ʻI he taimi naʻe fāʻeleʻi ai aú, naʻe ʻi ai ʻa e kiʻi faama ʻeku ongo mātuʻá ʻi he kolo ʻuta ʻi Galicia, ʻi he tokelau hihifo ʻo Sipeiní. Ko e fika fā au ʻi he fānau ʻe toko valu. Naʻa mau maʻu ha ʻātakai fiefia ʻi ʻapi. ʻI Sipeini ʻi he taimi ko iá, naʻe anga-maheni ʻaki ʻa e ʻave ha tokotaha ʻi ha fāmili ke hū ki he seminālió pe ko e ʻapi tāupoʻoú. Ko e toko tolu ʻi homau fāmilí naʻa mau kau ai.

ʻI hoku taʻu 13, naʻá ku hū fakataha mo hoku tokouá ki he ʻapi tāupoʻou ʻi Madrid. Ko e ʻātakai ʻi he ʻapi tāupoʻoú naʻe ʻikai fakafiemālie. Naʻe ʻikai ha anga-fakakaumeʻa—ko e ngaahi tuʻutuʻuni pau pē mo e ngaahi lotu. Naʻa mau fakatahataha pongipongia ki he fale lotú ke fakalaulauloto, neongo ne ʻikai faʻa ʻi ai ha meʻa ʻi hoku ʻatamaí. Hili iá, naʻa mau hiva ha ngaahi hiva fakalotu pea fai ha misa, ʻa ia naʻe fai faka-Latina kotoa. Naʻe ʻikai mahino ha foʻi meʻa ʻe taha kiate au pea ne u ongoʻi hangē naʻe mamaʻo ʻaupito ʻa e ʻOtuá meiate au. Ko hoku taimi aí naʻe fakangatangata ʻaupito ʻa e talanoá. Naʻa mo e taimi naʻá ku fetaulaki ai mo hoku tokouá, ko ʻema fepehēʻaki pē, “Siʻotoʻofa Malia.” Naʻe fakangofua kimautolu ʻe he kau tāupoʻoú ke talanoa ʻi he miniti pē ʻe 30 hili ʻa e ngaahi houa kaí. Naʻe mātuʻaki kehe ia mei he moʻui fakafāmili fiefia naʻá ku maʻu ʻi ʻapí! Naʻá ku ongoʻi liʻekina peá u faʻa tangi.

Neongo naʻe ʻikai ʻaupito haʻaku ongoʻi ofi ki he ʻOtuá, naʻá ku fai ʻeku ngaahi fuakavá peá u hoko ko ha tāupoʻou ʻi hoku taʻu 17. Ko hono moʻoní naʻá ku fai pē ʻa e meʻa naʻa nau fiemaʻu maí, ka ʻi he taimi nounou mei ai naʻá ku kamata ke fehuʻia pe naʻe fili au ʻe he ʻOtuá ki he meʻá ni. Naʻe faʻa pehē ʻe he kau tāupoʻoú ko e faʻahinga ko ia ʻoku veiveiuá ko honau ikuʻangá ko e afi ʻo heli! Neongo ia naʻá ku kei veiveiua pē. Naʻá ku ʻiloʻi naʻe ʻikai fakamavaheʻi ʻe Sīsū Kalaisi ʻa ia tonu, ka ʻi hono kehé, naʻá ne femoʻuekina ʻi he akoʻi mo tokoniʻi ʻa e niʻihi kehé. (Mātiu 4:23-25) ʻI hoku taʻu 20, naʻe ʻikai ha toe ʻuhinga lelei ke u kei hoko ko ha tāupoʻou. Naʻe fakaʻohovale hono tala mai ʻe he pule ʻo e nofoʻanga tāupoʻoú kiate au, kapau ʻoku ou kei tālaʻa pē ʻi he hoko ko ha tāupoʻoú ʻoku sai ange ke u mavahe leva ʻi he vave tahá. Naʻá ku fakakaukau naʻá ne manavahē ʻi haʻaku hoko nai ʻo fakalotoʻi ʻa e niʻihi kehé. Ko ia, naʻá ku mavahe leva mei he nofoʻanga tāupoʻoú.

ʻI heʻeku foki ki ʻapí, naʻe mahinoʻi lelei pē ia ʻe heʻeku ongo mātuʻá. Koeʻuhi ko e ʻikai ke toe ʻi ai ha ngāue ʻi homau koló, naʻá ku hiki ki Siamane, ʻa ia naʻe nofo ai ʻa e taha ʻo hoku fanga tuongaʻané.  Naʻá ne kau ki ha kulupu Kominiusi mālohi ʻa e kau Sipeiní. Naʻá ku fiemālie ʻi he haʻohaʻonga ʻo e kakai naʻa nau tauʻi ʻa e totonu ʻa e kau ngāué mo e tuʻunga tatau ki he kakai fefiné. Ko ia naʻá ku hoko ai ko ha tokotaha Kominiusi pea faai atu pē ʻou mali mo ha mēmipa ʻo e kulupú. Naʻá ku fakakaukau kuó u fai ʻa e ngāue lelei, ʻi hono tufaki atu ʻa e ʻū tohi fakakominiusí pea kau ʻi he ngaahi laka fakahāhaá.

