Sekuminyaka engaba mihlanu, uChoong Keon noJulie, isibili esitjhadileko esiseminyakeni ema-35, simaphayona wesikhathi esizeleko eSydney, e-Australia. UChoong Keon uyalandisa, “Besisebenza amatorho begodu siphila ipilo emnandi. La besihlala khona, ubujamo bezulu bebubuhle khulu nepilo beyimnandi. Besikuthabela ukutjhidelana nemindenethu nabangani.” Nanyana kunjalo, uChoong Keon noJulie bebangakahlaliseki kuhle. Kubayini? Bebazi ukuthi bangakghona ukwenza okungeziweko emsebenzini kaJehova, kodwana bebangaqiniseki ukuthi bayafuna na ukungenela amanye amathuba wokusebenzela uZimu.

Kwathi emhlanganweni omkhulu wango-2009, bezwa ikulumo eyabenza bakudlela amathambo wengqondo lokho abazokwenza ngepilwabo. Nesikhuluma nalabo abangakghona ukwandisa umsebenzabo wokutjhumayela, isikhulumi sathi: “Cabanga ngalokhu: Umtjhayeli angajikisa ikoloyakhe iye ngesinceleni namkha ngesidleni kwaphela nengabe ikoloyi leyo iyakhamba. Kuyafana nakithi, uJesu angasivulela amathuba angeziweko wokutjhumayela kwaphela nasizimisele ukulinga ngokusemandlenethu bona sifikelele imigomwethu.” * Isibilesi sazizwa ngasuthi isikhulumesi besikhuluma naso ngokunqophileko. Emhlanganweni loyo, kwacocwa nesibili esiziinthunywa zevangeli esikhonza eTaiwan. Sakhuluma ngethabo laso ekonzweni begodu satjho nokobana sisatlhoga isizo. Godu, uChoong Keon noJulie bazizwa ngasuthi amezwi la aqaliswe kibo.

UJulie uyalandisa, “ngemva komhlangano sathandaza kuJehova simbawa bona asiphe isibindi sokuthatha igadango lokuthuthela eTaiwan.” Uyanaba: “Kodwana besisaba. Sazizwa ngasuthi siziphosele ngedamini elitjhingako.” Umtlolo owabasiza bona “baziphosele” gade kumTjhumayeli 11:4, othi: “Ophika nommoya angeze atjala, oqala amafu angeze avuna.” UChoong Keon uthi: “Satjhentjha iingqondo zethu salisa ‘ukuphika nomoya’ namkha ‘ukuqala amafu,’ sathoma ‘ukutjala nokuvuna.’” Bebasolo bathandaza, bafunda iindaba zokuphila kweenthunywa zevangeli,  bathumelelana imilayezo ngama-email nalabo esele bathuthele eTaiwan, bathengisa iinkoloyi zabo nefenitjhara, begodu bafika eTaiwan ngemva kweenyanga ezintathu.

Abazalwana nabodade abangaphezu kwabali-100 abavela eenarheni zangaphandle okwanje bakhonza eTaiwan eendaweni lapho kunetlhogeko ekulu yabatjhumayeli bomBuso kaZimu. Bavela e-Australia, eBritain, eCanada, eFrance, eJapan, eKorea, eSpain, ne-United States begodu bayatjhiyatjhiyana ngeminyaka, kusukela kwema-21 kuya kwema-73. Phakathi kwabo kunabodade abangaphezu kwabama-50 abangakatjhadi. Khuyini eyasiza abazalwana nabodadaba bona baragele phambili nokutjhumayela kwenye inarha? Akhesibezwe bona bathini.

ULaura, udade ongakendi ovela eCanada, uphayona etjingalanga yeTaiwan. Kodwana eminyakeni elitjhumi edlulileko, bekangakuthandi ukutjhumayela. ULaura uyahlathulula, “Bengizikhuja nakufuze ngiyokutjhumayela.” Ngemva kwalokho umnganakhe weCanada wambawa bona akhambe naye eMexico bayokutjhumayela khona inyanga yinye kwaphela. “Bekukokuthoma ngisebenza isikhathi eside esimini, begodu lokho kwangikara kwamanikelela!”

Isikhathi esithabisakwesi sakhuthaza uLaura bona acabange ngokuthuthela ebandleni elikhuluma elinye ilimi eCanada. Wathi nekaqeda ukufunda ilimi lesiTjhayina, watjhumayela nesiqhenyana sesiTjhayina, begodu wazibekela umgomo wokufudukela eTaiwan, yeke waya khona ngoSeptemba 2008. ULaura uthi, “kungithethe pheze umnyaka woke bona ngizizwe ngitjhaphulukile endaweni etja kodwana okwanje angikucabangi nokubuyela eCanada.” Uzizwa njani ngokutjhumayela? ULaura uthi, “Ngiyakuthabela kwamambala. Ayikho into eyanelisa ukudlula ukubona abantu ofunda nabo iBhayibheli batjhentjha ukuphila kwabo njengombana bafunda ngoJehova. Ukutjhumayela eTaiwan kube sikhathi esimnandi khulu kimi.”

