Wɔwoo me wɔ Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Hɔ ara so na m’enyi firii. Mpotamu a metsenae no agye dzin wɔ ewudzisɛm nye ndubɔn ho nsɛm mu. Nna m’awofo wɔ mba beesia; emi na me tsĩa ebien.

Me maame tsetsee emi na mo nuanom no wɔ asɔr bi mu. Naaso, mudur me mbabun ber mu no, nna madan dabrabanyi. Nna meka kuw a wɔtow ndwom wɔ asɔr no mu no ho. Ntsi odu Kwesida a, nna menye hɔn tow ndwom wɔ asɔr. Naaso sɛ Kwesida twa mu a, nna mokɔ aponto, monom ndubɔn, na mobɔ ndwamanbra.

Nna mowɔ akoma paa, kyerɛ dɛ, adze kakraabi, na mo bo efuw. Ɔba dɛm a, adze biara a me nsa bosuo mu no, medze bɔbɔ wo. Dza musũae wɔ asɔr no ammboa me. Nna asɛm a metaa kã nye dɛ, “Awerdzi yɛ Ewuradze dze​—na ɔnam mo do bɛyɛ dɛm!” Aber a nna mowɔ ntoado skuul no, nna menyi gye kuw bi a wɔfrɛ hɔn Black Panthers hɔn dwumadzi ho paa. Ɔyɛ kuw bi a nna wɔyɛ basabasa dze per nyimpa fahodzi. Ntsi, mokɔdɔɔm skuulfo kuw bi a nna wɔper hwehwɛ nyimpa fahodzi. Mpɛn pii no, nna yɛtaa yɛ basabasa nye ɔyɛkyerɛ ahorow. Aber biara a yɛbɛyɛ dɛm no, nna wɔto skuul no mu.

Ɔda edzi dɛ basabasayɛ nye ɔyɛkyerɛ no ammee me. Ntsi, mehyɛɛ ase dzii nsɛmbɔn a n’enyi yɛ nyan. Dɛ nhwɛdo no, da kor bi, menye m’anyɛnkofo kɔhwɛɛ sene bi. Nna ɔfa ebibifo a wɔnye hɔn yɛɛ nkowaa na wɔyɛɛ hɔn ayakayakadze wɔ United States no ho. Dza wɔdze yɛɛ hɔn no maa hɛn bo fuwii, ntsi hɔ ara na yɛtowee hyɛɛ mbabun a wɔyɛ aborɔfo a nna wɔwɔ sene dan no mu hɔ no hɔn do. Iyi ekyir no, yɛkɔr mbea a nna aborɔfo tse kɔhwehwɛɛ nyimpa pii boor hɔn.

Aber a nna wɔaka kakra ma meedzi mfe 20 no, nna menye mo nuanom mbarimba baasa agye dzin dɛ nyimpa a wodzi nsɛmbɔn. Ntsi, nna etumfo no mpo pɛ hɛn akyer hɛn. Nna mo nua kakraba kor dze noho akɔbɔ kuw bi a wodzi nsɛmbɔn dɛ biribi. Mara so mekɛkaa hɔnho. Ntsi, nna m’abrabɔ resɛɛ koraa.

Nna me nyɛnko bi n’awofo yɛ Jehovah Adasefo. Wɔtoo nsa frɛ me dɛ menye hɔn nkɔ asafo nhyiamu. Megyee too mu, na mokɔree. Nhyiamu n’ahyɛse pɛɛ no, nna mutum hu dɛ Adasefo no yɛ soronko. Nna obiara wɔ Bible, na wobue mu dzi ekyir ber a nhyiamu no rokɔ do no. Mbofra mpo yɛɛ dwumadzi wɔ nhyiamu no ase! Aber a muhun dɛ Nyankopɔn ne dzin dze Jehovah, na metsee dɛ wɔrobɔ dzin no, ɔkaa m’akoma papaapa. (Ndwom 83:18) Nna nyimpa a wɔwɔ asafo no mu no yɛ nkorɔfo a wofifi aman ahorow mu, naaso, nna ɔda edzi dɛ nyimpa mu nyiyimu biara nnyi hɔn afã.

Ahyɛse no, nna memmpɛ dɛ Adasefo no nye me bosũa Bible no. Naaso, nna m’enyi gye ho dɛ mobɔkɔ hɔn asafo nhyiamu. Da kor ewimbir bi, mokɔr Adasefo no hɔn asafo nhyiamu ase. Dɛm ewimbir no ara so, m’anyɛnkofo binom kɔr show bi. Wɔ show n’ase no, m’anyɛnkofo yi yɛɛ dɛ wɔbɛgye aberantsɛba bi ne gyakɛt a wɔdze lɛda ayɛ no efi ne nsamu. Aberantsɛba no ammpen, ntsi wɔboor no araa kum no. Da a odzi hɔ no, wɔdze ewudzisɛm yi tuuw hɔnho. Aber a nna woridzi hɔn asɛm wɔ kɔɔt no, nna wosusu dɛ dza wɔayɛ no yɛ adze tootooba bi. Wɔdze hɔn mu dodow no ara kɔtoo efiadze hɔn nkwa nda nyina. Nokwasɛm nye dɛ, nna ɔyɛ me dɛw dɛ mennka hɔnho dɛm ewimbir no. Misii mo bo dɛ mebɛsesa m’asetsena, na meesũa Bible no.

