Bible Changem Laef Bilong Pipol

WANEM nao mekem wanfala man followim moa gudfala training wea hem kasem from Bible taem hem young yet? Hao nao wanfala young man wea no fren gud witim really dadi bilong hem, faendem samwan wea barava olsem wanfala dadi long hem? Readim samting wea olketa hia talem.

“Mi mas go bak for worshipim Jehovah moa.”—ELIE KHALIL

YEAR HEM BORN: 1976

KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: CYPRUS

HISTORY: OLOBAOT SON

LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Mi born long Cyprus bat mi growap long Australia. Parents bilong mi Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and olketa traem best for helpem mi lovem Jehovah and Word bilong hem Bible. Bat taem mi teenager, mi start for bighed nao. Long naet mi savve lusim haos taem evriwan sleep for go meetim olketa fren bilong mi. Mifala savve stealim olketa trak and insaed long staka trabol.

Long firstaem, mi no talem parents abaotem samting mi duim. Mi fraet nogud olketa kros long mi. Bat gogo mi no fraetem olketa nao. Samfala fren bilong mi old winim mi and olketa nating lovem Jehovah. Olketa barava pullim mi go difren. Gogo mi talem mami and dadi mi no interest for worshipim Jehovah. Tufala trae for helpem mi, bat mi les. Parents bilong mi barava sorre long wanem mi duim.

Mi lusim famili and start for traem enikaen difren drug. Mi growim staka marijuana tu. Mi barava olobaot and mi savve go olowe long olketa naet club. Wei bilong mi hem change and gogo mi man wea savve kros kwiktaem. Sapos eniwan talem or duim samting wea mekem mi feel nogud, mi savve kros fogud and maet mi tok long hem or hitim hem. Wei bilong mi hem barava opposite long Christian wei wea parents teachim long mi.

BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Wanfala best fren bilong mi savve tekem drug tu. Dadi bilong hem dae taem hem young yet. Staka taem mifala savve story gogo hem leit naet nao. Samfala taem hem savve story abaotem dadi bilong hem bikos hem barava misstim hem. From mi savve long hope wea Bible storyim for man savve laef bak, seknomoa, mi start for talem hem abaotem Jesus wea mekem pipol laef bak finis and wea hem promis for duim datwan moa long future. (John 5:28, 29) Mi savve sei long hem: “Tingim sapos iu savve lukim moa dadi bilong iu. Iumi evriwan savve laef olowe long Paradaes hia long earth.” Fren bilong mi barava tinghae long samting wea mi talem.

Samfala taem, fren bilong mi laek for storyim samfala Bible teaching, olsem olketa  last day and Trinity teaching. Mi savve tekem Bible bilong hem and showim hem samfala scripture wea storyim truth abaotem Jehovah God, Jesus, and olketa last day. (John 14:28; 2 Timothy 3:1-5) From mi evritaem storyim Jehovah long fren bilong mi, datwan mekem mi start for tingim Jehovah moa.

Isisi, olketa seed bilong truth long Bible wea parents bilong mi traem best for plantim long heart bilong mi, olketa start for grow. Samfala taem wea mi long party witim olketa fren and mifala iusim olketa drug, seknomoa mi start for tingim Jehovah nao. Staka fren bilong mi sei olketa lovem God, bat olketa duim rabis samting. From mi no laek for olsem, mi luksavve long wanem mi mas duim. Mi mas go bak for worshipim Jehovah moa.

For man changem wei bilong hem bae moa hard winim for hem disaed for duim datwan. Samfala change wea mi duim hem no hard tumas olsem for lusim olketa drug. Mi lusim tu olketa fren bilong mi and start for studyim Bible witim wanfala Christian elder.

Bat samfala change hem barava no isi. Mi barava stragol for kontrolem kros bilong mi. Samfala taem mi win for kontrolem kros, bat then seknomoa mi no savve kontrolem nao. Bihaen mi kros mi feel nogud long miseleva and tingse mi no fit. From mi feel wikdaon, mi story witim elder wea study witim mi. Elder hia hem patient and kaen and hem barava encouragem mi. Wanfala taem hem talem mi for readim article long Wastaoa wea storyim why hem important for no givap. * Mitufala storyim wanem mi savve duim sapos enitaem mi start for kros. From mi tingim olowe samting mi lanem long article hia and mi prea evritaem long Jehovah, gogo mi win nao for kontrolem kros. Gogo, long April 2000, mi baptaes and kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Parents bilong mi barava hapi fogud.

GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: Distaem body bilong mi klin from mi no olobaot and no iusim olketa drug. From diswan mi hapi and garem klin konsens. Nomata long eni samting wea mi duim, nomata mi waka, attendim olketa Christian meeting, or enjoyim hapitaem, mi barava hapi winim bifor. Eni samting wea kasem mi, mi trae for tingim gud saed.

Mi thankiu long Jehovah for parents bilong mi. Tufala trae for helpem mi and olketa no givap. Mi tingim tu toktok bilong Jesus long John 6:44. Hem sei: “Hard for eniwan kam long mi sapos Dadi wea sendem mi kam hem no leadim hem kam long mi firstaem.” Mi barava tinghae long Jehovah bikos hem leadim mi kam bak long hem.

 “Mi laekem tumas for garem wanfala dadi.”—MARCO ANTONIO ALVAREZ SOTO

YEAR HEM BORN: 1977

KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: CHILE

HISTORY: MEMBER LONG WANFALA DEATH-METAL BAND

LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Mami nao lukaftarem mi long Punta Arenas, wea datwan hem wanfala naes taon long Strait of Magellan klosap long botom bilong South America. Parents bilong mi separate taem mi five year nomoa, wea mekem mi sorre tumas. Mi laekem tumas for garem wanfala dadi.

Mami bilong mi studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and hem savve tekem mi go long olketa meeting long Kingdom Hall. Bat mi les long olketa meeting, and mi savve krae and faet witim mami taem mitufala gogo for Kingdom Hall. Taem mi 13 year nomoa, mi no go moa long olketa meeting.

Long datfala taem mi barava interest long music and mi savve plei gud tu. Taem mi 15 year, mi savve pleim hevi-metal and death-metal music long olketa festival, naet club, and party. Mi evritaem kaban witim pipol wea savve tumas hao for pleim music wea datwan mekem mi interest for pleim classical music. So mi start for studyim music long wanfala music skul. Taem mi 20 year, mi muv go long kapitol, Santiago, for mi savve gohed skulim music. Mi gohed tu for plei long olketa hevi-metal and death-metal band.

Long datfala taem, mi feel olsem laef bilong mi hem emti nomoa. So mi savve drunk and iusim drug mekem mi no tingim datfala feeling. Mi duim olsem witim olketa nara member bilong band wea mi ting long olketa olsem famili bilong mi. Mi savve bighed tumas wea datwan showaot long lukluk bilong mi. Mi werem blak kaleko, garem beard, and letem hair bilong mi for long kasem weist bilong mi.

From mi bighed, staka taem mi savve faet and olketa police mas holem mi nao. Long wanfala taem wea mi drunk, mi attakim wanfala grup wea salem olketa drug bikos olketa disturbim mi and olketa fren bilong mi. Olketa hia barava whipim mi nogud gogo jaw bilong mi brek nao.

Bat olketa wea mi barava trustim nao olketa spoelem mi tumas. Mi frenim wanfala gele for plande year. Wanday mi faendaot, sem taem wea mitufala start for fren, hem frenim haed best fren bilong mi tu. Nomata olketa nara fren bilong mi savve long diswan bat no eniwan talem mi, so mi barava sorre and feel nogud long datwan.

Mi go bak stap long Punta Arenas wea mi teachim music and garem waka for pleim cello. Mi gohed tu for plei and duim recording witim olketa hevi-metal and death-metal band. Mi frenim wanfala naes boela gele wea nem bilong hem Sussan, and mitufala stap tugeta long sem haos. Gogo, Sussan hem faendaot, mami bilong hem biliv long Trinity teaching, bat mi no biliv long Trinity. So hem askem mi, which wan nao hem tru? Mi talem hem mi savve Trinity hem no stret bat mi no savve pruvim datwan from Bible. Mi no savve pruvim, bat mi savve long hu nao savve pruvim datwan. Mi talem hem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness savve showim hem truth abaotem datwan insaed Bible. Then mi duim samting wea mi no duim for plande year finis. Mi prea long God and askem hem for help.

