“Sapos iu barava laek for lane abaotem God, gohed for study witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.” Mi sapraes tumas for herem datfala koment. Long datfala taem, mi study witim olketa Witness. Bat for iu minim why mi sapraes, mi mas explainim wanem nao happen long laef bilong mi.

 Mi born long wanfala taon long El Salvador wea nem bilong hem, Quezaltepeque. Famili bilong mi garem 15-fala pikinini, and mi nao mek-6. Parents bilong mi traem best for teachim mi for honest and obeyim law. And tu, samfala taem, Leonardo and olketa nara Jehovah’s Witness savve kam long haos for teachim mifala abaotem Bible. Bat mi no followim samting mi lanem and mi mekem olketa nogud disison. Taem mi 14, mi joinim olketa fren bilong mi long skul for drink tumas and iusim olketa drug. Gogo evriwan hia joinim olketa raf gang and from mi followim nogud example bilong olketa, mi joinim gang tu. Mifala savve liu long taon, and savve demandim selen, and stealim selen for peim drink and olketa drug.

 Gang hia olsem famili bilong mi, and mi tingse mi mas faithful long olketa nao. Olsem example, wanday, wanfala member bilong gang wea tekem staka drug start for killim wanfala neiba bilong mi. Datfala neiba win for holem man hia and kolem police. Mi barava kros long hem so mi holem wanfala stik and start for smasem trak bilong hem mekem hem stop for holem fren bilong mi. Taem mi gohed for smasem evri window long trak, neiba bilong mi barava begim mi for no duim datwan, bat mi no laek herem datwan.

 Taem mi 18 year, gang bilong mi insaed wanfala faet witim olketa police. Mi holem wanfala bomb wea mi nao wakem, and seknomoa, bomb hia bosta. Mi lukim hand bilong mi barava garekil nao and then mi foldaon haf dead. Taem mi wekap long hospital, mi lukim olketa doctor katemaot raet hand bilong mi. Raet saed ear bilong mi barava earpas and mi klosap full blind long raet eye tu.

 Nomata mi barava spoelem body bilong mi, bihaen mi aot from hospital, mi go joinim gang bilong mi moa. Bat no longtaem bihaen, police holem mi and olketa putim mi long prison. Taem mi long prison, mi barava strongim wei wea mi fren witim olketa nara member bilong gang hia. Full day mifala savve stap tugeta. Start long morning, taem mifala smokem firstfala marijuana, go kasem taem mifala sleep.

 Leonardo kam visitim mi long prison. Taem mitufala gohed for story, hem point go long wanfala tattoo long hand bilong mi and sei. “Waswe, iu savve long mining bilong thrifala samting hia long hand bilong iu.” Mi sei long hem, “Ia, hem minim sex, olketa drug, and rock and roll music.” Bat Leonardo hem sei: “Nomoa, hem minim hospital, prison, and dae. Iu stap long hospital finis and distaem iu long prison. Ating iu savve long next samting wea bae kasem iu, iaman?”

 Mi barava seke long samting wea Leonardo talem. Datwan hem tru. Samting mi duim bae gogo killim mi dae nao. Leonardo invaetem mi for studyim Bible witim hem, and mi agree for duim datwan. Samting mi lanem from Bible encouragem mi for changem laef bilong mi. Olsem example, Bible hem sei “Sapos man hem fren witim pipol wea wei bilong olketa hem nogud, olketa bae spoelem gudfala wei bilong hem.” (1 Corinth 15:33) So mi mas faendem samfala niu fren. Mi stop for go long olketa meeting bilong datfala gang and start for attendim olketa meeting wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness arrangem insaed long prison. Long meeting bilong Olketa Witness, mi meetim nara prisoner wea nem bilong hem Andrés. Hem baptaes for kamap Witness bihaen hem kam long prison. Hem askem mi for kam kaikai witim hem long morning. Start kam long datfala taem, mi no startim day long wei for smokem marijuana, bat mitufala Andrés savve storyim tugeta wanfala verse from Bible.

