A Legacy That Has Lasted Seven Generation -AS TOLD BY KEVIN WILLIAMS

People say I am much like my father. My posture, my eyes, and my sense of humor have all come from him. But he has also passed on something else-a legacy treasured by seven generations of my family. Let me explain. 

On January 20, 1815, my ancestor Thomas Williams, was born at Horncastle, England. His mother died two years later, so he and his three siblings were raised by their father, John Williams. John trained Thomas to be a carpenter, but Thomas aspired to a different career. 

A religious revival was then sweeping through England. Preacher John Wesley had split off from the Church of England to form the Society of Methodists, a group that emphasized personal Bible study and evangelism. Wesley's teachings spread like wildfire, and the Williams family firmly  embraced them. Thomas became a Wesleyan preacher and promptly  volunteered for missionary work in the South Pacific. In July 1840, he and his bride Mary, landed at Lakeba Island, Fiji, a volcanic Isle than inhabited by cannibals. 

Next time: LIVING AMONG CANNIBALS

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015