Grateful I Chose the Right Career

I was raised in rural Australia. My parents and grandparents had learned the truth in the 1950’s. I started preaching when I was 6 years old and was baptized at 13. I would often auxiliary pioneer during school vacations. I loved Jehovah and wanted to serve him forever.

When I was 15, my coaches at school noticed that I excelled at sports. Because of this, representatives of a professional rugby league team offered me a sports scholarship. The prospect of becoming a rugby star appealed to me, but I had already dedicated myself to Jehovah. My father suggested that I meditate on that earlier promise before deciding whether to pursue a career in sports. I did as my father suggested and realized that I could not succeed at both, so I refused the offer. Months later, the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra offered me another scholarship—to train as a marathon runner with the opportunity of representing Australia in the Commonwealth Games or the Olympic Games. Again, I strongly desired to fulfill my dedication to the God I loved—so my answer was no.

Soon after, I left school and started pioneering, a goal I had nurtured for some time. However, my family was struggling financially, so I stopped pioneering and took up full-time secular work driving farm machinery. I was then in my late teens, living on my own. My worship quickly became mechanical, a mere routine. I was discouraged and spiritually lost. I unwisely chose friends who drank too much and were immoral, and I was tempted to follow them. I had neglected my relationship with Jehovah to pursue temporary pleasures.

I needed to refocus, so I moved to another town, far away from the influence of my former associates. I drew closer to Jehovah and made plans to resume pioneering. Then, I met Leann McSharry, a shy country girl who was already pioneering, and we became friends. We talked openly about our goals, which included missionary service. We were married in 1993. We both wanted Jehovah to direct our lives.

Pursuing Our Goals

That year, I joined Leann as a regular pioneer. Determined to keep our life simple and debt free, we bought an old caravan (trailer) to live in. For six years, we moved wherever Jehovah’s organization suggested, doing odd jobs to support ourselves. We preached with small congregations in vast, flat, dry territories in the remote Queensland outback. Often, we camped in isolated places and held meetings in the bush or at a local community hall. We were happy. Still, we wondered, ‘Could we do more for Jehovah?’ We soon received an answer.

Jehovah’s organization invited us to take up a missionary assignment in another country! However, we felt overwhelmed and inadequate, doubting that we could be good missionaries without receiving training at Gilead School. We loved the ministry, but because we hadn’t had many Bible studies in our remote assignments, we didn’t consider ourselves very effective teachers.

We expressed our concerns to Max Lloyd, a brother on the Branch Committee.a He reassured us that if we made ourselves available despite feeling inadequate, Jehovah would make us capable of accomplishing whatever he asked of us. With that fatherly encouragement, we gladly accepted our assignment to Sri Lanka.

A Challenging Assignment

In 1999, we arrived in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. What a stark contrast from our peaceful life in rural Australia! We faced civil war, poverty, overcrowding, beggars, and complex languages. Yet, there were treasures in Sri Lanka—our beautiful brothers and sisters as well as countless humble people who did not yet know Jehovah.

We were assigned to Kandy, a city built on a scenic plateau surrounded by tea plantations and rainforests. The city is famous for its many Buddhist temples. Few of the local people knew anything about their loving Creator. Our congregation was a mix of Sinhala- and Tamil-speaking brothers and sisters, and the meetings were held in both languages. Learning Sinhala was difficult, but our congregation and Bible students appreciated our effort, even when our many mistakes made them laugh!

However, the language was not our greatest challenge. For the first time in our lives, we witnessed brutal opposition to the truth. On one occasion, an angry mob surrounded us. Some burned our literature while others kicked and beat me and another brother. During the ordeal, we prayed that Jehovah keep us calm and remember us if we should die. To our great relief, the mob dispersed. Trembling as we left that village, we thanked Jehovah for his protection.

In time, we came to think of Sri Lanka as home. Despite the war that divided the nation, we loved to see how Jehovah drew truth-hungry people into his united family. We have many fond memories of this beautiful island. Nevertheless, after just two years, the authorities caved in to pressure from the religious elements, and most missionaries had to leave the country.

The weeks that followed were confusing and unsettling. Where would we end up? The Governing Body assigned us to Papua New Guinea. We arrived in the capital, Port Moresby, in September 2001.

Papua New Guinea—Land of the Unexpected

Although Papua New Guinea is Australia’s nearest neighbor, its daily life and culture are very different. Once again, we needed to adapt. We learned Tok Pisin, the most widely spoken language in a country of more than 800 languages!

