God Has Changed My Life!

Johnny Nanai of The Salvation Army Apia Corps in Samoa Region lost both his parents before he turned 18. But God had a plan despite the pain. The people of Apia Corps not only embraced Johnny and made sure he was cared for, but the men have been the role models he needed.

I grew up in a Christian home in the village of Palisi, the youngest of seven boys. I went to church every Sunday with my family. But then my parents divorced when I was 13 years old. When Mum left us, it was very hard to face. It was a big loss at such a young age. My brothers and I lived with our dad, and we made it through. But then Dad passed away in 2021 when I was 18.

A plan for me?

I got through that really hard time by doing the things that I love. I’m an artist—I sing, dance and love music. Through those hard years, I danced in various groups and participated in a lot of dancing competitions. Dancing and music helped ease my mind from all the grief and pain.

But when I started making and producing music, I had no parents to advise me, so I met some people who weren’t good for me. They introduced me to drugs (marijuana) and alcohol. I became really sick because of taking those substances. But God kept waking me up every single day. I couldn’t understand why God would keep waking me up when I was doing so many bad things to myself. I started to wonder if maybe God had a plan for me after all, but I just wasn’t listening.

I talked to my friend Emanuel who went to The Salvation Army. I could see he had a real faith and so I started going to him for advice, and he brought me along to The Salvation Army Apia Corps. That’s when I made a promise to myself to devote my life to God and repent from all the bad things I had been doing. I now attend youth group, mission team, Bible study and I lead the youth dance group. We perform for all the big events and are coming to perform at Together Congress.

My favourite Bible verse is ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10, CSB). I love this verse because it reflects me and my story with God. I thought I wasn’t good enough for God and that I wasn’t going to make it, but even when I was doing bad things, I knew God was still there guiding me and helping me. He was also protecting me. Now that I am out of that hard place, I see that God was always with me.

A few good men

I have good role models in my life now. Good men like Pastor Eric (Captain Eric Turner), Bible study leader Seiuli, my friend Emanuel who I live with now, and youth leader Pati Niusulu. Whenever I hang out with these guys they give me such good advice. They know what I have been through, and they encourage me to push harder and dive deeper in my relationship with Christ. That’s why I look up to them.

I wasn’t a big fan of prayer until I came to The Salvation Army and saw other men praying around me. At first, I thought it was just an act, but then I saw that it was real when Pastor Eric called us to come to the front and receive the Holy Spirit. Something really touched me that day and I felt God’s Holy Spirit. I started praying to God to help me have a good mindset and speak to me so that I would know what to do and what not to do. God has guided me through all the hard things and helped me to survive.

I became an adherent on 11 May this year, but now my dream is to become a soldier of The Salvation Army. I want to become a soldier and then go to my older brothers and share about how God has changed my life. I want them to know that God can change their lives too. I want to drag them to church with me! I want them to know they don’t have to keep doing things that are not right or good for them.

Wanted and valued

In the future, I want to do what Emanuel has done for me. I want to encourage others who are younger and struggling and share God with them. I want to reach out so people can know God like I do, and maybe even preach God’s Word. I want to know more about God’s story so I can relate it to my music and song writing.

I love The Salvation Army because when I was seeking God, I didn’t feel welcomed in other churches. No one talked to me because I was living a bad life. I was a seeker, but they ran away from me. But here at The Salvation Army, you walk in and everyone welcomes you! Everyone is pleased to see you. I feel like I am wanted and valued here. It’s important that people like me, who need help and support, are welcomed and cared for. I don’t want anyone else to get into a tough state like I was in.

Mostly I want to honour God and do whatever it takes so that everyone gets to hear about Him!