Ekuqaleni kuka-1963, ebudeni botyelelo lwakhe lwesibini eSierra Leone, uMilton Henschel wathetha ngengxaki isebe lalapho ebelizama ukuyilungisa kangangexesha elide. Wabongoza abazalwana ukuba baqinise kwimigudu yabo yokufundisa abantu ukulesa nokubhala.

Amanye amabandla ayeqhuba iiklasi zokufundisa abantu ukulesa nokubhala ngesiNgesi. Kodwa emva kotyelelo lukaMzalwan’ uHenschel, abazalwana baqalisa ukufundisa abantu ngolwimi lwabo lweenkobe. Amanye amabandla ayeneeklasi zokufundisa ukulesa nokubhala ngeelwimi ezimbini okanye ezintathu. Ezi klasi zazidume kakhulu, kangangokuba umvakalisi omnye kwabathathu kwelo lizwe wayesiya kuzo.

Ngo-1966, abazalwana baseLiberia benza incwadi enemifanekiso yokufundisa ukulesa nokubhala ngesiKisi. Xa babonisa ngale ncwadi kwabasemagunyeni baseLiberia, bona bagqiba ekubeni bayiprinte baze bayisasaze ngaphandle kwentlawulo. Le ncwadi yasasazwa eGuinea, eLiberia naseSierra Leone, ibe iye yanceda amakhulu-khulu  amaKisi ukuba afunde ukulesa nokubhala. Kamva, ezi ncwadi ziye zenziwa nangezinye iilwimi ibe ziye zanceda abantu abangakumbi.

Ezi klasi azifundisanga nje abantu ukulesa nokubhala kodwa zikwabancede nasekubeni benze inkqubela ebandleni. Makhe sithethe ngoSia Ngallah oneminyaka eyi-50 nongumvakalisi ongabhaptizwanga ongafundanga. Ingxelo yakhe yasentsimini wayeyigcina ngokusebenzisa umtya omnyama nobomvu. Xa eshumayele kangangeyure, wayesenza iqhina ngomtya omnyama. Emva kokuba enze ibuyelo, wayesenza iqhina ngomtya obomvu. USia waya kwiiklasi ezifundisa ukulesa nokubhala, ibe zamnceda wayigcina kakuhle ingxelo yakhe yasentsimini. Wenza inkqubela de wabhaptizwa ibe waphucula indlela awayeshumayela nawayefundisa ngayo.

Nanamhlanje, amabandla amaninzi eSierra Leone naseGuinea asenazo iiklasi zokufundisa ukulesa nokubhala. Esinye isikhulu sakwarhulumente eSierra Leone sathi kubazalwana abakwiofisi yesebe: “Ukongeza kumsebenzi wokufundisa iBhayibhile, nenza umsebenzi omhle ngokufundisa abantu ukulesa nokubhala.”

Njengoko abantu beentlanga ezahlukahlukeneyo bafundiswa ukulesa nokubhala, kwabakho imfuneko yokuguqulelwa koncwadi. Uninzi lweentlanga lwaluneencwadi ezimbalwa ngeelwimi zalo. Abantu abafundileyo eSierra Leone babefunda isiNgesi, ngoxa eGuinea babefunda isiFrentshi. Yintoni eyayinokwenziwa ukuze kubekho uncwadi lweBhayibhile ngolwimi lwabo?

 Ngo-1959, ababini abaphumelele kwisikolo saseGiliyadi baguqulela iphecana nencwadana ngesiMende, kodwa kwasasazwa ezimbalwa. Emva kweminyaka elishumi, incwadana ethi, “This Good News of the Kingdom” nethi Living in Hope of a Righteous New World zaguqulelwa ngesiKisi. Kuye kwasasazwa iincwadana ezimalunga neziyi-30 000 ibe ziye zasetyenziswa ukuze kuqhutywe izifundo zeBhayibhile.

Ngo-1975, iofisi yesebe yaqalisa ukupapasha amanqaku afundwayo eMboniselo ngesiKisi. Abavakalisi abangamaKisi babengathi bayaphupha! Omnye umzalwana wabhala wathi: “UYehova usenzele ummangaliso omkhulu. Akukho nokuba abe mnye kuthi owakha wawubona umnyango wesikolo. Sasingathi singamatye—sasingakwazi ukuthetha. Kodwa ngoku ekubeni sineMboniselo yesiKisi, siyakwazi ukuthetha ngezenzo zikaYehova ezikhulu.” (Luka 19:40) Kuye kwaguqulelwa nezinye iimpapasho ngesiKisi.

Namhlanje, abantu abaninzi eSierra Leone naseGuinea basafunda iimpapasho zesiNgesi okanye ezesiFrentshi, ibe ezo zilwimi ezisetyenziswa emabandleni. Kodwa kutshanje inani leempapasho zezinye iilwimi zanda ngendlela ephawulekayo. Ngoku uncwadi lweBhayibhile lufumaneka ngesiGuerze, isiKisi, isiKrio, isiManinkakan, isiMende, isiPular nesiSusu. Incwadana enemifanekiso ethi Phulaphula UThixo Uze Uphile Ngonaphakade kunye nethi Listen to God ziyafumaneka ngezi lwimi. Ezi ncwadana zinemifanekiso kulula ukufundisa ngazo, zinceda abantu abaninzi abangakwaziyo ukufunda baqonde isigidimi seBhayibhile.

