Jehovah “Da One Goin Win Dis Fight”

In 1999 da France govament wen say dat oua branch ova dea had fo pay taxes on da donations dey wen get between 1993 an 1996. We wen try fo get one fair trial in da France courts, but neva happen. We wen try fo appeal but da ansa wuz da same an da govament wen take ova four an a half million euros ($6,300,000 U.S.) from da branch bank account. Oua ony chance fo get oua money back wuz fo take da case to da ECHR. Befoa we wen go trial, da ECHR wen have us meet wit da lawyers from da France govament an guys dat wen rep da European court fo see if we could agree on someting.

We wuz tinking dat da lady dat rep da court wuz goin tell us fo at least pay some of da money to da France govament. But we wen kno dat if we had pay any money, even litto bit, dat would go agains wat Jesus had tell at Matthew 22:21. Da braddahs an sistahs wen give dat money fo support Jehovah’s work. So wat dey wen give neva belong to da govament. But we still wen go outa respeck fo da rules of da court.

We wen meet in one of da conference rooms. Right from da start, da rep fo da court wen tell us we gotta pay da taxes to da France govament. All of a sudden we wen ask her, “You kno dat da govament awready wen take ova four an a half million euros from oua bank account?”

You shoulda seen her face! She wuz so mad at wat da govament wen do. Her attitude toward da case wen change big time wen da govament lawyers wen say dat dis wuz tru. She wen scold dem an stop da meeting right away. I wen come fo see dat Jehovah wen change up eryting so dat we could win da case. Wen we lef dat meeting we wuz so happy an no could even believe wat had jus happen.

On June 30, 2011, all da judges dat stay on da European court wen rule dat da tax no wuz legal an da govament had fo give back da money dey wen take, plus intres. Dis decision still proteck tru worship in France til now. Da question we neva even kno we wuz goin ask wuz da one dat wen change da whole case. It wuz jus like da stone dat wen kill Goliat. How come we wen win? Cuz like wat David wen tell Goliat, dat Jehovah “da one goin win dis fight.”​—1 Sam 17:45-47.

Dis not da ony time we wen win. Even tho powaful govaments an religions wen go agains us, we wen win 1,225 legal cases in da highes courts in 70 countries an intanational courts. Dese wins proteck oua basic rights. Like oua right fo be recognize az one legit religion, fo go preach, fo no take paht in patriotic ceremonies, an fo no take blood.

How come I wuz involve in one legal case in Europe wen I wuz serving at da World Headqwatahs of Witnesses Fo Jehovah in New York, U.S.A.?

RAISE BY PARENTS WHO WEN GO ALL OUT

My parents, George an Lucille, wen grad from da 12th class of Gilead. Dey wuz serving in Ethiopia in 1956 wen I came along. Dey wen name me afta Philip da evangaliza. (Jesus Guys 21:8) Da year afta dat da govament wen kapu da work. Even tho I wuz ony small, I could rememba my family worshipping secret kine. Wen I wuz one kid I thought dat wuz exciting. But sad fo say, dey wen force us fo leave da country in 1960.

Oua family wen move to Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A. My parents wen still love fo preach jus like dey had wen dey wuz missionaries. My olda sistah Judy an my younga braddah Leslie wuz born in Ethiopia too. My parents wen teach all us fo love Jehovah an serve him wit eryting we get. I wen get baptize at 13 years old. Three years layta oua ohana wen move to Arequipa, Peru wea dey needed help fo preach.

In 1974 wen I wuz ony 18, da Peru branch wen assign me an four odda braddahs fo be spesho pioneas. We had go preach in da Central Andes Mountains in areas wea nobody wen preach befoa. We wen preach to da natives ova dea who wen talk Quechua an Aymara. We wen get aroun in one motor home dey wen call Da Ark cuz da ting wen look like one box. I love fo tink about da times we wen show peopo from da Bible dat nobody goin be pooa, get sick, or mahke anymoa. (Jesus Show 21:3, 4, NWT.) Plenny peopo ova dea wen come into da trut.

I STARTED FO WORK AT WORLD HEADQWATAHS

Braddah Albert Schroeder, one of Jesus Luna Guys, wen go visit Peru in 1977. Wen he wuz ova dea, he wen encourage me fo go try apply fo go Bethel. So I did. Litto while afta dat, on June 17, 1977, I started fo work at Brooklyn Bethel. Fo da nex four years I wen work in da Cleaning an Maintenance departments.

In June 1978, I wen meet Elizabeth Avallone at one intanational big kine meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her parents wuz jalike minez, dey wen go all out fo Jehovah. Elizabeth wuz pioneering fo four years an she wanted fo stay in full time service fo da res of her life. We wen keep in touch an we had fall in love. On Octoba 20, 1979, we had get married an she wen come to Bethel fo serve dea wit me.

