Naʻá ku tupu hake ʻi Rmaysh ʻoku ofi ki he kauʻāfonua ʻi he vahaʻa ʻo ʻIsileli mo Lepanoní, ʻi he lolotonga ʻo e tau fakalotofonuá. ʻOku ou kei manatuʻi lelei pē ʻa e pā ʻa e ngaahi maina ʻutá ʻo maʻukovia ai ʻa e kakai tonuhiá ʻo mole ai ha ngaahi konga honau sinó. Naʻe faingataʻa ʻa e moʻuí pea mafolalahia ʻa e faihiá mo e fakamālohí.

Naʻe kau homau fāmilí ki he Siasi Maronite ko e vaʻa pe ia ʻe taha ʻo e Ngaahi Siasi Katolika Hahaké. Naʻe femoʻuekina maʻu pē ʻa e Tangataʻeikí ʻi hono tokonaki ʻa e fiemaʻu fakamatelie ki homau fāmili ʻe toko 12, ka naʻe fakapapauʻi ʻe he Fineʻeikí ko e toenga ʻo kimautolú ke mau ō ki he lotú. Naʻe ʻi ai ha taimi, naʻe kamata ke u ongoʻi ko e lotú, ʻoku hangē ia ko e sōsaietí ʻi he tuʻunga fakalūkufuá, ʻoku nau taʻemalava ke poupouʻi ʻa e vaivaí.

Lolotonga ʻeku kei taʻu hongofulu tupú, naʻe fakamānako ʻa e kung fu kiate au. Naʻá ku kau ai ki ha ako fakamālohisino fefeka peá u hoko ʻo pōtoʻi ʻi hono ngāueʻaki ʻa e nimá mo e vaʻé ʻi he tau kalaté pea mo hono ngāueʻaki ʻa e ngaahi meʻatau kalate kehekehe. Naʻá ku fakakaukau hifo kiate au, ‘heʻikai ke u lava ʻo taʻofi ʻa e taú kae koloa pē ke u lava ʻo taʻofi ʻa e kakai fakamālohí.’ ʻI he taimi pē naʻá ku sio ai ki ha ongo tama ʻokú na fuhu, naʻá ku pukepuke leva kinaua. Naʻá ku natula ʻita vave, pea naʻe ʻikai faingataʻa hono ʻai au ke u ʻitá. Ko e kakai kotoa ʻi he faka-tonga ʻo Lepanoní naʻa nau ilifia ʻiate au, ʻi heʻeku faitau pē ʻaʻaku ke fakafepakiʻi ʻa e fakamaau taʻetotonú mo e fakamālohí.

ʻI he 1980, naʻá ku kau ai ki ha kalupu kung fu ʻi Beirut. Naʻe fakapaaki maʻu pē ha ngaahi pomu, mahafu mo e lōketi, ka naʻá ku kei ʻalu pē ki heʻeku ako fakamālohisinó. Ko ʻeku moʻuí ko e kai, mohe mo e moʻui ʻo hangē pē ko Bruce Lee, ʻa ia ko ha tokotaha Siaina ʻeti faiva ʻAmelika ko e hau ia ʻo e kung fu. Naʻá ku faʻifaʻitaki ki he sitaila hono ʻulú, ko ʻene founga lué, mo e anga ʻene kaikaila ʻi he taimi ʻokú ne fai ai ʻa e kung fu. Naʻe ʻikai te u teitei malimali.

Ko ʻeku taumuʻá ke u hoko ʻo palōfesinale ʻi he kung fu ʻi Siaina. ʻI he efiafi ʻe taha, ʻi heʻeku fakamālohisino mālohi ʻi he teuteu ki heʻeku ʻaʻahi ki Siainá, naʻá ku fanongo ai ki ha tukituki ʻi he matapaá. Ko hoku kaungātangata naʻá ne haʻu mo ha ongo Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihova. Naʻá ku lolotonga tui ha teunga fakamālohisino lanu ʻuliʻuli mo fetāfei ʻi he pupuhaʻiá, naʻá ku tala ange kiate kinautolu, “ʻOku ʻikai  haʻaku ʻilo fekauʻaki mo e Tohi Tapú.” ʻI he mōmeniti ko iá, naʻe ʻikai ke u ʻiloʻi ʻe kamata ke liliu ai ʻeku moʻuí.

Naʻe fakahaaʻi mai kiate au ʻe he ongo Fakamoʻoní mei he Tohi Tapú ʻa e ʻuhinga ʻoku ʻikai ʻaupito lavameʻa ai ʻa e tangatá ʻi hono toʻo ʻosi atu ʻa e fakamaau taʻetotonú mo e fakamālohí. Naʻá na fakamatala mai ko Sētane ko e Tēvoló ʻa e tupuʻanga tefito ʻo e ngaahi palopalema ko iá. (Fakahā 12:12) Naʻe maongo kiate au ʻa e nonga mo e fiemālie naʻe hā mei he ongo Fakamoʻoní. Pea naʻe toe malave kiate au ʻa e taimi naʻá na akoʻi mai ai ʻoku ʻi ai ʻa e huafa ʻa e ʻOtuá. (Saame 83:18) Naʻá na toe fakahaaʻi mai foki ʻa e 1 Tīmote 4:8 ʻa ia ʻoku pehē ai: “Ko e teuʻi fakaesinó ʻoku ʻaonga siʻisiʻi pē ia; ka ko e anga-līʻoa fakaʻotuá ʻoku ʻaonga ia ki he meʻa kotoa pē, he ʻokú ne maʻu ʻa e talaʻofa ki he moʻui he taimi ní pea mo ia ka hoko maí.” Ko e ngaahi lea ko iá naʻe hoko ia ʻo kaunga lahi ki heʻeku moʻuí.

