Taon wea mi kam from hem Pagsanjan, long Philippines. Datfala ples klosap long wanfala watafol wea staka tourist savve visitim. Dadi bilong mi, wea nem bilong hem Nardo Leron, kam from wanfala famili wea poor tumas. Hem barava kros taem hem lukim staka corruption insaed gavman, insaed police force, and ples wea hem waka, and from datwan hem heitim olketa.

 Mifala eitfala pikinini so dadi and mami mas waka hard for lukaftarem mifala. Olketa savve go longtaem from mifala olketa pikinini for waka long olketa rice farm wea stap long olketa maunten. Staka taem mi and brata bilong mi, Rodelio, savve hangre nomoa bikos mitufala mas lukaftarem mitufala seleva. Nomata mifala smol bat mifala no savve plei witim olketa nara pikinini. Taem mifala kasem 7 year, mi and olketa brata and sista bilong mi mas waka long planteison, for karem olketa bandol kokonat. Sapos hem hevi tumas for karem, olketa forcem mifala for pullim followim olketa steep road.

 Dadi bilong mifala savve killim mifala staka taem, bat hem nogud tumas taem mifala lukim hem killim mami bilong mifala. Mifala trae for stopem hem bat mifala no fit tu. Mitufala Rodelio plan seleva for killim dae dadi taem mitufala big. Mi wish nomoa mi garem dadi wea lovem mifala!

 From mi kros long dadi bilong mi wea raf tumas, mi lusim famili taem mi 14 year. Samfala taem mi sleep long olketa street, and mi start for smokem marijuana. Gogo mi garem waka for tekem olketa tourist long olketa smol boat for go lukluk long watafol.

 Samfala year bihaen, mi go skul long university long Manila. Bat mi no garem taem for study bikos evri weekend mi mas go bak long Pagsanjan for waka. Mi feel olsem mi hard waka nating and laef bilong mi no garem eni mining, and nomata marijuana bat nating savve mekem mi forgetim olketa problem bilong mi. Mi start for iusim olketa strong drug olsem methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. Drug savve mekem man garem laef wea olobaot. Laef hem fulap witim wei for safa, pipol poor, and no eni justice. Mi blamem gavman for evri nogud samting hia. Mi sei long God, “Why nao laef hem olsem?” Mi go long olketa difren religion bat mi no faendem ansa for why nao evri nogud samting olsem happen. Mi gohed tekem staka drug for daonem nogud feeling wea mi garem.

 Long 1972 long Philippines, olketa student long olketa university organizem olketa protest againstim gavman. Mi go march witim olketa wantaem, gogo mifala faet. Olketa arrestim staka pipol, and bihaen samfala month, army nao tekovarem gavman.

 From olketa lukaotem pipol wea joinim protest hia mi start for sleep moa long olketa street bikos mi fraet nogud olketa holem mi. From mi needim selen for peim olketa drug, mi savve steal, and gogo mi kamap man for sleep witim olketa rich pipol and pipol from nara kantri mekem mi savve kasem selen. Nomata mi laef or mi dae, mi no wari nomoa.

 Long datfala taem tu mami and wanfala long olketa smol brata bilong mi start for studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Dadi bilong mi kros tumas long tufala, and hem bonem olketa buk wea tufala iusim for studyim Bible. Bat tufala no givap and gogo tufala kamap Jehovah’s Witness.

 Wantaem, wanfala Witness story long dadi bilong mi abaotem wanem Bible storyim bae happen long future taem justice bae kamap evriwea long world. (Sams 72:12-​14) Samting wea dadi herem mekem hem laek for savve moa abaotem datwan. Hem start for studyim Bible witim olketa Witness, and hem lane abaotem promis bilong God for wanfala gavman wea bae rul witim justice. Hem lanem tu wanem God laekem wanfala hasband and dadi for duim insaed famili. (Ephesus 5:​28; 6:4) No longtaem bihaen, hem and evri narawan insaed famili kamap Jehovah’s Witness. Bat from mi stap farawe, mi no savve wanem nao happen long famili bilong mi.