Ngemva kobana uBrian noMichelle, abatjhadikazi abaseminyakeni yama-30 abavela e-United States, bathuthele eTaiwan eminyakeni ebunane edlulileko, ekuthomeni bebazizwa ngasuthi bayazikhuja nebatjhumayelako. Esinye isithunywa sevangeli esingumakadabona sathi kibo: “Ngitjho nanyana ungakhambisela othileko iphetjhana, kufuze ukhumbule ukuthi kungenzeka bona umuntu loyo uyathoma ukwizwa ngoJehova. Lokho-ke kuqakatheka kokuba semsebenzini wokutjhumayela!” Isikhuthazweso sabasiza khulu aboBrian noMichelle bona bangalilahli itewu. Omunye umzalwana wabatjela wathi: “Naningathoma nithi nifuna ukuthuthuka ngelanga linye ekufundeni isiTjhayina, nizokudana kwamambala, kodwana linganisani ithuthuko yenu ngalokho esele nikufunde isikhathi eside.” Kwamambala, bathuthuka begodu bamaphayona aphumelelako namhlanje.

Khuyini engakukhuthaza bona ufunde ilimi lakwenye inarha? Vakatjhela inarha ongathanda ukuyokutjhumayela kiyo. Ibakhona emihlanganweni yebandla, zihlanganise nabazalwana nabodade bendawo leyo, begodu ukhambe nabo esimini. UBrian uthi: “Newubona inengi labantu lamukela umlayezo womBuso, ubona nethando labazalwana nabodade, isifiso sakho sokuqalana neentjhijilo zokuyokutjhumayela kwenye inarha sizokubaseleka.”

Inengi labantu abathuthele lapha “kunetlhogeko ekulu” khona eTaiwan liziphilisa ngokufundisa isiNgisi njengombana liphayona nje. UKristin noMichelle bathengisa iimfesi neenlwanyana zelwande. UKristin nekahlathululako uthi: “Ngiyathoma ukuthengisa iimfesi epilwenami, kodwana umsebenzi lo ungisiza bona ngikghone ukuhlala enarheni le.” Ngokukhamba kwesikhathi, uKristin wafumana amakhastama amanengi. Umsebenzi wamatorho lo umsiza bona akwazi ukutlhogomela yena nomkakhe ngokweemali, begodu ubatjhiya banesikhathi esinengi somsebenzi oyihloko wokuphayona isikhathi esizeleko.

UWilliam nomkakhe uJennifer, abavela e-United States, bafika eTaiwan eminyakeni elikhomba edlulileko. UWilliam uthi, “Ukufunda ilimi, ukuba liphayona, ukutlhogomela ibandla, ukuthola imali eyaneleko yokondla umndeni ngezinye iinkhathi kusiqeda amandla.” Khuyini ebasize bona baphumelele begodu bahlale bathabile? Balinga ukuzibekela imigomo enengqondo. Ngokwesibonelo, ngokungalingi ukuzibekela imigomo engafikeleleki yokufunda ukukhuluma isiTjhayina, khenge badane khulu lokha ituthukwabo neyikhamba kancani.

UWilliam uyakhumbula bona umbonisi wekonzo wamtjela wathi, “Thabelani ituthuko eniyenzako, ingasi umgomo enizibekele wona kwaphela.” Ngamanye amezwi, ngemva kobana sizibekele imigomo yokusebenzela uZimu, kufuze sithabele amagadango esiwathathako adosela ekuzalisekeni komgomo esizibekele wona. UWilliam uthi, ukusebenzisa isilulekwesi kwasiza yena nomkakhe bona bazivumelanise nobujamo, kwabasiza bakghona ukulalela isiluleko sabazalwana abadosa phambili ebandleni lendawo leyo, nokuthi bazivumelanise nendlela izinto okufuze senziwe ngayo. Yeke nabenza njalo bangaphumelela ekusebenzeleni uZimu enarheni etja. Uyanaba, “Kwasisiza sakhumbula nokuzipha isikhathi sokubukela ubuhle besihlengele esitjhumayela kiso.”

