My Happy Life in Jehovah’s Service

The next year, it was announced to the Bethel family that volunteers were needed to serve at the South Africa branch, where a new rotary printing press was to be installed. I put in my name for consideration, and I was excited to be chosen. Three other Canadian Bethelites were also chosen​—Dennis Leech, Bill McLellan, and Ken Nordin. We were told that we would receive one-way tickets!

I phoned my mother: “Mom, I have news for you. I’m going to South Africa!” My mother was a quiet woman but a woman of faith and of deep spirituality. She didn’t say much, but I knew I had her support. Neither she nor my father ever objected to the decision I made, though they were saddened that I would be so far away.

At Brooklyn Bethel, the four of us brothers received three months of training in hot-lead typesetting for letterpress printing. Then we boarded a cargo ship bound for Cape Town, South Africa. I had just turned 20. It was evening when we began the long train journey from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The first stop at dawn was at a little town in the Karoo, a semidesert area. It was dusty, smoky, and hot. The four of us peered out the window and wondered what kind of place this was. What were we getting ourselves into? In later years, we would revisit this area and come to appreciate those charming little towns and their peaceful way of life.

My assignment for a few years was to operate the amazing and intricate Linotype machine, setting lines of lead type for printing the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. The branch office printed the magazines in many African languages not only for South Africa but for many countries to the north. That new rotary printing press that brought us halfway around the world was being well-used!

Later, I worked in the Factory Office, which cared for various aspects of the printing, shipping, and translation work. Life for me was busy, satisfying, and meaningful.

In 1968, I married a pioneer sister, Laura Bowen, who lived near Bethel. She also did typing for the Translation Department. In those days, there was no arrangement for newly married couples to stay at Bethel, so we were given a special pioneer assignment. I was a little concerned. After ten years at Bethel with food and shelter always being provided, how would we manage on the special pioneer allowance? We would each receive 25 rand (back then worth $35, U.S.) every month​—if we reached the required hours, return visits, and literature placements. With that money, we would need to pay for our rent, food, and transportation as well as for medical and other personal expenses.

We were assigned to a little group near the city of Durban, on the Indian Ocean. There was a huge population of Indian people, many of them descendants of indentured laborers originally contracted for the sugar industry in the late 1800’s. Now they were engaged in other occupations, though they still retained their culture and cuisine, including delicious curries. And they spoke English, which made it easy for us.

Special pioneers were expected to spend 150 hours each month in the ministry, so Laura and I scheduled six hours for the first day. It was hot and humid. We had no return visits and no Bible studies​—just six hours of door-to-door preaching. A while after we started, I looked at my watch​—only 40 minutes had passed! How, I wondered, were we going to get through this?

Soon, we got ourselves organized. Each day, we prepared sandwiches and put soup or coffee in a thermos. When we needed a break, we parked our little Volkswagen under the shade of a nearby tree​—sometimes surrounded by beautiful little Indian children studying us curiously! Within a few days, we realized that after the first two or three hours, the rest of the day went by very quickly.

What a joy it was to bring Bible truth to the hospitable people in that territory! We found the Indian people to be respectful, gracious, and God-fearing. Many Hindus responded to the message we brought them. They loved to learn about Jehovah, Jesus, the Bible, the future new world of peace, and the hope for the dead. After a year, we had 20 Bible studies. Every day, we enjoyed our main meal with one of the families with whom we studied. We were so happy.

All too soon we received another assignment​—circuit work along the coast of the beautiful Indian Ocean. Each week, we were guests in a family’s home while we visited and worked with the publishers in the congregation to encourage them. We became a part of their family, enjoying their children and pets. Two wonderful years passed by. Then suddenly a phone call came from the branch office. The message, “We’re thinking of bringing you back to Bethel.” My response was, “You know, we’re really very happy out here.” But, of course, we were willing to be used wherever we were assigned.

My assignment at Bethel was with the Service Department, where I had the privilege of working along with many mature, experienced brothers. In those days, each congregation received a letter in response to a report from the circuit overseer after his visit. The letters were meant to encourage and to give any direction that might be needed. This involved much work for our secretaries who translated correspondence from Xhosa, Zulu, and other languages into English and then from English into the African languages. I appreciated those hardworking translators who also gave me insight into the difficulties that our black African brothers and sisters faced.

