Ndinabadwira mumzinda wa Calgary ku Alberta, m’dziko la Canada. Makolo anga anasiyana ndili wamng’ono ndipo ine ndi mayi anga tinakakhala ndi agogo. Agogo ankatikonda kwambiri ndipo ndinkakhala wosangalala. Nthawi imeneyo ndimaikumbukirabe mpaka pano.

 Ndili ndi zaka 7, zinthu zinasintha kwambiri pamoyo wanga. Mayi anga anabwererananso ndi bambo ndipo tinasamukira ku St. Louis, ku Missouri m’dziko la United States. Ndinazindikira kuti bambo anga anali munthu wankhanza. Mwachitsanzo, atadziwa kuti tsiku lomwe ndinayamba kupita kusukulu yanga yatsopano anzanga anandimenya koma ine sindinabwezere, anakwiya kwambiri ndipo anandimenya kuposa mmene anzangawo anandimenyera. Zimenezi zinandipangitsa kuona kuti ndikufunika kumabwezera, ndiye ndinayamba kuchita ndewu ndili ndi zaka 7 zokha.

 Bambo anga anali aukali ndipo zimenezi zinkakwiyitsa kwambiri mayi anga moti ankangokhalira kukangana. Ndili ndi zaka 11, ndinayamba kugwiritsa ntchito mankhwala osokoneza bongo komanso kuledzera. Ndinkakhala olusa kwambiri ndipo ndinkangokhalira kumenyana ndi anthu m’misewu. Pamene ndinkamaliza sukulu ya sekondale ndinali nditasinthiratu n’kukhala munthu wankhanza kwambiri.

 Ndili ndi zaka 18, ndinaikidwa pam’ndandanda wa gulu lina la asilikali apanyanja a ku America. (U.S. Marine Corps) Kumeneko anandiphunzitsa mmene ndingamaphere anthu. Patadutsa zaka 5, ndinasiya usilikali kuti ndikaphunzire zokhudza kaganizidwe ka anthu, n’cholinga choti ndidzalembedwe ntchito ku bungwe lina la zofufuzafufuza la Federal Bureau of Investigation. Ndinayamba kuphunzira kuyunivesite ya ku United States kenako ndinakapitiriza maphunzirowo nditabwereranso kwathu ku Canada.

 Ndili kuyunivesite, ndinakhumudwa kwambiri ndi zimene anthu ankachita. Anthu ake ankaoneka kuti ndi odzikonda ndipo palibe chomwe chinkandisangalatsa. Komanso ndinkaona kuti palibe amene angathetse mavuto a anthu. Ndinalibenso chiyembekezo choti anthu akhoza kusintha dzikoli n’kukhala malo abwino.

 Ndinkaona kuti moyo wanga ulibe cholinga ndiye ndinkangoledzera, kugwiritsa ntchito mankhwala osokoneza bongo, kusakasaka ndalama komanso kuchita zachiwerewere. Ndinkangokhalira kupita kumapate komanso kuchita chiwerewere ndi akazi osiyanasiyana. Zomwe ndinaphunzira ku usilikali kuja zinandichititsa kuti ndizingokhalira kuchita ndewu. Ndinkathana ndi aliyense amene ndinkaona kuti akuchitira anthu ena zinthu zopanda chilungamo ndipo ndinkaona kuti palibe amene angandiuze zochita. Zimenezi zinandipangitsa kukhala kapolo wachiwawa.

 Tsiku lina ine ndi mnzanga, tili m’chipinda chapansi panyumba yanga, tinasokonezeka kwambiri ndi mankhwala osokoneza bongo. Ndiye tikukonza zoti tikagulitse chamba chomwe ndi choletsedwa ndi boma, mnzangayo anandifunsa ngati ndimakhulupirira Mulungu. Ndinamuyankha kuti, “Ngati Mulungu ndi amene amachititsa mavuto padzikoli, palibe chifukwa choti ndimudziwire.” Tsiku lotsatira, lomwenso linali loyamba kupita ku ntchito yanga yatsopano, munthu wina wogwira naye ntchito yemwe anali wa Mboni za Yehova anandifunsa kuti: “Kodi ukuganiza kuti Mulungu ndi amene amachititsa mavuto padzikoli?” Funsoli linandidabwitsa kwambiri chifukwa dzulo lake ndinali nditayankhanso funso lofanana ndi lomweli, ndiye ndinayamba kufuna kumva zambiri. Pa miyezi 6 yotsatira, tinakambirana zambiri ndipo anandionetsa mayankho a m’Baibulo a mafunso ena okhudza moyo omwe anali ovuta kwambiri kwa ine.

 Pa nthawiyo ndinkakhala ndi chibwenzi changa, koma sankafuna kuti ndizimuuza zomwe ndikuphunzira m’Baibulo. Lamlungu lina ndinamuuza kuti ndaitana a Mboni kunyumba kwathu kuti adzaphunzire nafe Baibulo. Koma tsiku lotsatira pamene ndinkaweruka kuntchito, ndinapeza kuti watenga katundu yense wa m’nyumba n’kundithawa. Ndinatuluka panja n’kuyamba kulira ndipo ndinapemphera kwa Mulungu kuti andithandize. Aka kanali koyamba kugwiritsa ntchito dzina lenileni la Mulungu lakuti Yehova popemphera.—Salimo 83:18.

