Nabutwilwe mu mafuku 19 Kweji 5, 1940 mu kibundi kya Amioûn, mu Lebanona. Myaka mityetye pa kupita’po, kisaka kyetu kyavilukila mu kibundi kya Tripoli, monatamīne mu kisaka kya nsangaji, kyadi kiyukile Yehova Leza kadi kimusenswe. Nadi mukala mu bana batano, basatu bana-bakaji, babidi nabo bana-balume. Bambutwile bami badi batūdile myanda ya kukimba lupeto pa kifuko kya bubidi. Myanda yadi pa kifuko kibajinji mu bwetu būmi i kwifunda Bible, kutanwa ku kupwila kwa bwine Kidishitu, ne kukwasha bakwetu bayuke Leza.

Mu kyetu kipwilo mwadi bene Kidishitu bashingwe māni bavule. Umo bidi i Michel Aboud, wadi mwendeji wa kifundwa kya kitabo. Wefundile bubine bwa bwine Kidishitu mu New York, ebiya watweja’bo mu Lebanona ku ngalwilo kwa myaka ya 1920. Mvulukanga mwaādi ulēmekēle bakaka bankasampe babidi bakafundile Masomo a Ngileade ne kwibakwasha—ba Anne ne Gwen Beavor. Baikele ke balunda netu bayampe. Myaka mivule pa kupita’po, nasangele bininge pa kwitana na Anne mu États-Unis. Kupwa, twaketana na Gwen, obasongele kudi Wilfred Gooch, kadi badi bengila ku bilo ya musambo wa Londoni mu Angeletele.

Ponadi mwanuke, mu Lebanona mwadi’tu Batumoni batyetye. Twadi tusapwila bakwetu na  bupyasakane byotuyukile mu Bible. Twadi tusapula nansha byadi bitulwa bendeji bamo ba bipwilo. Navuluka’ko bintu bimo byetufikīle.

Difuku dimo, ami ne kaka wami Sana, twadi tusapula musapu wa mu Bible mu kyumba kimo kya mu njibo ya maetaje. Mumpe umo waiya motwadi twisamba na benē kyumba. Bimweka bu kudi muntu wamwityile. Mumpe washilula kutuka kaka. Wakalabala, watonwena kaka Sana munshi mwa nkala, wetapa bilonda. Muntu umo waita bampulushi ku telefone, nabo baiya kukwasha kaka Sana. Baselela mumpe ku bilo ya bampulushi kwine kobajingulwile’mba wadi na buta. Mukulu wa bampulushi wamwipangula’mba: “Le wi ani? Wi mwendeji wa kipwilo’ni nansha wi mwendeji wa kibumbo kya bantomboki?”

Mwanda mukwabo omvulukanga i paluile kipwilo kyetu motoka, twaenda ku kibundi kya kufula kukasapula myanda miyampe. Twasapwile biyampe kufika’nka ne byaivwene mumpe wa mu kine kibundi’kya byotwadi tulonga, wakongakanya kibumbo kya bantu, kyaiya kwitutamba’dyo. Betukambakanya, betwasa’nka ne mabwe, balala tata mutotole. Navuluka monamumwenine mashi mu mpala monso. Tata wajokela ku motoka na mama, netu twebalonda na moyo. Inoko nkikelwapo nansha dimo binenwa byanenene mama paadi oija tata mu mpala’mba: “Yehova, wibalekele. Kebayukilepo byobalonga.”

Difuku dikwabo nadyo, twakapempwile babutule mu yetu ntanda. Kwine’kwa, ku njibo ya nkambo twatana’ko Eveke, mwendeji umo wa kipwilo mutumbe. Uno Eveke wadi uyukile amba bambutwile bami i Batumoni ba Yehova. Waanza kwisamba nami, ami papo nadi’tu na myaka isamba. Wangipangula’mba: “Abe, mwanda waka kwabatyijibwe?” Nami namulondolola’mba, nekidi mwanuke, kadi pa kubatyijibwa mfwaninwe kuyuka myanda mivule mu Bible ne kwikala na lwitabijo lukomo. Byakasangedilepo byonamulondolwele, wasapwila nkambo amba nkidipo na bulēme.

Inoko ino myanda mibi keyadipo ivudile kulongeka. Divule dine, bene Lebanona bekalanga bantu bayampe, ba kizaji. O mwanda twadi twisamba na bantu bavule myanda ya mu Bible kadi twadi twendeja bifundwa bya Bible bivule.

Ponadi nekifunda ku masomo, tutu umo nsongwalume waiya mu Lebanona utamba mu Venezuela. Washilula kupwila mu kyetu kipwilo, kupwa kebenangila na kaka Wafa. Ebiya besonga, bakashikata mu Venezuela. Kaka Wafa, wadi ulembela tata mikanda ya kusenga kisaka kyetu kivilukile mu Venezuela. Wadi ulemba ino mikanda mwanda wadi witulanga bininge. Ku mfulo, twamwivwana, twaviluka!