At that time, South Africans lived under the apartheid system of government. Each racial group had designated living areas, so there wasn’t much socializing between people of different races. Our black African brothers spoke their own languages, preached in their own languages, and attended their own language congregations.

I did not know many black Africans, since my congregation territory assignments had always been English-speaking. Now, though, I had a chance to learn about the black Africans and their culture and customs. I learned of the challenges our brothers faced in dealing with local traditions and religious beliefs. How courageous they were in breaking free from unscriptural traditions and in facing severe opposition from their family and village when refusing to follow spiritistic practices! In rural areas, there was much poverty. Many had little in the way of a formal education, but they respected the Bible.

I had the privilege of working on some legal cases involving freedom of worship and neutrality. It was so faith-strengthening to observe the loyalty and courage of young Witness children who had been expelled from school for refusing to join in prayers and hymns.

The brothers faced another challenge in the little African country that was then called Swaziland. When King Sobhuza II died, all citizens were required to carry out certain mourning rites. Men were to shave off their hair, and women were to cut their hair short. Many brothers and sisters were persecuted for refusing to participate in this practice that was related to ancestor worship. How their loyalty to Jehovah warmed our hearts! We learned a lot about faithfulness, loyalty, and patience from our African brothers, and that built up our faith.

In 1981, I was assigned to assist with the development of computerized printing methods. So back to the Printery I went. What an exciting time it was! The printing world was changing. A local sales representative gave the branch a phototypesetter to try out, without any obligation. This resulted in replacing the nine Linotype machines with five new phototypesetters. A new rotary offset printing press was also installed. Things were speeding up!

Computerization led to devising new composition methods using MEPS, the Multilanguage Electronic Publishing System. What a long way we had come from the cumbersome, slow Linotype machines and hot-lead printing presses that had brought us four Canadian Bethelites to South Africa! (Isa. 60:17) By then all of us had married good, spiritually-minded pioneer sisters. Bill and I were still serving at Bethel. Ken and Dennis had started raising families nearby.

Branch activities were increasing. Bible literature was being translated and printed in an increasing number of languages, and it was being shipped to other branches. Consequently, a new Bethel complex was needed. The brothers built one in a beautiful area west of Johannesburg, and it was dedicated in 1987. It was a pleasure to be part of all that expansion and to serve on the Branch Committee in South Africa for many years.

A great surprise came in 2001 when I was invited to serve on the newly formed United States Branch Committee. Although we were sad to leave our work and friends in South Africa, we were excited to begin a new life as part of the United States Bethel family.

We were, however, concerned about leaving behind Laura’s aging mother. We could not do much for her from New York, but Laura’s three sisters offered to help her physically, emotionally, and financially. They said, “We can’t be in full-time service ourselves, but if we look after Mom’s needs, it will assist you in continuing in your assignment.” We are deeply grateful to them.

In the same spirit, my brother and his wife, who lived in Toronto, Canada, were caring for my widowed mother. At that time, she had been part of their family for more than 20 years. We really appreciate the love and care they gave her until her death soon after our arrival in New York. What a blessing to have supportive family members who are willing to adjust their lives in order to take on a responsibility that can at times be quite challenging!

For some years, my work assignment in the United States was in literature production, which has become even more modernized and simplified. More recently, I have been working in the Purchasing Department. What a pleasure it has been for the past 20 years to be part of this huge branch, now numbering some 5,000 Bethel family members along with about 2,000 commuter workers!

Sixty years ago, I would not have thought that this is where I would be. Laura has given me her wholehearted support through all these years. What a rich life it has been! We treasure the variety of assignments we have had and all the wonderful people we have worked with, including those in the many branches we have visited on branch assignments in so many parts of the world. Now that I am over 80 years old, I have been given a reduced workload, as there are many capable younger brothers who can care for the work.

The psalmist wrote: “Happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah.” (Ps. 33:12) How true that is! I am so very grateful that I have been able to share in the joy of Jehovah’s happy people.