SIPHAKULA KOOVIMBA BETHU
‘Usemninzi Umsebenzi Wokuvuna’
KUNGONYAKA ka-1923. Iholo yaseSão Paulo izele ithe qhu! Uyaliva ilizwi elipholileyo likaGeorge Young? Intetho yakhe itolikelwa kwisiPhuthukezi. Abantu abayi-585 abalapho baphulaphule ngenyameko! Iivesi zeBhayibhile zesiPhuthukezi zibonakala kumntu wonke. Emva kwentetho, kunikwa abantu iikopi ezilikhulu zesiPhuthukezi zencwadana ethi Izigidi Eziphilayo Ngoku Azisayi Kuze Zife! kunye nezinye ngesiJamani, isiNgesi nesiTaliyane. Le ntetho iba nemiphumo emihle. Kubaliswa ngayo kuyo yonke indawo! Kwiintsuku ezimbini emva koko, le holo iphinda izale ime ngeembambo kuze kuphulaphulwa enye intetho! Yabangelwa yintoni yonke le nto?
Ngo-1867, uSarah Bellona Ferguson wemka eUnited States nentsapho yakhe bafudukela eBrazil. Ngo-1899, uSarah waqonda ukuba uyifumene inyaniso xa wafunda iincwadi zeBhayibhile ezazize nomninawa wakhe owayesuka eUnited States. Ekubeni wayekuthanda ukufunda, wazifumanela umrhumo weWatch Tower yesiNgesi. Izinto awazifundayo zamvuyisa, wabhalela uMzalwana uC. T. Russell, esithi yena ububungqina bokuba “akukho mntu ungenakufikelelwa ngenyaniso.”
USarah Ferguson wazama konke okusemandleni akhe ukuthetha nabanye ngenyaniso yeBhayibhile, kodwa wayezibuza ukuba ngubani owayenokunceda yena, intsapho yakhe kunye nabo bonke abemi baseBrazil. Ngo-1912, abazalwana baseBheteli eBrooklyn bamazisa ukuba kukho umzalwana owayeza kuza eSão Paulo ephethe amawaka amaphecana anomxholo othi Where Are the Dead? ngesiPhuthukezi. Ngo-1915 wathi isoloko immangalisa into yokuba aBafundi BeBhayibhile abaninzi babelindele ukukhawuleza basiwe ezulwini. Echaza indlela avakalelwa ngayo, wabhala: “Kuthekani ngeBrazil nawo wonke uMzantsi Merika? . . . Xa ucinga ukuba uMzantsi Merika yinxalenye enkulu kangakanani yehlabathi, kulula ukubona ukuba usemninzi umsebenzi wokuvuna omele wenziwe.” Ibe wawumninzi umsebenzi wokuvuna owawuseza kwenziwa!
Malunga nonyaka ka-1920, abaqhubi benqanawa abasibhozo abaselula baseBrazil baya kwiintlanganiso eNew York ngoxa inqanawa yabo yayilungiswa. Ukubuyela kwabo eRio de Janeiro, baxelela abanye ngethemba labo elitsha elisekelwe eBhayibhileni. Kungekudala emva koko, ngoMatshi 1923, uGeorge Young, owayengumveleli ohambahambayo, wafika eRio de Janeiro, apho wafumana abantu abanomdla. Wenza amalungiselelo okuba kuguqulelwe iincwadi ezithile kwisiPhuthukezi. Kamsinya nje emva koko, uMzalwana uYoung waya eSão Paulo, isixeko ngelo xesha esasinabemi abamalunga ne-600 000. Wanikela intetho waza wasasaza incwadana enomxholo othi Izigidi, njengokuba kuchaziwe ekuqaleni kweli nqaku. Wathi: “Ekubeni ndandindedwa, kwakufuneka ndibhengeze ndisebenzisa amaphephandaba.” Uthi ezi “yayiziintetho zokuqala eBrazil ezazibhengeziwe nezazigunyaziswe yi-I.B.S.A.” *
Kwingxelo eyayithetha ngeBrazil, iWatch Tower kaDisemba 15, 1923, yathi: “Xa sicinga ukuba umsebenzi wokushumayela kule ndawo waqalisa ngoJuni 1 kwabe kungekho zincwadi, iyamangalisa indlela iNkosi ewusikelele ngayo lo msebenzi.” Le ngxelo yahlabela mgama isithi uMzalwana uYoung wanikela iintetho ezimbini kweziyi-21 ezanikelwa ukususela ngoJuni 1 ukuya kutsho ngoSeptemba 30, ibe xa zizonke zaba nabaphulaphuli abayi-3 600. ERio de Janeiro, isigidimi soBukumkani sasisasazeka ngokuthe ngcembe. Kwiinyanga nje ezimbalwa kamva, kwakusele kusasazwe iincwadi zethu ezingaphezu kwe-7 000 ngesiPhuthukezi! Ukongezelela, ukupapashwa kweThe Watch Tower yesiPhuthukezi kwaqalisa ngenkupho kaNovemba-Disemba 1923.
UGeorge Young waya kubona uSarah Ferguson, ibe iThe Watch Tower yathi: “Lo dade wathi xa embona, wasuka waphelelwa ngamazwi. Wabamba isandla sikaMzalwana uYoung, wamjonga ebusweni, wambuza: ‘Ungumveleli ohambahambayo nyhani?’” Yena nabanye abantwana bakhe babhaptizwa kungekudala emva koko. Wayekulinde iminyaka eyi-25 ukubhaptizwa! IWatch Tower ka-Agasti 1, 1924, yathi eBrazil kwabhaptizwa abantu abayi-50, abaninzi kubo ingabaseRio de Janeiro.
Ngoku sekudlule iminyaka emalunga neyi-90, ibe asinasizathu sakubuza: “Kuthekani ngeBrazil noMzantsi Merika?” EBrazil, iindaba ezilungileyo zishunyayelwa ngamaNgqina kaYehova angaphezu kwayi-760 000. Kuwo wonke uMzantsi Merika, isigidimi soBukumkani sifumaneka ngesiPhuthukezi, iSpanish nangezinye iilwimi zomthonyama. Ngo-1915, uSarah Ferguson wayenyanisile, ‘Wawumninzi umsebenzi wokuvuna ekwakusafuneka wenziwe.’
^ isiqe. 6 I-I.B.S.A. imela i-International Bible Students Association.