UThomson, umfana ohlala e-Uganda, wayengasanelisekile ngenkolo. Ecasulwe indlela abefundisi abafundekela ngayo abantu ngemali, wayeka ukuya esontweni. Waqhubeka kodwa ezifundela iBhayibheli nsuku zonke. Incwadi yesAmbulo yamhlaba umxhwele ngokukhethekile futhi wazama ukuyichaza, ebhala phansi amaphuzu. Lapho  umzalwane othile ethola uThomson esemsebenzi, endaweni okwakwakhiwa kuyo, wayefunda iBhayibheli. Kwalandela ingxoxo evuthayo futhi uThomson wathatha incwadi ethi Lifundisani Ngempela IBhayibheli? Wayifunda yonke ngobusuku obubodwa. Ngakusasa, umzalwane wathola umyalezo othi: “Mayibongwe iNkosi ngolwazi onginike lona. Manje sengikulungele ukushiya iBhabhiloni Elikhulu.” UThomson wacela zonke izincwadi okwakubhekiselwe kuzo embhalweni waphansi nasezikhombweni ezisencwadini. Wafunda ngenkuthalo, wathuthuka ngokushesha, wabhapathizwa eMhlanganweni Wesigodi othi “Qapha Inhliziyo Yakho!” ngo-2012. Ngo-March 2013, uThomson waqala ukukhonza njengephayona elivamile, esiza abanye ukuba babone isidingo sokushiya iBhabhiloni Elikhulu.

UJimmy wakhulela ePort Louis, inhloko-dolobha yaseMauritius. Waqala ukuphuza utshwala eneminyaka engu-16, ngokushesha wayeseyisidakwa. Lapho esedakiwe, wayevame ukuhlupha futhi waboshwa kaningi. Ngezinye izikhathi wayephuza amabhodlela amathathu kagologo, abheme ogwayi abangu-60 ngosuku. Uma engasenamali, wayephuza uketshezi okuhlanzwa ngalo amafasitela. Waze waphuza ne-perfume kanina. Lapho othile emtshela ukuthi uselengela egodini, waya esikhungweni sokukhipha utshwala egazini. Wahlala khona unyaka nesigamu, kodwa kwanhlanga zimuka nomoya.

Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, uJimmy watholana noFakazi BakaJehova, wavuma ukufundelwa. Wayedamane eshiya isifundo aphume ayophuza. Wagcina esefundelwa abazalwane abangu-8. Waqaphela ukuthi kudingeka  ashintshe indlela aphila ngayo. Wathi: “Ngezwa sengathi inkemba engokomoya okukhulunywa ngayo kweyamaHebheru 4:12 ingihlaba enhliziyweni. Ngolunye usuku lapho ngifunda iBhayibheli, ngabona izAga 24:16, ezithi: ‘Olungile angawa ngisho nakasikhombisa, kodwa ngokuqinisekile uyovuka.’ Zashintsha lapho-ke izinto.” Ngemva ‘kokuwa’ nabazalwane abangu-7, uJimmy wayezimisele ukushintsha, ‘avuke’ esizwa umzalwane wesi-8. UJimmy wanxusa uJehova ukuba amuphe amandla, waya ezifundweni, wayeka nemikhuba yakhe emibi. Wabhapathizwa ngo-2003, waqala ukuba yiphayona elivamile ngo-2012. Sikhuluma nje uyinceku ekhonzayo ebandleni elisesiqhingini saseRodrigues.

Selokhu azalwa uMary waseKenya oneminyaka engu-70 ubelokhu esonta eSontweni LaseHabe. Wayenekhono lokutholela isonto iminikelo futhi efake isandla ekwakhiweni kwelinye lamasonto endawo. Lapho enye yamadodana akhe iba uFakazi, akazange athokoze. Yayivame ukummemela emihlanganweni yebandla, kodwa enqabe, athi ufuna ukuzwa okushiwo yiBhayibheli ngolimi aluncela, isiKikuyu, hhayi isiSwahili. Ekugcineni uMary wavuma ukuya emhlanganweni wesigodi owawuzoqhutshwa ngolimi lwesiKikuyu. Emhlanganweni wahlala endaweni eyayilungiselelwe abakhulile. Yamhlaba umxhwele kakhulu indlela enomusa nothando aphathwa ngayo. Wathi wayengakaze aluzwe uthando olunje esontweni lakhe. Walalelisisa zonke izinkulumo futhi kwamjabulisa akuzwa. Lapho oFakazi becela ukumfundela  ngencwajana ethi Lalela UNkulunkulu, wavumela phezulu.

Ngemva kwezinyangana efundelwa, wanquma ukuthi ufuna ukuba uFakazi KaJehova, ngakho wesula esontweni. Abaholi benkolo kwathi abamudle bamfele. Baze babiza nomfundisi wasenhloko-dolobha, eNairobi, ukuba azomncenga. Umfundisi wazama ukumncenga ukuba angayeki ukusonta, kodwa wenqaba. Wambuza: “Obani abazoba abangane bakho uma ushiya isonto? Esontweni unabangane abaningi nomakhelwane abasonta nawe.”

UMary waphendula: “UJehova nezingelosi bazoba abangane bami. Kanti noFakazi bazoba abangane bami.”