 Olketa nara member bilong gang luksavve mi stop for attendim meeting bilong olketa. So wanfala member bilong gang hia sei hem laek for story witim mi. Mi barava fraet. Mi no savve wanem hem bae duim long mi taem hem faendemaot mi no laek for gohed olsem member bilong datfala gang, bikos hem barava no isi for lusim wanfala gang olsem. Hem sei: “Mi lukim iu no kam moa long olketa meeting bilong mifala, bat iu attendim meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Wanem nao plan bilong iu?” Mi talem hem mi laek for gohed studyim Bible and for changem wei bilong mi. Mi barava seke taem hem sei gang bae respectim mi, bat mi mas barava pruvim mi laek for kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Then hem sei: “Sapos iu barava laek for lane abaotem God, no lusim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Mifala laek for lukim iu no duim moa olketa nogud samting. Mi praisem iu. Distaem iu go followim stretfala wei. Olketa Witness savve barava helpem iu. Mi study witim olketa long United States, and samfala long famili bilong mi Olketa Jehovah’s Witness tu. No fraet, and no givap.” Nomata mi fraet, mi hapi tumas and mi talem thankiu long Jehovah God long heart bilong mi. Mi feel olsem bird wea olketa aotem rope from leg bilong hem, and mi minim toktok bilong Jesus taem hem sei: “Iufala bae savve long samting wea tru, and datwan bae mekem iufala free.”​—John 8:​32.

 Samfala wea fren bilong mi bifor putim hevi long mi for iusim drug moa, and sorre for talem, samfala taem mi foldaon long datwan. Bat gogo, bihaen staka taem wea mi prea strong for help, mi barava lusim nao olketa nogud wei hia.​—Psalm 51:10, 11.

 Bihaen mi aot from prison, staka tingse mi bae go bak long olketa old wei bilong mi, bat mi no duim datwan. Plande taem mi go bak long datfala prison, no from mi duim rong samting, bat bikos mi laek storyim samting wea mi lanem from Bible witim olketa man wea mi stap witim olketa taem mi wanfala prisoner. Datwan barava pruvim long olketa truth hem changem mi. Bat olketa wea enemy bilong mi bifor no garem tingting olsem.

 Wanday, taem mi preaching witim wanfala brata, wanfala gang, wea bifor gang wea mi joinim savve faetem olketa, olketa seknomoa raonem mitufala. Olketa holem weapon and laek for killim mi dae. Brata wea preach witim mi trae for explainim hao mi no member bilong datfala gang distaem. Mi trae for no seksek tumas. Olketa whipim mi nogud, and warnim mi for no kam long datfala area moa. Then olketa go from mifala nao. Bible barava changem laef bilong mi. Sapos sem samting happen bifor, bae mi trae for pei bak. Bat distaem mi followim Bible kaonsel long 1 Thessalonica 5:​15 wea sei: “Mek sure no eniwan long iufala hem changem bak nogud samting wea narawan duim long hem. Evritaem duim gud samting long iufala evriwan and long nara pipol tu.”

 Start kam long taem mi kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, mi trae for honest. Long firstaem, hem no isisi for mi duim datwan. Nomata olsem, from mi kasem help from Jehovah God, from kaonsel insaed Bible, and from olketa niu fren bilong mi, mi win for duim datwan nao. Mi nating laek for go bak long olketa old wei bilong mi.​—2 Peter 2:​22.

 Long bifor, mi raf tumas and mi man for kros and feel nogud. Mi sure, sapos mi gohed for raf olsem, bae mi no laef distaem. Samting mi lanem from Bible nao hem changem mi. Mi stop for duim olketa nogud samting. Mi lane for no kros long olketa wea enemy bilong mi bifor. (Luke 6:​27) And distaem mi garem olketa fren wea helpem mi for garem olketa gudfala wei. (Proverbs 13:20) Distaem mi hapi and mi duim gudfala samting long laef bilong mi. Mi worshipim wanfala God wea willing for forgivim mi for evri nogud samting wea mi duim bifor.​—Isaiah 1:​18.

 Long 2006, mi kasem spesol training long wanfala skul for olketa Christian wea singol. Samfala year bihaen datwan, mi marit, and mitufala garem wanfala dota. Distaem, mi evritaem go for teachim olketa narawan abaotem olketa Bible principle wea helpem mi. Mi wanfala elder long kongregeson tu, and mi traem best for helpem olketa young wan for no duim olketa sem mistek wea mi duim taem mi young olsem. Distaem, mi no putim laef bilong mi long danger bat mi waka hard for kasem laef olowe wea God promisim long Bible.