Mi born lo 1954, lo St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A., and famili blo mifala no poor or rich tumas and mifala Roman Catholic. Mifala faevfala pikinini, and mi nao second born. Mi attendim Catholic primary skul, and mi wanfala altar boy. Nomata olsem, mi nating savve gud lo Bible. Mi bilivim God nao creatim evri samting, bat mi no trustim church blo mi.

Lo first year wea mi skul lo William Mitchell College of Law, olketa Jehovah’s Witness kam lo haos blo mi. Mi busy for waswas kaleko and datfala couple hapi for kam bak lo narataem. Taem olketa kam bak mi garem tufala kwestin for askem: “Why nao staka taem olketa gud pipol no savve kasem gud samting?” and “Hao nao iumi savve hapi?” Mi acceptim datfala buk The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life and New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, wea garem wanfala braet green kava. Mi acceptim tu wanfala Bible study. Datfala Bible study barava helpem mi. Mi hapi tumas for lanem dat Kingdom blo God hem wanfala gavman wea bae stretem  evri problem blo iumi olketa man lo disfala earth. Mi luksavve olketa man fail for rulim olketa seleva and olketa mekem disfala world fulap lo pain, wei for safa, no garem justice, and staka sorre samting hem happen.

Lo start blo 1982, mi dedicatem miseleva lo Jehovah and mi baptaes lo datfala sem year lo datfala “Kingdom Truth” Convention wea kamap lo St. Paul Civic Center. Wan week bihaen, mi kam bak moa lo datfala center for duim Minnesota bar exam for mi kamap wanfala lawyer. And lo start lo October, result blo mi kam bak from datfala exam wea showimaot mi pass, datwan minim mi qualify for waka olsem lawyer.

Lo datfala “Kingdom Truth” Convention, mi meetim Mike Richardson, wanfala Bethelite lo Brooklyn. Hem explainim hao olketa setim ap wanfala legal office lo hedquarter. Mi tingim nao datfala toktok blo Ethiopian eunuch wea stap lo Acts 8:36 and mi askem miseleva, ‘Wat nao stopem mi for ask for waka lo datfala Legal Office?’ So mi apply for waka lo Bethel.

Parents blo mi no hapi taem mi kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness. Dadi blo mi askem mi sapos mi waka for Watchtower hao nao datwan bae helpem waka blo mi olsem lawyer. Mi explainim lo hem dat mi bae duim nomoa volunteer waka. Selen wea bae mi kasem hem $75 insaed wanfala month, wea hem nao amount wea olketa givim for allowance blo olketa Bethelite.

Bihaen mi finisim samfala waka wea mi mas duim, mi start for serve lo Bethel lo Brooklyn, New York, lo 1984. Mi kasem assignment lo Legal Office. For mi, datwan hem kamap lo barava raet taem.

Lo November 1983, olketa peim Stanley Theater lo Jersey City, lo New Jersey. Olketa brata ask for permit for olketa renovatim electrical and plumbing system blo datfala building. Taem olketa story witim wakaman blo gavman, olketa brata explainim hao olketa bae iusim Stanley Theater for olketa convention blo olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Problem kamap bikos law blo datfala city sei dat eni ples for worship hem mas stap lo olketa residential area nomoa. Stanley Theater hem stap lo bisnis area dastawe gavman no agree for givim permit. Olketa brata ask moa bat still olketa no letem.

Lo first week blo mi lo Bethel, organization openem wanfala kot case lo federal district kot for challengem wei wea olketa no givim datfala permit. Bikos mi waka tu years finis lo federal district court lo St. Paul, Minnesota, mi minim  gud olketa kaen case olsem. Wanfala lo olketa lawyer blo mifala hem stand lo disfala point, sapos olketa iusim disfala ples for olketa pablik event olsem movie and olketa rock concert, why nao olketa sei hem illegal for iusim disfala ples for olketa religious event? Federal district kot ting raonem datfala point and olketa talem hao Jersey City no respectim religious freedom blo iumi. So kot givim order lo Jersey City for mas givim permit wea mifala needim, and mi start for lukim hao Jehovah blessim organization blo hem lo olketa legal samting mekem waka blo hem gohed gud, mi hapi tumas bikos mi help insaed datwan.

