Mi Faendem Trufala Riches

LAEF BLO MI BIFOR

Mi go lo Catholic church taem mi young lo Rochester, New York. Taem mi eit years old, mami and dadi blo mi separate. So olketa day lo week mi stap witim mami and lo weekend mi stap witim dadi. Mami stap lo poor area bat dadi stap lo rich area. Taem mi lukim wei wea mami stragol for lukaftarem sixfala pikinini, mi laekem tumas for kamap rich mekem mi savve helpem famili.

Dadi blo mi laekem mi for garem gudfala laef, so hem mekem arrangement for mi go visitim wanfala gud skul for lane for kamap hotel manager. Mi laekem tumas datfala skul, so mi attendim bikos mi tingse God hem ansarem prea blo mi for kamap rich and hapi. Taem mi waka lo wanfala casino hotel lo Las Vegas, Nevada, mi gohed studyim hotel administration, bisnis law, and corporate finance for faevfala year.

Taem mi 22 years old, mi kamap assistant vice president lo wanfala casino hotel. Pipol savve ting lo mi olsem man wea rich and garem gudfala laef, and plande taem mi savve kaikaim olketa best kaikai and drinkim olketa expensive alcohol. Olketa bisnis fren blo mi savve sei, “Gohed tingim nomoa selen, bikos hem nao samting wea barava important.” Lo tingting blo olketa, selen nao hem mekem man hapi tumas.

Waka blo mi hem for lukaftarem olketa barava rich pipol wea kam lo Las Vegas for gambol. Nomata olketa rich, hem luk olsem olketa no hapi. Mi tu start for no hapi. For tok stret, nomata mi kasem moa selen, datwan mekem mi wari moa and no savve sleep lo naet. Mi start tingting for suisaed. Mi no hapi lo laef blo mi so mi askem God, “Wea nao mi savve faendem trufala hapi?”

BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BLO MI

Lo datfala taem, tufala sista blo mi wea kamap Jehovah’s Witness muv kam lo Las Vegas. Mi les for tekem eni buk blo olketa bat mi agree for readim Bible blo mi witim olketa. Lo Bible blo mi, olketa toktok blo Jesus hem stap lo red raeting. From mi savve acceptim evri samting wea Jesus talem, main samting wea tufala sista blo mi savve storyim hem toktok blo Jesus. And mi savve readim Bible seleva tu.

Mi sapraes lo plande samting wea mi readim. Olsem example, Jesus sei: “Taem iu prea, no talem sem samting evritaem olsem pipol wea no biliv duim, bikos olketa tingse wei for talem staka toktok bae mekem God herem olketa.” (Matthew 6:7, The New American Bible) Bat wanfala priest givim mi wanfala piksa blo Jesus and hem sei sapos mi talem tenfala Our Father and tenfala Hail Mary prea, God bae givim lo mi eni selen wea mi needim. Bat mi luksavve sapos mi talem sem samting evritaem, prea blo mi bae no garem eni mining! Mi readim tu disfala toktok blo Jesus: “No kolem eniwan lo earth dadi blo iufala. Iufala garem wanfala Dadi nomoa lo heven.” (Matthew 23:9, NAB) Datwan mekem mi tingting tu, ‘Why nao mi and olketa nara Catholic savve kolem olketa priest “Dadi”?’

Taem mi readim Bible buk blo James mi start for barava ting raonem wanem mi duim lo laef blo mi. Lo chapter 4, James hem raet: “Hao, iufala no savve dat man wea lovem world hem enemy blo God? So eniwan wea laek lovem world hem enemy blo God nao.” (James 4:4, NAB) And mi tinghevi lo samting wea verse 17 talem: “So sapos man hem savve lo stret samting for duim bat hem no duim, hem sin nao.” Then mi kolem tufala sista blo mi and talem tufala mi bae finis for waka lo casino hotel bikos hem mekem mi stap witim pipol wea gambol and wea greedy, and mi no acceptim kaen wei olsem distaem.

From mi laek for fren gud witim God, and witim mami and dadi and olketa sista and brata blo mi, mi disaed for mekem laef blo mi moa simpol mekem mi garem taem for duim datwan. Bat hem no isi for mekem olketa change hia. Olsem example, lo casino hotel wea mi waka, olketa offerim mi barava important waka wea pei blo hem dabol winim wanem mi kasem or thri taems winim datwan. Bat mi prea abaotem datwan and mi disaed diskaen laef hem no samting wea mi laekem. Mi lusim datfala waka, and mi muv go lo haos blo mami blo mi and startim wanfala smol bisnis for kavarem olketa restaurant menu lo plastic.

Nomata Bible helpem mi for disaedem olketa samting wea moa important, mi still no attendim olketa meeting blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Tufala sista blo mi askem mi why nao mi les lo olketa Witness. Mi talem olketa: “Hem bikos God blo iufala, Jehovah, hem mekem olketa famili for separate. Only taem wea mi savve spendem witim famili hem lo Christmas and olketa birthday, and iufala no celebratem olketa holiday hia.” Wanfala sista blo mi start for krae and hem askem mi: “Wea nao iu stap lo olketa nara day lo year? Mifala laek for stap witim iu enitaem nomoa. Bat iu laek kam nomoa lo olketa holiday hia, and iu kam bikos iu tingse hem nomoa olketa day wea iu mas kam.” Wanem hem talem barava kasem heart blo mi, and mi start for krae tu.

Mi luksavve mi nao rong and Olketa Jehovah’s Witness barava lovem famili blo olketa, so mi disaed for attendim wanfala meeting blo olketa lo Kingdom Hall. Lo there mi meetim Kevin, wanfala Bible teacher wea start for studyim Bible witim mi.

Kevin and waef blo hem garem simpol laef mekem olketa savve iusim taem blo olketa for helpem pipol minim Bible. Selen wea tufala kasem helpem tufala tu for travel lo Africa and Central America mekem tufala savve help for buildim olketa branch office for olketa Witness. Tufala barava hapi and lovem each other. Mi ting olsem, ‘Mi laek tumas for garem laef olsem.’

Kevin showim mi wanfala video abaotem hapi wea man kasem taem hem duim missionary waka, and mi disaed hem nao wanem mi laek duim. Bihaen mi barava studyim gud Bible for sixfala month, lo 1995 mi baptaes for kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Mi no askem God for kamap rich, bat mi prea for “mi no pua tumas o ris tumas.”—⁠Provebs 30:8.

GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM

Distaem mi barava rich, no saed lo selen bat lo spiritual wei. Mi meetim waef blo mi Nuria, lo Honduras, and mitufala duim missionary waka lo Panama and distaem lo Mexico. Toktok lo Bible hem barava tru: “Blesing blong [Jehovah] save mekem man ris, no enisamting moa, save mekem hem ris”!—⁠Provebs 10:22.