Ekuqaleni kwee-1960, abazalwana baseFreetown bebekhangela umhlaba wokwakha iofisi yesebe entsha. Ekugqibeleni, ngo-1965 bafumana indawo eWilkinson Road.  Le ndawo yayijonge ngaselwandle ikwenye yezona ndawo zintle kweso sixeko.

Esi sakhiwo sasiza kuba neHolo yoBukumkani, ikhaya labathunywa bevangeli neeofisi ekusetyenzelwa kuzo. Ebudeni bolwakhiwo, iWilkinson Road yayihlala ineemoto ezininzi ezithe chu kuba abaqhubi befuna ukubuka esi sakhiwo sihle. Esi sakhiwo sanikezelwa ngoAgasti 19, 1967. Kweza abantu abaphantse babe yi-300, kuquka iindwalutho zasekuhlaleni noomakad’ enetha ababhaptizwa ngu-“Bible” Brown ngo-1923.

Isebe elitsha lenza abantu abaninzi bawuxabisa umsebenzi wamaNgqina kaYehova. Eli sebe lakungqina ibubuxoki oko kwathethwa ngabachasi abathi, amaNgqina akazi kuhlala ekho eSierra Leone. Ubukho besi sakhiwo kwakubonisa ukuba amaNgqina kaYehova akayi ndawo.

Phakathi kweminyaka yee-1970 ukusa phambili, ukufika kwabathunywa bevangeli abaqeqeshwe eGiliyadi kwawuphucula umsebenzi wokushumayela eSierra Leone naseGuinea. Abanye bakhonza kwamanye amazwe aseAfrika ibe bakhawuleza baqhelana neemeko zasekuhlaleni. Abanye babeqala ukuya eAfrika. Babeza kumelana njani neemeko ezinzima abangaziqhelanga? Makhe sive ukuba bathini.

“Abantu babethobekile ibe babefuna ukwazi iBhayibhile. Ukubona indlela inyaniso ebuphucula ngayo ubomi babo kundenza ndizive ndanelisekile.”—UHannelore Altmeyer.

“Kwakunzima ukumelana nezifo nemozulu etshisayo. Kodwa sasivuyiswa kukunceda abantu abanyanisekileyo bakhonze uYehova.”—UCheryl Ferguson.

“Ndafunda ukuba nomonde. Xa ndibuza omnye udade ukuba iindwendwe zakhe ziza kufika nini, wayedla ngokuthi: ‘Mhlawumbi namhlanje, ngomso okanye ngoms’ omnye.’ Ndandisothuka kuba wayedla ngokuqhubeka athi, ‘Kodwa ziza kude zifike!’”—UChristine Jones.

“Kwikhaya labathunywa bevangeli eliseFreetown sasilishumi elinesine siziintlanga ezahlukahlukeneyo. Sasisebenzisa izindlu zangasese ezimbini, ishawa enye, umatshini wokuhlamba impahla omnye nekhitshi elinye. Ukutya kwakushokoxekile ibe kwakungekho sempilweni. Umbane wawuvele umke singalindelanga—maxa wambi wawusimka iintsuku eziliqela. Uninzi lwethu lwalunemalariya nezinye izifo ezifumaneka kwiindawo ezishushu nezinolophu. Nangona le meko yayinokusenza siwuyeke lo msebenzi, safunda ukuhlala kunye, ukuxolelana nokuqhula  xa sikwiimeko ezinzima. Sasikuthanda ukushumayela, ibe saba ngabahlobo abasenyongweni nabanye.”—URobert noPauline Landis.

“Saba nexesha elimnandi kakhulu eSierra Leone. Asizisoli nakancinane ibe asinazikhalazo. Siyayikhumbula kakhulu.”—UBenjamin noMonica Martin.

“Sakha sahlala nelinye ibhinqa elasiphakela ukutya okwakungathandeki. Lathi: ‘Yinyoka. Ndiwakhuphile amazinyo la angaphambili. Niyafuna?’ Ngobuchule sala, kodwa sekunjalo wathi masitye. Nakuba ayesoyikisa la mava, sabuxabisa ububele beli bhinqa ibe salithanda kakhulu.”—UFrederick noBarbara Morrisey.

“Ebudeni beminyaka eyi-43 ndingumthunywa wevangeli, ndiye ndahlala nabathunywa bevangeli abangaphezu kwe-100. Ndiyakuvuyela ukwazi abantu abaninzi kangaka, abanobuntu obungafaniyo kodwa abasebenza bonke benenjongo enye! Ndiyakuvuyela nokusebenza noThixo nokubona abantu beyamkela inyaniso yeBhayibhile!”—ULynette Peters.

“Ndiyakuvuyela nokusebenza noThixo nokubona abantu beyamkela inyaniso yeBhayibhile!”

Ukususela ngo-1947, abathunywa bevangeli abayi-154 baye bakhonza eSierra Leone ibe abayi-88 eGuinea. Amanye amaNgqina amaninzi eza kukhonza kwindawo edinga abavakalisi abangakumbi. Namhlanje, kukho abathunywa bevangeli abayi-44 eSierra Leone nabayi-31 eGuinea. Imigudu nokuzincama kwabo kuye kwanceda abantu abaninzi. UAlfred Gunn, onexesha elide ekwiKomiti yeSebe uthi: “Siwuxabisa kakhulu umsebenzi wabo.”