Twafika mu Venezuela mu 1953, twashikata mu Caracas kubwipi na njibo mikatakata ya mulopwe wa ntanda. Ponakidi mwanuke, nadi nsangala ponadi mona mulopwe wa ntanda upita mu motoka wandi wa bei. Inoko bambutwile bami kebapēlelwepo kwibidila kibundi, ludimi, bibidiji, byakudya, ne kushinta kwa bitatyi. Badi’tu bakishilula kwibidila, kala twatanwa na mwanda wa bulanda bininge.

Tata wabela. Byaadi muntu wa bukomo kadi mukomo mu ngitu, byetutulumwije bininge. Mwanda kadipo uvudile kubela. Bamukwata dyaya dya ku nsamba-bululu, ebiya bakamupasula. Kya bulanda, yenga umo pa kupita’po wafwa.

I bikomo’tu ne mwa kusekunwina bulanda botwaivwene pa uno mwanda. Nadi’tu na myaka 13. Byetusense bininge, ntanda yetubipila. Kyaba kimo, mama wadi ukomenwa kwitabija’mba wandi mulume kakidi’kopo. Inoko kyaba kimo twaivwanija’mba i bya mu būmi, Yehova wetukwasha twauminina. Ami pa kupwa masomo a sekondele na myaka 16 mu Caracas, nasaka bininge kukwatakanya kisaka kyetu.

Kitatyi kityetye pa kupita’po, kaka Sana bamusonga kudi Rubén Araujo, wakafundile Masomo a Ngileade kupwa wajokela mu Venezuela. Bavilukila mu New York. Kisaka kyetu kyakwata butyibi amba nkafunde ku iniveleshite, ebiya nakafundila mu New York, kwa kaka. Kaka ne wandi mulume bankweshe bininge ñendelele ku mushipiditu ponadi nshikete kwabo. Kadi mu kyetu kipwilo kya ludimi lwa Kieshipanyole mu Brooklyn, mwadi banabetu bavule batame ku mushipiditu. Babidi bidi mu bano banabetu boneyukile nabo, i ba Milton Henschel ne Frederick Franz, bonso babidi badi bengila ku Betele ya mu Brooklyn.

Ku mfulo kwa mwaka wami mubajinji ku iniveleshite mu New York, nashilula kulangulukila pa mukekadila būmi bwami. Natangile ne kulangulukila bininge pa bishinte bya Kiteba kya Mulami byadi bīsambila pa bene Kidishitu betungile bitungo bya kamweno. Namwene nsangaji yadi na banabetu ba ku Betele ne bapania badi mu kyetu kipwilo, nami nasaka kwikala pamo bwa abo. Inoko nadi nkyabatyijibwe. Ne kwija mpika najingulula’mba mfwaninwe kupāna būmi bwami kudi Yehova. Nepāna kudi Yehova, kupwa nabatyijibwa mu mafuku 30 Kweji 3, 1957.

Pa kupwa kukwata buno butyibi bukatampe bwa kubatyijibwa, nalangulukila pa butyibi bukwabo bonadi mfwaninwe kukwata—bwa kwikala pania. Nadi nsaka bininge kwikala pania, inoko namwene amba nkisapo kubwanya kwingila’bo. Le nadi wa kubwanya namani uno mwingilo, koku kadi funda ku iniveleshite? Twetumīne mikanda mivule, pa kushintulwila mama ne babutule bami bakwabo butyibi bwa kuleka masomo ne kujokela mu Venezuela mwanda wa kwikala pania.

Najokela mu Caracas mu Kweji 6, 1957. Inoko namwene’mba kisaka kyetu kekyadipo biyampe. Kyadi kisakilwa muntu wa kwikikwatakanya na lupeto. Le nadi wa kwikikwasha namani? Nasokola kaji ku banki, inoko nadi nsaka bininge kwingila bu pania. Ne kadi kyo kine kyonajokēle. Nakwata butyibi bwa kulonga byonso bibidi. Naingile myaka mivule ku banki koku kadi ñingila bu pania. Nadi muvudilwe bya kulonga, ino kadi na nsangaji!

Nsangaji yami yavudile’ko ponasongele Sylvia, kaka umo muyampe mwine Alemanye wadi usenswe Yehova bininge. Wavilukīle mu Venezuela na bambutwile bandi. Mwenda mafuku, twabutula  bana babidi, Michel (Mike), wetu mwana mwana-mulume ne Samira, mwana-mukaji. Kadi nadi ndelele ne mama. Waile kushikata netu. Nansha byonalekele bupania mwanda wa kuvuija bisakibwa bya kisaka kyami, inoko nadi nsapula na bupyasakane. Ami ne Sylvia twadi twingila bu bapania bakwashi mu bitatyi bya makonje.

