At Last, I Don Dey Together With My Papa Again

THE KIND LIFE WEY I DON LIVE

Plenty people from different-different place de visit the popular waterfall near the town of Pagsanjan for Philippines. Na this place my papa grow up and e dey poor. My papa name na Nardo Leron. When e see the corruption wey government, the police, and people for place wey e de work get, e feel bad and start to vex.

Na eight children my papa and mama born, and they struggle to train us. They no de always dey for house for long time, because them de stay for mountain to take care of crops. Many times, na me and my brother Rodelio de take care of ourselves, and hunger de catch us many times. We no de get chance to play as children. When we reach seven years, each of us start to work for plantation. We de carry heavy load of coconut de waka for high mountain. If the load dey too heavy wey we no fit carry-am, we go drag-am for ground.

Our papa de beat us everytime but we de endure the pain. The thing wey e pain us pass that one na as we de see how e de beat our mama. We de try to stop our papa make e no beat our mama again, but we too small. Me and my brother Rodelio make secret plan say we go kill our papa when we grow. I for really like to get papa wey love us!

I really vex and feel bad because na so-so beat my papa de beat us. This one make me comot for house when I dey 14 years. For sometime, I live for street, and start to take hard drug. I begin de use boat do transport, to carry people go the waterfalls.

After some years, I start to go university for Manila. But because I de travel go Pagsanjan for weekends so that I go fit work, na only small time I get to read my books. E just be like say my life dey useless and e no get direction. The hard drugs wey I de take no de fit make my worry-worry come down again. So, I start to take other kind of hard drugs, like cocaine. Many times, when person de take drugs, e de put hand for things about sex wey God hate. People around me de do partial, them dey poor and de suffer. I hate government and de feel say na them de cause all this problems. I ask God say, “Why life dey like this?” And I go different-different religion to find answer, but I no get answer. Since I no get hope, I de take more drugs to hide how I de feel.

For 1972, student for Philippines arrange protests against the government. And I join some of the group wey them de do the protests, so this one bring fight. They arrest many people and after some months, the military government start to control everywhere for the country.

I start to live for street again because I de fear say government go catch me because I join the protests. To get money to continue to take my drugs, I start to thief and I come start to prostitute myself with rich people and strangers. I no even care whether I go live or die.

That time my mama and my younger brother don already start to study Bible with Jehovah Witness people. My papa vex, and e burn the books wey them de use study Bible. But they endure and continue to study, and they baptize as Jehovah Witnesses.

One day, one Jehovah Witness preach to my papa about wetin Bible promise for future, say partial and suffer no go dey this earth again. (Psalm 72:12-14) My papa like this promise sotey e decide to study by e self. As e de study Bible, e no only see wetin God promise about good government, but e still see wetin God want make husbands and good papa do. (Ephesians 5:28; 6:4) Small time later, my papa and all my brothers and sisters start to worship Jehovah. Since I dey far from them, I no know say all this things de happen.

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGE MY LIFE

For 1978, I move go Australia. But even as that country really get peace and money, I no still get peace of mind. I continue to drink alcohol and de take drugs. For that year, Jehovah Witness people come visit me. I like wetin they show me from Bible about how peace go dey this earth, but I de fear to join them.

Small time after, I go back to Philippines to stay there for some weeks. My brothers and sisters tell me say my papa don work hard to change, and now e be better person. But I de vex sotey I no want get anything to do with my papa.

My younger sister use Bible explain to me why suffer-suffer and partial full this world. E really surprise me say small girl like this wey e never get experience for life go know answer to all this question. Before I comot, my papa give me the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth.a E tell me say make I stop to find answer to all the problem of this world for the wrong place, and say drugs no go fit give me peace of mind. E still talk say: “Na this book go help you get wetin you de find.” E encourage me to find Jehovah Witness people when I reach Australia.

I follow the advice wey my papa give me, and I find Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witness wey e dey near my house for Brisbane. I agree make they come de study Bible with me everytime. The things wey Bible be don talk for Daniel chapter 7 and Isaiah chapter 9 show me say, na the government from God wey e no get corruption go rule over us for future. I still learn say we go enjoy life for Paradise for this earth. So I want make God dey happy with me so that I go fit live for Paradise. But I come learn say I go need to de control my temper, I go stop to take hard drugs and stop to drink alcohol anyhow, and I go stop to live bad life and comot hand for things about sex wey God hate. I leave the girl wey I be de live with, and I stop to take drugs and other things like that. As my trust for Jehovah de strong more-more, I pray make e help me to change other things for my life.

Small-small, I come know say the things wey I de learn fit change person life. Bible talk say if we try, we go fit wear the “new character like cloth.” (Colossians 3:9, 10) As I de try to do wetin this verse talk, I come know say that thing wey I hear say my papa don change e character fit be true. Instead wey I go continue to de vex, I decide to make peace with my papa. At last, I forgive my papa and I remove that hatred wey dey my mind since when I dey small.

THE BLESSING WEY I DON GET

As young man, I de always follow other people do bad things. The warning wey Bible give about bad friends na true for my own life. Bad friends deceive me, and they make me follow wrong way. (1 Corinthians 15:33) But I don make good friends among Jehovah Witness people, and they don help me to be better person. Na for there I meet my wonderful wife, Loretta. Two of us de teach other people how Bible fit help them.

I thank Jehovah say e give us Bible. My papa change and become wetin I think say e no fit be. E come be better husband to my mama, e dey humble, e get love and de make peace as Christian. When we meet after I baptize as Jehovah Witness for 1987, my papa hug me for the first time for my life!

For over 35 years, my papa continue to preach together with my mama, as them de tell people the hope wey dey Bible. People come know my papa as person wey e dey ready to help other people. I learn to respect and love my papa until e die. My heart de sweet me to know say I be e pikin! My papa die for 2016, but anytime wey I think of the kind change wey me and my papa make for our life as we do wetin Bible talk, my heart de over glad. I no get any hatred for my heart again. I really happy say I don find my God Jehovah wey be my Papa for heaven. Jehovah promise say e go end everything wey de cause trouble for all family for the whole world.