From Laef for Brekem Law Kasem Laef wea Garem Hope

STORY BILONG COSTA KOULLAPIS

MI LUK STRONG LONG OLKETA DIRTY WALL BILONG PRISON RUM BILONG MI AND DISAED STRONG MI NEED FOR FAENDEM WEI FOR KASEM BIGFALA SELEN MEKEM MI SAVVE LUSIM CRIMINAL LAEF WEA MI INSAED AND STARTIM WANFALA NIU LAEF.

TAEM mi sidaon long there and mi feel sorre and wikdaon, mi tingim hao insaed year wea just go pas, 11-fala long olketa fren bilong mi dae. Olketa hangem wanfala from hem killim man dae, narawan hem suisaed taem hem weitim kot case bilong hem, thrifala dae from overdose long drug, tufala dae long street faet, and fofala dae from accident long trak. And tu, samfala nara fren bilong mi insaed olketa difren prison from olketa bigfala trabol.

So long dark prison rum bilong mi, mi prea strong long God for showim mi hao nao for lusim olabaot laef bilong mi olsem criminal. Bihaen nao mi kasem ansa long disfala prea. Long datfala taem, mi no kasem bigfala panis for wei wea mi barava attakim man nogud. From mi sei mi guilty long samfala charge, mi kasem panis wea no mas hard and wea moa short. Bat firstaem letem mi storyim hao nao mi insaed prison.

Mi born long Pretoria, South Africa, long 1944 and growap long there. Olketa year wea mi smol hem no hapi wan, and famili laef bilong mifala planti taem nogud from Dadi savve kros nogud, wea kamap moa worse from hem evritaem drunk. Hem savve gamble tumas tu, and hem savve tok nogud and hitim mifala evriwan taem hem drunk, main wan nao mami bilong mifala. For ranawe from wei for faet evritaem, mi lusim haos.

Hao Mi Kamap Man for Brekem Law

From diswan, mi lanem planti nogud wei taem mi barava young yet. Olsem example, taem mi eit year, mi lanem tufala leson. First wan hem long taem olketa kasem mi witim olketa toy wea mi stealim from haos bilong neiba. Dadi bilong mi wipim mi nogud. Mi still savve herem kros toktok bilong hem: “Sapos mi kasem iu steal moa, bae mi brekem nek bilong iu!” Mi disaed no for no steal moa bat for olketa no kasem mi moa. Mi ting, ‘next taem bae mi haedem and olketa bae no faendaot.’

Mek-tu leson wea mi lanem taem mi barava young yet hem difren. Long wanfala Bible class long skul, teacher bilong mifala teachim mifala hao God garem wanfala nem. “Nem bilong God hem Jehovah,” hem sei olsem, wea mekem mifala sapraes, “and hem bae lisin long eni prea wea iu talem, sapos iu talem prea insaed nem bilong Son bilong hem, Jesus.” Datwan affectim young mind bilong mi, bat hem no stopem criminal laef bilong mi. Taem mi kasem secondary skul mi savve tumas nao for steal from olketa stoa and haos. Olketa fren bilong mi long skul nating help, from staka long olketa skul finis long olketa skul for stretem olketa wea brekem law.

Taem olketa year go pas, criminal wei hem kamap fasin bilong mi nao. Planti taem mi join for attakim pipol, steal from haos, stealim olketa car, and raf fasin, bifor mi kasem 20 year. From mi evritaem hange raon long olketa ples for snooker and bar, karem message for olketa boss bilong olketa jury, olketa jury, and olketa criminal, mi no finisim first year bilong mi long technical hae skul.

Mi kaban staka taem witim olketa barava nogud criminal, wea for killim man hem samting nating nomoa long olketa. Mi lane hao hem gud for satem mouth and no tok praod abaotem samting wea mi duim gud or for show-off witim selen. Sapos iu duim olsem, bae hem olsem iu talemaot hao wanfala crime nao just happen and olketa police bae interest long iu and askem staka kwestin. Samting wea moa worse, hem bae lead go for olketa nara criminal aftarem iu for iu sharem samting iu kasem.

