By Maggie, Paul's wife

On October 7, 2003 at 4:30 am, Paul Fighter graduated to be with Jesus. Paul was such an amazing fighter, and was not a complainer. He never gave up!

In Paul's last days on earth, he was in and out of a coma several times. Before the first time he went into a coma, he had not spoken for several days. Even though in a coma, you could see him fighting, he was not ready to go home just yet.

One day his brother, Stefano, came to see him; though Paul was not in a coma at that time, he was still unable to speak. Stefano had lost his nine-year-old son the month before and Paul had been concerned at the anger Stefano had at the Lord.

After several days of not having spoken, the first words out of Paul's mouth were to his brother. He asked him, "Did you read what Maggie gave you about the story of someone in the Family who had lost their son years before?" He then started to witness to his brother as if everything was normal. What a testimony!

A few hours after Paul passed away, I had a vision of many angels, and Paul was dancing with them. Then he turned to look at me, he was the young, handsome man that many knew him as before with a great big smile.-I knew he had made it home! This man was not only my husband, lover, best friend, brother, and shepherd, but next to Jesus he is a hero and a saint to me. I love and miss you, my dearest Paul Fighter.

(By a brother in Italy:)

In spite of his illness, Paul was such an example to me of a faithful witness. He was such a fighter and would never give up. He used his "handicap" as a stepping-stone for a more powerful witness.

Paul was also faithful with the ministry of prayer. Just a couple of weeks before he passed on, when I spoke to him on the phone, he asked me if there was anything I wanted prayer for.

According to the doctors, and the condition Paul was in, he should have been gone about ten years ago, but the Lord kept raising him up every time to be a special blessing to all of us who were touched by his love for the Lord and his dedication.

When the funeral service ended and everybody was standing outside the church, a song was playing in the background. It was a song Paul sang on a tape-"Camminando in un Mondo Tutto Solo" (Walking in a World All Alone). I walked up the stairs toward the car; I wanted to capture that voice, that spirit. I didn't want him to go, but the song went on--"That with Jesus and the holy angels to Heaven I will go."

After Paul's funeral we went to the park and had a special celebration of his Homegoing with songs and inspiration. We all felt his presence within our hearts. He is still with us!

In Memory of my brother Paul

I just want to share with you how thankful I am for my brother Paul (a.k.a. Giovanni, Giacomo) who just passed away. It is thanks to him that I met the Lord. As you know he was fighting against AIDS for more than 15 years but he never lost the love for the Lord or his desire to witness and share His love with others.

When I was 24 I started searching for answers in my life having tried being a communist, declared atheist, delving into Krishna and buddhist doctrines, philosophies of every sort, etc. It was at that time that Paul was witnessing to my sister who then wanted to introduce me to him as I was quite messed up being into drugs and all. At first I didn't want to meet him as I had already formed my ideas of what christianity was all about and I was sick of it.

I don't know for what reasons I decided to go and meet him one day at my sister's house, it was a short meeting as I didn't want to remain and listen to any sermons but it was enough to help me overcome my mindsets. He dedicated two songs to me: "The Prodigal Son" & "Born again" and they touched my heart so much. The thing that stood out the most to me though was that I could see a special light in his eyes and a peace and joy. I couldn't understand how he could have joy knowing that he had AIDS.

So I went to the mountains and I started to read the New Testament and in one week Jesus changed my life. After that I dropped out and started to live by faith on my own and Paul started to visit and feed me with the Word regularly.

After that the Lord did so many things in my life. I lived in Bosnia and later I joined in Croatia. The Lord has blessed me with 3 wonderful kids and a sweet wife and we are now serving the Lord in Turkey.

Paul was close to going to be with the Lord many times since I've known him, but he was a real fighter. He always seemed to pull out of it and get better by having faith and praising the Lord. He really went through a lot and he had a great love for the Family, it really pained him not to be able to be in a full CM Home due to his condition but he accepted this gracefully. I believe that the Lord was able to use him even more in this way like the quote "Beauty for Ashes".

Now it was his time to go Home to his great Lord and I think he will help us even more from the Spirit World.

So Paul, thank you so much for all you did here on this earth I'm sure you're being greatly rewarded. One day we will meet again but in the meantime when I look up to Heaven I know that you are as one of those stars that are shining for all eternity. I love you Paul!

Much love in Jesus, Stefano

A Tribute to Paul by Paolo Alleluia

When I first met Paul, I was very impressed by his quiet spirit and trustful attitude. I got saved about a year before and I was still quite new in the Lord. We were in Toni and Cristina’s house in Milano and we met for an evening of fellowship and inspiration. Paul was playing the guitar.

After a while I had a chance to go out witnessing with him, in Milano, at Parco Sempione. I was doing civil service near Brescia at that time, so we met one Saturday after-noon at the train station and after a good prayer, off we went. While walking a weird guy came towards us and tried to scared us, shouting and yelling at us. Paul was really calm and encouraging, he turned to me and said: “Don’t worry, this is one of the enemy’s boooos!”. Amazing, I didn’t see it that way.

Soon after I find out the whole story about Paul, his sickness and his mission in Italy. I realised that I was serving the Lord because of him being HIV positive. I’ll explain you why:

When Paul found out to be HIV positive, he returned from Nepal and started going on faith trips with Matteo, another guy who had the same sickness and went to be with the Lord a long time ago. The two of them at that time were travelling around Italy, by faith, preaching the Gospel wherever they went.

In Toscana they met a very sweet and receptive girl who invited them to visit her at her house. When they came to the door, this girl told her brother Stefano about these two missionaries who were both HIV positive and were singing about Jesus. Stefano at that time was an atheist and didn’t want to hear anything about the Lord, but was attracted by these two young persons, who, despite their terrible affliction and having little time to live, still were happy and had hope, going around talking about Jesus.

During the meeting Stefano listened to only one or two songs and then he left, he wasn’t at all interested in religious stuff, but… the spirit with which Paul and Matteo sang really impressed him and for the first time in his life he decided to read the words of Jesus. He went to a mountain for a few weeks and the Word changed his life. After a short while he decided to dedicate his life to the Lord and become a missionary himself.

The war in ex-Jugoslavia started and Stefano was helping people and sharing the love of Jesus among the refugees in Split (Spalato), Croatia, when… he met and witnessed to me.

I was myself a ripe fruit and I forsook all to serve Jesus. So, the fact the Paul was HIV positive was what gave the hint to Stefano to go and talk to him, otherwise he wouldn’t never have met some missionaries and because of that I’m here in the Family today.

God’s way are not our ways!

PTL!

Pictures and descriptions

The photo of Paul at the top of this page is a picture of Paul when he was first the Family.

This picture is in our home, after we just got here. Paul had been told several months before that he was going to die .

The other guitar player is Stefano (big guy) who wrote the testimony too

Paul with Paolo (who wrote the testimony above) & Angela in our home. He was already sick here.