Betu bana badi bakifunda ku masomo, ponalongele byonemusekunwinanga ku ngalwilo kwa kino kishinte. Na bubine, nadi ba būmi buyampe bininge, kadi botwadi twingila nabo ku banki nabo badi bandēmekele. Inoko nadi nsaka bantu bamone bu mwingidi wa Yehova. Nadi’nka nangulukila pa uno mwanda. Ebiya, ami ne wami mukaji twashikatyila pamo twesambila pa misokwe yetu. Twalanguluka’mba, shi naleka kaji bakampa lupeto lwa mfulo lwa kumfwija’ko. Byoketwadipo na mapu, twamona’mba shi tubesuminwa’ko bintu bimo mu būmi, tukekala na lupeto lwa kwikwatakanya nalo mu kitatyi kilampe.

Nansha buno butyibi byo kebwadipo bupēla kukwata, ino wami mukaji muswe ne mama bankwatakenye bininge. Pano kadi nasokwele monka mukenga wa kujokela mu mwingilo wa bupania. Nasangele bininge! Nadi kendi mwiteakanye kushilula monka bupania. Ino ne kwija mpika, betulombola mwanda wa mu kitulumukila.

Difuku dimo, dokitele wetu walombola Sylvia amba udi na dimi. Twatulumukile bininge batwe bonso. Uno wadi mwanda usangaja bininge, inoko nadi nangulukila pa butyibi bonadi kendi mukwate—butyibi bwa kwikala pania. Le nadi kadi wa kubwanya kwibwingila? Twashinta bukidi bonka mu ñeni yetu, ketutengēle muntu mukwabo mu kisaka. Le kitungo kyami kya kwikala pania nakyo?

Pa kupwa kwisambila monka pa bitungo byetu, twakwata butyibi amba ngikale’tu’nka pania. Twabutula Gabriel, wetu mwana mu Kweji 4, 1985. Nansha nabya, naleka kwingila ku banki, nashilula bupania mu Kweji 6, 1985. Kupwa naikala na dyese dya kwingila mu Komite wa Musambo. Inoko musambo kewadipo mu Caracas, o mwanda byadi binomba kwenda ne kujoka mafuku abidi nansha asatu pa yenga, ku makilometele kubwipi kwa 80.

Bilo ya musambo yadi mu kibundi kya La Victoria, o mwanda twakwete butyibi mu kisaka bwa kuvilukila ku La Victoria kubwipi na Betele.  Buno bwadi butyibi bukatampe. Nsenswe bininge kyami kisaka kadi nkendelela na kwikifwija’ko. Bankweshe bininge. Baha, kaka wami waitabije kulela mama. Mike wadi ke musonge, ino ba Samira ne Gabriel badi bakidi ku njibo. Inoko kuvilukila mu La Victoria kwebalombele kushiya balunda babo ba mu Caracas. Kadi muswe wami Sylvia wadi unenwe kwibidila kakibundi katyetye, kupita kibundi kya kibikelo motwadi tushikata. Kadi batwe bonso twadi tunenwe kwibidila kushikata mu kobo katyetye. Bine, byetulombele kwisuminwa bintu bivule pa kuviluka mu Caracas, kwenda mu La Victoria.

Inoko, kadi bintu byashintyile monka. Gabriel wasonga, Samira nandi wakashikata pandi. Kupwa, betwita ami ne Sylvia ku Betele mu 2007, kwine kotukidi ne dyalelo. Mike, wetu mwana mukulu i mukulumpe, kadi wingilanga bu pania pamo na wandi mukaji, Monica. Gabriel nandi i mukulumpe kadi wingidilanga mu Itadi pamo na wandi mukaji, Ambra. Samira i pania, kadi ukwashanga ku Betele wenda ujoka.

Bine, nakwete butyibi bukatampe buvule mu bwami būmi. Inoko nkialakanyangapo. Mbwanya kukwata monka buno butyibi. Mfwijanga’ko bininge pa mingilo mivule ya ku mushipiditu yobampele mu mwingilo wa Yehova. Mu bula bwa myaka mivule, namwene amba kupwana na Yehova kipwano kya mpwaninine kudi na mvubu. Butyibi botukwata bwikale butyetye nansha bukatampe, bubwanya kwitupa ndoe “itabukile ñeni yonso.” (Fid. 4:6, 7) Ami ne Sylvia tusenswe mwingilo ukola otwingila ku Betele, kadi tumwene’mba Yehova waesele butyibi botwakwete, mwanda ketwamwidilwepo pa kwibukwata.