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It was early in 1952 and I was only eight years old when I first experienced going out in the door-to-door service. Not yet baptized, I had to go with an adult the first few times, but I found the opportunity to go “door knocking” an exciting and fun experience.

This was shortly after my family found “the Truth.” My mother and father were not yet baptized and were still having home “Bible studies” with Brother and Sister “K,” their Jehovah’s Witness mentors. My father (raised a Southern Baptist) wasn’t convinced that he wanted to become a “Jehovah,” but my mother was fully committed even at this early stage. In fact, within just a few months Mom and I had taken the next step and were regularly attending Sunday evening public talks and Watchtower studies.

We’d only attended a few meetings before Sister “K” suggested that Mom and I join her and some other Witnesses in “the door-to-door preaching work.” Sister “K” had a son my age who was already going door-to-door, so she suggested that we could all go together in the magazine work one Saturday morning. Sister “K” would work with Mom and I would go with one of the older brothers at the Kingdom Hall. Sister “K” mentioned that after I became more accustomed to the door-to-door ministry, I could go with her son “Dickie,” who was my age, or one of the other young JW boys from the Kingdom Hall.

I was enthusiastic about going out in field service. Even though I was only eight, I didn’t fear strangers or what other people might think about Jehovah’s Witnesses. By the age of nine, I was not only drinking Kool-Aid for my lunch at home, I was also swallowing the Watchtower’s version at the Kingdom Hall. At ten I was a totally committed and active “publisher.”