NGABO-1910 abazali bami basuka eTbilisi eGeorgia baya eCanada. Bafika bahlala epulazini elaliseduzane lePelly, eSaskatchewan entshonalanga yeCanada. Ngazalwa ngo-1928 futhi ngilicinathunjana ebantwaneni abayisithupha. Ubaba wafa umama ezithwele isisu sami njalo umama laye wafa ngiseselusana. Kungakayi ngaphi udadewethu omdala okwakuthiwa nguLucy laye wafa eleminyaka engu-17. Sekunjalo umalume uNick wasithatha wasigcina.

Ngelinye ilanga ngisesemncane abangakithi bangibona ngilokhu ngidonsa umsila welinye ibhiza esasilalo epulazini. Bethuka becabanga ukuthi ibhiza leli lizangikhaba bamemeza besithi ngiyekele engikwenzayo. Isimanga yikuthi babona ngilokhu ngiziqhubekela nje. Angizange ngibezwe bememeza njalo ngangibafulathele. Okuhle yikuthi angizange ngilimale kodwa yikho lapho abangakithi abananzelela khona ukuthi kangizwa endlebeni.

Umngane kamalume wamcebisa ukuthi angihambise esikolo solimi lwezandla ngakho umalume wangidingela indawo kulesosikolo eSaskatoon. Isikolo lesi sasikhatshana langekhaya futhi ngezwa ngisesaba kakhulu ngoba ngangileminyaka emihlanu nje kuphela. Ngangisiya ngekhaya nxa izikolo zivaliwe kumbe nxa kulekhefu elithile. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ngalufunda ulimi lwezandla njalo ngasengikukholisa ukudlala labanye abantwana.

Ngo-1939 udadewethu omdala uMarion watshada loBill Danylchuck futhi ngemva kwalokho basithatha mina lodadewethu uFrances bahlala lathi. Yibo abaqala ukufunda iBhayibhili laboFakazi bakaJehova emulini yangakithi. Kwakusithi nxa izikolo zivaliwe bangixoxele okunengi ababekufunda. Kodwa kwakunzima kakhulu ukukhuluma labo ngoba babengalwazi ulimi lwezandla. Loba kunjalo bananzelela ukuthi ngangikuthanda  kakhulu ababengifundisa khona. Lami ngananzelela ukuthi ababekwenza yikho kanye ababekufunda eBhayibhilini njalo ngaqalisa ukuhamba labo ekutshumayeleni. Lokhu kwangenza ngaba lesifiso sokubhabhathizwa futhi lakanye ngabhabhathizwa mhlaka 5 September 1941. Umkhwenyethu uBill nguye owangibhabhathizayo ebhavini enkulu eyayigcwele amanzi omgodi ayeqanda mo!

Kwathi izikolo zivaliwe ngo-1946 saya emhlanganweni wesabelo owawuseCleveland e-Ohio, e-U.S.A. Ngelanga lokuqala lomhlangano odadewethu babengibhalela imicijo ukuze lami ngihambisane lalokho okwakufundwa. Ngelanga elilandelayo ngezwa kuthiwa kulodade otolikela iqembu labantu abakhuluma ulimi lwezandla. Ngajabula kakhulu ngoba ngasengisenelisa ukuzwisisa zonke inkulumo ezazisenziwa emhlanganweni.

Ngalesosikhathi iMpi Yomhlaba Yesibili yayisanda kuphela njalo abantu babetshiseka kakhulu ngezindaba zelizwe. Izikolo zivulwa ngasengizimisele ukulumela ukholo lwami futhi ngahle ngayekela ukukhothamela ifulegi lokuhlabela ingoma yesizwe. Ngayekela lokunanza amakhefu futhi ngangingasayi lasemibuthanweni yesonto eyayisenziwa esikolo. Lokhu akuzange kubaphathe kuhle ababalisi njalo bazama ukungethusela lokungiqambela amanga ukuze bangenze ngintshintshe ingqondo. Abanye abantwana engangifunda labo baqalisa ukuba lemibuzo eminengi futhi lokho kwangivulela ithuba lokubatshumayeza. Kwaba lempumela emihle sibili ngoba uLarry Androsoff loNorman Dittrick kanye lo-Emil Schneider bacina bengoFakazi futhi lakhathesi balokhu bemkhonza uJehova.

