Mi growap long wanfala ples klosap long Tampere, Finland. Famili bilong mi no tinghae long religion bat tinghae long wei for kasem education and tingim narawan. From mami bilong mi hem from Germany, staka taem mi savve go long West Germany for visitim olketa grani bilong mi.

 Mi savve enjoy for pleim sports from taem mi smol pikinini yet. Enikaen sports nao mi savve pleim, bat taem mi 14 year, mi chusim tennis. Taem mi 16 year mi savve training tu or thri taem insaed wanfala day, tufala taem bae wanfala coach nao trainim mi and long evening bae mi practice seleva. Mi interest tumas long tennis, bikos disfala sport savve mekem mi for tingting gud and keep fit. Nomata mi savve hapi for kaban witim olketa fren and maet drink beer, no enitaem mi insaed trabol from olketa drug or alcohol. Laef bilong mi busy long tennis nomoa, hem nao main samting.

 Mi start for plei long olketa ATP tournament taem mi 17 year. a Bihaen mi winim tu-thri tournament, mi start for popular long kantri bilong mi. Taem mi 22 year, mi insaed long olketa top 50 tennis player long world.

 For staka year, mi gogo long olketa difren kantri for plei tennis. Mi kasem samfala naes ples bat, long semtaem mi lukim staka problem long world saed long criminal fasin, wei for iusim drug long rong wei and problem saed long environment. Olsem example, taem mifala go long United States, olketa talem mifala for no go long samfala ples from criminal fasin hem nogud tumas. Diswan savve mekem mi feel nogud. Nomata mi hapi taem mi plei tennis, long end bilong day mi nating feel satisfae.

 Sanna, wea hem gelfren bilong mi, hem start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Mi sapraes long hem, bat mi no againstim hem. Long 1990 mitufala marit and hem baptaes long 1991. Mi no man for lotu bat mi biliv wanfala God hem stap. Mi tingim bifor, granmami bilong mi long Germany hem savve readim Bible and hem lanem mi for prea tu.

 Wanfala day mitufala Sanna go visitim wanfala Witness hasband and waef. Datfala hasband Kari, hem showim mi profesi insaed Bible abaotem “olketa last day.” (2 Timothy 3:​1-5) Diswan barava mekem mi for interest bikos mi luksavve why nao evriting long world barava nogud. Long datfala day, mitufala no storyim religion moa. Bat, bihaen datfala taem mitufala Kari savve storyim Bible and olketa samting mi lanem kamap moa klia. From mi busy and savve travel olowe, mitufala Kari no savve garem taem for story. Bat Kari no givap for helpem mi. Hem savve raetem olketa leta for ansarem olketa kwestin wea mi askem long taem mitufala study. Mi kasem ansa from Bible for olketa deep kwestin and isisi mi start for luksavve long theme bilong Bible, Kingdom bilong God nao bae mekem will bilong God kamap. Mi barava interest for lanem nem bilong God, Jehovah, and for luksavve wanem hem duim for iumi. (Sams 83:18) Mi barava tinghae long reason bilong Jehovah for givim disfala ransom sakrifaes. Hem no from hem mas duim bikos law talem, bat hem duim from diswan showimaot love bilong hem. (John 3:​16) Mi lanem tu mi garem chance for kamap fren bilong God and laef olowe insaed paradaes wea fulap witim peace. (James 4:8) Gogo, mi start for tingting, “Wanem nao mi savve duim for showimaot mi tinghae?”

 Mi ting raonem laef bilong mi. Mi lanem from Bible hao wei for give savve mekem man barava hapi and mi barava laek for storyim olketa biliv bilong mi long olketa narawan. (Acts 20:35) From mi savve go plei long olketa tournament, diswan minim mi mas lusim famili for samting olsem 200 day insaed wanfala year. Main samting long famili bilong mi nao laef bilong mi, wea insaed diswan hem training, schedule and waka bilong mi. Mi luksavve mi need for change.

 Mi savve, staka pipol bae no minim disison bilong mi for stop for plei for big selen bikos long wanem mi lanem from Bible. Bat for mi, hem isi nomoa for disaed bikos wei for savve gud long Jehovah and kasem laef olowe hem winim eni prize wea mi savve winim taem mi plei tennis. Mi luksavve mi nao mas disaed and for no ting raonem wanem olketa narawan talem. Verse long Sams 118:6 helpem mi for tingting gud, hem sei: “[Jehovah] hemi stap wetem mi, nao bae mi no save fraet. No eniwan nao save duim eni nogud samting long mi.”

 Long semtaem, samfala sponsa laek for peim mi big selen for plei tennis. Datfala selen bae fit for sapotim mi for staka year. Bat, from mi disaed finis, mi no acceptim and bihaen, mi stop for plei long olketa ATP tournament. Mi gohed for studyim Bible and long July 2, 1994, mi baptaes olsem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness.

 Reason why mi lane abaotem God hem no from eni hard taem and mi no man wea lukaotem truth tu. Long tingting bilong mi, laef bilong mi hem gohed gud, and mi tingse mi hapi. Bat, taem mi studyim Bible, mi start for ting raonem olketa deep samting long laef and distaem nao mi barava hapi. Famili bilong mi stap gud and mifala garem wan mind winim enitaem bifor. Mi barava hapi from thrifala son bilong mi followim mi, no for plei tennis bat olsem olketa Christian.

 Mi savve plei tennis yet distaem. Long olketa year wea go pas mi garem waka for selen wea join witim tennis olsem wanfala coach and mi manager long wanfala tennis bisnis. Bat distaem sports hem no main samting long laef bilong mi. Bifor, for mi kamap wanfala nambawan man for plei tennis, mi savve training for staka hour evri week. Distaem, mi preach full taem and mi hapi for iusim taem bilong mi for helpem olketa narawan for lanem and followim olketa Bible principle wea changem laef bilong mi. Mi kasem bigfala hapi taem mi gohed for strongim wei wea mi fren witim Jehovah God and sharem hope bilong mi for wanfala nambawan future.​—1 Timothy 6:​19.