AMAGAGASI welwandle le-Atlantic asunduza umkhumbi awusa eYurobhu. Omunye wabakhweli uGeorge Young, bekacabanga ngeenthelo zomBuso kaZimu azitjhiye enarheni asuka kiyo iBrazil. * Kodwana ipilo iragela phambili, uMnakwethu uYoung uya esabelweni sakhe esitjha, esimini engakalinywa yeSpain nePortugal. Wathi nakafikako, wahlela bona abantu balalele iinkulumo zeBhayibheli zakaMnakwethu uJ. F. Rutherford. Wakhambisa namaphetjhana azii-300 000!

Wathi nakafika eLisbon ngesiruthwana sango-1925, wathola izinto zitjharagene. Ipi yombango eyalwiwa ngo-1910 yaqeda ukubusa kwamakhosi, yehlisa isithunzi seSonto lamaRoma. Abantu besele batjhaphulukile, kodwana umtjhagalo nomguruguru bewusesekhona enarheni le.

Njengombana uMnakwethu uYoung enza amalungiselelo wokulalelwa kwekulumo kaMnakwethu uRutherford, urhulumende wabeka umthetho wokuthi amasotja ngiwo azokutjheja koke okwenziwa mphakathi. Ibanga lalokho kukuthi umbuso wapheze waketulwa, lokho kwabizwa ngokuthi yi-coup d’état. Unobhala zombelele we-British and Foreign Bible Society wamyelelisa bona uzokuphikiswa. Wabawa imvumo yokusebenzisa ijimu yesikolo iCamões Secondary School, bamvumela.

Lafika langomhlaka-31 Meyi, okulilanga okuzokulalelwa ngalo ikulumo kaMnakwethu uRutherford. Abantu bebalinde ngabovu! Imikhangiso esemakhiweni nemaphephandabeni isivezile isihloko sekulumo le esithi, “Ungaphila Njani Ephasini Ngokungapheliko?” Abefundisi bekolo abasiphikisako nabo bafaka sabo isihloko emaphephandabeni ebesitjela abantu ukuthi bayelele “abaphorofidi bamala” abasand’ ukufika. Bebajame nesangweni lejimu banikela abantu iincwajana eziyelelisa ngeemfundiso ezizokutjhiwo nguMnakwethu uRutherford.

Nanyana kunjalo, kweza abantu abazii-2 000 kwazala swi, kwathi abanye abazii-2 000 bajikiswa ngebanga lokutlhayela kwendawo. Abanye balalela baseentepisini ezenziwe ngeentambo, abanye bebahlezi phezu kwezinto okujinywa ngazo.

Izinto bezinande zingakhambi kuhle. Abaphikisi bethu babanga itjhada, babhula neentulo. Kodwana uMnakwethu uRutherford bekazigedlile wakhwela etafuleni khona azokuzwakala kuhle. Wathi nakaqedako, phakathi nobusuku, abantu abayi-1 200 batjhiya amabizo neemphande zabo bona bathunyelwe iincwadi zeBhayibheli. Ngakusasa kwakhona, iphephandaba lakhuluma ngekulumo kaMnakwethu uRutherford.

 NgoSeptemba 1925 kwathonywa ukugadangiswa isiThala sesiPutukezi ePortugal. (Besele sikhona isiThala sesiPutukezi eBrazil.) Ngokukhamba kwesikhathi uVirgílio Ferguson wafudukela ePortugal bona ayokusiza ngomsebenzi kaZimu. Wakhe wasebenza noMnakwethu uYoung egatjeni elincani labaFundi beBhayibheli eBrazil. UMnakwethu uVirgílio wafika nomkakhe uLizzie, basebenza noMnakwethu uYoung. Bafika kuhle ngombana uMnakwethu uYoung besekabelwe kezinye iindawo kuhlanganise neSoviet Union.

Amasotja aketula obekaphethe ePortugal, afaka umongameli ongundlovu kayiphikiswa. Izinto zathoma ukuba maphorodlha enarheni leyo njengombana sebabanengi abaphikisi. UMnakwethu uFerguson walibamba litjhisa, wavikela isiqhenyana esincani sabaFundi beBhayibheli wathuthukisa nomsebenzabo. Wabawa nemvumo yokusebenzisa umuzakhe bona kubanjelwe kiwo imihlangano yebandla. Wayithola ngo-Oktoba 1927.

Ngomnyaka wokuthoma wokubusa kwakamongameli lo, abantu abama-450 bebafumana isiThala qobe nyanga. Ngaphezu kwalokho iqiniso larhatjheka kizo zoke iinarha ebezibuswa maPutukezi—e-Angola, e-Azores, eCape Verde, e-East Timor, eGoa, eMadeira neMozambique.

Ngekupheleni kweminyaka yabo-1920 uManuel da Silva Jordão obekasebenza ematonini weza eLisbon. Ngesikhathi ahlala eBrazil wakhe wezwa ikulumo yethulwa nguMnakwethu uYoung. Walibona iqiniso, lokho kwamenza bona afise ukuzokusiza uMnakwethu uFerguson ekuthuthukiseni umsebenzi wokutjhumayela. Yeke uMnakwethu uManuel nakazakwenza lokho wathoma ukuphayona. Njengombana iincwadi bese zigadangiswa bezinikelwe abantu ngendlela ehlelekileko amabandla weLisbon athuthuka khulu.

Ngo-1934 uMnakwethu uFerguson nomkakhe kwafuze babuyele eBrazil. Nanyana kunjalo imbewu yomBuso besele bayitjalile. Isiqhema saboFakazi sahlala sithembekile nakuqubuka ipi yombango ye-Spain nePi yePhasi yesiBili eYurobhu. Kwakhe kwaba nesikhathi lapha ukukhanya kwabo kufifiyela khona, kwathi ngo-1947 umlilo wavutha nakufika uJohn Cooke owaba sithunywa sevangeli sokuthoma esabandulwa eGiliyadi enarheni le. Ngemva kwalokho isibalo saboFakazi endaweni le sakhuphuka sikhuphukile ngitjho nanyana urhulumende akhandela umsebenzabo ngo-1962. Ngesikhathi umsebenzi waboFakazi uvunyelwa ngokomthetho ngoDisemba 1974 isibalo saboFakazi saba zii-13 000 enarheni leyo.

Namhlanjesi sekunabatjhumayeli abangaphezu kwee-50 000 ePortugal neenhlengeleni okukhulunywa kizo isiPutukezi, kuhlanganise ne-Azores neMadeira. Ebantwinaba sekunesizukulwana sesithathu salabo abalalela ikulumo kaMnakwethu Rutherford ngo-1925.

Siyamthokoza uJehova ngabafowethu bangesikhatheso abaqina isibindi barhatjha ilizwi, baba ‘ziinsebenzi zatjhatjhalazi zakaKrestu Jesu.’—Rom. 15:15, 16.—Ezivela ebulungelweni lethu ePortugal.