Ngenxa yokuzimisela enyanisweni, iBandla laseFreetown ‘lalixineke lilizwi.’ (IZe. 18:5) UAlfred Joseph ubalisa athi: “Ndandidla ngokubophelela ibhokisi eneencwadi zeBhayibhile kwisithuthuthu sam. Ndandidla ngokuhamba noMzalwan’ uThomas okanye uSylvester Grant [omnye wabo ekhwele kunye nam], siye ezilalini nakwiidolophu ezincinane zaseFreetown sishumayela.”

Abavakalisi baseFreetown bashumayela kwindawo ekuthiwa yiThe Colony de kwango-1927. Kodwa ukususela ngo-1928, nyaka ngamnye ngaphambi kokuba ziqalise iimvula, ibandla laliqesha ibhasi lize liye kumaphondo ahlukeneyo. Abo babengakwazi ukuya babencedisa kwiindleko zohambo, olwalukhokelwa nguMelbourne Garber. Eli qela lihamba ngebhasi lalishumayela kwiidolophu neelali ezikwimpuma yeKailahun nezingakumzantsi wayo kufuphi nemida yaseLiberia. Lalidla ngokubuyela ngeCawa yokuqala yenyanga ukuze likhulise umdla.

Ngelo xesha, uMzalwan’ uBrown waya eWest Indies waza wabuya nemoto, enye yeemoto zokuqala ukungena eSierra Leone. Le moto yayinesandisi-lizwi esasenzelwe ukushumayela esidlangalaleni. UMzalwan’ uBrown wayeyipaka  kwindawo kawonke-wonke, aze adlale umculo ukuze atsal’ abantu. Emva koko wayenikela intetho emfutshane okanye adlale erekhodiweyo aze ahambisele abantu uncwadi lweBhayibhile. Le moto yayidume ngokuba yimoto ethethayo, yakhawuleza yaziwa ngabantu abaninzi, ibe babezimamela iintshumayelo ezisuka kuyo.

UMzalwan’ uBrown waqalisa ukukhangela intsimi engekashunyayelwa, eyabantu abathetha isiNgesi kwiNtshona yeAfrika. Ekupheleni kweminyaka yee-1920, waqalisa ukuya kushumayela kumazwe afana neGambia, iGhana, iLiberia neNigeria. Lo kaBrown wafumana abantu abanomdla kuwo onke la mazwe, kodwa elona lalibonakala libalasele yayiyiNigeria. Ngo-1930 yena nentsapho yakhe bayishiya iFreetown baya eLagos. Ukusuka apho  waqhubeka evelela lo msebenzi wokushumayela kwiNtshona yeAfrika.

Ngo-1950, ngenxa yempilo enkenenkene uMzalwan’ uBrown kwanyanzeleka ukuba abuyele eJamaica. Wazenzela igama elihle. Kwiminyaka engaphezu kweyi-27, yena nomkakhe baye babona ulwando kumaNgqina akwiNtshona yeAfrika, olwaqala ngabavakalisi ababini ukuya kwabangaphezu kwe-11 000. Baye bayibona indlela isiprofeto sikaIsaya esizaliseka ngayo, xa sisithi: “Omncinane uya kuba liwaka, nophantsi abe luhlanga olunamandla.” (Isa. 60:22) Sithethanje, kwiminyaka engaphezu kweyi-60 ukususela ngoko, kukho ‘uhlanga olunamandla’ lwamaNgqina ayi-500 000 akhonza uYehova kwiNtshona yeAfrika.

Xa ifuthe leMfazwe Yehlabathi II laphumela eAfrika, abantu bakaYehova eSierra Leone abazange bathathe cala. (Mika 4:3; Yoh. 18:36) Abasemagunyeni baseBritani babatyhola ngokuba bazama ukubhukuqa urhulumente, ngoko yonk’ into ababeyenza yajongwa ngamehlo okhozi lwaza uncwadi lwabo lwayekiswa. Isebe elijongene nempahla engenayo nephumayo eFreetown lathatha uncwadi lwethu olwalukwenye inqanawa laza lalutshisa. Abanye abazalwana babanjwa kuba babenoncwadi olwayekiswayo, kodwa bakhawuleza bakhululwa. *