 Patangodutsa masiku awiri, ndinayamba kuphunzira Baibulo ndi banja lina la Mboni. Atangochoka, ndinapitiriza kuwerenga buku lomwe tinkagwiritsa ntchito pophunzira lakuti Mungathe Kukhala ndi Moyo Kosatha m’Paradaiso pa Dziko Lapansi. Usiku wa tsiku lomwelo ndinamaliza kuliwerenga lonse. a Zimene ndinaphunzira zokhudza Yehova Mulungu komanso Mwana wake, Yesu Khristu, zinandifika pamtima. Ndinaona kuti Yehova ndi Mulungu wachifundo komanso amamva kupweteka akamationa tikuvutika. (Yesaya 63:9) Zinandikhudza kwambiri nditadziwa kuti Mulungu amandikonda komanso kuti Mwana wake anapereka moyo wake nsembe chifukwa cha ine. (1 Yohane 4:10) Ndinazindikira kuti Yehova wakhala akuleza nane mtima chifukwa “safuna kuti wina aliyense adzawonongedwe, koma amafuna kuti anthu onse alape.” (2 Petulo 3:9) Ndinaona kuti Yehova akundikoka kuti ndikhale mnzake.—Yohane 6:44.

 Wiki yomweyo ndinayamba kupita kumisonkhano ya Mboni za Yehova. Pa nthawiyo ndinali ndi tsitsi lalitali, ndolo komanso ndinkaoneka woopsa. Koma a Mboniwo ankachita nane zinthu ngati kuti ndine m’bale wawo amene anasowana naye kwa nthawi yaitali. Ankachita zinthu ngati Akhristu enieni. Ndinkangomva ngati ndabwerera kunyumba kwa agogo anga ndipo zinthu zikuyenda bwino kwambiri.

 Pang’ono ndi pang’ono zinthu zimene ndinkaphunzira m’Baibulo zinayamba kusintha moyo wanga. Ndinameta tsitsi langa, ndinasiya zachiwerewere, ndinasiyanso kugwiritsa ntchito mankhwala osokoneza bongo komanso kuledzera. (1 Akorinto 6:9, 10; 11:14) Ndinkafuna kuti Yehova azisangalala nane. Ndikazindikira kuti pali zinazake zomwe ndikuchita koma Yehova sangasangalale nazo, sindinkadziikira kumbuyo. Koma mumtimamu zinkandiwawa moti ndinkadzifunsa kuti, ‘Ndachitiranji zimenezi?’ Ndinkayesetsa kusintha nthawi yomweyo. Kenako zinthu zinayamba kundiyendera bwino chifukwa ndinkachita zimene Yehova amafuna. Pa 29 July, 1989, ndinabatizidwa n’kukhala wa Mboni za Yehova ndipo panali patadutsa miyezi 6 kuchokera pamene ndinayamba kuphunzira Baibulo.

 Baibulo landithandiza kusintha makhalidwe anga. Poyamba ndinkachita zinthu mwachiwawa munthu wina akangondiputa. Koma pano ndimayesetsa ‘kukhala mwamtendere ndi anthu onse.’ (Aroma 12:18) Ndimathokoza kwambiri Yehova chifukwa ndi amene anandithandiza kuti ndisinthe pogwiritsa ntchito Mawu komanso mzimu wake woyera.—Agalatiya 5:22, 23; Aheberi 4:12.

 M’malo mokhala kapolo wa mankhwala osokoneza bongo, chiwawa komanso chiwerewere, ndimayesetsa kuchita zonse zomwe ndingathe kuti ndizisangalatsa Yehova Mulungu. Zimenezi zikuphatikizapo kuthandiza ena kuti amudziwe molondola. Patangodutsa zaka zochepa kuchokera pamene ndinabatizidwa, ndinapita kudziko lina komwe kunkafunika olalikira ambiri. Pa zaka zonsezi, ndakhala wosangalala chifukwa chophunzitsa anthu ambiri Baibulo komanso kuona mmene akusinthira moyo wawo. Chosangalatsa china n’chakuti mayi anga anakhala a Mboni za Yehova, ataonanso mmene ineyo ndinasinthira n’kukhala munthu wa makhalidwe abwino.

 Mu 1999, ndinamaliza maphunziro a sukulu imene pano imadziwika kuti Sukulu ya Akhristu Olalikira za Ufumu, ku El Salvador. Sukuluyi inandithandiza kwambiri kuti ndizikwanitsa kutsogolera pa ntchito yolalikira komanso kuti ndiziphunzitsa ndi kusamalira bwino nkhosa mumpingo. Kumapeto kwa chaka chimenechi, ndinakwatira mkazi wanga wokondedwa, Eugenia. Panopa tonse tikuchita utumiki wa nthawi zonse Guatemala.

 M’malo momangokhala wokwiya chifukwa cha mmene zinthu zilili pamoyo, ndine wosangalala kwambiri. Kutsatira zimene Baibulo limaphunzitsa kwandithandiza kusiya khalidwe la chiwerewere komanso chiwawa. Zimenezi zandichititsa kuti ndizikonda ena kuchokera pansi pamtima komanso ndizikhala mwamtendere.