After three years in the town of Popondetta, we were assigned to the circuit work. Never did we imagine that Jehovah could use us in this way! I had always appreciated the guidance, maturity, and teaching ability of traveling overseers, but I felt unqualified to serve the congregations in that role. My goal had always been missionary service. Being a traveling overseer had never entered my mind! I am still astonished that Jehovah gave me such a privilege.

In the towns we visited, we usually had electricity and water as well as a room with a bed. In rural areas, we often lacked those conveniences. We slept in small huts, cooked outside on fires, and bathed in streams and rivers—but if crocodiles were about, we fetched water in a bucket and washed back at the hut.

This assignment required greater physical stamina than anything we had done before. But we were convinced that if we ‘went with the strength we had,’ Jehovah would make us successful. (Judges 6:14) Many of the congregations and groups we visited were difficult to reach, being scattered through thick rainforests, coastal swamps, or rugged mountains. We traveled by four-wheel-drive vehicles, boats, planes, and often simply by foot to find our brothers and sisters.b

To visit a congregation near the Indonesian border, we drove over 350 kilometers (200 mi) on mostly unpaved roads. More than 200 times on that route, we crossed creeks and rivers with very few bridges. Over the years, we spent countless hours digging and pushing our vehicle out of thick, sticky mud, finally to reach our dear brothers who were waiting for us with big smiles and food in the pot.

When we traveled high into the mountains by small single-engine airplanes, the pilot often had to find a break in the clouds just to locate the airstrip. Then, he would pass low over the runway to check for children or animals. We would then brace ourselves for the landing on a muddy, uneven airstrip, precariously situated on a mountain top over 2,100 meters (7,000 ft) high. Sometimes, the only way to leave such remote villages was to take off from a runway that simply disappeared over the brink of a precipice.c

Sometimes, we hiked over steep mountain trails or through swampy coastal areas in hot, humid conditions, our backpacks filled with literature and basic supplies. With our faithful brothers and sisters for company, such treks were precious opportunities for upbuilding conversations and many good laughs.

We agreed with the apostle Paul’s feelings recorded at 1 Thessalonians 2:8: “Having tender affection for you, we were determined to impart to you . . . our very selves, because you became so beloved to us.” And we learned that the brothers and sisters were willing to do the same for us, even being prepared to die to protect us from armed criminal gangs. Once, Leann was threatened by a man brandishing a machete. I was unable to help her because I was in another part of the village. A brother quickly stepped in between Leann and the man. Our brother escaped with only minor injuries as others rushed to restrain the angry man. Jehovah sustained us daily in an increasingly lawless country so that our brothers and sisters could be cared for spiritually.

Because Papua New Guinea has limited medical facilities, it was challenging to maintain our health. In 2010, Leann suffered from a life-threatening bacterial infection, so we flew to Australia for emergency treatment. In Jehovah’s strength, we remained calm. Finally, the medical team found an effective antibiotic. One of the doctors said: “You have been working for God. Now he is working for you.” Many months later, we returned to our assignment.

Plenty to Do at Home

Leann required follow-up treatment in Australia over the next year or so. Finally, in 2012, we were directed to remain there to care for our health. After being away for so many years, our greatest struggle was, not to recover physically, but to adjust mentally and emotionally. We were sad to leave an assignment and a spiritual family that we loved so much. We felt that we had somehow failed and that we were no longer as useful to Jehovah. And after such a long absence, we struggled to think of Australia as home. The support of our spiritual family was crucial at that time.

After Leann’s recovery, we served as special pioneers in Wollongong, south of Sydney, New South Wales. A year or so later, we were thrilled to receive an invitation to the Bible School for Christian Couples (now the School for Kingdom Evangelizers). Then the Australasia branch assigned us to the circuit work. For several years, we have visited congregations and groups in busy cities, isolated desert towns, and fishing villages. Our current assignment includes the arid northwest of Australia and all of Timor-Leste.

By my side, I have the most supportive and spiritually-focused wife I could have hoped for, a most precious gift from Jehovah. Leann has never objected to any assignment, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable the conditions. When asked how she copes with challenges, she says, “I tell Jehovah everything.” Then, as she reads God’s Word, she allows Jehovah to instruct her on how best to think, feel, or act.

I have never regretted letting Jehovah direct my life rather than pursuing a sports career in the world. I have seen that Jehovah can indeed train us to accomplish whatever he wishes if we willingly accept the work he assigns us. I have learned to approach challenges and decisions prayerfully, asking for wisdom and holy spirit daily. Our loving Father, Jehovah, has given us a rich and rewarding life, and we are eager to see what more he might accomplish with “earthen vessels” like us.—2 Corinthians 4:7.