people dey come stay for this convent, like student and old people. So work come full everywhere. Na for the hospital wey dey the convent I come dey work.

I really get am for mind to be Catholic sister. I think sey we go dey read Bible and we go dey learn about wetin dey Bible well well. But no be wetin I get for mind I see. No body dey use Bible or dey even talk about God or Jesus. I learn Latin small, come learn story about Catholic “saint” dem and I worship Mary. But wetin we dey do pass na strong strong work.

I come dey tire for the work and my mind no come settle again. I come dey feel sey I suppose dey make money to help my family no be to dey do this kind “monkey dey work baboon dey chop” work wey I dey do for this convent. I come tell the senior mother for the convent sey I no want stay for the convent again. But e no gree, e come even lock me for one small room. E think sey that one go mek me change my mind.

Other Catholic sisters for there come open the room for me. But as dem come see sey I no gree change my mind, dem come still lock me for the room again. After the third time wey dem lock me for the room, dem come talk sey dem go let me comot if I gree write sey: “I dey comot because I no want serve God again, but I want go serve Satan.” I fear I want really comot for there, but I no fit write that kind thing. At last I come tell dem sey I want follow priest talk and I come tell the priest wetin happen. E first tell the bishop, before e carry me go back to the convent wey dey Zaragoza. After some month, dem come allow me comot. E no tey again before Lauri and Ramoni come still comot for convent.

ONE BOOK WEY CAUSE WAHALA

Felisa: After some time, I come marry and I come dey stay for Cantabaria, one town wey dey Spain. I still dey go church well well. One Sunday for church, the priest come vex, shout sey, “Una see this book!” E show us the book wey be The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. E talk sey, “If anybody don give una this book, mek una give me or mek una throwey am!”

I no get the book, but I like to get am. After some days pass, two women come my house. Dem be Jehovah Witness and dem give me the book. I read the book finish that night. When dem come back, dem ask me whether I go like to study Bible with dem. I sey yes.

Na wetin God want I dey like to do. As I come dey learn the truth about Jehovah, I come dey love am well well. I want tell everybody about Jehovah. Na 1973 I come baptize. Any time I get chance to talk with my family people, I dey like preach to dem. But my family people, especially my sister Araceli, no want gree sey wetin I dey preach correct.

Araceli: Because dem no treat me well at all when I dey the convent, I really vex and I no come like my church. But I still dey go church on Sunday, and I no stop to dey pray the Rosary every day. I still want sabi wetin dey Bible, na im I come pray sey mek God help me. Na that time Felisa come tell me wetin e don dey learn. The way Felisa take dey happy about wetin e learn come mek me dey feel sey e don dey craze. I no believe wetin Felisa dey talk.

After, I come go Madrid again because of work and I come marry for there. For the years wey don pass, I don see sey people wey dey go church well well no even dey do the things wey Bible talk. Na so I take stop to go church. I no come believe again sey “saint” or hellfire dey, and I no come believe sey priest dey fit forgive people sin. I even throwey all the image wey I dey take dey worship. But I no know whether na the correct thing I dey do. Church come tire me but I still dey pray, dey tell God sey: “I want sabi who you be. Help me!” I still remember sey Jehovah Witness people don come knock my door many times, but I no dey open for dem. I no trust any church.

Lauri, my sister, dey stay for France and Ramoni dey Spain. Around 1980, Jehovah Witness people come dey study Bible with dem. That time I believe sey, like Felisa, dem no know sey the things wey dem dey learn no correct. After, me and one of my neighbor, Angelines, come be tight friend. This my neighbor na still Jehovah Witness. Angelines and im husband don try to study Bible with me many times. Dem come see am sey, even if I talk before sey church don tire me, I really like to learn wetin dey Bible. I come finally tell dem sey: “Okay. But na only if I go use my own Bible, I go gree mek we study Bible together!” The Bible wey I get na Nácar-Colunga Bible.

BIBLE COME FINALLY SETTLE THE WAHALA

Felisa: The time wey I baptize for 1973, na around 70 people be Jehovah Witness for Santander, wey be the capital of Cantabaria. We dey go inside many many village go preach and the place far well well. Na im mek us come dey use bus and later dey use motor go dey preach from village to village.

For the years wey don pass, I study Bible with many people and 11 of dem come baptize. Nearly all the people wey I study with, that time, na Catholic. I know sey I need to take am sofri with dem. Like me, dem need time to come know sey wetin dem believe no correct. I know sey na only Bible plus Jehovah spirit go fit help person change wetin dey im mind and sabi the truth wey dey Bible. (Hebrews 4:12) My husband, Bienvenido, wey be policeman before, baptize for 1979. And my mama don start to study Bible with Jehovah Witness people before e die.

Araceli: When I start to study Bible with Jehovah Witness people, I think sey I no go fit trust dem. But as time dey go, I no come dey think like that again. Dem no dey only teach wetin dey Bible but dem dey do wetin dey Bible. My faith for Jehovah come dey strong and I come dey believe Bible well well. I even dey happy pass before. As some of my neighbor come dey see sey I don really change, dem tell me sey, “Araceli, no stop to dey follow this road wey you don choose!”

I remember when I pray sey, “Jehovah, you do well for my body as you no tire for me and as you take give me plenty chance to take see wetin I don dey find​—⁠wey be the truth wey dey Bible.” I come still beg Felisa, my sister, sey mek e forgive me for the things wey I tell am, wey pain am. Since that time, we no dey argue again but we dey enjoy to dey talk about Bible together. I baptize for 1989, when I dey 61 years.

Felisa: Na 91 years I be now. My husband don die, and my body no strong as e strong before. But I still dey read Bible every day, and I dey go meeting and preaching as my body gree me.

Araceli: I dey like to preach to all the priest and Catholic sister wey I meet, may be na because I don be Catholic sister before. I don enjoy the time wey I take preach to some of dem, and many of dem collect our book and magazine. I remember one priest wey I preach to. After I don preach to am different different times, e come believe sey wetin I dey tell am na true. E come ask me, sey: “For this my age, where you think sey I fit go? Wetin my church members and my family people go talk?” I come answer am sey: “And wetin God go talk?” E come see sey wetin I talk na true. But I see sey e no happy, because e be like sey, e no get the mind to change.

I no go ever forget the time wey my husband tell me sey e want follow me go one of our meeting. My husband don pass 80 years when e follow me go im first meeting and after that one, e no miss any meeting. E come dey study Bible and e come start to preach. I still dey remember how me and my husband dey enjoy when we dey preach together. Na two months before the day wey e go baptize, e die.

Felisa: The time wey I start to serve Jehovah, my three junior sister come dey give me problem. But after, dem come join me dey serve Jehovah. That na one of the things wey don mek me happy pass for my life. As that one happen, we come dey enjoy to do things together. We still dey enjoy to talk about Bible and to dey talk about Jehovah, the God wey we love! At last, all of us come dey worship Jehovah.a