Bible Changem Laef Bilong Pipol
WANEM nao helpem man wea bifor hem joinim wanfala gang and man for marijuana for changem wei bilong hem? Why nao man wea joinim heavy-metal band, wea garem long hair, changem tingting bilong hem abaotem music wea hem laekem tumas? Wanem nao mekem man wea heitim religion and gavman for kamap wanfala minister long Bible? Readim wanem olketa seleva talem.
“Mi stop for iusim marijuana.”—PETER KAUSANGA
AGE: 32
KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: NAMIBIA
HISTORY: JOINIM GANG AND MAN FOR MARIJUANA
LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Mi big kam long Kehemu, wanfala long fofala big settlement long taon bilong Rundu. Pipol long there salem millet, firewood, and sakol for kasem selen.
Taem mi 2 year nomoa, mami bilong mi hem dae, so grani nao keepim mi. Mifala garem simpol laef nomoa. Mi no bighed pikinini, bat gogo olketa fren nao spoelem mi. Long skul nao mi joinim wanfala gang. Mifala savve faet long road, bossim pipol, steal, tekem haed olketa diamond, drinkim alcohol, and tekem drug. Tufala taem nao olketa putim mi long prison bikos mi steal and konim pipol.
Mi lusim skul taem mi form foa and then mi lusim taon wea mi stap and lusim datfala gang. Mi no laek duim olketa rabis samting wea mi duim bifor. Nomata olsem, mi gohed nomoa for smokem marijuana. Samfala taem mi wakabaot farawe for tekem marijuana.
BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Long 1999, mi meetim samfala Jehovah’s Witness long saed road wea givim buk long pipol. Olketa respectim and no ting daonem mi, and mi barava tinghae long datwan. Message wea mi readim from olketa buk hia mekem mi luksavve mi faendem tru religion. Mi start for studyim gud Bible and no longtaem mi luksavve mi mas changem wei bilong mi sapos mi laek duim wanem Jehovah God hapi long hem.
Mi markem day wea mi bae stop for smokem marijuana and mi torowem eni samting wea mi iusim for smoke. Mi talem olketa fren bilong mi tu for no givim smoke long mi and no smoke taem mi stap. Nomata olsem, mi gohed smoke nomoa. Tufala taem mi smokem cigarette and marijuana. Bat mi no givap long plan bilong mi. Mi evritaem tingim principle long Proverbs 24:16 wea sei: “Nomata sapos raeteous man foldaon sevenfala taem, bae hem standap moa.” Gogo mi stop for iusim marijuana.
Taem mi gohed lane abaotem Jehovah, mi gohed tu for barava laek fren gud witim hem. Wanfala scripture long Bible wea helpem mi hem Psalm 27:10. Hem sei: “Nomata sapos dadi and mami bilong mi lusim mi, Jehovah bae lukaftarem mi.” Taem mi gohed for studyim Bible, mi luksavve datfala toktok hem tru. Mi luksavve Jehovah hem olsem Dadi bilong mi wea barava lukaftarem mi.
Evritaem mi hipap witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Taem mi stap witim olketa, mi lukim evriwan fren gud tugeta and lovem olketa evriwan. No enitaem bifor mi lukim kaen samting olsem.
GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: From Jehovah and olketa nara Witness helpem mi, mi lusim nogud wei bilong mi, changem lukluk bilong mi, wei bilong mi for toktok, and mi werem kaleko wea fitim wanfala Christian. Taem mi tingim laef bilong mi bifor, mi olsem caterpillar wea luk nogud tumas, bat bihaen hem kamap naesfala butterfly. Olketa relative hapi for lukim mi change, and distaem olketa savve trustim mi. Mi marit and duim best for lovem waef and olketa pikinini bilong mi.
“Mi savve nao why mi stap laef.”—MARCOS PAULO DE SOUSA
AGE: 29
KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: BRAZIL
HISTORY: HEM JOINIM HEAVY-METAL BAND
LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Famili bilong mi stap long Jaguariuna, wanfala taon long São Paulo. Dadi and mami bilong mi olketa strongfala Catholic, and taem mi young, mi waka witim priest long altar. So olketa pikinini long skul nemim mi, Father. Bat taem mi 15 year, mi start for interest long heavy-metal music. Mi start for fren witim olketa wea singim rock music. Mi leavim hair bilong mi grow big. And long 1996, dadi bilong mi helpem mi for baem olketa drum for mi pleim.
Long 1998, mi joinim heavy-metal band. Music wea mifala pleim hem mekhae long Satan and hem nogud tumas. Hem mekhae long olketa rabis wei. Music hem spoelem tingting and wei bilong mi. Mi start for raf tumas and tingting nogud abaotem olketa samting.
BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Long year 1999 nao hem firstaem wea mi meetim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa ask for studyim Bible witim mi, and mi agree nomata mi no interest. Bat wanem mi lanem from Bible barava changem laef bilong mi.
Pipol savve long mi olsem “man wea garem long hair,” “rock star,” or “man wea savve tumas for plei drummer.” Mi start for luksavve wei for joinim band mekem mi for tingim miseleva nomoa, and laek for winim narawan, and mi no satisfae nomoa. Mi luksavve pipol for singsing wea mi barava tinghae long olketa, laef bilong olketa hem nogud. Isisi mi luksavve, sapos mi laek for mekem Jehovah God hapi, mi mas lusim heavy-metal music, living wea mekhae long wei for durong, and wei for worshipim idol wea join witim music.
