Naʻá ku tupu hake ʻi Los Angeles, Kalefōnia, ʻAmelika, ʻi he ngaahi kaungāʻapi kehekehe ʻoku ʻiloa honau feituʻú ʻi he kau kengí mo e faitoʻo kona tapú. Naʻe maʻu ʻe heʻeku ongo mātuʻá ʻa e fānau ʻe toko ono, pea ko au ʻa e fika uá.

Naʻe ʻohake kimautolu ʻe heʻemau fineʻeikí ko ha mēmipa ʻi he Siasi Fakaʻevangelioó. Kae kehe, ʻi heʻeku taʻu hongofulu tupú, naʻá ku moʻui lōua. ʻI he Sāpate kotoa pē naʻá ku hiva ai ʻi he kau hiva ʻa e siasí. Lolotonga ʻa e toenga ʻo e uiké, naʻá ku paati, ngāuehalaʻaki ʻa e faitoʻo kona tapú mo fehokotaki fakasino taʻetaau.

Naʻe vave ke u ʻita tōlili. Naʻá ku ngāueʻaki ha meʻa pē ko ha meʻatau ke u mālohi ai. Ko e meʻa naʻá ku ako ʻi he siasí naʻe ʻikai haʻane tokoni. Naʻá ku faʻa pehē, “ʻOku ʻa e ʻEikí ʻa e sāuní—pea ko ʻene meʻangāué au!” Lolotonga ʻa e ʻi he kolisí ʻi he konga ki mui ʻo e 1960 tupú, naʻe tākiekina au ʻe he Black Panthers, ko ha kulupu fakapolitikale ʻoku ʻiloa ʻi heʻenau fakafepakiʻi fakakautau ʻa e ngaahi ʻīsiu ki he totonu ʻa e tangatá. Naʻá ku kau ʻi ha kulupu fakatahataha ki he totonu ʻa e kau akó. ʻI he ngaahi taimi ʻe niʻihi naʻa mau fokotuʻutuʻu ha laka fakahāhā, ʻi he taimi taki taha naʻe tāpuni fakataimi ai ʻa e ʻapiakó.

Naʻe hā ngali naʻe ʻikai ke hanga ʻe he laka fakahāhaá ʻo fakanonga ʻeku natula tōlilí. Ko ia naʻá ku kamata kau ki he ngaahi faihia fakamālohi. Ko e fakatātaá, ʻi he taimi naʻá ku ʻalu ai mo hoku ngaahi kaumeʻá ʻo sio ʻi he faiva naʻe hā ai hono ngaohikoviʻi ʻa e kau pōpula ʻAfiliká ʻi ʻAmelika. ʻI he ʻita lahi he ngaahi fakamaau taʻetotonu ko iá, naʻa mau haha ʻa e toʻutupu pālangi naʻe ʻi he fale faivá. Naʻa mau ʻalu leva ki he ngaahi kaungāʻapi pālangí, ʻo kumi ha kakai tokolahi ange ke haha.

ʻI heʻeku taʻu hongofulu tupu lahí, naʻe ʻiloʻi au mo hoku fanga tokouá ko e kau tōʻonga fakamālohi. Naʻa mau palopalema maʻu pē mo e kau maʻu mafaí. Ko e taha hoku tehina siʻisiʻí naʻe mēmipa ia ʻi ha kau kengi ʻiloa, pea naʻá ku feohi mo kinautolu. Ko ʻeku moʻuí naʻe ʻalu mei he kovi ki he kovi ange.

