I Have Done What I Ought to Have Done -By Don Ridley - LEARNING THE TRUTH

During my first year at William Mitchell College of Law, Jehovah's Witnesses called at my home.  I was busy doing mt laundry, and the couple graciously agreed to return.  When they did, I had two questions waiting for them:  "Why don't good people get ahead in the world?" and "What does it take to be happy? I accepted the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. and the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, with its eye-catching green cover.  I also agreed to a Bible study.  This really opened my eyes. I was impressed with the idea that God's Kingdom is a much-needed government that will administer mankind's affairs on earth.  I could see the human self-rule had been a complete failure and that it left a world full of pain, suffering, injustice, and tragedy.  

I dedicated myself to Jehovah in early 1982 and got baptized later that year at  the "Kingdom Truth" Convention help at St. Paul Civic Center.  I returned to the civic center the following week to take the Minnesota exam . In early October, I learned thaqt I had passed the exam, which qualified me to practice law.

 At that "Kingdom Truth" Convention, I met Mike Richardson, a Brooklyn Bethelite, who explained that a legal office had been established at headquarters. I remembered the words of the Ethiopian eunuch at Acts 8:36 and asked myself, "What prevents me from asking to work at the legal office?  So I applied for Bethel service.

My parents were not happy that I had become one of Jehovah's Witnesses.  My dad asked me what working for Watchtower would do for my legal career. I explained that I would be doing a volunteer work. I told him I would be given $75 a month, which was the monthy reimbursement for Bethelites. 

Next time: I Have Done What I Ought to Have Done - By Don Ridley - Conclusion of LEARNING THE TRUTH

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