Osian nyimpa mu nyiyimu pii a nna mehu ntsi, nna muhu Adasefo hɔn ndzeyɛɛ dɛ ɔyɛ soronko koraa. Dɛ nhwɛdo no, sɛ Ɔdasefo a ɔyɛ borɔnyi rutu kwan a, ɔdze ne mba gya ebusua a wɔyɛ ebibifo ma wɔhwɛ hɔn. Afei so, ebusua bi a wɔyɛ aborɔfo gyee ɔbabun bi a ɔyɛ bibinyi a onnyi beebi tse tsenaa hɔn fie. Mebɛgyee too mu dɛ Jehovah Adasefo na wɔdze asɛm a Jesus kãe wɔ John 13:35 no reyɛ edwuma. Ɔkãa dɛ: “Ɔnam yi do na nyimpa nyina bohu dɛ hom yɛ m’esuafo, sɛ hom wɔ ɔdɔ wɔ homho nkorkor a.” Afei dze, nna muhu dɛ menya enuanom a wɔwɔ ɔdɔ mapa ma hɔnho.

Aber a murusũa Bible no, mubohun dɛ ɔwɔ dɛ meyɛ nsesa wɔ mo nsusui mu. Nna ɔwɔ dɛ meyɛ nsesa wɔ mo nsusui mu mbrɛ ɔbɛyɛ a menye nkorɔfo bɛtsena asomdwee mu, na afei so, medze su a ɔtse dɛm no ayɛ m’asetsena kwan. (Romefo 12:2) Minyaa nkɔenyim nkakrankakra wɔ Bible a murusũa no mu. Wonumaa me January 1974 dɛ Jehovah Adasefo no mu kor.

Wonumaa me no ekyir mpo no, nna ɔwɔ dɛ mokɔ do hyɛ m’ebufuw do. Dɛ nhwɛdo no, da kor bi, nna menye enuanom bi reyɛ efiefi asɛnka edwuma. Obi hɛn me kaar no mu kotuu radio a ɔwɔ mu no. Mutuu mbirika kaa no do dɛ merekɛkyer no. Aber a mereyɛ abɛn no no, ogyaa radio no mu too hɔ na oguanee. Aber a mekãa ho asɛm kyerɛɛ enuanom a nna menye hɔn nam asɛnka mu no, asafo mu panyin kor a ɔka kuw no ho no bisaa me dɛ, “Stephen, sɛ wo nsa suoo nyimpa no mu a, nkyɛ ebɛnadze na edze bɛyɛ no?” Asɛm a asafo mu panyin no kãe no maa mususuu nsɛm ho kɔr ekyir, na ɔhyɛɛ me nkuran dɛ ɔwɔ dɛ mobɔ mbɔdzen dɛ mebɛyɛ nyimpa a mepɛ asomdwee.

Wɔ October 1974 mu no, medze moho hyɛɛ ber nyina som edwuma no mu. Nna bosoom biara medze ndɔnhwer 100 kyerɛkyerɛ afofor Bible no. Ekyir yi, mutuu moho mae kɛyɛɛ edwuma wɔ Jehovah Adasefo edwumayɛbea tsir wɔ Brooklyn, New York. Mesanee baa Los Angeles wɔ afe 1978 mu bɛtsenaa me maame a nna onnyi ahomka no ho hwɛɛ no. Mfe ebien ekyir no, mowaar me yer ɔbaapa Aarhonda. Ɔboaa me papaapa ma yɛbɔɔ mu hwɛɛ me maame kesii dɛ owui. Ekyir yi, menye Aarhonda kɔr Ɔweɔn-Aban Gilead Bible Skuul. Yewiei no, wɔdze hɛn kɔr Panama dɛ yɛnkɔsom dɛ asɛmpatserɛwfo, na yɛda ho ara rosom wɔ hɔ.

Ofitsi ber a wonumaa me besi ndɛ, mehyia tsebea ahorow pii a nkyɛ obotum ama mo bo efuw. Sɛ mihyia nkorɔfo a wɔpɛ dɛ wɔhyɛ me ebufuw a, mesũa mbrɛ mibesi atwe moho na meefi hɔ asomdwee mu. Nyimpa pii abɔ m’abaw do wɔ mbrɛ mesi ayɛ m’adze wɔ tsebea a ɔtsetse dɛm ho. Me yer mpo ka hɔn a wɔabɔ m’abaw do no ho. Mbrɛ mesi ayɛ m’adze wɔ tsebea a ɔtse dɛm ho no, ɔyɛ mankasa mpo nwanwa! Nsesa a mayɛ wɔ me nyimpasu mu no, medze enyimnyamhyɛ no nyina ma Jehovah. Megye dzi papaapa dɛ dɛm nsakyer ahorow a mayɛ yi yɛ dase a ɔma yehu dɛ Bible no wɔ tum a ɔsakyer nyimpa.​—Hebrewfo 4:​12.

Bible no ama mehu dza ɔwɔ dɛ medze m’asetsena yɛ nye mbrɛ mibesi nye afofor atsena asomdwee mu. Mommbor nkorɔfo bio; mbom moboa hɔn ma wɔtwe bɛn Nyankopɔn. Obi mpo a nna mikyir no kɔkɔɔkɔ aber a nna mokɔ ntoado skuul no, menye no sũaa Bible no! Aber a wonumaa no no, menye no tsenaa dan kor mu kesii mber bi. Nna ɔpɛ m’asɛm na mara so mepɛ n’asɛm. Ɔdze besi ndɛ a merekasa yi, yɛyɛ anyɛnkofo a mframa mmfa hɛn ntamu. Menye me yer nye nyimpa bɔbor 80 esũa Bible no ma wɔabɛyɛ Jehovah Adasefo.

Meda Jehovah ase pii dɛ ɔama menya enyigye wɔ wiadze nyina enuayɛkuw bi mu, na afei so, ɔama mehu dza ɔwɔ dɛ medze m’asetsena yɛ.