A Rewarding Journey in Jehovah’s Service

RAISED IN A RELIGIOUSLY DIVIDED HOME

I was born in 1934 to Swiss immigrants who settled in Timmins, a mining town in Ontario, Canada. About 1939, my mother began to read the Watchtower magazine and to attend meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She brought me and my six siblings with her. Soon, she became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Father was not happy with her decision, but Mother loved the truth and was determined to stick with it. She did so even during the early 1940’s when the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses was banned in Canada. And she always treated Father with kindness and respect, despite his verbal abuse. Her excellent example helped me and my siblings to accept the truth too. Happily, Father’s attitude softened in time and he began to treat our family more kindly.

BEGINNING FULL-TIME SERVICE

During the summer of 1950, I attended the Theocracy’s Increase Assembly in New York City. I was very motivated to do more in Jehovah’s service after meeting brothers and sisters from around the world and listening to exciting interviews of Gilead School graduates! I became more determined than ever to enter the full-time ministry. As soon as I got back home, I applied to become a regular pioneer. The Canada branch office wrote back, suggesting that I get baptized first. I did so on October 1, 1950. One month later, I became a regular pioneer and received my first assignment in Kapuskasing. That town was many kilometers away from where I was living at the time.

In the spring of 1951, the branch office invited Witnesses who could speak French to consider moving to the French-speaking province of Quebec. The need was great there. I grew up speaking both French and English, so I answered the call and was assigned to Rouyn. I did not know anybody there. All I had was an address, as I related earlier. But things worked out well. Marcel and I became good friends, and I enjoyed serving in Quebec for the next four years, eventually as a special pioneer.

GILEAD AND POSTPONED EXPECTATIONS

While in Quebec, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to the 26th class of Gilead School in South Lansing, New York. Graduation day came on February 12, 1956, and I was assigned to what is now Ghana,b West Africa. But before I could go, I had to return to Canada for “a few weeks” until my travel documents were ready.

I ended up waiting seven months in Toronto for those documents. During that time, I was kindly housed by the Cripps family, and I came to know Sheila, their daughter. We fell in love. When I was just about to propose marriage, my visa came in. Sheila and I prayerfully decided that I should go to my assignment. But we would keep corresponding to see if and when a future marriage might be possible. That was not an easy decision, but as matters turned out, it was the right one.

After a month of traveling by train, cargo ship, and plane, I arrived in Accra, Ghana. There I was assigned to serve as a district overseer. That included traveling throughout Ghana as well as neighboring Ivory Coast (now Côte d’Ivoire) and Togoland (now Togo). Most of the time, I traveled alone in the branch-provided jeep. I enjoyed every minute of that time!

On the weekends, I served circuit assemblies. We had no Assembly Halls. So the brothers would build a temporary roof of bamboo poles covered with palm branches to provide shelter from the hot sun. Because there was no refrigeration for the cafeteria, live animals were kept on hand and butchered as needed to feed the attendees.

We had some amusing experiences at those assemblies. Once Herb Jennings,c a fellow missionary, was giving a talk when a steer escaped from the cafeteria. It bolted between the platform and the audience. Herb stopped talking and the animal seemed totally disoriented. But four strong brothers managed to restrain it and carry it back to the cafeteria, to the cheers of the audience.

The days between assemblies, I showed our film The New World Society in Action in nearby villages. To do so, I would project the film onto a white canvas sheet strung up between two poles or two trees. The villagers loved it! For many, it was the first movie they had ever seen. They applauded with great vigor when they watched scenes of people getting baptized. That film really helped those who saw it to realize that we were a united worldwide organization.

After some two years in Africa, I was excited to attend the 1958 international convention in New York City. What a joy to see Sheila, who came down from Quebec, where she was serving as a special pioneer. We had been corresponding by letter, but now that we were together again, I asked her to marry me, and she accepted. I wrote Brother Knorrd and asked whether Sheila could attend Gilead and join me in Africa. He agreed. Sheila finally arrived in Ghana. We were married in Accra, on October 3, 1959. We felt that Jehovah had truly blessed us for putting him first in our lives.