Mi laekem tumas music and long hair bilong mi. Mi tingse bae hem hard tumas for mi lusim olketa samting hia. And tu, mi savve kros tumas and mi mas lane for kontrolem kros bilong mi. Bat from wanem mi lanem long Bible, datwan helpem mi for gohed lovem Jehovah. Taem mi luksavve God lovem iumi, hem patient, and sorre long iumi, mi barava laekem hem. Mi askem Jehovah for helpem mi changem nogud wei bilong mi, and hem helpem mi. Mi luksavve toktok long Hebrews 4:12 hem tru. Hem sei: “Toktok bilong God hem laef and garem paoa.”
Taem mi start for joinim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, mi luksavve wei bilong olketa hem difren. Hem firstaem for mi lukim pipol showimaot trufala love. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness showimaot diskaen love long olketa big convention bilong olketa. Mi tinghae long olketa volunteer wea strong for duim waka for mekem olketa wea hipap savve kasem gud samting.
GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: From Jehovah helpem mi, mi savve kontrolem kros bilong mi distaem. Mi no tingim miseleva and no praod nao.
Firstaem, mi lelebet laekem yet olketa samting wea mi duim bifor, bat distaem barava nomoa nao. Distaem mi savve nao why mi stap laef. Mi hapi for lanem hao for tingim pipol and for helpem olketa.
“Mi hapi taem mi lukaftarem olketa narawan.”—GEOFFREY NOBLE
AGE: 59
KANTRI HEM KAM FROM: AMERICA
HISTORY: HEITIM RELIGION AND GAVMAN
LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR: Mi big kam long Ipswich, Massachusetts, wanfala taon klosap long saedsea wea pipol wea waka nao stap long hem. Taem mi big, mi muv go for stap long wanfala farawe ples long Vermont. Mi and gelfren bilong mi garem living wea simpol nomoa, wea difren from living bilong olketa long North America. Mitufala no garem electric paoa, so mitufala iusim firewood wea mitufala tekem long forest and mekem fire for kukim kaikai and for mekem haos hem hot. Mitufala iusim toilet aotsaed and for full year, staka taem mitufala no garem wata. Mitufala no garem sem living olsem pipol wea stap long taon, and lukluk bilong mitufala showimaot datwan. Wantaem, mi hapi tumas from mi no komim hair bilong mi for sixfala month.
Long datfala taem, America joinim war long Vietnam. Diswan mekem mi garem rong tingting abaotem gavman. Mi lukim olketa man long gavman and religion laea tumas. Mi ting no eni gavman or religion savve stretem eni problem, and man seleva shud disaedem wanem hem stret and no stret. So long tingting bilong mi, hem olraet nomoa for stealim eni samting wea mi needim.
BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI: Mi and gelfren bilong mi start for readim Bible bat mitufala no minim nomoa. Mi tekem drug, bat mi laek stop for tekem datwan. Gelfren bilong mi laekem mitufala for marit and garem pikinini. Long datfala taem, wanfala Jehovah’s Witness kam long haos bilong mitufala and hem start for studyim Bible witim mitufala.
Mi start for lusim olketa nogud wei bilong mi, bat hem no mas isi for mi changem tingting bilong mi abaotem olketa wea garem paoa. Hem wei bilong mi for kwestinim evri samting. Start long taem mi smol kam mi savve followim tingting bilong miseleva, so hem no isi for mi followim samting wea nara man talem mi for duim.
Mi bilivim wanfala Creator hem stap, bat hao mi ting long hem, hem no klia tumas long mi. Bat taem mi studyim Bible, mi start for minim wei bilong Jehovah God. Hem talem stret wanem hem laekem mi for duim and hem no haedem eni samting. Mi lanem tu hem garem plan for mekem earth hem paradaes. (2 Peter 3:13) Olketa tru samting wea mi lanem mekem mi laek for changem wei bilong mi mekem mi fit for worshipim Jehovah.
Mi barava tinghae long wei wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no joinim war. Evriwea long world, no eni religion wea mi savve hem olsem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea wan mind for followim wanem Bible talem.
Mi savve, sapos mi laek for worshipim Jehovah, mi mas luk klin. Firstaem, mi no mas feel gud for werem kaleko wea semsem olsem olketa Witness. Mi and olketa fren bilong mi no garem eni shirt, longkwi, or shoe. And nomata nektae tu mi no garem! Mi katem hair bilong mi short, and mi trae for mekem mi luk gud. Nomata olsem, mi tingim firstaem wea mi go preach long haos tu haos. Mi lukim miseleva long wanfala glass wea showim niufala lukluk bilong mi. Mi tingting olsem, ‘Wanem nao mi duim ia?’ Gogo, mi hapi long lukluk bilong mi.
GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM: Mi and gelfren bilong mi marit, and distaem mitufala hapi and gohed stap gud. Mitufala garem tufala boy and wanfala gele wea mitufala lanem olketa for lovem and worshipim Jehovah. Mi hapi for helpem olketa narawan tu for lanem olketa tru samting long Bible wea helpem mi for changem laef bilong mi.
Bifor mi tinghae long miseleva long wei wea mi no warim tingting bilong olketa narawan. Distaem mi hapi from mi duim samting for olketa narawan and olketa narawan tu duim samting for mi.
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“Mi wakabaot farawe for tekem marijuana”
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“Wanem mi lanem from Bible barava changem laef bilong mi”
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“Mi no mas feel gud for werem kaleko wea semsem olsem olketa Witness”