“Jehovah Nao . . . Bae Winim Disfala Faet”

Disfala issue hem start lo 1999 taem gavman blo France hem sei branch office lo there mas peim tax lo olketa donation wea olketa kasem between 1993 and 1996. Mifala trae for kasem justice from olketa kot lo France, bat hem hard. Mifala appealim datfala disison bat mifala lus, then gavman tekem selen from bank account blo branch office wea hem klosap winim fo and haf million euros ($6,300,000 U.S.). So last hope blo mifala, hem for tekem datfala issue lo European Court of Human Rights. Bat bifor datfala European Court herem disfala case, olketa sei for mifala meet firstaem witim legal team blo gavman blo France and olketa registrar blo European Court, for story tugeta and lukim if mifala savve mekem eni agreement for setolim nomoa disfala issue.

Mifala expectim dat registrar bae putim pressure for mifala mas agree witim disison blo olketa for katem daon amount lo tax for peim lo gavman blo France. Bat, mifala luksavve dat for peim even wan euro dollar bae hem againstim olketa Bible principle. Donation wea olketa brata and sista givim hem for sapotim Kingdom waka, so donation hia hem no blo gavman. (Matt. 22:21) Nomata olsem, mifala respectim arrangement blo European Court, so mifala meet witim olketa.

Mifala meet insaed wanfala lo olketa naes conference rum blo datfala European Court. Taem datfala discussion hem start, luk olsem hem bae hard for olketa acceptim story blo mifala. Taem datfala registrar start for story hem sei Olketa Jehovah’s Witness lo France mas peim part lo datfala tax. Then seke nomoa mifala tingim disfala kwestin and askem hem, “Hao, iu savve tu gavman blo France hem tekem finis winim fo and haf million euros from bank account blo mifala?”

Datfala registrar barava seke for herem datwan. Taem legal team blo gavman lo France confirmim dat olketa duim datwan, attitude blo datfala registrar hem barava change. Hem tok lo olketa and kwiktaem finisim datfala meeting. Mi luksavve dat Jehovah duim wanfala samting wea mifala no expectim, wea datwan barava changem evriting. Taem mifala lusim datfala meeting, mifala barava hapi tumas and sapraes lo wat hem happen.

So lo June 30, 2011, evriwan lo datfala European Court olketa agree for givim disison wea sapotim iumi. European Court sei iumi no need for peim datfala tax and hem givim order lo gavman for givim bak selen wea olketa tekem, and for givim extra selen ontop lo datwan! Disfala important disison blo kot hem protectim pure worship lo France kam kasem distaem. Datfala simpol kwestin, wea mifala no even ting for askem, hem changem result blo datfala faet, olsem datfala ston wea go insaed lo hed blo Goliath. Why nao iumi win? Olsem David talem lo Goliath, “Jehovah nao . . . winim disfala faet.”—1 Sam. 17:​45-47.

Diswan hem no only kot case wea iumi winim. Staka paoaful gavman and religion againstim iumi, nomata olsem, kam kasem distaem, iumi winim finis 1,225 kot case lo olketa highest kot lo 70 kantri and staka international kot. Olketa kot case hia protectim olketa raets blo iumi, olsem raet blo iumi for kamap legal religion lo wanfala kantri, raet blo iumi for preach lo pablik, raet blo iumi for no tek part lo olketa ceremony wea mekhae lo kantri, and raet blo iumi for no tekem blood.

Mi laek for explainim hao nao gogo mi waka witim olketa legal case lo Europe, nomata mi serve lo World Hedquarter blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness lo New York, U.S.A.

INFLUENCE BLO PARENTS WEA STRONG FOR DUIM MISSIONARY WAKA

Parents blo mi, George and Lucille, graduate from mek-12 class blo Gilead and tufala serve lo Ethiopia. Then lo 1956 mi born lo Ethiopia. Tufala nemim mi Philip, followim datfala evangelizer lo first century. (Acts 21:8) Wan year bihaen, gavman banim waka blo iumi lo Ethiopia. Nomata lo datfala taem mi smol pikinini nomoa, mi savve rememberim yet hao mifala famili mas barava careful taem mifala worship. From mi pikinini, mi tingse datwan hem exciting! Gogo, lo 1960 gavman forcem mifala for lusim datfala kantri.