Olketa brata startim wanfala big renovation lo Stanley Theater, and no winim wanfala year bihaen, datfala graduation blo mek-79 class blo Gilead hem kamap lo Jersey City Assembly Hall lo September 8, 1985. Mi hapi tumas for waka witim datfala legal team wea sapotim waka blo Kingdom, and hapi wea mi kasem hem winim eni hapi wea mi experiencem taem mi waka olsem wanfala lawyer bifor mi kam lo Bethel. Mi no savve dat Jehovah hem redyim staka waka for mi duim.

Lo olketa year blo 1980, staka taem olketa doctor and hospital no respectim olketa Witness wea adult finis and wea ask for kasem treatment wea no iusim blood. Olketa babule woman faendem diswan hem barava hard bikos staka taem olketa judge ting dat olketa woman olsem no garem eni legal raet for rejectim wanfala transfusion. Olketa judge ting dat sapos wanfala babule woman no tekem wanfala transfusion, bae datfala baby no garem mami nao.

Lo December 29, 1988, Sista Denise Nicoleau hem lusim staka blood bihaen son blo hem born. Blood blo hem drop go kasem 5.0, and doctor blo hem ask for givim blood transfusion lo hem. Sista Nicoleau hem no acceptim. Next morning, hospital go for tekem wanfala kot order mekem olketa garem paoa for givim nao blood transfusion wea olketa tingse disfala sista hem needim. Datfala judge hem no holem wanfala kot hearing and hem no story tu witim Sista Nicoleau or hasband blo hem, bat hem givim hospital paoa for go givim blood transfusion.

Lo Friday, December 30, olketa lo hospital givim transfusion lo Sista Nicoleau nomata hasband blo hem and olketa nara famili member wea stap witim hem, olketa stopem. Lo datfala evening, olketa police arrestim samfala lo olketa famili member and wanfala or tufala elder, bikos olketa sei olketa standap satem bed blo Sista Nicoleau for stopem datfala transfusion. Lo Saturday morning,  December 31, nius blo New York City and Long Island reportim hao olketa arrestim olketa.

Lo Monday morning, mi story witim wanfala judge blo hae kot, nem blo datfala judge hem Milton Mollen. Mi storyim olketa samting wea join witim disfala case, and mi strongim hao firstfala judge hem saenem datfala transfusion order bat hem nating holem wanfala kot hearing. Justice Mollen hem askem mifala for kam lo office blo hem lo aftanun for storyim olketa information hia and olketa law wea join witim datwan. Overseer blo mi, Philip Brumley, hem kam witim mi taem mifala go lo office blo Justice Mollen lo datfala evening. Datfala judge hem invaetem tu lawyer blo hospital. Gogo taem mifala story, story blo mifala hem start for barava hot. Brata Brumley raetem wanfala smol note lo pepa blo hem for talem mi dat mi shud “isi nomoa.” Bihaen mi luksavve advaes wea hem talem hem barava gud bikos mi start for feel nogud tumas lo olketa toktok blo datfala lawyer.

Bihaen wan hour, Justice Mollen sei datfala case nao bae first wan lo list blo hem lo next morning. Taem mifala redi for lusim office blo hem, Justice Mollen hem sei, “Lawyer blo hospital bae hem barava waka hard tumoro.” Datwan minim datfala lawyer bae faendem hem hard for defendim saed blo hem. Datwan mekem mi feel dat Jehovah hem sapotim case blo mifala and bae mifala savve win. Taem mi tingim hao Jehovah hem gohed for iusim mifala for duim wanem hem laekem, datwan mekem mi barava feel hambol.

