“Mi No Savve Kontrolem Kros Bilong Mi”

LAEF BILONG MI BIFOR

Mi born long San Juan Chancalaito, long wanfala smol taon long Chiapas, long Mexico. Famili bilong mi kam from laen bilong olketa Maya pipol, and nem bilong tribe bilong mifala hem Chol. Parents bilong mi garem 12-fala pikinini, and mi nao mek-faev pikinini. Taem mifala pikinini, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness studyim Bible witim mifala. Bat, mi no followim wanem mi lanem long Bible taem mi growap kam.

Taem mi kasem 13 year, mi start for tekem drug and steal from pipol. Long datfala taem mi lusim haos and mi no stap kwaet long wanfala ples. Taem mi 16 year, mi waka long wanfala marijuana planteison. Mi waka for samting olsem wan year, then long wanfala naet taem mifala transportim olketa marijuana long wanfala boat, wanfala grup bilong olketa drug dealer sutim mifala long gun. Olketa no sutim mi from mi jamp insaed river and swim go daon followim datfala river. Bihaen datwan, mi ranawe long United States.

Long United States, mi gohed for baem and salem olketa drug and mi kasem staka problem moa. Taem mi 19 year, police arrestim mi and putim mi long prison bikos mi steal and mi klosap killim dae samwan. Taem mi long prison, mi joinim wanfala gang and duim moa staka raf samting. From datwan, olketa police transfarem mi long wanfala taet security prison long Lewisburg, long Pennsylvania.

Taem mi long Lewisburg prison, wei bilong mi just worse go moa. From mi garem olketa tattoo wea hem bilong wanfala gang, datwan mekem isi for mi joinim sem gang wea stap long datfala prison. Gogo mi barava raf fogud, and mi faet olowe nomoa. Wantaem, gang bilong mi faet witim nara gang insaed area bilong prison. Mifala iusim olketa baseball bat and olketa weights for exercise for killim long narawan. For stopem datfala faet, olketa security gard long prison iusim tear gas. Bihaen, olketa police putim mi insaed wanfala prison cell wea hem for olketa prisoner wea barava dangerous. Mi no savve kontrolem kros bilong mi and mi savve iusim rabis toktok. Mi no hol bak for hitim pipol, and mi feel gud taem mi duim datwan. Mi no savve feel sorre for wanem mi duim.

BIBLE CHANGEM LAEF BILONG MI

Taem mi long datfala prison cell, klosap evriday day mi stap nomoa long cell bilong mi, so for shortem day, mi start for readim Bible. Bihaen, wanfala security gard givim mi disfala buk, You Savvy Stop All-the-Way Long Paradise Long Earth.a Taem mi readim disfala buk, mi tingim staka samting wea mi lanem taem mi pikinini taem olketa Witness studyim Bible witim mi. Long datfala taem nao mi ting abaotem hao laef bilong mi hem barava nogud tumas and mi duim staka nogud samting from mi raf tumas. Mi tingim tu famili bilong mi. From tufala sista bilong mi kamap Jehovah’s Witness, mi start for tingting olsem, ‘Tufala bae kasem laef olowe.’ Then mi tingim, ‘Wanem nao stopem mi?’ Long datfala taem mi disaed strong for changem nao wei bilong mi.

Bat, mi savve mi needim help for mi changem wei bilong mi. So first samting, mi prea long Jehovah God and askem hem for helpem mi. Then, mi raet go long branch office bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long United States and askem olketa for arrange witim samwan for studyim Bible witim mi. Branch office story witim wanfala kongregeson wea stap klosap for contactim mi. Long datfala taem, olketa no letem eniwan wea hem no famili for visitim mi, so wanfala Witness long datfala kongregeson start sendem olketa leta for encouragem mi and olketa Bible literature, wea barava encouragem mi for change.

Taem mi disaed for lusim datfala gang wea mi joinim for staka year, datwan hem big samting for mi. Leader bilong datfala gang wea mi joinim hem tu long sem cell for olketa dangerous prisoner, so mi go story witim hem and talem hem mi laek for kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Mi sapraes tumas taem hem sei: “Sapos hem nao wanem iu really laekem, iu duim. Mi no savve stopem wanem iu laek for duim for God. Bat sapos iu just laek for leavim nomoa gang hia, iu savve nao wanem bae kasem iu.”

Insaed tufala year bihaen datwan, olketa wakaman long prison luksavve mi changem olketa wei bilong mi. From datwan, olketa kaen nao long mi. Olsem example, olketa security gard no putim handcuff long hand bilong mi taem olketa leadim mi for swim. Wanfala security gard kam and encouragem mi for no givap for changem olketa wei bilong mi. Olketa bigman long prison transfarem mi long wanfala smol prison camp wea stap klosap long datfala main prison, and for last year bilong mi long prison, mi stap long there. Long 2004, bihaen tenfala year insaed long prison, mi release and olketa tekem mi go long Mexico long wanfala prison bas.

No longtaem bihaen mi kasem Mexico, mi go long Kingdom Hall bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. First meeting wea mi attendim, mi werem nomoa prison uniform, hem nomoa lelebet gud kaleko wea mi garem. Nomata olsem, olketa Witness barava welkamim mi. Taem mi lukim datwan, mi savve mi stap witim olketa tru Christian. (John 13:35) Long datfala meeting olketa elder long kongregeson arrangem for mi studyim Bible. Wanfala year bihaen, long September 3, 2005, mi baptaes for kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness.

Long January 2007, mi start for duim full-taem service, and iusim 70 hour evri month for teachim Bible long olketa nara pipol. Long 2011, mi graduate long Bible Skul for Olketa Singol Brata (wea distaem hem Skul for Olketa Kingdom Evangelizer). Disfala skul hem barava helpem mi for duim gud olketa waka bilong mi insaed kongregeson.

Long 2013, mi maritim waef bilong mi, Pilar. Hem mekfani and sei hem hard for hem bilivim olketa samting wea mi talem hem abaotem laef bilong mi bifor. No enitaem mi go bak and duim moa olketa samting wea mi lusim finis. Mi and waef bilong mi sure laef bilong mi distaem hem wanfala pruv wea showimaot Bible garem paoa for changem man.​—Rome 12:2.

GUD SAMTING WEA MI KASEM

Mi feel olsem toktok bilong Jesus long Luke 19:10 hem fitim mi. Hem sei: “[Mi] kam for lukaotem and sevem olketa wea lus.” Mi no feel olsem mi lus nao distaem. Mi no go raon tu for spoelem pipol. Mi tinghae long Bible, mi hapi mi garem laef wea garem mining, mi stap gud witim olketa narawan, and barava important samting nao, mi barava fren gud witim Creator bilong mi, Jehovah.