Famili blo mifala muv go stap lo Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A., nomata olsem, parents blo mi gohed garem strong love for ministry olsem taem tufala duim missionary waka. Olketa barava followim truth and olketa teachim mi and big sista blo mi Judy, witim younger brata blo mi, Leslie, wea tufala tu born lo Ethiopia, for barava lovem truth. Mi baptaes taem mi 13 years old. Thri years bihaen, famili blo mi muv go for serve lo ples wea garem need lo Arequipa, Peru.

Lo 1974 taem mi just 18 years old, branch lo Peru assignim mi witim nara fofala brata for kamap spesol pioneer. Assignment blo mifala hem for go preach lo olketa farawe territory, hae ap lo olketa maunten lo Central Andes. Mifala preach tu lo pipol blo Quechua and Aymara community. Mifala travel and sleep insaed wanfala trak wea mifala savve kolem lo Ark bikos hem luk olsem wanfala box. Mi garem olketa naes memory abaotem taem mi iusim Bible for story witim olketa lokol pipol abaotem hao klosap nao Jehovah bae finisim wei for poor, sik, and dae. (Rev. 21:​3, 4) Staka nao acceptim Kingdom message.

GO LO WORLD HEDQUARTER

Taem Albert Schroeder, wea hem member blo Governing Body blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, hem visitim Peru lo 1977, hem encouragem mi for apply for Bethel service lo world hedquarter. So mi duim datwan. No longtaem bihaen, lo June 17, 1977, mi startim service blo mi lo Brooklyn Bethel. Insaed lo next fofala year, mi waka lo Klining and Maintenance department.

Lo June 1978, mi meetim Elizabeth Avallone lo wanfala international convention lo New Orleans, Louisiana. Olsem parents blo mi, parents blo Elizabeth tu barava followim truth and teachim hem for lovem truth. Elizabeth hem regular pioneer for fofala year finis, and hem barava lovem full-taem service. Mitufala gohed contactim each other and no longtaem nomoa, mitufala savve gud lo each other and barava lovem each other. So mifala marit lo October 20, 1979, and mitufala start for waka lo Bethel tugeta.

Olketa brata and sista lo Brooklyn Spanish kongregeson, wea hem first kongregeson blo mitufala, barava welkamim mitufala. And kam kasem distaem, mitufala joinim nara thrifala kongregeson wea welkamim and sapotim service blo mitufala lo Bethel. Mitufala barava tinghae lo sapot blo olketa, and tu, lo sapot blo olketa frens and famili wea helpem mitufala for lukaftarem parents blo mitufala taem olketa olo.

JOINIM LEGAL TEAM FOR FAET FOR ORGANIZATION BLO JEHOVAH

Mi seke taem mi kasem assignment for serve lo Legal Department lo Bethel, lo January 1982. Thri years bihaen, olketa askem mi for attendim wanfala law skul for mi kasem license for kamap lawyer. Taem mi study lo law skul, mi hapi and sapraes tu for lanem hao staka lo olketa freedom wea pipol enjoyim distaem lo United States and raonem world, hem kamap bikos lo olketa legal kot case wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness winim. Staka taem during olketa class blo mifala, mifala discussim olketa main kot case hia.

Lo 1986 taem mi 30 years old, olketa appointim mi for kamap overseer blo Legal Department. Mi hapi dat Bethel trustim mi for duim disfala assignment nomata mi young, bat mi lelebet wari tu from mi savve hao disfala assignment bae no isi.

Mi kamap wanfala lawyer lo 1988, bat mi no realizim dat taem mi go lo skul for lawyer, hem barava affectim spiritual laef blo mi. Hae education savve mekem man for praod and tingse wei for garem spesol knowledge hem mekem man gud winim olketa narawan. Elizabeth barava helpem mi. Hem helpem mi for duim bak olketa spiritual schedule blo mi wea mi bin duim bifor mi go lo law skul. Hem tek taem bat isisi mi recover lo spiritual wei. From wat mi experiencem, mi luksavve dat wei for garem staka knowledge hem no important samting lo laef. Bat samting wea barava important lo laef, hem for garem klos relationship witim Jehovah and strong love for hem, and for pipol blo hem.