Bat, nomata mi duim olsem, samtaem olketa police lukluk long mi from olketa tingse mi join insaed samfala nogud samting. Bat mi barava careful for no garem witim mi eni samting wea savve mekem pipol ting mi join long wanfala trabol or wea olketa savve accusim mi long hem. Wantaem, olketa police seknomoa kam long haos bilong mifala thri klok long morning. Tufala taem olketa luk evriwea long full haos for lukaotem olketa electric samting wea samfala stealim from wanfala stoa. Olketa no faendem eni samting. Olketa tekem mi long police station for chekim fingerprint bat no holem mi.

Joinim Drug Laef

Start taem mi 12 year, mi evritaem iusim drug wea spoelem mind. Health bilong mi start for nogud from diswan, and planti taem mi klosap overdose. No longtaem bihaen, olketa mekem mi go lukim wanfala doctor wea fren witim samfala gang. Diswan lead go long wei wea mi givimaot olketa drug, and mi lukim hao wei for supplyim drug hem barava katem daon danger for mi bikos mi savve stap haed taem olketa narawan nao go aot.

Sorre tumas, samfala wea tekem drug from mi olketa overdose or suisaed bihaen olketa tekem drug. Wanfala “fren” killim dae wanfala important doctor. Diswan hem big nius long full kantri. Then hem trae for talemse mi tu insaed diswan, bat mi no herem eniting tu abaotem diswan go kasem taem police kam long haos bilong mi. Olketa police staka taem savve kam and kwestinim mi abaotem olketa difren trabol wea happen.

Bat, wanday, mi duim wanfala krangge samting. Bihaen mi tekem drug and drink tumas for wan full week, mi attakim and killim nogud tufala pipol from mi barava kros. Nextfala morning tufala sei mi nao attakim tufala, and police arrestim mi from mi barava killim man nogud. Hem nao hao mi kasem prison.

Kamap Rich, Then Stretem Laef

Bihaen mi kamaot from prison, mi herem olketa needim man for kontrolem stock long wanfala pharmacy kampani. Mi apply and talem boss mi barava fitim datfala waka. From wanfala fren wea insaed kampani talem boss mi fit, mi kasem datfala waka. Mi tingse diswan nao wei for mek selen and go long difren ples for startim niu laef. So mi duim best bilong mi for kwiktaem lanem evri saed bilong datfala bisnis and waka evri naet for studyim evri nem bilong olketa medicine. Mi sure diswan nao road for wanfala niu laef.

Plan bilong mi hem for isisi and kasem trust bilong olketa boss bilong mi. Then, long gudfala taem, bae mi go insaed and stealim staka medicine wea mi savve hem kost hae tumas long blak market, sellim olketa, and kamap rich man kwiktaem. Mi wakem wanem mi bilivse hem wanfala barava sef plan for mek sure mi bae free and kasem niu laef.

Taem kam nao for mi duim disfala plan. Wan naet, bihaen mi isisi go insaed long warehouse, mi luk long olketa shelf bilong medicine wea kostim staka handred thousand dollar. Long there mi lukim chance bilong mi for startim wanfala laef wea free from crime and raf fasin. Bat, for firstaem long laef bilong mi, conscience bilong mi start for mekem mi wari. Wanem nao mekem conscience bilong mi for feel olsem long taem mi nating ting mi garem conscience? Letem mi talem iu hao diswan kamap.

Samfala week bifor diswan, mitufala boss bilong mi story tugeta abaotem mining bilong laef. For ansarem wanfala samting wea hem talem, mi sei hao sapos no wei nao, man savve prea. “Long hu?” hem ask. “Long God,” mi ansa. “Bat pipol prea long staka god,” hem sei, “so which wan nao bae iu prea long hem?” Mi sei: “Long Almighty God.” “Oh,” hem sei moa, “and wanem nao nem bilong hem?” “Wanem nao iu minim?” mi ask olsem. Hem ansa: “Olsem iu and mi and evri nara man, Almighty God garem nem.” Diswan here stret, bat mi start for feel kros. So mi ask strong: “So, wanem nao nem bilong God?” “Nem bilong Almighty God hem Jehovah!” hem ansa olsem.

Seknomoa memory bilong mi hem ting go bak long datfala leson long classrum taem mi eit year nomoa. Mi sapraes long wei wea datfala story bilong mi witim boss hem barava muvim feeling bilong mi. Mifala sidaon for planti hour and enjoyim gudfala story. Long nextfala day hem givim mi buk Truth Where Bringim Man long Life All-the-way.a Mi readim disfala full buk datfala naet and stretawe luksavve mi faendem nao truth and trufala mining bilong laef. For next tufala week, mifala storyim nomoa olketa difren topic insaed datfala nambawan buk.

