Life Story

Serving Jehovah for some 70 years in Cuba

The Life Story of Gustavo Joseph

The image is a picture of Gustavo and Amelia Joseph.

I was born in 1947 on the beautiful Caribbean island of Cuba.

It is located at the intersection of the warm waters of the Northern Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

After I was born, my parents had my two younger sisters.

The five of us lived in the village of Esmeralda.

I recalled that life in our little village was peaceful. We lived close to some of our relatives,

including aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We had enough to eat and lived a happy life.

When I was about five years old, my parents began to study the Bible with Walton Jones.

He was a cellist evangelizer who would walk about 10 hours just to reach our village. Each time he came, many in my family would gather at my

grandparents' house for hours to discuss the Bible with him. My parents, along with my uncle Pedro and aunt Ella, loved what they were

learning and soon got baptized as Jehovah's Witnesses. Ella is almost 100 years old and continues

to serve as a pioneer in Cuba. At that time, Jehovah's Witnesses could worship freely in Cuba.

We were well known for preaching from house to house,

carrying briefcases and handbags full of valuable Bible literature.

And we did a lot of walking.

I have fond memories of serving Jehovah during those favorable times of my early life.

But there were difficult times ahead.

Second Timothy 4.2.

Difficult times arrive.

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