Kae kehe, ʻi he taimi ʻe taha naʻá ku toe hoko ai ʻo loto-siʻi. Naʻá ku ongoʻi naʻe ʻikai faʻa malava ʻe he Kominiusí ke fai ki he meʻa naʻá nau malangaʻí. ʻI he 1971 naʻe kamata ke toe mālohi ange ʻeku ngaahi ongoʻi veiveiuá ʻi he taimi naʻe tutu ai ʻe he kau mēmipa kei talavou ʻi he kulupú ʻa e nofoʻanga Konisela Sipeini ʻi Frankfurt. Naʻa nau fai eni ke fakahāhā ʻa e fakafepakiʻi ʻo e fakamaau taʻetotonu fakatikitato ʻi Sipeiní. Ka naʻá ku tui ko e founga taʻetotonu ia ke fakahāhā ai ʻa e taʻefiemālié.

ʻI he fāʻeleʻi ʻeku ʻuluaki tamá, naʻá ku tala ange ki hoku husepānití ʻe ʻikai ke u toe kau ki he ngaahi fakataha faka-Kominiusí. Naʻá ku taʻelata ʻaupito koeʻuhi naʻe ʻikai ke toe ʻaʻahi mai hoku ngaahi kaumeʻa ki muʻá kiate au mo ʻeku pēpeé. Naʻá ku fifili fekauʻaki mo e taumuʻa ʻo e moʻuí. Kuo ʻi ai ha ʻaonga moʻoni ʻo e feinga mālohi ke fakaleleiʻi hotau sōsaietí?

ʻI he 1976, naʻe tukituki mai ai ha ongo Fakamoʻoni Sipeini ʻi homau matapaá ʻo tuʻuaki ha niʻihi ʻo e ʻū tohi Fakatohitapú, pea naʻá ku tali ia. ʻI heʻena ʻaʻahi tuʻo ua maí, naʻá ku kamata ke nafuiʻaki kinaua ha ngaahi fehuʻi lahi ʻo fekauʻaki mo e faingataʻá, fefaikehekeheʻakí mo e fakamaau taʻetotonú. Naʻá ku ʻohovale ʻi heʻena ngāueʻaki ʻa e Tohi Tapú ke taliʻaki ʻa e kotoa ʻeku ngaahi fehuʻí! Naʻá ku tali leva ha ako Tohi Tapu.

ʻI he ʻuluaki taimí, naʻá ku mahuʻingaʻia pē ʻi hono ako ha ngaahi moʻoniʻi meʻa. Ka naʻe liliu ʻa e tuʻungá ʻi he taimi naʻá ku kamata maʻu ai ʻa e ngaahi fakatahá mo hoku husepānití ʻi he Fale Fakatahaʻanga ʻo e Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihová. Ko e taimi ko iá naʻe ʻi ai ʻema fānau ʻe toko ua. Naʻe tokoniʻi anga-ʻofa kimaua ʻe he Kau Fakamoʻoní ʻi hono ʻave kimautolu mo tokangaʻi ʻema fānaú ʻi he lolotonga ʻa e ngaahi fakatahá. Naʻe kamata ke u maʻu ha ongoʻi loto-māfana ki he Kau Fakamoʻoní.

Ka neongo ia, naʻe kei ʻi ai pē ʻeku ngaahi veiveiua ki he meʻa fakalotu ʻe niʻihi. Naʻá ku fakakaukau ke u ʻaʻahi ki hoku fāmilí ʻi Sipeini. Ko e tokoua siʻisiʻi ʻeku tamaí ko ha pātele, naʻá ne ʻai au ke u loto-siʻi ʻi hono ako ʻa e Tohi Tapú. Ka ko e Kau Fakamoʻoni fakalotofonuá naʻa nau tokoniʻi lahi au. Naʻa nau tali ʻeku ngaahi fehuʻí mei he Tohi Tapú, ʻo hangē tofu pē ko ia naʻe fai ʻe he Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻi Siamané. Naʻá ku fakapapauʻi ai ke hokohoko atu ʻeku ako Tohi Tapú ʻi heʻeku foki ki Siamané. Neongo naʻe fili hoku husepānití ke tuku ʻene ako ʻa e Tohi Tapú, ka naʻá ku fai pē ki he meʻa naʻá ku ʻosi fakapapauʻí. ʻI he 1978, naʻá ku papitaiso ai pea hoko ko e taha ʻo e Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihová.

Ko e ʻilo totonu ki he moʻoni ʻo e Tohi Tapú naʻá ne ʻomai kiate au ʻa e taumuʻa mahino mo ha tataki ʻi he moʻuí. Ko e fakatātaá, ʻi he 1 Pita 3:1-4 ʻoku fakalototoʻaʻi ai ʻa e ngaahi uaifí ke nau “anganofo” ki honau ngaahi husepānití “fakataha mo e fakaʻapaʻapa lolotó” pea fakatupulekina ʻa e “anga-malū, ʻa ia ʻoku lahi hono mahuʻingá ʻi he ʻafio mai ʻa e ʻOtuá.” Ko e ngaahi tefitoʻi moʻoni ko iá naʻá ne tokoniʻi au ke fakahoko hoku ngafa ko e uaifi pea ko e faʻē.

Kuo laka hake eni ʻi he taʻu ʻe 35 ʻeku hoko ko ha Fakamoʻoni. ʻOku ou fiefia ʻi he tauhi ki he ʻOtuá pea hoko moʻoni ko e konga ʻo ha fāmili fakalaumālie, pea toe fiefia lahi he ko e toko fā ʻi heʻeku fānau ʻe toko nimá ʻoku nau fai ʻa e meʻa tatau.