Gopal Coopsammy was 14 years old when he first heard the truth from his uncle Velloo. “Velloo talked about the Bible with a few of us young ones, though I did not have a Bible study,” he recalls. “The Bible was a strange book to me, a Hindu. But some of what I read made sense. One day I saw that Velloo was going out to a Congregation Book Study. I asked him if I could go along. He agreed, and ever since then, I have attended the meetings. I wanted to further my Bible knowledge, so I went to the public library and found some publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses. There was much opposition from my family, but I always remembered the words of Psalm 27:10: ‘In case my own father and my own mother did leave me, even Jehovah himself would take me up.’ I was baptized in 1955, at the age of 15.”

Gopal is the presiding overseer of the congregation where he now serves, along with his wife, Susila. They have helped some 150 people to become dedicated servants of Jehovah. When asked how they accomplished this, he explained: “There were many family members living in our area, and I was able to witness to them. A number of them responded favorably. I also ran my own business, and this gave me some free time to spend in the ministry. I pioneered for four years. I worked hard in the ministry and diligently followed up any interest found.”

[Pictures on page 102]

Gopal Coopsammy at age 21 and today with his wife, Susila. They have helped 150 people to dedication