MI BORN long December 10, 1968, long Ilocos Norte, long Philippines, and mi mek-seven long tenfala pikinini. Olsem staka nara Filipino, dadi and mami bilong mi, tufala Catholic. Mi graduate long hae skul long 1986, and mi laek for kamap wanfala nurse. Bat mi no savve duim datwan bikos mi kasem wanfala nogud sik and mi tingse bae mi dae nao. From mi barava sik, mi askem God for helpem mi and talem hem sapos mi gud bak, mi bae servem hem for full laef bilong mi.

Taem mi gud bak mi tingim promis bilong mi long God. So long June 1991 mi go long wanfala Pentecostal Bible skul. Long datfala skul olketa sei mifala savve kasem holy spirit, and mi laek for kasem paoa for healim pipol. Olketa sei for kasem datwan, mifala mas duim fasting and prea. For mekem pipol tingse mi garem paoa for herem prea bilong narawan, mi go klosap for lisin long wanfala classmate taem hem prea. Taem hem klosap for finis prea, mi go bak long ples wea mi nildaon. Bihaen datwan mi talem hem evri samting wea hem prea abaotem, so hem tingse mi nao garem paoa bilong holy spirit for savve wanem olketa narawan prea abaotem.

Taem mi gohed for study long datfala Bible skul, mi garem staka kwestin. Olsem example, long Matthew 6:9 hem storyim “Dadi” and “nem” bilong hem. Mi askem samfala kwestin olsem, “Hu nao disfala Dadi wea Jesus storyim?” and “Nem bilong hu nao shud kamap holy?” Bat olketa teacher no really savve hao for ansarem olketa kwestin bilong mi. Olketa story abaotem Trinity and olketa sei, no eniwan savve long mining bilong Trinity. Mi konfius nao. Nomata olsem, mi gohed skul for kamap wanfala pastor.

Long datfala Bible skul olketa sei Olketa Jehovah’s Witness nao barava laea religion. Olketa sei tu, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness olketa antichrist. Mi start for heitim religion bilong olketa.

Long mek-tu year long datfala skul, mi go lukim dadi and mami long taem bilong skul holiday. Carmen, big sista bilong mi, savve mi visitim mami and dadi and hem kam lukim mi. Hem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness wea baptaes finis and duim preaching waka full-taem. Taem hem trae for story witim mi abaotem God, mi tok kros and sei: “Mi savve nao long God wea mi worshipim!” Then mi tok spoelem hem and pushim hem, and mi no laekem hem for story moa long mi.

 Bihaen mi go bak long Bible skul, Carmen sendem wanfala brochure long mi, Should You Believe in the Trinity? * From mi kros yet witim Carmen, mi stretawe skwisim datfala brochure and torowem long fire.

Taem mi gohed for study long datfala Bible skul, mi helpem olketa narawan for changem religion bilong olketa. Mi hapi tumas taem mami and brata bilong mi joinim mi long Pentecostal church.

Long March 1994, mi graduate from datfala Pentecostal Bible skul and olsem mi talem long start long story, wanfala preacher hem long there tu. Evriwan wea graduate laek for go klosap long hem bikos mifala bilivim hem garem paoa for healim pipol. Mifala go joinim hem long stage and jampjamp and klap followim music. Then taem hem tasim samfala, olketa foldaon, (“slain in the spirit”). * Taem hem tasim mi, mi tu foldaon and mi hafded nao. Taem mi wekap mi fraet, bat mi feel olsem mi garem paoa for healim man and mi hapi long datwan.

No longtaem bihaen, mi iusim disfala paoa for healim wanfala pikinini wea barava sik witim fever. Taem mi prea, stretawe nomoa datfala pikinini start for swet and fever hem finis nao. Long datfala taem mi hapi mi savve duim samting wea mi promisim long God. Nomata mi savve duim datwan, mi feel olsem mi needim samting moa. Bat insaed heart bilong mi, mi savve wanfala God nomoa hem stap, bat mi no savve hu nao hem and mi no sure abaotem samting wea church teachim.

Bihaen olketa samting hia happen, mi barava againstim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Mi bonem olketa pablikeson bilong olketa. Gogo, mi seke taem mi herem Carmen studyim Bible witim mami and hem disaed for no followim nao Pentecostal church. Mi kros fogud long sista bilong mi.

Then mi lukim wanfala Awake! magasin long haos bilong mami. Mi savve bonem olketa magasin olsem, bat mi interest for savve why nao mami laek readim disfala magasin, so mi start for lukluk insaed. Mi lukim wanfala story abaotem samwan wea garem strong biliv long religion bilong hem. Bat taem readim olketa pablikeson bilong Olketa Witness and iusim Bible for minim olketa samting wea hem readim, hem start for luksavve olketa teaching olsem Trinity, hellfire and soul wea no savve dae, no stap long Bible. Diswan barava affectim mi bikos mi laek for minim olketa teaching hia. Start long datfala taem mi laek for savve long tru samting wea stap long Bible.