Nakuba wawuvaliwe umsebenzi, amaNgqina aqhubeka eshumayela. UPauline Cole wathi: “Omnye umzalwana owayesebenza enqanaweni eyayihlala isiza kuthi, waqhubeka esithumelela iikopi zeMboniselo. Thina ke sasithatha  ezi zalo mzalwana sitayipe ezinye iikopi eziza kusetyenziswe kwiintlanganiso. Sasiprinta namaphetshana anemixholo yeBhayibhile size siwahambisele abantu. Kwaye abazalwana baqhubeka benikela iintetho zesidlangalala bedlala neentetho ezirekhodiweyo zikaMzalwan’ uRutherford, ngokukodwa ezilalini.”

Nangona ezi nzame zazincinane, zazisikelelwa nguYehova. UJames Jarrett, ekudala engumdala novulindlela okhethekileyo, ubalisa athi: “Ebudeni bemfazwe, ndandingumxonxi wamatye, xa omnye udade okhulileyo wandihambisela incwadana ethi, Refugees. Ndaba nomdla kulo mxholo kuba babebaninzi abantu ababephambukele eFreetown. Ngobo busuku ndayifunda yonke le ncwadana ibe ndayibona ukuba yinyaniso. Ngentsasa elandelayo ndakhangela la dade ndaza ndacela iikopi ukuze ndinike abantakwethu abathathu. Sobane sayamkela inyaniso.”

Ekupheleni kwemfazwe ngo-1945 iBandla laseFreetown lalinabavakalisi abayi-32. Abavakalisi bahlala bethembekile kwaye beshumayela. Babekulungele ukutyhalela phambili.

NgoAgasti 29, 1945, kwiNtlanganiso Yenkonzo, iBandla laseFreetown laxubusha ngephulo elitsha elalibhalwe kwi-Informant (ngoku ebizwa ngokuba buBulungiseleli Bethu BoBukumkani) yangoDisemba 1944. Kwakufuneka bandla ngalinye limeme abantu beze kwiintlanganiso ezine “kuzo zonke izixeko, iidolophu neelali” ezikwintsimi yalo. Ntlanganiso nganye yayinentetho ethath’ iyure eyayinikelwa ngumzalwana (oneminyaka eyi-18 okanye ngaphezulu) obeqhuba kakuhle kwiSikolo Sobulungiseleli Sobuthixo. Emva kwezi ntlanganiso zine, abazalwana babedibanisa amaqela ukuze bawafundise iBhayibhile kuze kuncedwe abo banomdla kuloo mmandla.

 Bathini abavakalisi ngale ndlela intsha yokwenza izinto? Ngezantsi, kukho oko bakuthethayo kwiNtlanganiso yabo Yenkonzo:

Usihlalo: “Singalenza njani eli phulo bazalwana?”

UMzalwana Wokuqala: “Asinakulindela ukuba liza kuphumelela njengaseMerika. Abantu abafani.”

UMzalwana Wesibini: “Nam ndiyavumelana nalo mzalwana.”

UMzalwana Wesithathu: “Kutheni singalizami nje?”

UMzalwana Wesine: “Kodwa ziza kubakho iingxaki.”

UMzalwana Wesihlanu: “Sekunjalo sifanele silandele ulwalathiso oluvela kwintlangano kaYehova.”

UMzalwana Wesithandathu: “Kweli lethu ilizwe, andiqondi ukuba singaphumelela.”

UDade Wokuqala: “Sekunjalo i-Informant inolwalathiso olucacileyo ngalo mba. Makhe sizame lona!”

Baluzama ke. Ukususela kunxweme lwaseFreetown ukuya kuthi ga eBo ekumzantsi-mpuma weKabala, abazalwana babebambela iintlanganiso ezikolweni, kwiindawo zemarike nasemakhayeni abantu. Oku kwalinceda lakhuthala nangakumbi ibandla, ibe “ilizwi likaYehova laqhubeka likhula yaye lisasazeka.”—IZe. 12:24.

Abazalwana babesafuna ukuqeqeshwa. Kwaye uYehova wenza kanye loo nto.