Bob's words brought me to Christ! (My Testimony)

I was born in Paris France. Very young I left with my parents to go live in Gabon where my dad was from. I grew up in the 70's while Gabon was enjoying some of its happiest times. There was plenty of money from the oil and the country was full of expatriate and foreign companies building and working in the country. People add jobs and plenty of money to enjoy life.

Disco music and Afro Pop was the rage and when I was 5 or 6 my dad started a band called the Sphinx. Some of its members played for the longest time on the best band in Gabon, participating to many recordings of Akendengue and other local artists. I sat at the drums and played solos before the evenings started and dreamed...

At age 7 I got a Bible as a reading book while I was in France with my Grand Parent. It was my mom's idea I found out later to get me interested in it. It had pictures. I read David's story, Daniel's, Salomon, and many others. Solomon and David being anointed as kids were some of my favorites. Moses and his revelation. Jesus and his miracles. I kind of enjoyed it after I passed the sadness of not getting a toy.

Gabon coast where I grew up

My grand parents started my love for show business by taking me to the circus, and my parents took me to concerts to see Joe Dassin and other French singers.

My first movie was Benhur in a big theater in Gabon at 8 years old. I was going through some kind of depression, and my parents wanted to cheer me up. I remember to this day the movie and the miracle in the story of the leper being healed by him when he died on the cross.

Later in Life after 9 years in Gabon, and several years in France, I was still searching for a meaning to my life, and at thirteen I was searching for some direction. My parents had separations many time in my life, but were still together.

I was angry at the world. It was the age, and the background of my life. I didn't like my Dad or my Mom because our life was so superficial. I had 2 brothers too young for me to relate to, and I only played Hockey and Tennis as my 2 past times. Plus I would read books like there is no tomorrow. TV and cinema was a temporary past time on reserved for sports live or variety music programs.

I had terrible dark clouds upon me. Panic attacks and very scary visions that I would have to wake up to get out of and stay awake a while to let the fear go away. I leaved in a dungeon, in a 19th century house that my parent rented. I was in my non-speaking phase at the time. I would talk to no one.

One day, I purchased a LP (33) of Bob Marley, LIVE. The music reminded me of Africa that I missed so much. It also carried a message that sounded like the bible stories that I read when I was young. I grew up a Catholic and so I had been to church, learned the catechism and I searched for God during my confirmation phase. So Bob spoke to me in his songs and touched my heart. I started to think the Bible and God was OK. Bob Marley called him Jah, but I knew he was speaking of God and Jesus.

My Faith - Article of Faith

Africa Unite !

Bob travelled extensivelly and especially in Africa where he touched many lives and preached his message of African Unification.

Live in Africa (almost my first LP from Bob)

Bruno Anguile - Graduation 1992

Testimony Continued -

He also was speaking of people away from their land (Africa) and I could relate. Gabon is where my most happy time happened. I am home there.

All this lead to me meeting a lady at an auberge that had a son who played Reggae in a band. She addressed me as I was wearing a Rasta bracelet and as I was listening to reggae in the auberge where I worked almost every day. Punk and Reggae was in fashion at the time.

I got her contact information, and wrote to her and when I was 16 I asked to come visit, as I wanted to explore the show biz world closer and meet her son. She said, "Fine, but my life has changed. I tried to kill myself 3 times, and at the last time God revealed himself to me and sent me to this church and I have been saved. If you obey the rules of our home, you can come." And so I went. Hoped on the train and went to Lyon. I went to church with her and I received another bible from her, this time it was grown up bible no pictures in it. Just the word. The first lines that came out of it talked about " I know your dad, he has been working for me" coincidence my dad was an altar boy when he was in school with the Jesuits. So God was telling me that he knew me. That got my attention.

This trip to Noel's house was a wonderful experience. I went on the road with her son and experence life as a musician for a day or so. She took me to church and I experienced my first Charismatic church service with her. I continued to stay in touch and when I was graduating from high school, after being a DJ at local radios and having done a few project in theater and show business, I started singing with friends in jamming sessions. I would always sing under the inspiration, and my voice would do things that I didn't know it could do. In a good way. I had a special gift when I started singing, time would stay steel.

At 18, I had my first car, and I had spent my first year in College in Tours. I went down to work on the French Riviera and brought my girl friend along with me. I stopped at Noel for a short while.

She prayed for me before we left her house, and I was blinded by God's Light like Paul. Mine lasted about a few minutes. The glow stayed for hours after, and the spirit of God was around me for more than 24 hours in a sensible way. (I was able to sense his presence). My voice had uttered words from another tong, and I didn't know what they meant. When I tried to repeat them, I felt the white wash of God's light fall on me for a while.

For a while after I left, even though I was in Sin, leaving with my girl friend, I had the assurance of God's reality. This convicted me so much that I was always thinking about it. So to this day, I know God is real. He has since then showed himself many times over.

My story goes on and Timothy a street minister at UNT baptized me when I was 24 in the summer of 1991. This happened after a very active summer that started when I brought my girl friend of the time Karen to church.

As another sign of God's appointed direction, when I brought my friend Karen to Bethesda the first day I went there, they were hosting the African children choir. Noel had given me a pastor's name there that could help Carine with her panic attacks. This started another spiritual revival for me.



Carine broke up with me shortly after as she focused on her life and spiritual walk. I did the same and went deeper than ever in God. I was baptized in water and re-baptized with the holly spirit (speaking in tongue). Many things happened that summer. The Calderon became my adopted family in Fort Worth and along with a few other young men and women we had church every time we could. Bethesda Church really passed God test that summer for faithfulness to Him and the anointing was heavy.

My life continued with Graduation, Marriage, children and many jobs as I continue through life. I am blessed, and I continued my hope for an artistic carrier in music and film. However I am doing it on the side till God make it my number one job.

I hope this short synopsis of my life will help you and encourage you. I am working on a more detail version that should be available some time in the future.

God bless you for reading.

Anguile

Anguile