Mifala waka full naet for redyim olketa point blo mifala for storyim lo next morning. Kot haos hem no farawe from Bethel, so klosap evriwan lo Legal Office blo mifala wakabaot go lo there. Bihaen fofala judge herem olketa point blo mifala, olketa disaed dat transfusion order hia hem no stret. Datfala hae kot hem sapotim Sista Nicoleau, and hem sei sapos wanfala kot hem holem wanfala hearing or hem givim wanfala kot order bat hem no letem datfala man for savve firstaem, datwan hem go againstim constitutional raet blo datfala man.

No longtaem bihaen, barava highest kot lo New York hem agree tu lo raet blo Sista Nicoleau for kasem treatment wea no iusim blood. Datwan hem first wan lo fofala kot case abaotem blood wea olketa hae kot mekem disison lo hem wea mi garem privilege for help insaed. (Lukim tu box  “ Olketa Kot Case wea Olketa Winim lo State Supreme Court.”) Mi savve help tu witim olketa nara lawyer lo Bethel lo olketa case abaotem olketa pikinini, divorce, land, and olketa building.

Taem mi meetim Dawn, wea bihaen hem kamap waef blo mi. Hem bin divorce and hem garem thrifala pikinini. Hem waka hard for provaed for famili blo hem and hem pioneer. Hem barava garem hard laef and mi tinghae tumas lo wei wea hem disaed strong for servem Jehovah. Lo 1992, mifala attendim “Light Bearers” District Convention lo New York City, and mi ask for frenim hem. Wan year bihaen mitufala marit. Wei for garem waef wea hapi and garem spiritual tingting, hem wanfala spesol present from Jehovah. Dawn hem wanfala barava nambawan waef for full laef blo mitufala.—Provebs 31:12.

Taem mitufala marit, olketa pikinini blo hem, 11, 13, and 16 years old. Mi laek for kamap gud dadi for olketa, so mi readim and trae for followim evri samting wea mi faendem lo olketa pablikeson abaotem hao for kamap gudfala stepdadi. Mifala feisim olketa challenge insaed lo olketa year, bat mi hapi tumas from olketa pikinini blo hem olketa acceptim mi olsem fren blo olketa and dadi wea lovem olketa. Lo haos blo mifala, olketa frens blo olketa pikinini blo mitufala savve feel free nomoa for kam, so mitufala enjoyim wei for garem staka teenager lo haos.

Lo 2013, mi and Dawn muv go lo Wisconsin for help for lukaftarem dadi and mami blo mi wea olo. Mi hapi tumas bikos waka blo mi lo Bethel hem no finis. Mi kasem invitation for gohed helpem olketa lo legal office lo organization olsem wanfala temporary volunteer.

Lo September 2018, mi start for feel olsem nek blo mi hem no klia and mi kof staka taem. Mi go lukim doctor bat hem no savve wat nao kosim datfala problem. Bihaen wanfala nara doctor talem hao maet hem gud idea for lukim wanfala neurologist. Lo January 2019, datfala neurologist hem faendem dat mi kasem wanfala sik lo brain blo mi wea bae affectim body blo mi, nem blo datfala sik progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

Thrifala day bihaen, taem mi ice skating, mi brekem wrist blo mi lo raet hand. Mi duim skating lo full laef blo mi, hem isi tumas lo mi. So mi savve body blo mi hem start for no waka gud nao. Wei wea sik blo mi kwiktaem for mekem body blo mi change hem mekem mi sapraes, hem affectim toktok blo mi, wei wea mi muv, and for mi swallowim eni samting.

Mi barava hapi tumas from mi iusim savve blo mi olsem wanfala lawyer for help lo smolfala wei for sapotim Kingdom waka. And tu mi kasem privilege for raetem staka article for olketa professional magasin and garem chance for story lo olketa lawyer and doctor and lo olketa seminar raonem world for defendim raet blo pipol blo Jehovah for chusim olketa medical and surgical treatment wea no iusim blood. Bat olsem toktok wea stap lo Luke 17:10, hem sei: ‘Mi man nating nomoa. And samting wea mi duim hem samting wea mi shud duim.’