Ko e taha hoku kaumeʻá ko ʻene ongo mātuʻá ko e Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihova. Naʻá na fakaafeʻi au ki heʻenau ngaahi fakataha ʻi he fakatahaʻangá, pea naʻá ku tali. Mei he kamatá pē, naʻe malava ke u sio ki he kehe ʻa e Kau Fakamoʻoní. Naʻe ʻi ai ʻa e Tohi Tapu ʻa e tokotaha kotoa pea ngāueʻaki ia he lolotonga ʻa e fakatahá. Naʻe aʻu ʻo fai ʻe he toʻutupú ʻenau ngaahi konga ʻi he polokalamá! Naʻe maongo kiate au ʻeku ʻilo ki he huafa ʻo e ʻOtuá, ʻa e Sihová, pea fanongo ki hono ngāueʻaki iá. (Saame 83:18) Naʻe faʻuʻaki ʻa e fakatahaʻangá ʻa e matakali  kehekehe, ka naʻe hā mahino naʻe ʻikai ha māvahevahe fakamatakali.

ʻI he kamatá, naʻe ʻikai ke u loto ke ako Tohi Tapu mo e Kau Fakamoʻoní, ka naʻá ku saiʻia ʻi he ʻalu ki heʻenau ngaahi fakatahá. ʻI he pō ʻe taha, lolotonga ʻeku ʻi he fakataha ʻa e Kau Fakamoʻoní, naʻe ʻalu hoku ngaahi kaumeʻá ki ha koniseti. Naʻa nau tā ai ha tamasiʻi ʻo mate koeʻuhí ko e ʻikai ke ne ʻoange hono sāketi letá. ʻI he ʻaho hokó, naʻa nau pōlepoleʻaki ʻenau tāmaté. Naʻe aʻu ʻo nau kata ʻi hono fakamāuʻi ʻenau faihiá. Ko e tokolahi taha ʻo kinautolu naʻe tautea ngāue pōpula ki he mate. Ko hono moʻoní, naʻá ku fiefia ʻaupito ʻi he ʻikai ke u ʻalu mo kinautolu ʻi he pō ko iá. Naʻá ku fakapapauʻi ke liliu ʻeku moʻuí pea kamata ako Tohi Tapu.

ʻI heʻeku siotonu ʻi he lahi ʻo e tomuʻa fehiʻa fakamatakalí, naʻá ku ʻohovale ʻi he ngaahi meʻa ʻoku ou sio ai ʻi he lotolotonga ʻo e Kau Fakamoʻoní. Ko e fakatātaá, ʻi he folau ha Fakamoʻoni pālangi ki ha fonua muli, naʻe tuku ʻene fānaú ke tokangaʻi ʻe ha fāmili ʻuliʻuli. Pehē foki, naʻe ʻave ʻe ha fāmili pālangi ki honau ʻapí ha toʻutupu ʻuliʻuli naʻá ne fiemaʻu ha feituʻu ke nofo ai. Naʻá ku tuipau ʻoku feʻunga ʻa e Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihová mo e ngaahi lea ʻa Sīsū ʻi he Sione 13:35: “ʻI he meʻá ni ʻe ʻilo ai ʻe he faʻahinga kotoa ko kimoutolú ko ʻeku kau ākonga, ʻo kapau ʻoku mou maʻu ʻa e ʻofá ʻi homou lotolotongá.” Naʻá ku ʻiloʻi kuó u maʻu ʻa e fetokouaʻaki moʻoní.

ʻI hono ako ʻa e Tohi Tapú, naʻe kamata ke u ʻiloʻi ai naʻe fiemaʻu ke liliu ʻeku fakakaukaú. Naʻe pau ke u fakafoʻou hoku ʻatamaí koeʻuhí ke ʻoua ʻe ngata pē ʻi heʻeku hoko ʻo fakamelinó kae toe sio ko e founga moʻui lelei tahá eni. (Loma 12:2) Naʻe māmālie ʻeku fakalakalaká. ʻI Sanuali 1974, naʻá ku papitaiso ai ko e taha ʻo e Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihová.

