Phakathi nawo-1980 izinkinga zenhlalo, ezombusazwe nezomnotho zabangela ukungezwani kulo lonke elaseNtshonalanga Afrika. Lapho impi ibhuqabhuqa izwe laseLiberia elingumakhelwane, abaningi babalekela eSierra Leone. Igatsha lahlela ukuba imizi namaHholo OMbuso kusetshenziselwe ukuhlalisa ababaleki abangoFakazi futhi abafowethu babanakekela.

Nakuba ababaleki babedonsa kanzima, zaziba khona izikhathi ezihlekisayo. U-Isolde Lorenz, owayesenesikhathi eside eyisithunywa sevangeli uyalandisa: “Umfana omncane wathunywa uyise ukuba ayofudumeza ukudla eziko elalisengadini ngemva kweHholo LoMbuso elalisemagcekeni egatsha. Lapho umfana ebuya, watshela uyise ukuthi ngeke babe nokudla ngalelo langa. Uyise wambuza ukuthi kungani. Umfana wathi: ‘Kungoba namhlanje uJehova ungivikele emlonyeni webhubesi!’ Kwakwenzekeni? Eseqedile ukufudumeza, lo mfana wahlangana nenja enkulu yasegatsheni kodwa engalumi, ebizwa ngokuthi uLobo. Umfana wethuka wacishe wafa. Njengoba ephethe ipuleti elinokudla, welulela izandla zakhe enjeni ethi uyayixosha. Kodwa inja yona yacabanga ukuthi kuthiwa ayizisize. Yasina yazibethela-ke!”

Ngo-March 23, 1991, impi yaseLiberia yakapakela eSierra Leone, kwaqala impi yombango eyathatha iminyaka engu-11. Iqembu lamavukela-mbuso elalibizwa ngokuthi iRevolutionary United Front (RUF) lalwa ngokushesha laze lafika eKailahun naseKoindu, okwabangela ukuba iningi labantu baseLiberia libalekele eGuinea. Phakathi kwababaleki  kwakunabafowethu nodadewethu abangaba ngu-120. Phakathi naleso sikhathi abanye ababaleki abangoFakazi ababeqhamuka eLiberia bathutheleka eSierra Leone ngaphambi kokuba kufike amavukela-mbuso.

UBillie Cowan, owayengumxhumanisi weKomiti Yegatsha ngaleso sikhathi wathi: “Kwaphela izinyanga eziningana eBethel YaseFreetown kufika amaqembu abafowethu ababekhathele beyingcuba futhi bondile ngenxa yendlala. Abaningi kubo babebone izenzo ezinyantisayo futhi ukuze bathole okuya ethunjini, babedla imifino yasendle. Ngokushesha sabanika ukudla nokokwembatha, sanakekela nezihlobo nabathakazelayo ababehamba nabo. Abafowethu nodade baseFreetown baba nomusa kubabaleki babavulela imizi yabo. Ngokushesha oFakazi abangababaleki baba matasa enkonzweni yasensimini, besiza amabandla endawo. Iningi labo labuye ladlulela phambili, kodwa ngesikhathi beselapha, basiqinisa!”

Ihhovisi legatsha lathumela ukudla, imithi, izinto zokwakha, amathuluzi nezitsha koFakazi ababesemakamu ababaleki eningizimu yeGuinea. Kwakunanenqwaba yezingubo ezinikelwe abafowethu baseFrance. Omunye ubaba wabhala: “Izingane zami zazidansa, zicula futhi zidumisa uJehova. Zazinezingubo ezintsha ezazizozigqoka emihlanganweni!” Abanye babafowethu nodadewethu bathi babengakaze bagqoke kahle kangaka!

Nokho, laba babaleki babedinga okungaphezu kosizo olungokwenyama. UJesu wathi: “Umuntu akumelwe aphile ngesinkwa sodwa, kodwa nangawo wonke amazwi aphuma emlonyeni kaJehova.” (Math. 4:4) Ngakho ihhovisi  legatsha lathumela izincwadi zeBhayibheli kule ndawo, lahlela ukuba kube nemihlangano emikhulu nemincane. Kwathunyelwa namaphayona nababonisi abajikelezayo.

Lapho umbonisi wesifunda u-André Baart evakashele eKoundou, eGuinea, watholana nesikhulu sekamu esamcela ukuba anikeze inkulumo yeBhayibheli kubabaleki ababelapho. Kwakunabantu abacishe babe ngu-50 abalalela inkulumo ka-André eyayinesihloko esithi “Phephela KuJehova,” esekelwe kumaHubo 18. Lapho eqeda, kwasukuma isalukazi sathi: “Usijabulise kakhulu. Ilayisi alizixazululi izinkinga zethu, yiBhayibheli elisitshela indlela yokwethemba uNkulunkulu. Sikubonga ngokusuka enhliziyweni ngokusilethela induduzo nethemba.”

Ngesikhathi izithunywa zevangeli uWilliam noClaudia Slaughter zabelwa eGuékédou, eGuinea, ibandla elalinababaleki abangaphezu kwekhulu lavutha emoyeni. (Roma 12:11) UWilliam uthi: “Izinsizwa eziningi zazithuthuka ngokomoya. Uma kwenzeka othile engakwazi ukunikeza inkulumo eSikoleni Senkonzo Esingokwasezulwini, izinsizwa eziyishumi kuya kwezingu-15 zazivolontiyela ukuyinikeza. Amaqembu amakhulu ayeshumayela ngentshiseko ensimini. Ezinye kulezo zinsizwa kamuva zaba amaphayona akhethekile nababonisi abajikelezayo.”

