Imihlangano yobuKristu yaba negalelo elikhulu ekuqiniseni ukholo lwababesanda kuhlanganyela. Eqinisweni amaKristu ayesanda kubhapathizwa ayezimisele njengalawo ayesenesikhathi ebhapathiziwe ukuvula imizi yawo ukuba isetshenziselwe imihlangano. Bonke ababebakhona babemukelwa ngemfudumalo futhi lokho kwaqinisa uthando lwabo.

Lapho sekunabafundi abaningana asebekulungele ukubhapathizwa, kwakuhlelwa imihlangano ekhethekile ngokuqapha. Ngo-August 1973, abazalwane bahlela  umhlangano onjalo ngaphandle kweSokhumi, eduze kogu loLwandle Olumnyama. Kodwa labo bamemezeli abangu-35 ababange besabhapathizwa! Ngaphambi kokuba umhlangano uphele kwafika amaphoyisa abopha abazalwane nodade abathile kuhlanganise noVladimir Gladyuk.

Lapho uVladimir nabanye abazalwane bededelwa, baphinde baxhumana nababezobhapathizwa. Ekugcineni, ngemva kwezinsuku ezimbili umhlangano uphazamisekile, abamemezeli babhapathizwa. UVladimir uyakhumbula: “Sabona ukuthi uJehova wayesisekela. Ngemva kobhapathizo, sathandaza ndawonye sibonga uJehova.”

Ezinsukwini ezimbili ngemva kwalolo bhapathizo uVladimir Gladyuk waphinde waboshwa. Kamuva, yena no-Itta Sudarenko kanye noNatela Chargeishvili baboshwa futhi bagwetshwa iminyaka ethile. Nakuba lokhu kwabaphatha kabi abamemezeli, bazimisela ukuqhubeka nenkonzo kodwa ngokukhulu ukuqapha.

Ukuze bagweme ukuzidonsela amehlo eziphathimandla, abamemezeli babengashumayeli lapho behlala khona kodwa kwezinye izindawo. Ngenxa yalokho, ukuphikiswa kwasiza ekusakazeni izindaba ezinhle nakwezinye izindawo.

Phakathi nokubusa kwamaKhomanisi, abamemezeli abahlala emadolobheni amakhulu babefakaza emigwaqweni ethule nasemapaki. Babevame ukuhlangana nabantu abavela kwamanye amadolobha bezovakashela izihlobo noma bezothenga okuthile. Uma umuntu ebonisa isithakazelo, ummemezeli wayecela ikheli lakhe bese ehlela ukuba baphinde bahlangane.

 UBabutsa Jejelava ungomunye walabo ababehambela izindawo eziningi entshonalanga yeGeorgia. Uyakhumbula: “Ngenxa yokuthi nganginezihlobo ezindaweni ezihlukahlukene, akekho owayekuxwaya ukuhamba kwami njalo. Ngemva kweminyaka emibili, ngase ngiqhuba izifundo zeBhayibheli nabantu abangaphezu kuka-20 eZugdidi nabahlanu edolobheni laseChkhorotsku. Bonke babhapathizwa.”

Ngokushesha kwabonakala ukuthi kwakunesidingo esiphuthumayo sezincwadi zesiGeorgia. Lapho benza izimpindelo noma beqhuba izifundo zeBhayibheli, abamemezeli babona isidingo sokuba namaBhayibheli nezincwadi ezisekelwe eBhayibhelini ngolimi abafundi ababezoluqonda kangcono. *

UBabutsa ukhumbula ukuthi kwakunzima kanjani ukuqhuba isifundo ungenazo izincwadi zesiGeorgia. Uthi, “NgangineBhayibheli nezinye izincwadi zesiRashiya kuphela, ngakho ngokuvamile lokho esasikufunda kwakudingeka ngikuhumushele labo engangibafundisa.” Esizwa yisichazamazwi nje kuphela, wahumushela izihloko zomagazini olimini lwesiGeorgia. Wakwazi ngisho nokuhumusha lonke iVangeli LikaMathewu!

Abathakazelayo bazithanda izihloko ezihunyushelwe olimini lwabo kangangokuba babezimisele ukuzikopishela zona ngesandla. Ngenxa yokuthi kwakunzima ukuthola amaBhayibheli, abanye abafundi beBhayibheli baba ‘abakopishi’ beZwi likaNkulunkulu.

Izincwadi ezihunyushelwe olimini lwesiGeorgia zazidluliselwa kwabanye abazalwane nabathakazelayo ukuze bonke bashintshane ngokuzifunda. Ngamunye wayenikwa izinsukwana noma amasonto ukuze afunde incwadi ethile. Ngakho lapho abazalwane bethola ikhophi yemiBhalo YesiGreki ngolimi lwesimanje lwesiGeorgia, omunye umkhaya wazimisela ukulikopisha.

