Mi growap long Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. long olketa ples wea garem olketa rabis gang and pipol iusim drug. Famili bilong mifala garem sixfala pikinini and mi second born.

Mami savve tekem mifala go long evangelical church. Bat taem mi teenager, long Sunday mi singsing long choir bilong church, and long olketa nara day, mi go long olketa party, mi iusim drug, and durong.

Mi man for kros kwiktaem. Mi savve iusim eni samting for faet mekem mi winim narawan. Wanem olketa long church teachim nating helpem mi. Evritaem mi savve sei, “Lord nao savve pei bak, bat hem iusim mi for duim datwan!” Long olketa year bilong 1960, taem mi long hae skul mi start for interest long Black Panthers, wanfala grup saed long politik, wea faet for raet bilong pipol. Mi joinim wanfala grup wea faet for raet bilong olketa student. Staka taem mifala protest, and long olketa taem hia skul hem klos daon for lelebet taem.

Nomata mifala protest, mi still laek duim staka nogud samting. So mi start duim olketa samting wea showimaot wei for heitim olketa narawan. Olsem example, wantaem mi and olketa fren bilong mi lukim wanfala movie wea showim pipol treatim nogud olketa from Africa wea slave long United States. Mifala kros tumas, so mifala killim olketa whiteman pikinini long datfala ples for lukim movie. Then, mifala go long olketa ples wea olketa whiteman stap for killim olketa.

Taem mi samting olsem 19 year, mi and nara thrifala brata bilong mi duim finis staka criminal samting. Olketa police lukaotem mifala. Young brata bilong mi hem joinim wanfala rabis gang wea mi savve gogo witim olketa. Wei bilong mi hem barava nogud tumas.

Wanfala fren bilong mi, dadi and mami bilong hem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa invaetem mi for go witim olketa long olketa Christian meeting. Firstaem mi attendim Christian meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mi luksavve olketa barava difren. Evriwan iusim Bible bilong olketa long taem bilong meeting. Olketa young wan tu savve tekpart long samfala part long meeting! Mi hapi for savve nem bilong God hem Jehovah, and for herem olketa iusim datfala nem. (Psalm 83:18) Olketa long datfala kongregeson kam from olketa difren kantri, bat olketa stap gud tugeta.

 Firstaem, mi no laek studyim Bible witim olketa Witness, bat mi laekem nomoa for go long olketa meeting bilong olketa. Wantaem wea mi attendim meeting bilong olketa Witness, olketa fren bilong mi go long wanfala music concert. Long datfala concert, olketa killim dae wanfala teenage boy bikos hem no laek for givim jacket bilong hem long olketa. Long next day olketa tokplas abaotem wanem olketa duim. Taem olketa tekem olketa long kot, olketa ting nating nomoa long wanem olketa duim. Klosap evriwan long olketa kasem judgment for laeftaem long prison. Mi hapi tumas mi no go witim olketa long datfala taem. Mi disaed for changem laef bilong mi and start for studyim Bible.

Mi lukim staka samting wea showimaot pipol long olketa difren kala skin heitim each other. Bat Olketa Jehovah’s Witness duim samting wea mekem mi sapraes tumas. Olsem example, taem wanfala white man Witness hem go long nara kantri, hem leavim fofala pikinini bilong hem long famili bilong wanfala blak man for lukaftarem olketa. And tu, famili bilong wanfala white man lukaftarem wanfala blak boy. Datwan mekem mi luksavve Olketa Jehovah’s Witness followim wanem Jesus talem long John 13:35, wea sei: “Sapos iufala lovem iufala evriwan, pipol bae savve iufala olketa disaepol bilong mi.” Mi savve olketa nao pipol wea showimaot trufala love.

Taem mi studyim Bible, mi luksavve mi mas changem tingting bilong mi mekem mi stap gud witim olketa narawan and garem gudfala laef. (Rome 12:2) Mi isisi followim wanem mi lanem long Bible. Then long January 1974, mi baptaes and kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness.

Nomata bihaen mi baptaes, mi mas traem best for kontrolem wei bilong mi for kros kwiktaem. Olsem example, wanfala taem wea mi go preach long haos tu haos, mi ronem wanfala man wea stealim radio long car bilong mi. Taem mi klosap kasem hem, hem dropim datfala radio and hem ranawe. Mi storyim diswan long olketa narawan wea mifala preach tugeta and wanfala elder askem mi: “Stephen, sapos iu kasholem datfala man, wanem nao bae iu duim?” Kwestin bilong datfala elder helpem mi for mas gohed traem best bilong mi for stap gud witim olketa narawan.

Long October 1974, mi start for duim full-taem waka for teachim pipol abaotem Bible. Mi iusim 100 hour evri month for duim datfala waka. Bihaen datwan, mi garem privilege for duim volunteer waka long world hedquarter bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Brooklyn, New York. Long 1978, mi go bak long Los Angeles for lukaftarem mami bilong mi wea sik. Bihaen tufala year, mi maritim Aarhonda. Hem barava helpem mi for lukaftarem mami bilong mi go kasem taem hem dae. Gogo, mitufala attendim Watchtower Bible Skul Bilong Gilead. Bihaen mifala finis skul, mitufala go long Panama for duim missionary waka.

Start long taem wea mi baptaes, mi kasem samfala hard taem wea maet mekem mi laek raf long pipol. Taem samwan trae for mekem mi kros and laek for faet, mi luksavve mi mas go from hem or duim samting for mekem datwan no kamap worse. Waef bilong mi and olketa narawan savve praisem mi bikos mi duim stret samting long olketa taem hia. Mi bat sapraes long miseleva tu! Nomata olsem, mi luksavve paoa wea Bible garem nao hem changem mi.—Hebrew 4:12.

Wanem mi lanem long Bible helpem mi for garem gudfala laef and for stap gud witim olketa narawan. Distaem mi no killim eniwan bat mi helpem pipol for fren gud witim Jehovah. Mi teachim Bible long wanfala man wea mitufala enemy taem mitufala long hae skul! Bihaen hem baptaes, for lelebet taem mitufala stap long sem haos. Kam kasem distaem, mitufala fren gud tugeta. Mi and waef helpem winim 80 pipol for studyim Bible and olketa kamap Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

Mi barava thankiu long Jehovah from hem helpem mi for garem gudfala laef, mi hapi, and mi garem olketa spiritual brata and sista wea lovem mi.