Ngokushesha nje ngemva kokuqala kwempi yombango, abafowethu eFreetown bathenga umhlaba ongamahektare angu-0,6 ku-133 Wilkinson Road, owawungezansana kwehhovisi legatsha. U-Alfred Gunn uthi: “Sasifuna ukwakha ikhaya laseBethel elisha kulowo mhlaba kodwa sasikhathazekile ngoba kwakulwiwa. Njengoba uLloyd Barry weNdikimba Ebusayo ayesivakashele ngaleso sikhathi, sakuveza  lokho kuye. Waphendula, ‘Uma singavumela izimpi zisiphazamise, ngeke sifeze lutho!’ Amazwi akhe akhuthazayo asinika isibindi sokuqhubeka.”

Abafowethu abaningi basebenza kanzima kulo msebenzi, kuhlanganise namavolontiya angaphezu kuka-50 ayeqhamuka emazweni angu-12 nabaningi ababezimisele ukusiza ababeqhamuka emabandleni endawo. Umsebenzi waqala ngo-May 1991. UTom Ball, owayengumbonisi walesi sakhiwo wathi: “Ababebukele bahlatshwa umxhwele yizinga eliphakeme lezitini ezazakhiwa esakhiweni. Uhlaka lwensimbi lwalwehluke kakhulu kolwalusetshenziswa endaweni. Kodwa abantu babemangazwe kakhulu ukubona abelungu bokufika nabansundu bendawo besebenza ndawonye ngobunye nangenjabulo.”

Ngo-April 19, 1997, isixuku sezizwe sabuthana ngenjabulo ngesikhathi kunikezelwa izakhiwo ezintsha zegatsha. Ngemva kwenyanga, sekuphele iminyaka emihlanu ibambene emaphandleni, i-RUF yahlasela eFreetown.

Izinkulungwane zezixhwanguxhwangu ze-RUF ezazisho ngezihluthu ezimadlodlombiya zifake nemishuqulo ebomvu zadabula kuleli dolobha, ziphanga, zidlwengula futhi zibulala. U-Alfred Gunn uyakhumbula: “Isimo sasimazonzo. Iningi lezithunywa zevangeli zaphuthunyiswa endaweni ephephile. Ezokugcina ezahamba kwakunguBillie noSandra Cowan, uJimmie noJoyce Holland kanye nami noCatherine.

“Sathandaza nezikhonzi zaseBethel ezazithe zizosala zona, sabe sesiphuthuma endaweni ephephile. Sisendleleni samiswa amasosha angu-20 angamavukela-mbuso ayizixhwanguxhwangu ezidakiwe. Lapho siwanika omagazini nemali, asivumela ukuba sidlule. Sinabanye abangaphezu kwenkulungwane ababeyiswa endaweni ephephile, sahlangana endaweni ebiyelwe eyayigadwe amasosha omkhumbi  wempi waseMelika ayehlome eyizingovolo. Silapho, sagibela indiza yempi enophephela emhlane saphuthunyiswa emkhunjini wezempi waseMelika. Kamuva isikhulu somkhumbi sasitshela ukuthi lokhu kuthuthwa kwethu kwakungokukhulu kunakho konke okwake kwenziwa yiButho Lempi Lasolwandle lase-United States ngemva kweMpi YaseVietnam. Ngakusasa, sahamba ngendiza enophephela emhlane saya eConakry, eGuinea. Safike sakha ihhovisi legatsha lesikhashana.”

Izithunywa zevangeli zazikhathazekile futhi zilindele ukuzwa izindaba ezivela eFreetown. Ekugcineni, kwafika incwadi ethi: “Naphezu kwezinxushunxushu siyaqhubeka sisakaza i-Kingdom News No. 35, enesihloko esithi ‘Ingabe Bonke Abantu Bayoke Bathandane?’ Abantu basabela kahle ngempela, ngisho namanye amavukela-mbuso ayafundelwa. Ngakho sinqume ukuthi sizofaka umfutho emsebenzini wethu wokushumayela.”

UJonathan Mbomah, owayengumbonisi wesifunda uyakhumbula: “Saze saba nomhlangano okhethekile wosuku olulodwa eFreetown. Isimiso sasikhuthaza kakhulu kangangokuba ngaya eBo naseKenema ngiyoqhuba imihlangano nakhona. Abafowethu kulezo zindawo ezazikhahlanyezwe yimpi babonga uJehova ngokudla okumnandi okungokomoya ababekutholile.

“Ngasekupheleni kuka-1997, saba nomhlangano wesigodi eNational Stadium eFreetown. Ngosuku lokugcina lomhlangano, amavukela-mbuso atheleka enkundleni asixosha. Sawanxusa ukuba asivumele siqhubeke kuze kuphele isimiso. Ngemva kokuxoxisana isikhathi eside, athamba ayesehamba. Bangaphezu kwenkulungwane abathamela lo mhlangano, kwabhapathizwa abangu-27. Abafowethu abaningana bathatha uhambo oluyingozi oluya eBo ukuze bathamele isimiso futhi. Yayingeve imnandi leyo mihlangano!”