Bible Changem Laef Bilong Pipol

WANEM nao changem laef bilong wanfala woman wea waka long bar bifor and wea savve swear, drink tumas, and iusim drug? Wanem nao mekem wanfala man wea member bilong gavman bifor and wea les tumas long religion for kamap wanfala Christian? Wanem nao wanfala man wea lanem olketa policeman long Russia hao for faet mas duim mekem hem kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness? Readim story bilong thrifala hia.

“Mi and mami fren gud moa.”—NATALIE HAM

YEAR HEM BORN: 1965

KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: AUSTRALIA

HISTORY: IUSIM DRUG BIFOR

LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Mi big kam long Robe, wanfala smol taon long South Australia wea staka pipol long there savve fishing. Long olketa smol taon, hotel nao hem main ples wea pipol savve hipap for hapitaem. Olketa dadi and mami savve go evritaem long hotel, dastawe olketa pikinini tu getius for lukim pipol drink tumas, smoke, and herem pipol tok swear.

Taem mi 12 year mi start for smoke, tok swear, and evritaem raoa witim mami bilong mi. Dadi and mami separate taem mi 15 year, and 18 month bihaen mi lusim haos. Mi savve drink tumas, iusim drug, and durong. Mi barava kros and konfius. For faevfala year mi skulim martial arts (hao for faet), and mi feel olsem mi fit for lukaftarem miseleva. Nomata olsem, samfala taem mi feel sorre tumas and savve prea long God for helpem mi. Bat taem mi prea mi savve sei olsem: “Plis iu no askem mi for go long church.”

Gogo wanfala fren wea no savve go long church bat hem biliv long God, givim mi wanfala Bible. Hem tu iusim olketa drug olsem olketa nara fren bilong mi. Nomata olsem, hem talem mi hao mi shud baptaes. Hem tekem mi long wanfala lake and baptaesim mi. Start long datfala taem, mi feel olsem mi fren gud witim God. Bat mi no garem taem for readim Bible.

BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Long 1988, tufala Witness kam long haos bilong mi. Wanfala askem mi: “Waswe, iu savve long nem bilong God?” Witness hia readim Psalm 83:18 from Bible wea sei: “Mekem pipol savve long iu, wea nem bilong iu nao Jehovah, iu nomoa Barava Haefala God long full earth.” Mi barava sapraes long datwan! Bihaen olketa go, mi draev 56 kilometer for kasem wanfala Christian buk stoa. Mi chekim olketa nara Bible transleison and dictionary for lukim nem  bilong God. Taem mi luksavve nem bilong God nao Jehovah, datwan mekem mi for tingting abaotem olketa nara samting wea mi no savve long hem yet.

Mami talem mi Olketa Jehovah’s Witness olketa krangge pipol. From mi no savve long staka samting abaotem olketa, mi tingse olketa strict tumas and no savve duim eni hapitaem. Mi tingting for haed sapos olketa kam long haos. Bat taem olketa kam, mi change mind and invaetem olketa for kam long haos. Mi start for studyim Bible witim olketa.

Evritaem bihaen study, mi savve storyim wanem mi lanem long boyfren bilong mi Craig. Bat from Craig feel nogud long wanem mi lanem abaotem olketa standard bilong God, hem tekem buk bilong mi and laek readim seleva. Bihaen thrifala week, hem luksavve hem lanem tru samting abaotem God. Gogo mitufala Craig stop for iusim drug and no savve drink tumas. Mi finis tu for waka long bar. From mitufala laek for followim olketa standard long Bible, mitufala marit.

GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: Long taem wea mitufala start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mitufala Craig no stap gud tugeta. Distaem Craig hem gudfala hasband, and mitufala garem tufala boy. Mitufala garem olketa naesfala fren wea worshipim Jehovah tu.

Mami bilong mi kros taem hem savve mi study witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. From hem herem olketa laea story, datwan mekem hem for wari. Bat distaem mi and mami fren gud moa. Mi no savve feel sorre tumas olsem bifor. Mi fren gud witim Jehovah and garem laef wea mekem mi satisfae and garem hope.—Matthew 5:3.

“Mi lanem staka interesting samting long Bible.”—ISAKALA PAENIU

YEAR HEM BORN: 1939

KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: TUVALU

HISTORY: MEMBER BILONG GAVMAN

LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Mi born long Nukulaelae, wanfala naes island long Pacific wea distaem hem part long Tuvalu. Olketa bigman long olketa island hem olketa pastor wea kasem training long college long Samoa. Pipol long island nao mas givim kaikai evriday for olketa pastor and famili bilong olketa, provaedem haos, and givim best samting wea olketa garem for olketa. Nomata sapos famili no garem inaf kaikai for olketa seleva, olketa mas provaedem samting for olketa pastor.

Long island wea mi stap, pastor nao lukaftarem skul, and teachim religion, maths, and samfala taem geography. Mi lukim pastor killim nogud olketa student gogo body bilong olketa blood. Bat no eniwan laek tok strong long pastor, nomata olketa dadi and mami tu. Pipol savve tinghae long pastor olsem hem nao God.

 Taem mi 10 year, mi lusim hom and go skul long gavman skul long nara island. Taem mi graduate, mi start for waka long gavman. Long datfala taem olketa island hem anda long rul bilong British, and olketa kolem olketa Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Mi duim staka difren waka long gavman then mi kamap editor bilong smol niuspepa bilong gavman wea kamap evri week. Evri samting gohed gud nomoa go kasem taem mi pablisim wanfala leta wea samwan raetem wea tok againstim wei wea gavman iusim selen for redyim olketa samting for visit bilong Prince of Wales. Man wea raetem leta iusim difren nem, and boss bilong mi barava laek for savve hu nao really nem bilong man hia. Mi les for talem hem and datwan mekem big raoa for kamap wea evriwan savve abaotem.

