THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

I learned That Jehovah is Merciful and Forgiving-AS TOLD BY NORMAND PELLETIER

MY PAST:  I grew up in a depressed area in the city of Montreal.  When I was six months old,  my father died, which left my mother with all the household responsibilities. I was the youngest in a family of eight children. 

As I grew up,  my everyday life revolved around  drugs, gambling, violence, and association with criminals. At the age of ten, I began running  errands for prostitutes and loan sharks. I lied often and took pleasure in manipulating people in any fraudulent way I could. It was like a drug for me.

By the time I was 14, I excelled in devising ways to trick people. For example, I would buy large quantities of gold-plated  watches, bracelets, and rings, mark them as 14 -carat gold with an engraver's stamp, and then sol them on the street and in the parking lots of shopping centers. I was fascinated with making easy money. One time, I made $10,000 in a single day! 

After I was expelled from reform school at age 15, I had nowhere to live. I slept on the streets, in parks, or in the homes off casual friends who took me in. 

Because of my fraudulent activities, I was often questioned by the police. Since I was not selling stolen goods, I was never sent to jail. However, I did pay many hefty fines for fraud, false representation, and selling without a permit. Fearing no one, I even collected money for loan sharks. That was dangerous, and at times I carried a gun. On some occasions I worked with organized crime. 

Next time: THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES -HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE 

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015