Samfala pipol no kwiktaem for lane from olketa nogud samting wea kasem olketa. Mi tu olsem. Mi born and growap long Barcelona, wea hem mek-tu big taon long Spain. Famili bilong mi stap long wanfala area wea olketa kolem Somorrostro, wea stap long saedsea long datfala taon. Staka pipol savve Somorrostro hem ples wea staka criminal stap and pipol iusim drug.

 Parents bilong mi garem naenfala pikinini and mi nao firstborn. From mifala poor tumas, dadi bilong mi sendem mi for go waka olsem wanfala ball boy long wanfala tennis club. Mi ten year nomoa and mi mas waka for ten hour evriday. From datwan, mi no skul nao olsem olketa nara pikinini wea mifala sem age. Taem mi 14 year, mi start for waka olsem wanfala machinist long wanfala metal shop.

 Long 1975, olketa talem mi for joinim army, wea datwan hem wanfala law bilong Spain. From mi laek for go lukim olketa difren ples, mi disaed for joinim Spanish Foreign Legion wea stap long Melilla, wanfala area bilong Spain wea stap long North Africa. Long datfala taem nao, mi start for iusim drug and alcohol.

 Taem mi lusim army, mi go bak long Barcelona and startim wanfala gang. Mifala savve stealim eni samting nomoa. Then mifala savve salem olketa samting wea mifala stealim for selen for baem drug. Mi start for iusim olketa drug olsem LSD and amphetamines, and mi aftarem nomoa wei for duim sex, drink alcohol, and gambol. Diskaen laef mekem mi barava raf tumas. Mi evritaem tekem smol naef, ax, or wanfala bush naef, and mi nating fraet for iusim olketa samting hia sapos eniwan laek duim eni samting long mi.

 Wantaem, gang bilong mifala stealim wanfala car and police ronem mifala. Hem olsem samting wea happen insaed wanfala movie. Mifala draevem datfala car for samting olsem 30 kilometer, gogo olketa police start for sutim mifala. Gogo, draeva bilong mifala mekem car bilong mifala banga, and mifala evriwan ranawe. Taem dadi bilong mi faendaot, hem raosem mi from haos.

 For faevfala year, mi stap followim road nomoa. Mi sleep front long olketa door, insaed trak, long ples for sidaon long park, and long olketa graveyard. Mi stap tu insaed wanfala cave for lelebet taem. Laef bilong mi no garem eni mining, and mi nating wari nomoa sapos mi laef or dae. Mi tingim, samfala taem wea mi iusim drug, mi savve katem hand and arm bilong mi. Olketa scar hia stap yet distaem.

 Taem mi 28 year, mami bilong mi lukaotem mi and askem mi for go bak long haos. Mi agree for go bak witim hem and promisim hem hao bae mi changem laef bilong mi, bat hem tek taem for duim wanem mi promisim.

 Wanfala aftanun, tufala Jehovah’s Witness kam noknok long haos. Taem mi gohed lisin long tufala, dadi bilong mi singaot kam long mi for satem door from tufala. Bikos mi savve les for herem toktok bilong eniwan, mi disaed for no warim hem nomoa. Tufala Witness hia givim thrifala smol buk, wea mi hapi for acceptim. Mi askem tufala wea nao olketa savve meeting, and tu-thri day bihaen, mi go long Kingdom Hall.

 First samting wea mi lukim hem nao wei wea evriwan werem olketa naes kaleko. Bat mi garem long hair, beard, and kaleko bilong mi hem old. Datwan mekem mi feel olsem mi no fitim standard bilong olketa, so mi gohed standap aotsaed nomoa. Bat mi sapraes, mi lukim wanfala member long gang bilong mifala bifor wea nem bilong hem Juan, hem werem wanfala suit. Mi faendaot bihaen, hao hem kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness wan year go finis. Taem mi lukim hem, datwan helpem mi for no fraet for go insaed and attendim datfala meeting. Long datfala taem nao laef bilong mi start for change.

 Mi acceptim wanfala Bible study and kwiktaem luksavve hao sapos mi laek for mekem God hapi, mi need for changem olketa nogud fasin bilong mi and wei for kros. For change hem no isi. Mi lanem hao sapos mi laek for mekem Jehovah God hapi, mi need for “changem tingting” bilong mi mekem mi savve changem wei bilong mi. (Rome 12:2) Mi barava tinghae long mercy bilong God. Nomata mi duim staka nogud samting, mi luksavve hem givim mi chance for changem laef bilong mi. Samting wea mi lanem abaotem Jehovah God barava kasem heart bilong mi. Mi lukim klia hao wanfala Creator stap wea barava lovem mi.​—1 Peter 5:6, 7.

 Diswan muvim mi for start mekem olketa change. Olsem example, taem subject abaotem tobacco kamap long study, mi sei olsem long miseleva, ‘Sapos Jehovah God laekem mi for gohed klin long evri samting, then diswan minim mi mas torowem olketa cigarette hia!’ (2 Corinth 7:1) So mi torowem long rabis bin nao!

 And tu, mi need for stop for iusim and salem olketa drug. Datwan hem no isi and hem tek taem for lusim. For duim datwan, mi savve mi mas stop for associate witim olketa fren bilong mi bifor. Wei bilong olketa no helpem mi for grow long spiritual wei. Bat gogo, mi start for depend long Jehovah and olketa niu fren long kongregeson wea helpem mi. No enitaem samwan showimaot love or interest long mi olsem olketa hia duim. Bihaen staka month, mi stop nao for iusim drug and mi “garem niufala wei” wea helpem mi for mekem God hapi. (Ephesus 4:​24) Long August 1985, mi baptaes for kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness.

 Bible helpem mi for garem gudfala laef. Hem mekem mi free from olketa nogud samting wea spoelem body and tingting bilong mi. Winim 30-fala fren bilong mi bifor dae taem olketa young yet, bikos long AIDS or olketa nara sik wea kam from wei for iusim drug. Mi barava hapi tumas from mi followim olketa Bible principle wea helpem mi for no kasem olketa nogud samting olsem olketa hia.

 Taem mi wanfala young man wea raf tumas, mi savve karem olketa naef and ax. Bat distaem mi savve karem Bible and iusim for helpem pipol. Datwan hem samting wea bifor mi nating ting bae mi duim. Distaem, mi and waef bilong mi waka olsem olketa full-taem minister bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

 Parents bilong mi no kamap Jehovah’s Witness bat tufala tinghae long gud samting wea mi kasem from mi studyim Bible. And dadi bilong mi defendim olketa Witness tu front long olketa wakfren bilong hem. Dadi bilong mi luksavve samting wea mi bilivim distaem hem mekem mi for barava changem laef bilong mi. Staka taem mami bilong mi savve sei mi shud studyim Bible longtaem bifor yet. Mi barava ting olsem tu!

 Olketa samting wea mi go thru long hem long laef, helpem mi for luksavve hao hard tumas for olketa drug and wei for duim olketa nara nogud samting savve mekem man satisfae. Distaem mi kasem trufala wei for satisfae from wei for teachim narawan abaotem toktok bilong God, wea hem nao sevem laef bilong mi.