Life was just simple, too simple. Well, it all started back home in my
home country Papua New Guinea. I’d say, my life started as simple as can be in
Papua New Guinea’s capital city, Port Moresby. Like many ordinary grassroots
kid in Port Moresby, I grew up with a staple food of rice, fish, greens, and
sweet potatoes. We’re only two in the
family, me and my small sister (and I hate being the big one: too much
responsibility). As funny as it may seem, my mom is originally from two
provinces within Papua New Guinea (New Ireland and Madang Province), and so is
my dad (from Western Highlands and Enga Province: but grew up in Western
Highlands due to family issues). Well, I on the other hand consider myself to
be “all in all”, if you know what I mean. My mom was born a Seventh Day
Adventist while my dad Catholic: which later converted to Seventh Day Adventist
while I was around nine years of age, due to God’s love and grace I believe. To cut the long story short, I spend most of
my childhood all by myself (which I like too) because I believe my mom and dad
loved my small sister too much. “Dady’s little girl and Mumy’s little
princess!” I thought to myself as I watched her happily play. Anyways, that
don’t really happen today since I’m a grown up and strongly believe and know
it’s not true!
I like being all alone by myself, especially during my adolescent and
childhood years. I enjoy drawing (which I was previously good at), swimming,
playing soccer, playing guitar, and watching Rugby League. In church,
especially during my Adventurer and Pathfindering years, I was considered that
“goody goody shy boy type” that is like a mute at first sight, stupid when you
get to know him, and strange (awkward) in overall personality and appearance.
And that’s my opinion! Anyways, in primary school I get teased and bullied a
lot by my classmates, or so called “friends”. During my ninth and tenth grade
in high school, I went from being quiet to extremely being quiet. In which I decided
to look for friends and started smoking weed and drinking alcohol with my
peers, which eventually got me missing most of my classes at tenth grade. When
my parents moved to Mt Hagen (one of the remote parts of Papua New Guinea: The
Highlands), I dropped out of high school due to limited vacancies within the
Province’s high schools. Apart from that, I did upgrade and acquire my high
school certificate in Mt Hagen Open Campus just to pass time and at least learn
something.
Girls! I had never really had a girlfriend in my adolescence years up
until now (due to the fact that I’m partly dis-socialized: and have absolutely
no idea, the skill and method some of my friends use to acquire one). Once I tried asking a girl out back home in
Papua New Guinea. She said yes but our relationship lasted only for half a day
due to the fact that I freaked out, was speechless the entire time and smiled
like weird crazy with my eyes wide opened, plus pupils spinning like an ape! I
know, that’s embarrassing, luckily none of my friends or relatives were there
to see us. When being asked the question about one, I always pretend to be
tough and self-disciplined while avoiding the matter. But I hate the word
virgin, it makes me feel useless and wasted (in terms of assets produced but
not really being used at all). On the other hand, I like being drunk, looking
like a wild sexiest but I hate wet dreams simply because it keeps fooling around
with me a lot. Anyways, alcohol was my girlfriend during those years.
My life was like totally wild and crazy during those years back then.
Rage, anger and hatred towards the world, my state of being alive and myself,
was all I need as fuel to keep the fire burning. I was totally disobedient and out of control
with regards to my parents. The cause of it all was simply because of not being
in college (I thought my parents loved my small sister too much that they
neglected me)! I was attending International Training Institute at that time. I
even had friends who were criminals and Satanist. Dam, I even owned an
unlicensed firearm (homemade) just for protection in case things headed south
while the fire was still burning within me.
I became so hermit-like that I literally had friends and family but fig
literally had none. Alcohol was my only happiness
and medicine!
One Friday evening, my best friend, his cousin and I went out for a
drink (as usual). It turned out to be more than one: heading to boxes and a
line of bottles, if you know what I mean. In the middle of our conversation,
suddenly the issue of “who is the true God “, emerged. Surprisingly, I was
going for God in heaven and they were going for their traditional gods. All I
could remember from this debate was their questions, “how could you prove that
the Holy Bible is actually God’s Word? It could be written by anyone and
modified by anyone during time itself. How credible is the Holy Bible of
actually being God’s Word?” After a fight, we went our separate ways. But their
questions were still penetrating through my skull. It was weird because I know
I was drunk, but my state of conciseness was clear as crystal as if my brain
was working normally in accord to my thinking capacity. To cut the long story
short, I went home and found my mom’s Holy Bible (simply because I miss-placed
mine) and started reading. I told her all about it, and she bought me an
Andrews Study Bible as a gift. After a few months of attending church, I was
baptized.
Returning to Port Moresby in the beginning of last year was sort of new
to me, after being away for years. Yes, things were different now. All my
friends and peers were already grown up, some even married and the city as a
whole totally changed in appearance. I still had my Andrews Study Bible during
that time. Due to lack of spiritual growth by not reading my Andrews Study
Bible daily, I found myself consuming alcohol again with some of my old friends
from high school. Things went from point “T” to point “A” all over again.
