Lesson 33 Explore 4: The Bible Changes Lives

YEAR BORN: 1959

HISTORY: POLITICAL REBEL

MY PAST: I was born in Havana, Cuba, and was raised in a poor neighborhood where street brawls were common. As I grew up, I developed an interest in judo and other combat sports.

I was a good student, and my parents encouraged me to go to a university. While there, I began to feel that the political system of my country needed to change. I decided to rebel. A classmate and I attacked a police officer, hoping to rob him of his gun. The struggle left the officer with serious head injuries. My classmate and I were put in prison for that attack and sentenced to death by firing squad. I was only 20 years old, yet I was about to die!

In the loneliness of my prison cell, I rehearsed how I would behave before the firing squad. I didn’t want to show any fear. At the same time, I was troubled by many questions. I wondered: ‘Why is there so much injustice in the world? Is this life all there is?’

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: Our death penalty was eventually commuted to a sentence of 30 years in prison. It was at this point that I met some of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were in prison for their religious beliefs. I was impressed by the Witnesses’ courageous yet peaceable behavior. Though wrongly imprisoned, they were not angry or bitter.

The Witnesses taught me that God has a purpose for mankind. They showed me from the Bible that he will transform our earth into a paradise free of crime and injustice. They taught me that the earth will be filled with good people, who will have the opportunity to live forever in perfect conditions.-Psalm 37:29.

I enjoyed what I was learning from the Witnesses, but my personality had little in common with theirs. I thought that being politically neutral or turning the other cheek would be impossible for me. So I decided to read the Bible on my own. When I finished, I realized that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only people who behave like the early Christians.

From studying the Bible, I knew that I needed to make some drastic changes in my life. For example, I needed to clean up my speech, as I was in the habit of constantly using swear words. I also needed to quit smoking. And I would have to stop taking sides on political issues. It wasn’t easy to make these changes, but with Jehovah’s help, I gradually succeeded.

One of the hardest changes was learning to control my temper. I still pray for self-control in this regard. I have been greatly helped by such Bible verses as Proverbs 16:32, which says: “He that is slow to anger is better than a mighty man, and he that is controlling his spirit than the one capturing a city.”

In 1991, I was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The baptism was performed in a barrel of water in the prison. The next year, some of us prisoners were released and sent to Spain because we had relatives there. Upon arriving in Spain, I immediately attended meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Witnesses there welcomed me as if I had been among them for years, and they helped me to start my life anew.

HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: I am a happy man, serving God along with my wife and our daughters. I am privileged to spend most of my time helping others to learn the Bible. Sometimes I think back to that young man who was about to die, and I appreciate how much I have gained since then. Not only am I alive but I also have hope. I look forward to the promised Paradise-to the time when justice will prevail and “death will be no more.”-Revelation 21:3, 4.