 Long 1978 mi go stap long Australia. Nomata mi stap long disfala rich kantri wea garem peace, mi nating hapi nomoa. Mi gohed for tekem drug and drunk olowe. Long datfala sem year, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness kam long haos bilong mi. Wanem olketa showim mi long Bible abaotem wanfala earth wea garem peace hem here gud long mi bat mi hol bak for study witim olketa.

 No longtaem bihaen datwan mi go bak long Philippines for samfala week. Olketa brata and sista bilong mi storyim long mi dadi bilong mifala hem waka hard for change and kamap gudfala man, bat from mi heitim hem mi no laek for kasem hem.

 Smol sista bilong mi storyim wanem Bible talem abaotem why nao pipol safa tumas and no eni justice hem stap. Mi barava sapraes wanfala teenager olsem hem fit for ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mi. Taem mi redi for go bak, dadi bilong mi givim mi wanfala buk, wea title bilong hem You Savvy Stap All-the-way Long Paradise Long Earth. a Hem sei: “Iu stop nao for duim olketa nogud samting. Disfala buk bae ansarem olketa kwestin bilong iu.” Hem talem mi for go faendem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness taem mi go bak long Australia.

 Mi duim wanem dadi bilong mi talem and mi go faendem wanfala Kingdom Hall bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea stap klosap long haos bilong mi long Brisbane. Mi acceptim for olketa studyim Bible witim mi. Olketa profesi long Bible olsem Daniel chapter 7 and Aesaea chapter 9 helpem mi for luksavve gavman bilong God, wea no garem eni corruption, bae hem rul ovarem iumi long future. Mi lane abaotem hao disfala bae earth kamap Paradaes. Mi laekem God for acceptim mi, bat mi luksavve mi mas kontrolem miseleva, stop for iusim drug and no drunk, and stop for garem laef wea olobaot. Mi lusim gele wea mi stap witim, and mi stopem olketa nogud wei bilong mi. Olketa change wea mi mekem helpem mi for barava trustim Jehovah, and mi prea long Hem for helpem mi for changem olketa nara samting tu.

 Gogo, mi start for luksavve samting wea mi lanem savve helpem man for barava changem wei bilong hem. Bible sei sapos iumi traem best, iumi savve ‘lusim old wei bilong iumi and garem niufala wei.’ (Colossae 3:​9, 10) Taem mi traem best for changem olketa wei bilong mi, mi luksavve wanem dadi lanem long Bible nao changem hem. Mi no kros long hem moa bat mi laek for fren bak moa witim hem. Gogo, mi forgivim nao dadi bilong mi and mi lusim feeling for heit wea mi garem for hem start taem mi pikinini.

 Taem mi young, mi associate witim pipol wea mekem mi duim olketa nogud samting. Bible talem wei for associate witim nogud pipol bae spoelem man, and datwan nao kasem mi. (1 Corinth 15:33) Bat taem mi kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness mi garem olketa gudfala fren wea helpem mi for garem olketa gudfala wei. Wanfala long olketa nao hem waef bilong mi Loretta. Distaem mitufala helpem olketa narawan for luksavve hao Bible savve helpem olketa.

 Mi lukim dadi bilong mi hem change long wei wea mi barava no expectim, bikos long wanem hem lanem from Bible. Hem kamap wanfala hasband wea lovem waef bilong hem, and wanfala Christian wea hambol and no raf. Bihaen mi baptaes olsem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness long 1987, mi meetim moa dadi bilong mi and hem firstaem for hem hagem mi long full laef bilong mi!

 For winim 35 year, dadi and mami bilong mi waka tugeta for storyim hope insaed Bible long nara pipol. Pipol ting long hem olsem man wea waka hard, hem savve helpem olketa narawan, and hem kaen. Insaed olketa year hia, mi respectim and lovem hem. Mi hapi dat pipol savve hem nao dadi bilong mi. Hem dae long 2016, bat mi still tingim hem, and mi luksavve mitufala evriwan barava changem wei bilong mitufala bikos mitufala followim wanem Bible talem. Mi no heitim dadi bilong mi nao olsem bifor. And mi thankiu tumas bikos mi faendem Jehovah God, wea hem Dadi bilong mi long heven, wea hem promis for finisim evri nogud samting wea kasem olketa famili long full world.