ABABELETHI BAMI bathutha eTbilisi eseGeorgia, bathuthela eCanada ngeminyaka yabo-1910, bafika bahlala endlini eseplasini elihlanu kwePelly eSaskatchewan esetjhingalanga yeCanada. Mina-ke ngabelethwa ngo-1928 ngilandela abantwana abasithandathu. UBaba wahlongakala kusele iinyanga ezisithandathu bona ngibelethwe, uMma yena wahlongakala ngiseselisana. Udadwethu omkhulu uLucy naye wahlongakala aneminyaka elitjhumi nekhomba. Ngemva kwalokho sayokuhlala nomalume uNick satlhogonyelwa nguye.

Kwakhe kwenzeka ngesinye isikhathi ngisesemncani, abantu bekhaya bangibona ngidosana nomsila wepera eyinjomani eplasini. Bathukwa baba makhaza, basaba ukuthi ipera le ingangirarha, ngibo laba sebarhuwelela bangikhalima bona ngilise engikwenzako—kodwana akhenge ngibezwe. Ngase ngaphenduka ngabaqala, kodwana ukuzwa do. Ngetjhudu khenge ngilimale, kodwana umndeni wekhethu wakufumana mhlokho bona angizwa eendlebeni.

Umuntu ojayelene khulu nebekhaya weza nombono wokuthi ngiyokufunda esikolweni sabangezwako eendlebeni, yeke-ke umalume uNick wangitlolisa esikolweni sabangezwako esiseSaskatoon, eSaskatchewan. Nami ngakhanjiswa ngayokuhlala endaweni ekude ngama-awara ambalwa nekhaya. Ngangithukwe ngifile mhlokho ngombana bengineminyaka emihlanu. Ekhaya bengiza nakuvalwa iinkolo nangamawolideyi. Ngokukhamba kwesikhathi ngafunda ilimi lezandla. Bekumnandi nokudlala nabanye abantwana.

Ngo-1939, udadwethu omdala uMarion watjhada noBill Danylchuck, bese bathatha omunye udadwethu uFrances bayokuhlala naye. Ngibo-ke abathoma ukuvakatjhelwa boFakazi bakaJehova. Nakuvalwa iinkolo, bebenza koke abangakwenza bona  bangihlathululele ebebakufunda eBhayibhelini. Nasengikhuluma iqiniso, bekubudisi kimi ukukhulumisana nabo ngombana bebangalazi ilimi lezandla. Bayibona indlela ebengizithanda ngayo izinto eziphathelene noZimu. Nami ngalemuka bona lokho ebebakwenza bekuvumelana nalokho okutjhiwo liBhayibheli, yeke ngagcina sengikhamba nabo esimini. Kungakayi nokuyaphi, ngase ngifuna nokubhajadiswa. Kwathi ngezi-5 Septemba 1941, uBill wangibhabhadisa edromini yesimbi ezele amanzi adoswe emthonjeni, amanzi amakhaza mpo!

Kwathi nakuvalwa iinkolo nangisekhaya, saya emhlanganweni eCleveland ese-Ohio, e-U.S.A. Ngelanga lokuthoma emhlanganweni, abodadwethu bebadlhegana ngokungitlolela amaphuzu khona ngizokuzuza emhlanganweni. Ngelanga lesibili, ngathaba kangangani nangizwa bona kunesiqhema sabangezwako emhlanganweni nomtologi ngelimi lezandla. Kwakhani-ke ngiwuthabela umhlangano, begodu bekumnandi nokulizwisisa kuhle iqiniso leBhayibheli.

IPi yePhasi yesiBili beyiqeda ukuphela emihleni leyo, nombono wokuthanda inarha umuntu abelethelwa kiyo besele ubhebhedla tle. Ngathi nangibuya emhlanganweni, ngazitjela ukuthi nakukukholwa kwami kona ngizokulwela esikolweni. Yeke ngalisa ukukhothamela iflarha yesitjhaba, ngalisa nokubhina ingoma yesitjhaba. Ngalisa nokugidinga amawolideyi nokuya emihlanganweni yesondo ebesikateleleke bona siye kiyo. Abotitjhere esikolweni khenge bakuthabele lokho, yeke bathoma baleya amala, bangithusela nokungithusela bona ngitjhugulule umkhumbulwami. Lokho kwavusa irawurawu ebantwaneni ebengifunda nabo, kwavula amathuba wokubona ngifakaze kibo. ULarry Androsoff, uNorman Dittrick , no-Emil Schneider ebengifunda nabo balamukela iqiniso, begodu basalotjha uJehova bekube namhlanjesi.

Nangivakatjhele kwamanye amadorobho, bengiqiniseka bona ngitjhumayela emuntwini ongezwako eendlebeni. Ngokwesibonelo, ngathi nangifika eMontreal esiqhemeni sabantu abangezwako eendlebeni, ngatjhumayeza uEddie Taeger, obekalilunga lesiqhema seengebengu. Bekwaba lilanga ahlongakala ngalo. Namhlanjesi umuntu loyo usebandleni labakhuluma ngezandla endaweni yeLaval eQuebec. Ngahlangana godu noJuan Ardanez obekafana nabantu beBhayibhelini beBhereya, ngombana bekahlolisisa bona umlayezo weBhayibheli uliqiniso kangangani. (IzE. 17:10, 11) Naye walamukela iqiniso, bewaba mdala weBandla le-Ottawa, Ontario, bewahlongakala athembekile.