So, taem mi sidaon long datfala warehouse wea dark and kwaet, conscience bilong mi talem mi hao olketa plan bilong mi for stealim and sellim olketa medicine hem rong. Mi isisi lusim ples hia and go long haos, and mi disaed strong hao start long datfala taem bae mi no steal moa.

Change Evribit

Long samfala day bihaen, mi talem famili bilong mi hao mi disaed for startim niufala laef, and mi start for sharem witim olketa samfala nambawan truth wea mi lanem. Dadi bilong mi laek for raosem mi from haos. Bat brata bilong mi John hem saedem mi and sei long dadi: “Diswan hem firstaem long laef bilong Costa for joinim samting wea no criminal, and iu laek for raosem hem? Mi bae faendaot moa abaotem diswan.” Mi hapi tumas taem John askem mi for studyim Bible witim hem. Start from datfala taem, evriwan wea kam long mi for drug kasem Truth buk and no drug! No longtaem bihaen, mi study witim 11-fala pipol insaed datfala buk.

Then mi faendaot hao boss bilong kampani hem no wanfala Witness. Waef bilong hem nao wanfala Witness for samting olsem 18 year, bat boss “nating garem taem for duim eni samting abaotem truth.” So hem arrange for wanfala Witness wea garem gudfala savve for studyim Bible witim mi. Study bilong mi gogo helpem mi for lukim need for stretem olketa nara samting long laef, and no longtaem bihaen olketa truth insaed Word bilong God mekem mi free from olketa wei bilong mi wea followim world.—John 8:32.

Nomata olsem, mi seknomoa barava feelim olketa bigfala change wea happen insaed samfala week nomoa. Olketa bigfala change feisim mi, and mi start for luksavve hao bigfala faet midolwan flesh and spirit weitim mi sapos mi go ahed for followim samting wea Bible study bilong mi showim mi for duim. Long narasaed, mi luksavve hao maet dae, or maet barava longfala taem long prison, weitim mi sapos mi go ahed long laef bilong mi bifor. So bihaen bigfala tingting raonem diswan and strongfala prea, mi disaed for followim wei bilong truth. Mi showimaot wei wea mi dedicate long Jehovah God taem mi baptaes long wata sixfala month bihaen, long April 4, 1971.

Olketa Reward Bilong Stretfala Living

Taem mi luk go bak, samfala taem mi krae taem mi tingim olketa blessing wea mi kasem start from taem mi disaed for lusim wei for brekem law. Long 11-fala pipol wea mi start for study witim insaed datfala raf week, 5-fala still wakabaot long wei bilong truth. Mami bilong mi tu acceptim Bible study and kamap baptaes Witness, and go ahed for servem God long faithful wei go kasem taem hem dae long 1991. Tufala brata bilong mi dedicatem laef bilong tufala long Jehovah and distaem serve olsem elder. Mi fit tu for helpem aunty bilong mi for lanem truth, and hem serve full-taem long ministry for 15 year nao.

From datfala boss bilong pharmacy kampani kasem bigfala encouragement taem hem lukim bigfala change long laef bilong mi, hem start for ting moa hevi long Bible truth. Wanfala year bihaen mi baptaes, hem tu showimaot hem dedicate long God taem hem baptaes long wata. Bihaen, hem serve olsem elder for planti year long wanfala long olketa kongregeson bilong olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Pretoria.

Distaem mi maritim wanfala Christian sista wea dedicate. Leonie and mi muv go long Australia long 1978. Long there nao tufala son bilong mitufala, Elijah and Paul, tufala born. Encouragement wea kam from famili bilong mi hem barava strongim mi. Mi garem privilege for serve olsem wanfala elder long Canberra, kapitol bilong Australia. Evriday thankiu bilong mi go long Jehovah, wea sevem mi from wanfala iusles criminal laef wea lead go nomoa long sorre and dae. Winim datwan, hem givim mining long laef bilong mi taem hem provaedem trufala hope for mi and olketa wea mi lovem.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 28]

Taem mi 12 year

[Piksa long page 28]

Witim waef and tufala son bilong mi distaem