THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

WHAT moved a man to return to the religious upbringing from which he had strayed? How did a young man find the father figure he had yearned for his whole life? Read what these people have to say.

"I needed to return to Jehovah -Elie Khalil

MY PAST: I was born in Cyprus but grew up in Australia.  My parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, and they did their best to instill in me a love for Jehovah and his Word,  the Bible. In my teen years, however, I began to rebel.  I would sneak out of the house at night to meet up with other teenagers. We stole cars and got into a lot of trouble.

At first, I did those things secretly for fear of displeasing my parents. But I gradually lost that fear. I formed friendships with people much older than I who did not love Jehovah, and they had a negative influence on me. Finally, I told my parents that I no longer wished to have anything to do with  their faith. They patiently  tried to help me, but I rejected  all their efforts.  My parents were heartbroken.

After moving away from home, I began to experiment with drugs, even growing and selling large amounts of marijuana. I lived  an immoral life and spent a lot of time partying in the club scene. I also developed a quick temper. If someone said or did something that I didn't like, I would swell with anger, often shouting at people and hitting them.  Basically, I did everything that I had been taught not to do as a Christian. 

Next time: HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE

From the Watchtower magazine, 2012