DEFENDIM AND IUSIM LAW FOR HELPEM GUD NIUS GOHED

Afta mi finisim law skul, mi help for organizem olketa legal waka lo Bethel and defendim lo kot olketa raet blo Kingdom waka. For sapotim organization wea gohed for grow fast and muv ahed, hem barava exciting and challenging tu. For example, lo 1991, organization askem Legal Department for helpem olketa for changem disfala wei wea iumi askem contribution for olketa pablikeson blo iumi. Start lo datfala taem, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no askem selen for olketa pablikeson wea olketa givimaot. Diswan mekem waka lo Bethel and lo field for kamap moa simpol, and kam kasem distaem, datwan helpem iumi for no garem problem witim wei for peim tax. Samfala tingse disfala change bae mekem iumi for no garem inaf selen and bae affectim ministry blo iumi. Bat hem no happen olsem. Namba blo olketa wea worshipim Jehovah since 1990 hem increase winim enitaem bifor, and distaem pipol savve kasem spiritual kaikai and no need for peim. Mi barava lukim dat disfala change, and staka nara change wea kamap insaed organization, hem only happen bikos lo strong wea Jehovah givim and direction wea hem provaedem thru lo faithful and wise slave.—Ex. 15:2; Matt. 24:45.

Wanfala reason why iumi winim olketa kot case hem no just bikos iumi garem olketa gud lawyer nomoa. Bat, staka taem hem bikos olketa bigman lo gavman lukim gudfala wei blo olketa pipol blo Jehovah. Mi lukim wanfala example lo diswan lo 1998 taem thrifala member blo Governing Body and olketa waef blo olketa attendim wanfala spesol convention lo Cuba. Wei wea olketa kaen and showimaot respect barava pruvim dat iumi neutral saed lo politik winim eni samting wea mifala storyim taem mifala meet witim olketa bigman lo gavman.

Bat samfala taem, for stretem wanfala samting, iumi mas tekem go lo kot mekem iumi ‘defendim and iusim law for mekem gud nius hem gohed.’ (Phil. 1:7) For example, for staka year olketa gavman lo Europe and South Korea no recognizem raet blo iumi for no joinim army. From datwan, samting olsem 18,000 brata lo Europe and winim 19,000 brata lo South Korea bin stap lo prison bikos konsens blo olketa no letem olketa for joinim army.

Gogo, lo July 7, 2011, datfala ECHR hem mekem wanfala important disison lo disfala kot case Bayatyan v. Armenia, wea sei, if konsens blo samwan hem stopem hem for no joinim army, olketa gavman mas provaedem nara waka for olketa duim for helpem kantri. Disfala disison hem affectim evri kantri lo Europe. Then bihaen, datfala South Korean Constitutional Court hem mekem sem disison lo June 28, 2018. If eniwan lo olketa young brata hia no gohed neutral, hard for mifala winim tufala kot case hia.

Legal department lo hedquarter and olketa branch office evriwea lo world waka hard for defendim olketa waka blo Kingdom. Hem bigfala privilege for mifala representim olketa brata and sista wea olketa gavman againstim. Nomata mifala winim kot case or nomoa, mifala gohed for givim witness lo olketa governor, olketa king, and lo olketa kantri. (Matt. 10:18) Mifala iusim olketa scripture taem mifala presentim olketa case blo mifala lo kot and lo olketa legal document wea mifala givim. Datwan givim witness lo olketa Judge, olketa representative blo gavman, media, and pipol lo pablik. From datwan, olketa wea garem honest heart lane abaotem hu nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and savve dat olketa biliv blo iumi hem kam from Bible. Gogo, samfala lo olketa hia kamap Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

THANKIU JEHOVAH!

Winim 40 years wea go pas, mi garem privilege for waka witim olketa branch office evriwea lo world and for go front lo staka hae kot and staka hae official. Mi lovem and tinghae lo olketa brata and sista lo Legal Department lo world hedquarter and olketa legal department evriwea lo world. Mi kasem staka blessing and mi hapi tumas.

Elizabeth hem showimaot love and loyal for sapotim mi lo 45 years wea go pas, lo olketa gud taem and lo olketa hard taem. Mi barava tinghae lo hem bikos hem gohed for sapotim mi nomata hem deal witim wanfala sik wea affectim immune system blo hem and wea mekem hem for no strong.

Mitufala luksavve strong and wei for win hem no kam from savve blo man seleva. Olsem David talem, “Jehovah nao Man wea givim strong lo pipol blo hem.” (Ps. 28:8) Tru nao, “Jehovah nao . . . bae winim disfala faet.”