Bihaen datwan mi readim nara story long Awake! magasin abaotem wanfala man wea savve drunk olowe and tekem olketa drug. Taem hem studyim Bible, hem changem staka samting long laef bilong hem. Diswan  mekem mi interest for readim olketa pablikeson bilong olketa Witness. Mi readim wanfala brochure, The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever * and mi lanem nem bilong God hem Jehovah. Datwan mekem mi barava hapi from mi savve long tru samting abaotem God!—Deuteronomy 4:39; Jeremiah 10:10.

No eniwan savve mi gohed for readim olketa magasin and mi lanem staka tru samting long Bible. Olsem example, long datfala Pentecostal skul olketa lanem mifala hao Jesus nao hem God, bat long Bible hem sei Jesus “hem Son bilong datfala God wea laef.”—Matthew 16:15, 16.

Taem mi lukim Carmen, hem sapraes taem mi askem hem for datfala brochure The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever and olketa nara buk. Mi go long datfala Bible skul for staka year, bat olketa nating lanem mi olketa tru samting. Bat mi barava hapi nao bikos mi lanem olketa tru samting wea stap insaed Bible. Mi minim nao datfala toktok bilong Jesus: “Iufala bae savve long samting wea tru, and datwan bae mekem iufala free.” (John 8:32) Olketa tru samting wea mi lanem mekem mi laek for changem samfala samting long laef bilong mi.

Firstaem, mi tingse mi savve gohed for duim waka bilong pastor and no talem eniwan mi worshipim Jehovah. Bat gogo mi luksavve hem no stret for mi teachim narawan olketa teaching bilong church. Nomata olsem, mi wari bikos mi no savve hao nao bae mi kasem selen sapos mi no duim datfala waka. And tu mi luksavve church bae shame sapos pastor bilong olketa kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness! So mi gohed for duim datfala waka, bat mi no laek teachim olketa false samting wea church teachim.

Nara taem wea mi lukim Carmen, hem sei hem gud sapos mi savve attendim wanfala meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Samfala taem mi savve go long Laoag City wea main Pentecostal church hem stap. Taem mi long there mi go long olketa meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mekem no eniwan long hom savve lukim mi. Mi meetim wanfala full-taem minister long datfala kongregeson, wea nem bilong hem Alma Preciosa Villarin, bat olketa savve kolem hem “Precious.” Nomata mi no tinghae long olketa Witness yet, mi agree for hem studyim Bible witim mi.

Carmen hem patient tumas taem hem helpem mi for savve long olketa tru samting long Bible. Precious tu hem patient. Hem barava helpem mi for minim Bible nomata mi savve kros, raoa witim hem, and tok strong abaotem  olketa biliv wea mi garem. Wei wea Precious and olketa nara Witness showimaot interest long mi and olketa hambol and kaen, datwan barava affectim mi and mekem mi laek for worshipim Jehovah.

Long July 1995, mi luksavve for mekem God hapi, mi mas finis for duim waka bilong pastor. Why nao olsem? Long Revelation 18:4 hem storyim wei wea pipol bilong God mas lusim false religion. Hem sei: “Pipol bilong mi, sapos iufala no laek join witim hem long sin bilong hem, and no laek kasem olketa nogud samting wea bae kasem hem, iufala mas go aot from hem nao.” Bat sapos mi lusim datfala church, hao nao bae mi kasem selen? Hebrew 13:5 helpem mi for luksavve taem iumi duim samting wea God laekem, hem promis olsem: “Bae mi nating lusim iu.”

Brata bilong mi wea kamap Pentecostal and dadi, tufala barava againstim mi nao. Nomata olsem, tufala week bifor mi baptaes for kamap wanfala Witness, mi disaed strong for go bak long hom and bonem evri samting wea mi iusim taem mi pastor. Bihaen mi duim datwan, mi luksavve olketa spesol paoa wea mi garem bifor, hem finis nao. Long bifor, taem mi sleep, hem feel olsem wanfala hevi samting antap long body bilong mi bat datfala feeling tu hem finis. And tu, mi no lukim moa olketa shadow long window long rum bilong mi. Bible study helpem mi for savve kaen paoa olsem for healim pipol, hem no kam from God, bat hem kam from olketa wicked spirit. Mi hapi tumas mi free from paoa bilong olketa wicked spirit, olsem datfala gele wea Paul raosem ‘demon wea stap long hem.’—Acts 16:16-18.

Long September 1996, mi hapi tumas taem mitufala mami baptaes and kamap Jehovah’s Witness. Bihaen mi baptaes, mi duim preaching waka full-taem for plande year.

Gogo mi maritim wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, wea nem bilong hem Silver. Distaem mitufala waka tugeta for helpem dota bilong mitufala for lanem olketa tru samting long Bible. Thrifala sista bilong mi tu kamap Jehovah’s Witness. Nomata mi sorre bikos for plande year mi no really savve long God, distaem mi hapi tumas from mi savve long God wea mi worshipim.