No longtaem bihaen, mi lusim waka bilong mi and joinim politik. Mi winim election long Nukulaelae and mi kamap Minister of Commerce and Natural Resources. Taem pipol long Kiribati (Gilbert Islands bifor) and Tuvalu (Ellice Islands bifor) laek for independent from rul bilong British, governor askem mi for kamap bigman long Tuvalu administration. Bat mi no laekem pipol for tingse mi saedem olketa long British. So mi no acceptim datfala waka bat mi disaed for standap long election for kamap member long gavman. Bat mi lus. Bihaen datwan, mi and waef go bak long hom and stap long vilij.

BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Pipol long island sei Sunday hem Sabbath and hem holy day bat mi no ting olsem. Sunday hem day wea mi savve go sail and fishing. Mi no laekem pipol for ting long mi olsem lotu man. Dadi and olketa narawan nating hapi long wanem mi duim. Bat mi no laek duim eni samting wea showimaot church kontrolem mi.

Taem mi go long Funafuti, kapitol bilong Tuvalu, smol brata bilong mi invaetem mi for go long wanfala meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Bihaen, wanfala Witness missionary givim mi staka Wastaoa and Awake! magasin for readim. Hem givim wanfala buk tu wea storyim wea nao olketa laea teaching bilong Christian church kam from. Mi readim datfala buk staka taem. Mi lanem staka interesting samting long Bible, wea wanfala nao hem hao God no talem olketa Christian for keepim Sabbath. * Mi storyim olketa samting hia long waef bilong mi and hem stop for go long church.

Nomata olsem, mi no laek for duim eni samting saed long religion. Bat bihaen tufala year, mi no savve forgetim wanem mi lanem. Gogo mi raetem leta long datfala missionary long Funafuti and talem hem mi laek for kamap wanfala Witness. Hem kam long first boat wea kam long island wea mi stap for helpem mi lane abaotem Bible. Dadi bilong mi kros tumas taem hem savve mi laek for kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Bat mi talem hem mi lanem staka samting long Bible from olketa Witness and bae mi no changem tingting bilong mi.

GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: Long 1986, mi baptaes and kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Wanfala year bihaen, waef bilong mi hem baptaes. Tufala dota bilong mitufala tu lane abaotem wanem Bible teachim and disaed for kamap Jehovah’s Witness.

Mi hapi tumas for joinim wanfala grup wea olsem olketa Christian long first century wea no eniwan hem bigman. (Matthew 23:8-12) Olketa followim example bilong Jesus and preach abaotem Kingdom bilong God. (Matthew 4:17) Mi thankiu long Jehovah from hem helpem mi for lane abaotem olketa tru samting long Bible and olketa pipol bilong hem!

“Olketa Witness no talem mi wanem for bilivim.”—ALEXANDER SOSKOV

YEAR HEM BORN: 1971

KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: RUSSIA

HISTORY: LANEM PIPOL HAO FOR FAET

 LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Mi born long Moscow, wea hem nao kapitol taon long Soviet Union long datfala taem. Famili bilong mi stap long wanfala big building, and staka neiba bilong mifala waka long sem factory. Taem mi young, olketa savve sei mi pikinini wea no savve stap kwaet and taem mi big bae mi dae kwiktaem or stap long prison. Taem mi 10 year, olketa police holem mi finis.

Taem mi 18 year, mi mas joinim army and waka for gaedem border. Tufala year bihaen, mi go bak long hom and mi waka long wanfala factory, bat datfala waka hem boring. So mi joinim Moscow police riot squad and mi waka for lanem olketa narawan hao for faet. Mi helpem police for kasholem olketa criminal long Moscow and mi go long staka ples long kantri wea pipol faet. Feeling wea mi garem hem olsem wanfala spring wea redi for bosta, so samfala taem mi mas sleep long difren bed nogud mi killim waef bilong mi taem hem sleep.

BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Taem mi start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mi luksavve wei bilong mi for raf no followim wanem Bible talem. Mi luksavve mi mas stop for smoke tu and katem daon haomas alcohol nao mi drinkim. Bat mi tingse hem hard for mi changem waka bilong mi bikos mi no garem savve for duim eni difren waka wea bae helpem mi for provaedem wanem famili needim. Mi tingse no enitaem long laef bilong mi, mi bae preach olsem olketa Witness duim.

Gogo mi bilivim wanem Bible talem hem tru. Samting wea Ezekiel 18:21, 22 talem hem comfortim mi. Hem sei: “Sapos nogud man hem lusim nogud wei bilong hem . . . , bae mi forgivim hem and no tingim moa olketa sin bilong hem.”

Mi hapi olketa Witness no talem mi wanem for bilivim, bat olketa helpem mi for ting raonem wanem mi lanem. Mi tekem winim 40 magasin bilong olketa and readim evriwan insaed thrifala week nomoa. Samting wea mi lanem mekem mi luksavve diswan hem tru religion.

GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: Bifor mi studyim Bible, mi and waef bilong mi klosap for divorce. Distaem mitufala stap gud. Waef bilong mi tu disaed for studyim Bible long semtaem wea mi study, and mitufala disaed for worshipim Jehovah tugeta. Mitufala hapi distaem. Mi faendem waka tu wea fitim olketa Christian.

Firstaem wea mi preach long haos tu haos, mi savve garem sem feeling olsem bifor taem mi redi for kasholem olketa criminal. Bat distaem mi savve kontrolem miseleva nomata pipol trae for mekem mi kros. Mi lane for patient witim pipol. Mi sorre mi weistim staka taem long samting wea mi duim bifor, bat distaem mi feel satisfae. Mi hapi for iusim strong wea mi garem for worshipim Jehovah God and for helpem narawan.

[Footnote]