Da firs hui we wen go togedda wuz Brooklyn Spanish. Dey wen really show us love an aloha ova dea. Tru da years we wuz in three odda huis an dey wen encourage us fo stay in Bethel. We supa tankful fo dem, an oua ohana an frenz who wen help us take kea oua parents wen dey wen get olda.

I WEN LEARN FO FIGHT IN COURT

In January 1982 I wuz shock fo get assign to da Legal Department at Bethel. Three years layta dey wen ask me fo go law skool fo come one lawyer. In skool I wuz happy fo find out dat in da United States an odda countries, you free fo do plenny stuff cuz of da cases dat Witnesses Fo Jehovah wen win in court. We wen talk about dose importan cases plenny in class.

In 1986 wen I wuz 30 I wen come da ovaseah of da Legal Department. I wuz happy fo get dis assignment but same time sked cuz I wuz young an knew dis no wuz goin be easy.

In 1988 I wen come one lawyer. But I neva realize how goin all dat skool had affeck my relationship wit Jehovah. Goin college can make somebody like be on top an tink dey betta den erybody else. My wife wen save me. Elizabeth wen help me focus on da tings I wuz doin fo stick close to Jehovah befoa I wen go college. Wen take time, but I wen come close to Jehovah again. I wen come fo see dat knowing plenny iz not da mos importan ting, but loving Jehovah an his peopo iz.

USING DA LAW FO GET AN PROTECK DA RIGHT FO PREACH

Afta I wen pau skool, I wen focus on helping da department take kea da legal tings at Bethel, protecking da hui, an oua right fo go preach. Wuz exciting but same time hahd cuz tings in da hui wuz changing fas. Fo exampo, we use to ask fo donations fo oua publications. But in da early 1990’s da Legal Department wuz asked fo help figga out how fo stop doin dis. Litto while afta dat, Witnesses Fo Jehovah no would charge fo dea publications. Dis wen make da work at Bethel an in da field moa simpo an proteck us from da problems of paying taxes. Some guys wen tink dat we wuz goin lose so much money dat it wuz goin make um hahd fo oua ministry. But dat neva happen. Now get double da amount of guys serving Jehovah since da 1990’s. An today erybody can get publications witout paying. I wen learn dat all da big changes in oua hui work out good ony cuz Jehovah’s help an da direcktion of Jesus Luna Guys.​—Egypt 15:2; Mat 24:45, NWT.

We no win court cases jus cuz we get good lawyers. Plenny times iz how we ack az Jehovah’s peopo dat make judges an govament guys like help us. I wen see one exampo of dis in Cuba in 1998 wen three membas of Jesus Luna Guys an dea wifes wen go to one spesho big kine meeting ova dea. Cuz dey wuz respeckful an nice, dat wuz proof to da govament guys dat Jehovah’s peopo neva like get involve in dea politics.

Sometimes da ony way fo fix stuff dass not fair iz fo “use da law fo get an proteck da right fo preach” in court. (Php 1:7) Fo years Europe an South Korea neva recognize oua rights fo no join da military. Cuz of dat, about 18,000 braddahs in Europe an ova 19,000 braddahs in South Korea had fo go jail cuz dey wen choose not fo join da military.

On July 7, 2011, da ECHR wen make one decision on da case between Bayatyan v. Armenia dat wen go down in history. Da decision made um so dat guys in all European countries who choose not fo not be in da military cuz dea religious beliefs can do odda non-military work. On June 28, 2018, da South Korean Constitutional Court wen make da same decision. Both dese wins neva woulda happen if even one small numba of oua braddahs wen give in.

Da Legal Department at World Headqwatahs an at da branches all ova da world stay working hahd fo fight fo oua rights fo worship Jehovah an preach. We feel iz spesho fo rep oua braddahs an sistahs wen da govament go agains dem. Even if we no win one court case, we giving one witness to govnas, kings, an nations. (Mat 10:18) Da judges, guys dat rep da govament, da media, an oddas gotta read or lissen to da scripchas we use fo back up oua cases. Cuz of dat, good peopo learn who Witnesses Fo Jehovah an wat we believe come from da Bible. An some of dem even wen come oua braddahs.

MAHALO JEHOVAH!

Ova da pas 40 years I wen get da spesho chance fo work wit branch offices all ova da world on legal stuff an go in front high courts an importan officials. I love an respseck da braddahs an sistahs I work wit in da Legal Department at World Headqwatahs an in da legal departments aroun da world. My life iz good an Jehovah wen bless me.

Elizabeth wen stick wit me tru da good an da bad times fo da pas 45 years. I respeck her cuz she stay doin dat even tho she stay suffa from one sickness dat make her weak.

We got fo see firs hand dat all dese wins an any powa we get no come from us. David wen say Jehovah iz “da One make his peopo strong.” (Songs 28:8) Fo shua he “da one goin win dis fight.”