It is with heartfelt gratitude that I have to testify to the merciful goodness of the Almighty for His patience with me for such a long time.
I was born in 1961 to Albert James Anderson and Mavis Winifred Lewis Anderson—the only child for my mother and the only son for my dad. My parents had their own business, so I was sent to boarding school at age eight. My dad was a hydraulic engineer and worked as a private contractor for many local government offices. My mother operated her own restaurant on Windward Road in Kingston.
During my formative years at school, I attended Vaz Prep and Knox College and also did a year at Excelsior High when it was located on North Street in Kingston.
I focused on the sciences in school, as I aspired to become a veterinarian. Dr. F. Chang gave me my first job as an assistant vet, and I worked with him for eighteen months before redirecting my attention to the family business. My dad had passed away. Then Mom got ill.
I took up where my father left off by accepting his role as subcontractor for many entities, including Shell West Indies, even travelling to the Cayman Islands. All this time, I was not focusing on God at all. I was self-confident, telling myself that I can do anything I want, when I want; and so, at age twenty-two, I was living it up, doing odd jobs and making big bucks. I got married, but my lack of focus on God led to the failure of that relationship which ultimately ended in divorce.
In the midst of a lot of experiences, I received one child. This gave me some joy, but it was short-lived, as my son died at age 18-plus…violently. Now, that should have been a wake-up call for me, yet I did not know how to submit to Christ. I constantly prayed and hoped to commit my life to God, for while I was growing up, I knew Him. I used to attend Saint Georges Anglican with my parents, and Spaulding Presbyterian was a routine for me at Knox. But I delayed.
Then one day, God said, “It is time now.” All the experiences that followed made me realise that He was serious about fulfilling His plan: the business took a nosedive. I lost that contract, and the security company I was also operating folded.
I underwent a case of mistaken identity which led me to lock my hair. Then my eyes started acting up, and I needed eye surgery. Before I knew it, I was homeless.
GET FLAT
Persons who promised to assist me in gaining a proper living quarter deserted me, so I moved into an abandoned house for seven years. It was during this time I had a narrow escape from death.
Men with illegal weapons entered my ‘home’ and demanded items, saying they were going to kill me if they found or didn’t find what they came for. When I told them I had no clue what they were talking about, they commanded me to ‘get flat.’ One began slapping me with a machete, one placed a knife at my throat, and one knocked me in my head with the weapon he had while they searched the property.
Now, during this three-hour ordeal, I called on the Name of Jesus Christ and told the intruders, “I will not die with any lie on my tongue.” They then ordered me not to move or look as they retreated and left the premises. That was a terrible experience.
And so, in December 2019, I promised God that I was surrendering, and I began listening to TBC 88.5 FM on the radio.
On January 29, 2021, I fell and broke my hip. With no family or relatives to help me while I recuperated, I began to see the mercies and hand of God at work. I wanted Reverend Shuttleworth from TBC radio to baptise me, and God enabled me to cross paths with a blessed daughter of His, who had a connection with this same ministry, and I didn’t know. I just said to her, “Which church do you go to? I want to do that thing.”
Somehow, she just knew what I meant, and she promised to get back to me. We met on the 12th of December 2021, and by the 29th, the old Peter Anderson was buried, and I rose a new person in Christ Jesus in God.
What do I have to render unto the LORD but my whole heart, mind, soul, and body? I proved His divine, loving care for me especially through the body of called-out Believers and servants.
Thank you, LORD, for waiting on me, Peter Anderson, aka Brown Man.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46
Editor’s Note:
We thank Sister Christine Cowan for coordinating this testimony from Brother Peter Anderson in 2022. A member of the Portmore satellite of Freedom Come Ministries International; Brother Peter went to be with the LORD on August 24, 2025. His homegoing service will be at the Tarrant Baptist Church on Saturday, September 27, at 11 a.m. Do wear cheerful colours.
