SONNY THOMAS

“I am an usher at the church, a trustee, and a Sunday school teacher. God called me to serve him five years ago. I lived in sin all my life. I was a wild man, a troublemaker. I used to fight everybody, this whole town. I used to drink, smoke, bootleg and drug deal. I ended up way on the bottom. I walked out on my family. I gave them everything, my house, I just walked out the door, with only the clothes on my back. I never changed my clothes for one year. I lived like that, in shame, tormented and put down. Then one day, I was reading the Bible. God started speaking to me through the Bible, ‘If you don’t give your life to me the devil is going to jump in you.’ I would get really scared. Whenever someone would knock on the door, I wouldn’t say come in. I was scared the devil was coming for me. I got tired of it and then one night, I called my sisters and told them I wanted to give my life to God. From that day on, February 11, 2011 at 7pm, I gave my life to god. God is healing my family, he is healing our marriage. We have eight kids and four grandkids.

It has taken years for the people in Buckland to believe in me, because they might think I am playing around. I was a bad person, I threatened this whole village. I told them I was going to burn this whole village down and take everybody with me. I served in the military and I was a sniper and know it was just the devil talking in me, using me to threaten the people. But, I knew I had Jesus. I was at my mom’s, my son moved in with me, all on his own, he was nine years old. I was chained down to the house, I couldn’t go out. I was too ashamed. I had to bring my son to school, so I started getting stronger and stronger, even though people were looking at me and putting me down. God started strengthening me and now I can face these people today and I have love for everybody. Sometimes I think I am not worthy, but I am worthy.” — Sonny Thomas is Inupiaq and lives in Buckland, Alaska.