Ekuqaleni kuka-1942, emva nje kokuba iUnited States ingene kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi II, ndandikunyaka wesihlanu esikolweni, kusele nje iinyanga ezimbalwa ndifumane isidanga sobunjineli bokwakha. Kwindlu endandihlala kuyo sasibathathu. Omnye wacebisa ukuba ndikhe ndithethe nala mntu udla “ngokuya kwaba bafana basezantsi.” Apho ndadibana neNgqina likaYehova, uJohn O. (Johnny) Brehmer. Yandimangalisa indlela awayeyiphendula ngayo phantse yonke imibuzo ngeBhayibhile, kangangokuba ndaqalisa ukufunda iBhayibhile kunye naye. Emva koko, ndadisithi xa ndinethuba ndihambe naye xa esiya kushumayela.

Utata kaJohnny, uOtto, waba liNgqina ngoxa wayengumphathi webhanki yaseWalnut, eIowa. UOtto wasishiya eso sikhundla ukuze abe ngumlungiseleli wexesha elizeleyo. Umzekelo wakhe nentsapho yakhe wandikhuthaza ukuba ndenze isigqibo esibalulekileyo.

Ngenye imini umphathi weyunivesithi wathi andisaqhubi kakuhle kwizifundo zam ibe andinakusifumana isidanga ngamanqaku endandiwafumene ngaphambili. Ndikhumbula ndimbongoza uYehova uThixo ukuba andibonise indlela. Kungekudala emva koko ndabizwa ngunjingalwazi wobunjineli. Wandichazela ukuba ufumene isicelo esifuna injineli, waza wafaka igama lam esithi ndiza kuwuthatha lo msebenzi nangona wayengathethanga nam. Ndabulela kuloo njingalwazi kodwa ndayichazela ukuba ndizimisele ukwenza ukukhonza uYehova kube ngumsebenzi wam. NgoJuni 17 1942 ndabhaptizwa, kungekudala emva koko ndaba nguvulindlela, gama elo elibhekisela kumlungiseleli wexesha elizeleyo oliNgqina kaYehova.

Ngasekupheleni kuka-1942 ndafumana ileta ethi mandiye emkhosini, kwafuneka ndivele phambi kwabasemagunyeni ndize ndibachazele isizathu sokuba ndingafuni ukuya. Ndababonisa amaphepha avela koonjingalwazi aqinisekisa indlela endilunge nendiyincutshe ngayo kwezobunjineli. Sekunjalo, ndahlawuliswa i-R100 000 ndaza ndagwetywa iminyaka emihlanu kwintolongo yaseLeavenworth, eKansas.

Abafana abangaphezu kwe-230 abangamaNgqina babevalelwe ngaphaya kwezitshixo yaye besebenza kwifama yentolongo yaseLeavenworth, eKansas. Kule fama sasisebenza phantsi kweliso loonogada. Abanye babesazi isizathu sokuba singayi emfazweni yaye babesithanda.

 Abanye oonogada babesinceda sikwazi ukuqhuba iintlanganiso zeBhayibhile nokufumana iincwadi zeBhayibhile. Umgcini wejele wade warhumela imagazini iConsolation, ngoku ebizwa ngokuba nguVukani!

Nangona ndandigwetywe iminyaka emihlanu, ndakhululwa kwiminyaka emithathu ngoFebruwari 16 1946, emva kweenyanga ezimbalwa iphelile iMfazwe Yehlabathi II. Ngoko nangoko ndaqala apho bendiyeke khona kubuvulindlela. Ndabelwa ukuba ndibuyele kwisixeko saseLeavenworth, eKansas. Ndandisoyika ukubuyela apho kuba abantu balapho babengafuni nokuwabona amaNgqina kaYehova. Kwakunzima ukufumana umsebenzi, ndingasathethi ke ngendawo yokuhlala.

Ndikhumbula omnye unogada owakhwaza esithi, “Hamb’ apha!” Ndathi ndakumbona ephethe induku, ndangcangcazela ndaza ndemka ngoko nangoko. Kanti kwenye indlu elinye ibhinqa lathi, “Khawume kancinci,” laza lavala umnyango. Ndathi ndisalindile ndabona kuvulwa ifestile yegumbi eliphezulu ndaza ndachithelwa ngamanzi amdaka ndamanzi tixi. Nangona kunjalo, zazikho iintsikelelo kuba kamva ndeva ukuba abanye abantu endabanika iincwadi zeBhayibhile, baba ngamaNgqina.

Ngo-1943, kwavulwa isikolo esitsha sabavangeli kumantla eNew York. Ndamenyelwa kwesi sikolo, ndaza ndaphumelela kwiklasi yeshumi, ngoFebruwari 8, 1948. Kamva eso sikolo sabizwa ngokuba siSikolo seBhayibhile seWatchtower saseGiliyadi. Emva kokuphumelela ndathunyelwa ukuba ndiyokushumayela eGold Coast, ngoku ebizwa ngokuba yiGhana.