Kae kehe, naʻa mo e hili ʻeku papitaisó, naʻe pau ke u hanganaki ngāue ki heʻeku ʻitá. Ko e fakatātaá, ʻi he taimi ʻe taha lolotonga ʻeku ʻalu mei he fale ki he falé ʻi he ngāue fakafaifekau faka-Kalisitiané, naʻá ku tuli ai ha tokotaha naʻá ne kaihaʻasi ʻa e letiō mei heʻeku kaá. ʻI heʻeku ofi ange kiate ia, naʻá ne lī ʻa e letioó kae lele. ʻI heʻeku talanoa ki he niʻihi kehe naʻa mau ngāué ʻa e founga naʻá ku maʻu mai ai ʻeku letioó, naʻe ʻeke mai ʻe ha mātuʻa ʻi he kulupú, “Stephen, ko e hā naʻá ke mei faí kapau naʻá ke maʻu ia?” Naʻe ʻai au ʻe he fehuʻi ko iá ke u fakakaukau pea ueʻi au ke u hanganaki ngāue ki he fakamelinó.

ʻI ʻOkatopa 1974, naʻá ku kamata ngāue ko ha faifekau taimi-kakato, ʻo fakamoleki ʻa e houa ʻe 100 ʻi he māhina ʻi hono akoʻi ʻa e Tohi Tapú ki he niʻihi kehé. Ki mui ai, naʻá ku maʻu ʻa e monū ʻo e pole ke ngāue ʻi he ʻuluʻi ʻapitanga ʻi māmani ʻa e Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihová ʻi Brooklyn, Niu ʻIoke. ʻI he 1978, naʻá ku foki ki Los Angeles ke tokangaʻi ʻeku faʻē mahamahakí. ʻI he taʻu ʻe ua ki mui ai, naʻá ku mali mo hoku uaifi ʻofaʻangá, ʻa Aarhonda. Naʻá ne poupou lahi kiate au ʻi heʻema tokangaʻi ʻeku faʻeé ʻo aʻu ki heʻene maté. Faifai atu pē, naʻá ku kau mo Aarhonda ki he Akoʻanga Tohi Tapu Taua Leʻo ko Kiliatí pea naʻe vaheʻi kimaua ki Panamā, ʻa e feituʻu ʻokú ma kei ngāue ai ko e ongo misinale.

Talu mei heʻeku papitaisó, kuó u fehangahangai mo ha ngaahi tuʻunga fakatupu ʻita ʻaupito. Naʻá ku ako ke mavahe mei he kakai ʻoku nau feinga ke fakaʻitaʻi aú pe fakaleleiʻi ʻa e tuʻungá ʻi ha founga kehe. Ko e kakai tokolahi, kau ai hoku uaifí, kuo nau fakaongoongoleleiʻi au ʻi he anga ʻo ʻeku fakaleleiʻi ʻa e ngaahi tuʻunga ko ení. Naʻa mo au ʻoku ou ʻohovale ai! ʻOku ʻikai te u pehē ko e tupu pē meiate au ʻa e ngaahi liliu ko eni ʻi hoku angaʻitangatá. Ka, ʻoku ou tui ko e fakamoʻoni ia ki he mālohi fakaeliliu ʻo e Tohi Tapú.—Hepelū 4:12.

Kuo ʻomai ʻe he Tohi Tapú ha taumuʻa ki heʻeku moʻuí pea akoʻi au ke u hoko ʻo fakamelino moʻoni. ʻOku ʻikai ʻaupito ke u toe tā ʻa e kakaí; ka, ʻoku ou tokoniʻi fakalaumālie kinautolu. Naʻe aʻu ʻo u ako Tohi Tapu mo haku fili ki muʻa mei he kolisí! Hili ʻene papitaisó, naʻá ma loki fakataha ʻi ha taimi. Aʻu mai ki he ʻahó ni, ʻokú ma kaumeʻa ofi. ʻI he aʻu mai ki he taimi ní, kuó u tokoniʻi mo hoku uaifí ʻa e kakai laka hake ʻi he toko 80 ke nau hoko ko e Kau Fakamoʻoni ʻa Sihova ʻaki ʻa e ako Tohi Tapu mo kinautolu.

ʻOku ou houngaʻia moʻoni ʻi hono ʻomai ʻe Sihova ha moʻui mohu ʻuhinga moʻoni mo fakafiefia ʻi he haʻohaʻonga ʻo ha fetokouaʻaki moʻoni.