SERVING TOGETHER IN CAMEROON

In 1961 we were assigned to the country of Cameroon. Being asked to help establish a new branch office, I was very busy. As a new branch servant, I had a lot to learn. Then in 1965 we learned that Sheila was pregnant. I admit that the thought of becoming parents took some time to get used to. But just as we were getting excited about this new responsibility and making plans to return to Canada, we experienced a devastating loss.

Sheila suffered a miscarriage. The doctor informed us that our unborn child was a boy. That was over 50 years ago, but we never forgot it. Although deeply saddened by what happened, we remained in our foreign assignment, which we dearly loved.

Brothers in Cameroon often faced persecution because of their political neutrality. The situation was particularly tense during presidential elections. Our worst fears were realized on May 13, 1970, when Jehovah’s Witnesses were officially banned. The beautiful new branch facility, which we had moved into only five months earlier, was confiscated by the government. Within a week, all the missionaries​—including Sheila and me—​were expelled from the country. It was hard to leave the brothers and sisters behind because we cared so much for them and we worried about how they would fare in the days ahead.

We spent the next six months at the branch office in France. There I continued to do all I could to care for the needs of our brothers in Cameroon. In December of that year, we were assigned to the Nigeria branch, which began looking after the work in Cameroon. The brothers and sisters in Nigeria received us warmly, and we enjoyed serving there for several years.

A DIFFICULT DECISION

In 1973 we had to make a very difficult decision. Sheila had been coping with some serious health problems. While we were in New York for a convention, she broke down and told me: “I just can’t go on! I’m exhausted and sick so much of the time.” She had been serving with me in West Africa for over 14 years. I was so proud of her faithful service, but we needed to make some changes. After discussing our situation and praying long and hard about it, we decided that we should return to Canada, where we could better care for her health. Leaving our missionary assignment and the full-time service were by far the most difficult and heartrending decisions we ever had to make.

After arriving in Canada, I obtained employment with a longtime friend who ran a car dealership in a town north of Toronto. We rented an apartment, bought secondhand furniture, and were able to make the move without going into debt. We wanted to keep our life simple, hoping that one day we might be able to get back into full-time service. To our surprise, that hope was realized sooner than we ever thought possible.

I began to volunteer on Saturdays at the construction site of a new Assembly Hall in Norval, Ontario. In time, I was asked to serve as the Assembly Hall overseer. Sheila’s health was improving, and we felt that she could handle this new assignment. So we moved into the Assembly Hall apartment in June of 1974. We were so happy to be back in full-time service!

Thankfully, Sheila’s health continued to improve. Two years later, we were able to accept an assignment in the circuit work. The circuit was located in Manitoba, a Canadian province known for its frigid winters. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the warm fellowship of the brothers and sisters there. We learned that it does not really matter where we serve​—the key is to keep on serving Jehovah wherever we are.

LEARNING AN IMPORTANT LESSON

After several years in the circuit work, we were invited in 1978 to serve at Canada Bethel. Not long after, I learned a painful but important lesson. I was assigned to give a one-and-a-half hour talk in French at a special meeting in Montreal. Sadly, my talk did not hold the audience’s attention, and a brother from the Service Department offered me counsel about it. Frankly, I should have realized then, as I have since, that I am not the most gifted speaker. But I did not take the counsel very well. Our personalities seemed to clash. I felt that he was overly critical​—he did not offer any commendation. I made the mistake of judging the counsel based on the way it was given and the way I perceived the person who was giving it.

A few days later, a member of the Branch Committee spoke to me about the matter. I admitted that I had not responded well to the counsel and expressed regret. Next I spoke to the brother who had counseled me. He graciously accepted my apology. That experience became an object lesson in humility that I will never forget. (Prov. 16:18) I have prayed to Jehovah many times about this, and I am determined never again to view counsel negatively.

I have now been at Canada Bethel for over 40 years, and since 1985, I have had the privilege of serving on the Branch Committee. In February 2021, my dear Sheila fell asleep in death. In addition to coping with her loss, I am facing my own health limitations. But Jehovah’s service keeps me so busy and happy that I “hardly notice the passing days.” (Eccl. 5:20) Although my days have had some challenges, the joys have far outweighed them. Putting Jehovah first in my life and enjoying 70 years in full-time service have been truly rewarding. I pray that our young brothers and sisters continue to put Jehovah first too, for I am convinced that they will also enjoy a rewarding and exciting life that is only possible when we serve Jehovah.