Loba ngaphi lapho engivakatshela khona ngiba leqiniso lokuthi ngiyabatshumayeza abantu abakhuluma ulimi lwezandla. Ngokwesibonelo kwakulendawo yabakhuluma ulimi lwezandla eMontreal futhi yikho engatshumayeza khona ujaha okuthiwa ngu-Eddie Taeger owayelilunga leqembu elalihlangana kuleyondawo. U-Eddie waba nguFakazi futhi ubelokhu esebandleni lolimi lwezandla eLaval eQuebec waze watshona ngomnyaka ophelileyo. Ngaphinda ngahlangana loJuan Ardanez. Wayefana labaseBhereya okukhulunywa ngabo ngoba kwakusithi nxa singafunda asale ehlola eBhayibhilini ukuthi engangimfundisa khona kuliqiniso na. (ImiSeb. 17:10, 11) Walamukela iqiniso futhi wafa elokhu engumdala webandla e-Ottawa e-Ontario.

Ngo-1950 ngathuthela edolobheni leVancouver. Lanxa ngikuthanda ukutshumayeza abantu abakhuluma ulimi lwezandla labakhulumayo angibayekeli. Ngokwesibonelo kangisoze ngikukhohlwe okwenzakala ngize ngitshumayeze umama okuthiwa nguChris Spicer. Wavuma ukuthi abethunyelwa imagazini njalo wathi ufisa ukuthi ngibonane lomkakhe uGary. Yikho ngabavakatshela emzini  wabo futhi saxoxa okwesikhathi ngokubhalelana phansi ngoba babengalwazi ulimi lwezandla. Ngabacina mhlalokho futhi saze sabonana ngemva kweminyaka ethile komunye umhlangano wesabelo owawuseToronto e-Ontario. Bona yibo abangibonayo phakathi kwexuku labantu njalo uGary wayezabhabhathizwa kulowomhlangano. Ngathokoza kakhulu mhlalokho futhi ngabona ukuthi kuqakathekile ukuqhubeka sitshumayeza bonke abantu ngoba iqiniso lingathontela enhliziyweni yomuntu loba ngasiphi isikhathi.

Ngokuya kwesikhathi ngaphinda ngabuyela eSaskatoon. Kuleyondawo ngahlangana lomunye umama njalo wacela ukuthi ngifunde iBhayibhili lamadodakazi akhe ayengamaphahla uJean loJoan Rothenberger. Amantombazana la ayekhuluma ulimi lwezandla njalo ayefunda esikolo engafunda kuso. Izinto esasizifunda babezixoxela abanye esikolo. Ngakho abanye abantwana abahlanu ababefunda labo bacina bengoFakazi bakaJehova. Omunye wabo kwakungu-Eunice Colin. U-Eunice ngambona esikolo lesi ngomnyaka engaqeda ngawo. Ngalesosikhathi wanginika isiwiji njalo wacela ukuthi sibe ngabangane.

Umama ka-Eunice wathi esizwa ukuthi umntanakhe usefunda iBhayibhili walanda umphathisikolo wamtshela ukuthi amkhuze. Wazama sibili umphathisikolo waze wamthathela lamabhuku ayewasebenzisa ukufunda iBhayibhili. Kodwa icebo leli aliphumelelanga ngoba u-Eunice waqhubeka ezimisele ukufunda ngoJehova. Wathi esefuna ukubhabhathizwa abazali bakhe bamtshela bathi: “Ungavele ube nguFakazi kaJehova uhle uphume uphele lapha ekhaya.” Lakanye u-Eunice waxotshwa ngakibo njalo abanye oFakazi bamthatha bahlala laye. Wayeleminyaka engu-17 kusenzakala konke lokhu njalo waqhubeka efunda waze wabhabhathizwa. Ngokuya kwesikhathi mina lo-Eunice saqalisa ukuthandana futhi satshada ngo-1960. Kodwa abazali bakhe abazange babuye emtshadweni wethu. Lanxa kunjalo bacina sebesihlonipha ngenxa yendlela  esasiphila ngayo lesasikhulisa ngayo abantwabethu.