NjengoWilliam noJennifer, uMegan, udade ongakendi oliphayona ovela e-United States, ‘othatjiswa yituthukwakhe’ ulinga ukusikhupha ngeempumulo isiTjhayina. Qobe ngeempela veke uhlanganyela nesiqhema esitjhumayela esimini ekarisako—edoyelweni lemikhumbi leKaohsiung, okungelikhulu kunawo woke eTaiwan. UMegan bekakghona ukutjhumayela iindaba ezimnandi eemkhunjini ehlukahlukeneko nakubathiyi beemfesi eBangladesh, e-India, e-Indonesia, ePhilippines, eThailand, neVanuatu. “Njengombana abathiyi beemfesi basebenza isikhathi  esincani edoyelweni, sithoma isifundo seBhayibheli nabo khonapho. Nengizabatjhumayeza boke, kanengi ngifunda nabantu abane nofana abahlanu ngesikhathi sinye.” Uraga njani nokufunda ilimi lesiTjhayina? Uthi, “Ngifisa ngathana ngingathuthuka msinya ekukhulumeni isiTjhayina, kodwana ngihlala ngikhumbula lokho okwatjhiwo mzalwana kimi: ‘Wena yenza okusemandlenakho, uJehova uzokusiza emsebenzinakho wokutjhumayela.’”

Ngaphambi kobana uCathy, weBritain, athuthele kwenye inarha, wenza irhubhululo ngokuthi ngisiphi isabelo sakwenye inarha esiphephileko kudade ongakendi. Wathandaza kuJehova ngendaba le, bewatlolela ama-ofisi wamagatja amanengana, afuna ukwazi ngezinto ezingaba yingozi kudade ongakatjhadi. Ngemva kwalokho, wacabangisisa ngeencwadi amagatja amthumela zona, waphetha ngokuthi iTaiwan ingaba yindawo efaneleko angaya kiyo.

Ngo-2004, nakaneminyaka ema-31, uCathy wathuthela eTaiwan, lapho aphila khona ipilo elula. Uyalandisa: “Ngabawa abazalwana nabodade bona bangitjele ukuthi ngiziphi iindawo ezitjhiphileko lapha kuthengiswa khona iinthelo nemirorho. Isiluleko sabo esihle sangisiza bona ngonge imali.” Usizwa yini bona aphile ipilo elula? UCathy uthi: “Kanengi ngithandaza kuJehova bona angisize nganeliswe kukudla okuvamileko nezambatho ezihloniphekileko engizimbathako. Ngicabanga ukuthi uJehova uyiphendulile imithandazwami ngokungifundisa bona nganeliseke nanyana nginganakho engikufunako.” Unaba ngokuthi, “Ngiyayithabela ipilo yokungabi nezinto ezinengi ngombana ingisiza ngidzimelele ezintweni ezingokomoya.”

Nanyana uCathy anganazo izinto ezinengi eziphathekako kodwana uhlala athabile. Uyahlathulula bonyana kubayini: “Ngitjhumayela endaweni enabantu abanengi abamukela iindaba ezimnandi. Ngithabe ngiyajekezela lapha ngikhona!” Nekafika eTaiwan, bekunamabandla amabili wesiTjhayina edorobheni athoma ukuphayona kilo, kodwana namhlanje sekunamabandla alikhomba. UCathy uthi: “Ukuzibonela ngamehlwami ukwanda okunjalo nokuhlanganyela esivunweni esikhulu kwenza ipilwami ithabise kwamambala!”

Izinto zibakhambele njani uChoong Keon noJulie, ekukhulunywe ngabo ekuthomeni? UChoong Keon bekabona ngasuthi ukungasikhulumi kuhle isiTjhayina kumenza angakghoni ukubeka iinkulumo ebandleni. Kodwana abazalwana bebandleni bazizwa ngendlela ehlukileko. UChoong Keon uthi, “Ibandla nelihlukaniswa kabili, nganikelwa imisebenzi eminengi njengombana bengiyinceku ekhonzako. Ngesikhatheso, nami ngatjho bona kwanje ngikhonza endaweni etlhoga izandla. Ngakuthabela ukwazi bona bebangitlhoga!” Namhlanjesi ungumdala webandla. UJulie uyangezelela: “Sizizwa sifeze okuthileko, saneliseke kudlula kunanyana kunini ngaphambili. Seza endaweni sithi sizokusiza, kodwana sibona ngasuthi kwasizeka thina. Sithokoza uJehova ngokusivumela bona sikhonze la!”

Iinarha ezinengi zisatlhoga abantu abangayokutjhumayela khona. Kghani sewusiqedile isikolo, mhlamunye uyazibuza ukuthi uzokwenzani ngepilwakho? Awukathathi na, namkha awukendi, begodu ufuna ukusebenziseka na ehlanganweni kaJehova? Kghani ungathanda na ukuthi umndenakho ukhumbule izinto ezihle umndenakho ozenzele uJehova? Kghani sewuthathe umhlalaphasi begodu unelwazi olibuthelele iminyaka eminengi ongalabela abanye? Ungaqiniseka bona iimbusiso ezinothileko zikulindile nengabe ukhetha ufuna ukusebenzela uZimu ngokutjhumayela lapho kunetlhogeko ekulu khona yabatjhumayeli bomBuso kaZimu.