URaul Karchava wayeneminyaka engu-13 nje kuphela lapho uyise emcela ukuba akopishe imiBhalo YesiGreki. Uthi: “Ubaba wangithengela ibhokisi eligcwele ama-note book nezinhlobo ezihlukahlukene zamapeni ukuze angikhuthaze. Kwabonakala kuwumqansa kodwa ngavuma ukukwenza. Ngalikopisha usuku lonke, ngiphumula kuphela uma ngilula izandla.”

 Izihlobo zikaRaul zajabula kakhulu lapho zizwa ukuthi abazalwane babevumile ukubashiyela le ncwadi efunwa kangaka ukuze uRaul omncane aqede umsebenzi wakhe okhandlayo. Ngemva kwezinyanga ezimbili nje kuphela, wayesezikopishe zonke izincwadi ezingu-27 zemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki!

Naphezu kwaleyo mizamo yabakopishi abazikhandlayo, alanelisekanga iphango labafundi beBhayibheli ababeqhubeka banda. Ukuze banelise leso sidingo esiphuthumayo, abazalwane nodade abanesibindi baqala ukwenza izincwadi emakhaya abo nokuzisakaza.

Umsebenzi wokushumayela wawanda entshonalanga yeGeorgia. Kodwa kuthiwani ngengxenye esempumalanga yezwe? Wayekhona yini umuntu eTbilisi inhloko-dolobha  yezwe, owayengasiza abantu abaqotho abafuna iqiniso abanjengoVaso Kveniashvili esikhulume ngaye ekuqaleni?

Phakathi nawo-1970, izikhulu zeSoviet zazama ukudikibalisa oFakazi ngokubaxosha emakhaya abo ezindaweni eziningi. Ilokho okwenzeka ku-Oleksii noLydia Kurdas, umbhangqwana wase-Ukraine owathuthela eTbilisi. Bachitha iminyaka eminingi emajele eSoviet ngenxa yokholo lwabo.

AbakwaKurdas badlulisela iqiniso kuZaur no-Eteri Kessaev, ababengabantu abayithanda kakhulu inkolo. Indodakazi yabo uLarisa, eyayineminyaka engu-15 ngaleso sikhathi, ixoxa ngalokho okwenzeka lapho beqala ukubonana no-Oleksii noLydia: “Sazama ukubabonisa ukuthi isonto lobu-Orthodox laliwukuphela kwenkolo yeqiniso. Ngemva kwezingxoxo eziningana, saphelelwa esasingabaphikisa ngakho kodwa bona baqhubeka nokubonisana nathi ngemiBhalo.”

ULarisa uyaqhubeka: “Lapho siya esontweni, ngangihlale ngifunda iMithetho Eyishumi eyayibhalwe odongeni phakathi kwezithombe ezimbili esasizikhulekela. Kodwa ngosuku u-Oleksii asifundela ngalo u-Eksodusi 20:4, 5, ngamangala. Ngalobo busuku angizange ngibuthi quthu, ngangilokhu ngicabanga, ‘Kambe kungaba yiqiniso ngempela yini ukuthi uma sikhulekela izithombe sisuke siphula umyalo kaNkulunkulu?’”

Ezimisele ukuthola impendulo, ekuseni ngakusasa uLarisa wagijima waya esontweni waphinde wawufunda lo mthetho, “Ungazenzeli umfanekiso oqoshiwe . . . Ungazikhothameli.” Wayeqala ngqa ekuphileni kwakhe ukuqonda incazelo yalo myalo waphezulu. ULarisa nabazali bakhe  babhapathizwa futhi baba phakathi koFakazi bokuqala eTbilisi.

Ngemva kweminyaka ecishe ibe ngu-20 aqala ukwazi iqiniso, uVaso Kveniashvilli wahlangana nomuntu owayeya emihlanganweni yoFakazi BakaJehova eTbilisi. UVaso wayejabule kakhulu ngokuphinde ahlangane noFakazi. Wayeselinde isikhathi eside.

Nokho, ekuqaleni oFakazi babemathintanyawo ukuzihlanganisa naye ngoba uVaso kwakwaziwa ukuthi wayeyisigebengu. Abanye babesaba nokuthi mhlawumbe uyimpimpi yeSoviet. Ngakho, kwaphela iminyaka emine uVaso engavunyelwe ukuya emihlanganweni yobuKristu.

Lapho sebebona ukuthi uVaso wayenezinhloso ezinhle, bamvumela ukuba abe yingxenye yebandla futhi abhapathizwe. Ekugcineni uVaso wayezokwazi ukusondela  ‘kuNkulunkulu wokwahlulela’ ayelokhu emfuna kusukela ebusheni bakhe! (Isaya 30:18) Wakhonza uJehova ngaleso simo sengqondo esingashintshi kwaze kwaba sekufeni kwakhe ngo-2014.

Umsebenzi wokushumayela wawusuqhubeka kahle kokubili entshonalanga nasempumalanga yeGeorgia ngo-1990. Kwakunabamemezeli abangaba ngu-900 ababeqhuba izifundo zeBhayibheli ezingu-942. Sase sibekiwe isisekelo sokwanda okukhulu okwakuzolandela.