Mina lomkami saba labantwana abangu-7 abangabafana njalo kwakunzima ukubakhulisa ngoba bona babekhuluma futhi besizwa endlebeni. Ngakho sabafundisa ulimi lwezandla ukuze senelise ukubafundisa iqiniso lokuxoxa labo. Abafowethu labodadewethu ebandleni labo babesiphathisa kakhulu. Ngokwesibonelo ngelinye ilanga siseWolu yoMbuso umzalwane othile wasibhalela esitshela ukuthi omunye wabantwabethu wayethethisa abanye. Sahle sayilungisa masinyane indaba yakhona. Abantwabami abane uJames loJerry loNicholas loSteven balokhu bekhonza uJehova lamakhosikazi abo futhi bangabadala emabandleni abakuwo. UNicholas lomkakhe uDeborah bancedisa ukuhumutsha ulimi lwezandla egatsheni leBritain ikanti uSteven lomkakhe uShannan labo benza umsebenzi ofananayo egatsheni le-United States.

Umkami u-Eunice wahlaselwa ngumkhuhlane wemvukuzane njalo watshona sesileminyaka engaba ngu-40 sitshadile. Kodwa okuhle yikuthi langesikhathi egula wahlala eqinile ekukhonzeni futhi elethemba lokuthi uJehova uzavusa abafileyo. Ngilindele isikhathi lapho engizaphinda ngimbone khona.

Ngo-February 2012 ngawa ngakhumuka inyonga ngakho kwasekumele nginakekelwe. Ngasuka ngayahlala lomunye umntanami. Khathesi singena lebandla lolimi lwezandla eCalgary futhi ngilokhu ngingumdala. Ngiyaqala ukungena lebandla lolimi lwezandla selokhu ngazalwayo ngoba kusukela ngo-1946 bengingena lebandla lesiNgisi. Okungincedileyo ukuthi ngihlale ngiqinile ekukhonzeni yikuthi uJehova usigcwalisile isithembiso sakhe sokunakekela izintandane. (Hubo. 10:14) Ngiyababonga kakhulu bonke ababengisiza ngokungibhalela imicijo langokuzama ukungitolikela ukuze ngizwe okufundwa emihlanganweni. Abanye baze bafunda ulimi lwezandla ukuze benelise ukukhuluma lami.

Bezisiba khona sibili izikhathi lapho ebengikhathazeka kakhulu ngize ngiphose ngikhalale ngenxa yokungezwa okuyabe kutshiwo kumbe ngenxa yokuthi abantu bayabe bengangizwisisi. Okwakunginceda ngezikhathi ezinjalo yikukhumbula amazwi kaPhethro athi: “Nkosi, sizakuya kubani na? Wena ulamazwi okuphila okungapheliyo.” (Joh. 6:66-68) Lami ngafunda ukubekezela njengabanye abafowethu labodadewethu abangezwayo endlebeni asebelesikhathi eside bekhonza uJehova. Sengafunda lokulindela uJehova lenhlanganiso yakhe ukuthi balungise izinto futhi ukwenza njalo kungisize kakhulu. Khathesi manengi amabhuku atholakala ngolimi lwezandla lwaseMelika njalo ngiyakholisa kakhulu ukuhlangana labanye emihlanganweni yebandla lakwemikhulu. Okwempilo yami yonke bengilokhu ngikukholisa ukukhonza uJehova uNkulunkulu wethu.