Ko e meʻa fakamamahí, naʻe ʻikai ke u toe fetaulaki mo e ongo Fakamoʻoní, hili ko ia hono tala ange ʻe hoku fāmilí ke ʻoua te na toe foki ange. Neongo ia, naʻá ku ʻosi fakapapauʻi ʻi heʻeku fakakaukaú ke taʻofi ʻeku ako kung fu pea kamata ke ako ʻa e Tohi Tapú. Ko hoku ngaahi tokouá, naʻe ʻikai ke nau saiʻia ʻi he fakakaukau ko iá, ka naʻá ku fakapapauʻi ke u toe kumi ʻa e ongo Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihová pea ako ʻa e Tohi Tapú mo kinaua.

Naʻá ku hokohoko atu ʻeku kumi ki he ongo Fakamoʻoní ka naʻe ʻikai ke u maʻu kinaua. ʻI he taimi ko ení, naʻá ku mamahi lahi ʻaupito ʻi he mate fakafokifā ʻeku tangataʻeikí pea pehē ki he ngaahi meʻa fakamamahi kehe ʻi he fāmilí. Naʻá ku kamata ngāue ʻi ha kautaha langa, pea ʻi he ʻaho ʻe taha naʻe ʻeke mai ai kiate au ʻe hoku kaungāngāue ko hono hingoá ko Adel pe ko e hā ʻoku ou mata mamahi aí. Naʻe kamata ke ne talanoa fekauʻaki mo e ʻamanaki ʻi he Tohi Tapú ki he toetuʻú. ʻI he māhina ʻe hiva hokó, naʻe ako anga-kātaki ai ʻa e tokotaha Fakamoʻoni anga-ʻofa mo anga-lelei ko ení mo au ki he Tohi Tapú.

ʻI he hokohoko atu ʻa e akó, naʻe kamata ai ke u sio ki he fiemaʻu ke fai ha ngaahi liliu lahi ʻi hoku angaʻitangatá. Naʻe ʻikai ke faingofua eni. Naʻá ku faʻa ʻita vave mo ʻita ngofua. Naʻá ku ako mei he Tohi Tapú ʻa e founga ke mapuleʻi ai ʻeku ʻitá pea ʻoua ʻe fai ha meʻa ʻi heʻeku ongoʻi ʻita kotoa pē. Ko e fakatātaá, ʻoku ʻi he Mātiu 5:44 ʻa e akonaki ʻa Sīsū: “Hokohoko atu hoʻomou ʻofa ki homou ngaahi filí pea lotu maʻanautolu ʻoku nau fakatangaʻi kimoutolú.” Pea ʻoku fakatokanga mai ʻa e Loma 12:19: “ʻOua te mou faisāuni maʻamoutolu, . . . he kuo tohi: ‘ʻOku ʻaʻaku ʻa e sāuní; te u fai ʻe au ʻa e totongi fakafokí, ko e folofola ia ʻa Sihová.’” Ko e ngaahi konga Tohi Tapu ko iá mo e tokoni ʻa e niʻihi kehé naʻe māmālie ai ʻeku maʻu ʻa e melino ʻi loto ʻiate aú.

Neongo naʻe ʻuluaki fakafepakiʻi ʻe hoku fāmilí ʻa ʻeku fili ke ako mo e Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihová, ka naʻe aʻu pē ʻo nau tokaʻi ʻa e Kau Fakamoʻoní. ʻIkai ko ia pē, naʻe kau mai hoku tokoua ʻe taha ʻi he lotu kia Sihová, pea ki muʻa ke mate ʻa e Fineʻeikí, naʻá ne taukapoʻi ʻema tuí ki he niʻihi kehé.

Naʻe toe tāpuakiʻi foki au ʻaki ha uaifi fakaʻofoʻofa mo mateaki ko Anita, ʻa ia ko hoku hoa ʻofaʻanga ʻi he ngāue fakafaifekau taimi kakató. Talu mei he taʻu 2000, naʻá ku nofo ai mo Anita ʻi Eskilstuna, Suēteni ʻa ia naʻá ma tokoni ai ke akoʻi ʻa e Tohi Tapú ki he kakai ʻoku lea faka-ʻAlepeá.

Naʻe kei maongo pē ki hoku lotó ʻa e kakai naʻa nau faingataʻaʻia koeʻuhi ko e fakamālohí. Ka ʻi he ʻiloʻi ʻa e ʻuhinga tefito ki aí—pea ʻiloʻi ʻoku vavé ni ke fakangata ia ʻe he ʻOtuá—ʻoku ʻomai ai kiate au ʻa e fiefia moʻoni mo e nonga.—Saame 37:29.