I wuz brought up outside da city of Rome. Wea we stay a lot of pooa peopo livin ova dea. Life wuz rough. I neva know my real madda, an I neva get along wit my fadda. I wen grow up on da streets.

I wuz rippin off peopo by da time I wuz ten years ol. Den at 12 I wen dig out from home fo da firs time in my life. Couple times my fadda had fo pick me up at da police station an take me back home. I always had pick fight wit peopo. I wuz all wild an wanted fo beef da whole world. Wen I hit 14, I wen dig out from home fo good. I started fo drug out an started livin on da streets. Cuz I neva had no place fo sleep, I would break into one car, an stay dea until early mornin an den dig out. Den I would look fo one watta fountain so I could clean up.

I came real good at rippin peopo off. I would take anytin, grab peopo’s bags, rob peopo’s apartments, an steal from rich peopo’s houses at night. Den one day, one real bad gang dat erybody know about wen try get me fo join dem cuz dey heard of da stuff I wuz doin. Dey wanted me fo start rippin off banks wit dem. Cuz I wuz a mean bugga, erybody in dat gang wen show respeck fo me real fas. I neva go no wea wit out my gun. I even sleep wit um an had um unda my pillow. Beefin, drugs, rippin peopo off, swearin, talkin dirty, an foolin aroun wuz normal fo me. Da cops wuz always watchin an followin me. I wuz busted a few times. An fo years, I wuz in an out of da calaboose.

One time wen dey wen let me out of prison, I wen go visit one of my aunties. I neva know my aunty an my two cousins had come Witnesses Fo Jehovah. Dey wen aks me fo come check out one of da meetins. I wanted fo see wat it wuz all about so I wen go wit dem. Wen we got to da meetin place, I told dem I wanted fo sit by da door so I could see who stay comin in an out. You know awready, I wen pack my gun.

Dat meetin wen change my life. I rememba tinkin dat I stay on a diffren planet. Da peopo ova dea wuz so friendly an nice to me. I still rememba in my mind all da love an aloha dey wen show an you could see um in dea eyes dat dey wuz hones peopo. I neva see nottin lidis eva befo in my life!

I started fo study da Bible wit da Witnesses. Da moa I wen study, wuz easy fo see dat I had fo change my life big time. Smart Guys 13:20 wen go straight to my heart. Had tell: “Hang out wit smart kine guys, you come smart jalike dem. But if you good frenz wit stupid peopo, you goin come jalike dem, an suffa.” I wen see dat. So I had to stay away from da gang. No wuz easy fo do. But wit Jehovah’s kokua, he wen help me do um.

I wen start fo get my ack togedda. I had fo work hard at um but I wen go cold turkey—no cigarettes. I had chop my hair, hemo da earrins an stop swearin. Dis wuz da firs time dat I could control how I ack.

Readin an studyin, dat wuzzin my ting so wuz real hard fo me fo focus an sit dea an study da Bible. But den, wen I put in da work, I started fo love Jehovah. An den sometin wen click inside me. My conscience had start fo bodda me. Plenny times I wen feel real junk about all da bad stuff I wen do an I wuzzin shua dat Jehovah would fogive me. But wen I feel junk lidat make me feel real betta wen I read about Jehovah an how he wen fogive King David an all da pilau stuff dat he wen do.​—2 Samuel 11:1–12:13.

One odda ting wuz hard fo me wuz fo go preach an talk to odda peopo about wat I wen learn. (Matthew 28:19, 20) I wuz so sked fo run into somebody from my pas! But litto by litto I no wuz sked no moa. No can beat da feelin in helpin oddas learn about oua unreal Fadda in da heavens dat no hold back fo fogive plenny.

Comin to know Jehovah wen save my life! Some of da guys I wuz runnin wit stay either mahke o in da calaboose. But now my life stay real good. I get one future. I had learn fo be humbo, lissen to instrukshens, an no lose my tempa jalike one volcano. Cuz of dat, now I get along wit peopo moa betta. Me an my wife, Carmen, we stay supa happy. Both of us stay hau’oli fo help oddas learn about da Bible.

An by da way, I do good kine work now. Instead of rippin off banks, I clean um!