During January last year, I decided to apply for “BBA” in Andrews University
(out of sheer luck).
Following the acquiescence of my acceptance letter for Andrews
University, some of the strangest things in my life started to occur. And yes,
I still had my Andrews Study Bible during that time. Anyways, I started hearing
voices that someone (a criminal military) was trying to kill me. I know, sounds
odd! Anyways, doors and things in our house started moving untouchably which
was really annoying, scary, and surprising to me, when I’m awake in the middle
of the night. I kept hearing this voices coming from the houses next door. And
trust me, it wasn’t really that pleasant at all! I was totally restless and
scared to death during those months. I told my parents about my situation, but
they did not even believe me. Because I could not gain my parents’ belief and
trust in my situation, I started having sleepovers with my friends: simply
because I was scared like crazy! Anyways to cut the long story short, one
Sunday afternoon I just felt so restless, depressed (because of my very own
family and friends could not even believe in me), and tired that I lost my
normal mental capability to handle this situation. I went to a chemist shop
down town, pretended to be sick, and bought two packets of medicine/tablets. To
be exact, I bought a packet of 500 mg capsule Amoxicillin and 100 mg capsule
Panadol thinking they would work in the event of taking my own life. Sitting
down on a hill looking toward my old primary school, I drank all the tablets
(both boxes) while spending what I believe to be my last moments here on earth,
reading my Andrews Study Bible thinking I would die and go to heaven. I know, sounds
weird! Then I got a phone call from my dad persuading me by literally asking me
to visit a pastor with my mom that afternoon. To cut to the chase, I presented
my story to the pastor and he said it was the devil. He then made a dedication
prayer for me. After my parents dropped me off at my friend’s place to spend the
night, I started feeling the effect of the pills during that time. My saliva
started gushing out of my mouth, while I tried desperately to swallow it all
back in. Anyways to cut the long story short, I slept that night with the
following prayer, “Dear Jesus, I’m worthless and nothing. If you want me to die
then let me die. If you want me to live then let me live. I live everything to
your hand. Amen.” Waking up the next
morning surprisingly, excited and weak to my amazement that I was still alive,
I went down on my knees and completely confessed and repented all my sins. That
Sabbath during that very same week, I started attending church again. It was
great, that feeling I had. I attended church till I finally left for Andrews
University.
Traveling internationally was something I had never ever done in my
entire life. Arriving at the airport for departure to Australia, I could sense
the nervousness and panic in my parents’ eyes. I still had my Andrews Study
Bible during that time, and during my entire trip. Before departure, I did not
even cried or hugged my parents but only shook their hands: because I knew if
God kept me alive, then there has to be a reason for living. With my Andrews
Study Bible, we departed for Australia. To cut the long story short, though Australia,
Los Angeles, and Chicago airport was totally new to me, I finally arrived at
South Bend airport around 11:00 pm (due to flight delays). Unfortunately, the
transportation guise at Andrews University left due to the delay, and the
entire airport was empty. But luckily to my amazement, there were only two
taxis available. So I hopped on one, while I did not even have any idea where
the location of Andrew University, or even where I’m supposed to spend the
night. But thankfully to God’s mercy, love and grace, the old taxi driver
volunteered to take me to a motel located close to Andrews University called
Village Inn. He also charged me $40.00 for the entire trip (which I believe
cost around $70), and even made sure that I was in the room before he left.
Anyways, I then woke up around 12 pm and entered the campus of Andrews
University.
Now that I’m already here within Andrews University with my same
Andrews Study Bible, I could still hear this demonic satanic voices speaking
but I know for sure “they can do nothing!” Yes, indeed they can do nothing
because my Andrews Study Bible says Jesus Christ already won (as stated in
Mathew 27). And the gift of eternal life is real (as stated in John 3:16). Even
though at times while here, I get restless, tired, worn out, thrown out of my
bed, strangled by this evil demonic spirits, but I still know nothing would
happen because my God Jesus Christ already won. And as I keep growing in Christ
every day while wearing the whole Amor of God, this evil slowly vanishes and becomes
powerless. Yes, the devil may be intimidating, deceiving and cunning at times
but I know for sure that the power of my God Jesus Christ through His blood on
the cross, is much stronger and greater than the devil because He is God. Yes,
He is the indescribable, awesome, omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite,
everlasting, creator God and “The” Most High above The Highest. All I know is
that He is coming soon, time cannot be manipulated or controlled by anyone else
except God (unknown) and the power of choice is mine/yours! And you know where I found Him? “From my
Andrews Study Bible. Yes indeed! Thank you God for my Andrews Study Bible.
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