 So, please tell us your name and where are you from? I'm Samoa Manzo and I'm born and raised here in Pasco, Washington. And Sam, can you tell us how you stumble upon coming to this church? I first started coming about a month ago and it was all because of David. I was at the gym and he just came up to me and he just started talking to me. I had, I was friends with him since high school so I'd seen that he went to Africa so I asked him what it was all about and he told me pretty much his testimony which was crazy to me because I grew up with him and I knew him and that wasn't David at all and when he told me he was coming to church I was just amazed by that and I wanted to come with it, come to and he told me to come to Wednesdays and I did and I fell in love ever since. Okay, so can you tell us a little bit how was your life like before you came to church and give your life to Christ? Before I, before I started coming to church I was in a very dark place. I was addicted to marijuana since I was 16. I got introduced to a lot of other drugs, ecstasy, cocaine, molly around the age of 20 and that was very a dark time for me. One time a coworker had given me a drug for my 21st birthday and that was ecstasy and I had already messed with it before so I knew what it was about. He told me to be careful with it. I just didn't pay attention to that. I went ahead and just took it with, I took it and after about 15 minutes the effects started hitting me which it shouldn't have, you know, it should have took at least an hour. I kind of started figuring maybe something's wrong but he's the man called me to pick them up from the bar so I did and then after that they told me do you want to go home maybe smoke some weed and stuff and I told them no, some of it's not feeling right so I just went home by myself and after that as soon as I got into my room I knew something was terribly wrong. I woke up like five minutes later I think and I was on the floor of my room just my heart racing a million miles an hour. I thought I was really going to die that night. It was just a scary feeling and all I can think about was how was I going to tell my mom that night that I had an overdose on ecstasy, a drug she had warned me about so many times and I was just very scared. For six hours I laid on that floor pouring out sweat not knowing what to do so I just laid there praying to God please this can't be it. I know this is not the way I'm supposed to go out and a couple hours later six hours later one of my buddies came and he found me and he asked me what's wrong and I told him I have no clue I think I'm dying you know and he kind of cared for me a little bit just kind of took care of me and brought me back to my feet and after that we just we did more drugs which was not a good idea but you know and that was just a very dark time after that after that it was just that totally scared me to death I thought I was going to die that night so I never went back to those drugs those drugs were absolutely done but I felt so so empty inside I I kept smoking I kept smoking for two more years and then that was just that right there. Okay Sammy can you tell us when was the wake-up call in your training point? My wake-up call was two different times one time I've grown up knowing my dad is the biggest alcoholic I've ever known and we were always scared of him it was terrifying and he started going to church for a while and I just in my mind I was like he's not serious about it he's just gonna come home drunk and we're still gonna be scared of him. One time we were at a wedding with his best friend it was his best friends waiting all this stuff and then he had asked him do you want to drink and my dad declined a beer and I was just like wow he's he's absolutely serious about this you know so that was point one another point which was around about a month ago when I had started coming my mom I noticed my mom was she was just really sad I could tell she was really tired I asked her mom what's wrong and she told me I've been praying for you a lot I've been losing a lot of sleep for you and I just I just snapped at her and I told her I was like why do you why do you do this you know that I'm never gonna stop smoking I'm this is I'm gonna do this for the rest of my life and her expression on her face that they just it really sunk deep and I don't know I just I just knew I had to change in this that wasn't the life that I wanted for myself so I think David coming to me and talking to me that I think I know that was a blessing so now that you have given your life to Christ what is your life like now now that I have given my life to Christ it is amazing I have I've gotten baptized since then I've come to church as much as I can I I'm more than excited when I would I'd just come home back then and just go straight to my room smoke not even acknowledge my parents now I get home and I have amazing amazing talks with my parents which I've never had that relationship with them I talk about them Bible I'm how I'm gonna come here my my testimonies I'm just so excited I just can't believe how much my life has changed since I've accepted onto my life so we have a picture for you that you posted on Facebook kind of went a little bit vital we want to can you explain what happened there this was about two weeks ago and I it was actually after church and I was sitting there I was I was pretty upset myself because I wanted to smoke and I was like I can't be smoking and going to church I feel like I was on the right track and without thinking I just got up and I threw everything away and that was it and since two weeks ago today I am two weeks free of everything I want to ask you how long has your mom been praying for you my mom I I would have to say as long as she's known that I've been smoking which is six to seven years and she hasn't stopped since and like I said that day that she told me that it just sunk deep into me and I know now that she sees me coming to church and she sees me as happy as I am she tells me I'm a different person and I've never heard that from my mom she's she's smiling all the time and it just great so now as a follower of Christ what are your goals and your desires my goals and desires are hopefully when I had posted that picture one of my friends had commented on it he said we were just talking about maybe three weeks ago how we're gonna get together and we're gonna smoke and you know hang out and whatever and he had posted he's like hey man I'm I'm really glad you did this you know it kind of encouraged me to put everything down and I just know that I'm not only gonna better myself but I know I'm gonna better people around me and that's exactly what I want so tonight what is your advice for people maybe in the same place that you were three weeks ago or to those moms they're praying for their sons that like you were for the parents just never give up never give up hope I was as down as I can get and I I told my mom I'm never gonna stop and she never stopped praying and now that I know she sees me how I am I like I said I've never seen her happier for me and it's just amazing and for everyone who's in the same slums as me it's not gonna last forever it's trust me it's a phase you will get through it just keep