Umfundisi wahlanza ngedela. UMary uyaqhubeka ethuthuka futhi useya kuyo yonke imihlangano yobuKristu, nakuba ehlala kude. Muva nje lapho engazitholi izinto zomphakathi ezizomyisa esifundweni, wahamba emvuleni amahora amabili. Naphezu kokuphikiswa omakhelwane, uMary uzimisele ukufinyelela umgomo wakhe wokubhapathizwa.

U-Ashton, intombazane eneminyaka engu-14, uhlala eCameroon. Lapho eqala ukufundelwa oFakazi BakaJehova, ubab’ omkhulu wakhe nomkakhe ahlala nabo bamphikisa kabi kabi. Babemphoqa ukuba aye nabo esontweni lakwaMoya. Ngelinye ilanga esontweni umfundisi wabeka ababekhona izandla, ethi ubafaka umoya, lo moya wawubenza bawe. Kodwa u-Ashton akawanga. Wathandaza ethandazile umfundisi, lutho ukuwa intombazane. Ngakho umfundisi wamkheqa u-Ashton! Lapho ephindela ekhaya, watshela ubab’ omkhulu wakhe nomkakhe ukuthi umfundisi umkheqile, kodwa abamkholwanga. Wanquma ngaleso sikhathi ukuthi ngeke aphinde alubeke esontweni. Namuhla, naphezu kokuphikiswa nokuthukwa abakubo nomakhelwane, u-Ashton uyaqhubeka eya emihlanganweni eHholo LoMbuso.

Nakuba u-Anilpa ayenezinyanga ezingu-17 kuphela, wahlanganyela ngentshiseko emkhankasweni wokumemela abantu emhlanganweni wesigodi ngonyaka odlule e-Angola. Umsebenzi ka-Anilpa kwakuwukungqongqoza emnyango, anikeze umninikhaya isimemo, bese unina echaza kafushane isizathu sokubahambela. Ngenxa yentshiseko, wayengamlindi nakumlinda unina ukuba aqede ukukhuluma, uye lowaya eyongqongqoza kwamakhelwane. Wabahlaba umxhwele kakhulu abaninikhaya. Ngokwesibonelo, ngosuku lokugcina  lomhlangano, omunye umama waya ku-Anilpa wathi: “Bengilokhu ngikucinga. Ngaze ngajabula ukukubona ngoba uwena owangimema ukuba ngize kulo mhlangano.”

Ngo-August 2012, abamemezeli baseBandleni Lase-Antaviranambo, eMadagascar, batholana neqembu labantu elathi lifuna ukuba oFakazi BakaJehova. Babezizwa becindezelwe abefundisi babo ababefundisa lokhu, kodwa benze okunye. Laba bantu bathi amasonto abo awanazo izinhlelo zokubafundisa iBhayibheli nezincwadi ezichaza izinkolelo zabo. Yayimba eqolo nemali yamathikithi, kungekho ukuzwana, lungekho nothando lweqiniso. Bathi babazi nokuthi oFakazi BakaJehova abanazo lezi zinkinga.

Kamuva babhalela ihhovisi legatsha. Incwadi yayithi: “Sinibhalela ngenjongo yokunazisa ngesifiso sethu sokukhonza uJehova. Kodwa sihlala kude kakhulu. Abanye bethu bahamba amahora angu-9 kuya kwangu-15  lapho beya emihlanganweni yebandla. Sicela nisisize nithumele umuntu azosifundela iBhayibheli. Ngeke sikwazi ukukhonza uJehova ngenhliziyo yethu yonke ngaphandle kokuba nisinike usizo lokuqinisa uthando lwethu ngaye. Singabantu abangu-215 sesisonke, sihlala ezigodini ezintathu. Besisonta emasontweni angefani, manje sonke sifisa ukukhonza uJehova nokumlalela ngezinhliziyo zethu zonke. Sithemba ukuthi nizosisiza.”

Abafowethu baya kulaba bantu, bahamba ngezinyawo amahora angu-9 beya esigodini sokuqala. Belapho, baqhuba umhlangano, kwaba khona abangu-65 abanesithakazelo. Le ndaba ayihlalanga phansi, nabanye kwezinye izigodi bathi nabo bafisa ukuvakashelwa bafundiswe iBhayibheli. Ngakho abafowethu bahamba ngezinyawo amanye amahora amane beya kwesinye isigodi, bafike baqhuba umhlangano nalapho, kwaba khona abangu-80. Belapho, bathola abantu ababancenga ukuba baye nakwesabo isigodi esasiqhele ngebanga lamahora amabili uma uhamba ngezinyawo. Nebala balibangisa lapho abafowethu, bafike baqhuba imihlangano. Kwaba khona abangaphezu kuka-50.

Abantu abangaphezu kuka-30 bethamela umhlangano omkhulu kabili eMahanoro, behamba izinsuku ezintathu ukuya nokubuya. Abangu-25 baba khona ngesikhathi umbonisi ojikelezayo ehambele ibandla. Kuleli qembu kwakukhona imibhangqwana, imindeni nasebekhulile. Bonke bahlala endlini eyodwa, baxoxelana ngababekufundile, bebuzana nemibuzo kwaze kwacishe kwasa. Laba bantu bathi kunabanye abaningi abafuna ukuhlanganyela noFakazi ngoba sebekhathele ukucindezelwa abefundisi.