EGold Coast kwakufuneka ndishumayele kumagosa karhulumente nakubantu abavela eYurophu. Ngeempelaveki ndandishumayela nebandla lamaNgqina kaYehova ndilinceda kumsebenzi wokushumayela kwindlu ngendlu. Ndandityelela namaNgqina asemagqagaleni ukuze ndiwaqeqeshe ekushumayeleni. Ukanti, ndandisebenza njengomveleli ojikelezayo eIvory Coast, ngoku ekuthiwa yiCôte d’Ivoire.

Ngoxa ndandishumayela kwezo ndawo, ndafunda ukuphila njengomntu waseAfrika—ndilala kwindlu yodaka, ndisitya ngesandla ibe ndichopha ‘endle’ njengamaSirayeli ngoxa ayesentlango. (Duteronomi 23:12-14) Loo nto yenza mna nabanye abathunywa bevangeli endandisebenza nabo sathandwa ngabantu. Abanye abafazi bamagosa karhulumente baqalisa ukufunda iBhayibhile kunye nathi. Xa abachasi bafumana imvume yokuba sigxothwe kwelo lizwe, aba bafazi bathetha nabayeni babo saza sajikwa eso sigqibo!

 Njengabathunywa bevangeli abaninzi abashumayela eAfrika, ndafunyanwa sisifo seengcongconi. Ndandithanda ukugodola nokuphathwa yifiva de ingqondo ibe ngathi ayisebenzi kakuhle. Ngamaxesha athile kwakude kufuneke ndibambe umhlathi ongezantsi ukuze ungangcangcazeli. Sekunjalo, ndandonwabile yaye ndanelisekile.

Kwiminyaka yam yokuqala emine eAfrika, ndandidla ngokubhalelana noEva Hallquist, endadibana naye ngaphambi kokuba ndimke eUnited States. Ndeva ukuba wayephakathi kwabo babeza kwaziswa njengabaphumelele kwiklasi ye-21 kwiSikolo saseGiliyadi ngoJulayi 19, 1953 kwindibano yezizwe ngezizwe yamaNgqina kaYehova eyayikwibala laseYankee eNew York. Ndacela kumphathi wenqanawa ukuba ndisebenze kwinqanawa yakhe ukuze ndiye eUnited States.

Emva kokuhamba kangangeentsuku eziyi-22—ngamaxesha athile kulwandle olulwatyuzayo—ndadibana noEva kwikomkhulu lamaNgqina kaYehova eBrooklyn. Sikuphahla lwesinye sezakhiwo zekomkhulu, sibukele izibuko laseNew York sijonge nobuhle besibhakabhaka, ndamcela ukuba anditshate. Kamva, uEva weza eGold Coast saza sakhonza kunye.

Emva kokukhonza noEva iminyaka eliqela eAfrika, ndafumana ileta evela kumama isithi utata ubulawa ngumhlaza. Emva kokuba sifumene imvume yokushiya isabelo sethu, sabuyela eUnited States. Impilo katata yaya isiba mbi de wanikezela.

Emva kokubuyela eGhana, sahlala iminyaka emine, seva ukuba umama ugula kakhulu. Abanye abahlobo bethu basicebisa ukuba sibuyele ekhaya ukuze simnyamekele. Eso yayisesona sigqibo sinzima sakhe sasenza. Emva kokuba ngumthunywa wevangeli kangangeminyaka eyi-15, eyi-11 kuyo sishumayela kunye noEva, kwafuneka sibuyele eUnited States.

Kuloo minyaka sasimnyamekela kuyo, sasitshintshisana noEva, sisiya naye kwiintlanganiso xa ekwazi. NgoJanuwari 17, 1976 wafa eneminyaka eyi-86. Kwiminyaka esithoba emva koko, ndajongana neyona ngxaki yakhe yanzima. UEva waba nomhlaza. Akukho nyango singazange siluzame, kodwa wanikezela ngoJuni 4, 1985 eneminyaka eyi-70.

Ngo-1988 ndamenywa ukuba ndibekho xa kunikezelwa iofisi yesebe eyandisiweyo yaseGhana. Yaba sisihlandlo esingenakulibaleka eso! Ukufika kwam eGhana ndivela kwiSikolo saseGiliyadi kwiminyaka eyi-40 eyadlulayo, kwakukho amakhulu ambalwa nje amaNgqina kweli. Ngo-1988, ayesele engaphezu kwe-34 000, kodwa ngoku, aphantse abe yi-114 000!

Emva kweminyaka emibini ndityelele eGhana, ngoAgasti 6 1990, ndatshata noBetty Miller, umhlobo omkhulu kaEva. Siye saqhubeka nomsebenzi wethu wokukhonza uYehova. Sijonge phambili ekuboneni ootatomkhulu noomakhulu bethu, abazali bethu kunye noEva bevuselwa eParadesi.—IZenzo 24:15.

Kuthi gwantyi iinyembezi xa ndicinga ngeminyaka engaphezu kweyi-70 ndikhonza uYehova. Ndisoloko ndimbulela ngokundinceda ndenze ukukhonza yena kube ngumsebenzi wam. Nangona ngoku sele ndiyigabhule iminyaka eyi-90, uYehova, eyona njineli yokwakha eyincutshe, uye waqhubeka endinika amandla yaye endikhuthaza ukuze ndiqhubeke ndisenza ukukhonza yena kube ngumsebenzi wam.