Tu-thri day bihaen, mi lukim wanfala man wea mi tingse mi savve long hem, and mi askem hem sapos hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Man hia hem fraetem mi bikos long lukluk bilong mi, bat nomata olsem, hem kaen and hem ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mi abaotem olketa meeting long Kingdom Hall. Mi barava sure diswan hem ansa for  prea bilong mi. Mi go long Kingdom Hall and sidaon long bihaen mekem no eniwan luksavve long mi. Bat staka start for luksavve long mi and remember mi savve attendim olketa meeting taem mi pikinini. Olketa barava kaen and welkamim mi wea mekem mi barava relax and hapi. Hem olsem mi kam bak long hom nao. Taem mi lukim wanfala man wea teachim Bible long mi taem mi smol, mi askem hem for study moa witim mi.

BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Wanday mi readim Proverbs 27:11 wea sei: “Son bilong mi, duim samting wea wise, and mekem heart bilong mi hapi.” Mi barava sapraes for savve wanfala man nating nomoa savve mekem God hapi, wea hem nao wakem evri samting long universe. Mi luksavve nao, Jehovah nao hem savve kamap datfala Dadi wea mi lukaotem for full laef bilong mi!

Mi laek mekem Dadi bilong mi long heven for hapi and duim wanem hem laekem, bat mi iusim olketa drug for staka year finis and mi olsem slave bilong olketa drug hia. Mi start for minim toktok bilong Jesus long Matthew 6:24, wea sei “no eniwan savve waka for tufala boss.” Taem mi stragol for lusim olketa old wei bilong mi and change, mi barava minim nao toktok long 1 Corinth 15:33, wea sei: “Sapos man hem fren witim pipol wea wei bilong olketa hem nogud, olketa bae spoelem gudfala wei bilong hem.” Mi luksavve, sapos mi gohed for kaban witim olketa old fren bilong mi and gogo olowe long olketa naet club, bae hem hard nao for mi change. Kaonsel long Bible hem klia: Sapos mi laek for lusim olketa nogud samting hia, mi mas barava mekem nao samfala big change long laef bilong mi.—Matthew 5:30.

Mi disaed for no pleim moa hevi-metal music. Bat from mi laekem tumas music, datwan hem barava no isi samting for disaedem. Thankiu nao, olketa fren bilong mi long kongregeson barava helpem mi for lusim datwan. Mi lusim wei for drunk and iusim olketa drug. Mi katem hair bilong mi, mi shavem beard, and mi finis for werem olketa blak kaleko moa. Taem mi talem Sussan mi laek for katem hair bilong mi, hem sapraes, and hem sei, “Ating mi bae go witim iu long Kingdom Hall for faendaot why nao iu change tumas distaem!” Hem barava laekem nao samting wea hem lukim long there, and no longtaem bihaen, hem start for studyim Bible tu. Gogo, mitufala Sussan marit. Long 2008, mitufala baptaes and kamap Jehovah’s Witness. Mitufala hapi for worshipim Jehovah witim mami bilong mi.

GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: Bifor, samting wea mi tingse bae mekem mi hapi hem no mekem mi hapi, and pipol savve barava spoelem mi. Mi still laekem tumas music, bat mi careful for chusim music wea fitim. Mi savve storyim experience bilong mi for helpem olketa long famili bilong mi and olketa narawan, main wan nao olketa young wan. Mi laek helpem olketa for luksavve, plande samting long disfala world hem luk naes, bat for tok stret, “hem rabis samting nomoa.”—Philippi 3:8.

Mi faendem olketa faithful fren long kongregeson. Long kongregeson peace hem stap and evriwan garem love. Winim evri samting, from mi fren gud witim Jehovah, mi faendem nao Dadi bilong mi.

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[Blurb on page 29]

“Mi kam bak long Jehovah, bikos hem nao leadim mi kam bak long hem”