Ngo-1950 ngathuthela eVancouver. Nanyana ngikuthanda kangaka ukutjhumayeza abantu abangezwako eendlebeni, angekhe ngilikhohlwe lamhla ngitjhumayeza umma othileko ibizo lakhe nguChris  Spicer ozwako eendlebeni. Ngamthola endleleni. Wavuma ukulethelwa abomagazini qobe nyanga begodu wathi ngizokubona ubabakwakhe uGary. Yeke ngabavakatjhela kwabo, sacoca isikhathi eside, besikhuluma ngokutlolelana. Sagcinana mhlokho, bekwaba kulapho nangithi mehlo suka, napa abantu emhlanganweni omkhulu eToronto, Ontario. UGary bekazokubhajadiswa mhlokho. Koke lokho kwangihlohlozela bona ngirage nokutjhumayela ngombana asazi ukuthi iqiniso liyokumila kuphi.

Ngemva kwesikhathi ngabuyela eSaskatoon. Khonapho ngahlangana nomunye umma owangibawa bona ngifundise amadodakazakhe amawele angezwako eendlebeni, uJean noJoan Rothenberger. Abantazanaba bebafunda esikolweni engafunda kiso. Khenge kuthathe isikhathi eside, besele bacoca nabanye abafundi eklasini ngalokho abakufundileko. Abahlanu ebebafunda nabo eklasini baba boFakazi bakaJehova. Omunye wabo bekungu-Eunice Colin. U-Eunice lo ngathoma ukumbona esikolweni ngisemabangeni aphezulu. Wakhe wangipha iswidi umntazana lo, wangibawa bona sibe bangani. Kanti ngokukhamba kwesikhathi uzokuba mkami, okumumuntu oqakatheke khulu epilwenami.

Kwathi bona unina laka-Eunice ezwe bona ufunda iBhayibheli yasuka, wabawa nophrinsipala bona amlisise ukufunda. Wakhe wamthathela neencwadi zakhe zokufunda iBhayibheli. Kodwana u-Eunice bekazimisele bona anamathele kuJehova. Nasele afuna ukubhajadiswa, ababelethi bakhe bathi, “Akhube nguFakazi kaJehova nawufuna ukubona ukuthi uzokuraga nokuhlala ekhayapha na!” Vele kwaba njalo, wathi nakaneminyaka elitjhumi nekhomba, u-Eunice wakhamba ekhabo, wayokuhlala nomndeni waboFakazi owamthanda wamtlhogomela. Waraga nokufunda bewabhajadiswa. Nasitjhadako ngo-1960 ababelethi bakhe khenge beze emtjhadweni. Kodwana ngokukhamba kweminyaka, babuya basihlonipha ngebanga lalokho esikukholelwako nendlela esikhulisa ngayo abantwabethu.

Njengombana sibabelethi abangezwako eendlebeni, sakhulisa abasana abalikhomba abezwa kuhle nje. Lokhu bekusitjhijilo ngombana bekufuze sibafundise ilimi lezandla khona sizabafundisa iqiniso. Abanakwethu nabodadwethu ebandleni bebasisiza kwamambala. Ngokwesibonelo, omunye umbelethi wasitjela ukuthi omunye wabasana bethu uyathukana ngesifundweni. Sakghona ukumlungisa khonapho umntwanethu. Abesana bami abane, uJames, uJerry, uNicholas noSteven balotjha uJehova nabomkabo nemindenabo. Babadala bebandla boke njalo. Ngaphezu kwalokho uNicholas nomkakhe uDeborah basebandleni labakhuluma ngezandla egatjeni leBrithani, bese uSteven nomkakhe uShannan basesiqhemeni sabatjhugululi belimi lezandla egatjeni le-United States.

Kwathi bona kusele inyanga bona sibe neminyaka ematjhumi amane sitjhadile, u-Eunice wahlongakala abulawa yikankere. Ubukghodlhelele ubudisi bokugulokho. Ukukholelwa kwakhe ekuvusweni kwabafileko bekumenza abambelele. Ngililindile ilanga engiyombona ngalo godu.

NgoFebherbari 2012, ngawa ngaphuka enyongeni, kwabonakala bona ngitlhoga isizo. Yeke, ngakhamba ngayokuhlala nomunye wabesana bami nomkakhe. Sikhuluma nje sihlanganyela ebandleni labakhuluma ngezandla eCalgary. Okwanje ngingumdala ebandlenelo. Eqinisweni ngiyathoma ukuba sebandleni lelimi lezandla. Cabanga! Bengisebandleni lesiNgisi solo kwango-1946. Uzibuze-ke ukuthi ukukholwa kwami kwathuthuka njani. UJehova usifezile isithembiso sakhe sokutlhogomela iintandani. (Rhu. 10:14) Ngibathokoza boke abantu abangisiza ngokungitlolela amaphuzu ngokuzithandela, nabafunde ilimi lezandla bona bakghone ukungitoligela ngendlela abangakghona ngayo.