As for us, we were in Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaïre) from '80 to '86; then our work was banned. 
Our next assignment was Liberia, West Africa from '86-'90 to the civil war.  (WT 1992, 1/1 pgs 27-30 along with others, our experience )
When coming home on vacation, much to my chagrin,  we were asked to stay in the sates. Jehovah knows us better than we know ourselves and what we can endure. We have kept up our career in the full-time work and have experienced the marvels of Jehovah's holy spirit on Bible students, and in our lives, as I am sure many of you have.
 We pioneered for 6 yrs in Burlington (English),  Washington; then 6 yrs in Philadelphia French; when we asked where we could go where the need was greater in French, we were asked to Special pioneer on the Island of Providenciales, on the Turks and Caicos islands, which we did from 2002-2006.  We worked with the Haitians for more than 10 yrs (in 'Phili' and 'Provo' and learned Haitian Creole. We came to love their humble hearts.
Since then we were reassigned to special pioneer in Dallas (French), TX.  2006-We have been here now almost four years. Dallas/ Fort Worth area is a nest of Congolese immigrants…so I feel African has been brought home to us.  No, it is not the same, but we can sympathise with these families; we know where they are coming from and the stresses of this life for them.