NJENGOBA amagagasi asolwandle i-Atlantic eshayiseka emkhunjini owawulibangise eYurophu, omunye wabagibeli, uGeorge Young, wayejabula njengoba ecabanga ngomsebenzi ayewenzile eBrazil. * Nokho, njengoba uhambo luqhubeka, uMfoweth’ uYoung wabe esecabanga ngesabelo sakhe esisha—amasimu amakhulu okungakaze kushunyayelwe kuwo eSpain nasePortugal. Wayenethemba lakuthi lapho efika wayezohlela ukuba uMfoweth’ uJ. F. Rutherford anikeze izinkulumo ezisekelwe eBhayibhelini futhi kuhanjiswe amapheshana angu-300 000.

Lapho efika eLisbon ngentwasahlobo ka-1925, uMfoweth’ uYoung wazithela esimweni esingesihle. Kwakusanda kugumbuqelwa umbuso ngo-1910 okwaqeda ukubusa kwenkosi futhi kwabangela ukuba iSonto LobuKatolika lilahlekelwe amandla kulelo zwe. Abantu bathola inkululeko kodwa kwaqhubeka kunezimpi zombango ezweni.

Njengoba uMfoweth’ uYoung ayenza amalungiselelo enkulumo kaMfoweth’ uRutherford, izwe labuswa amasosha ngenxa yokuthi kwakunabantu ababezama ukugumbuqela umbuso. Unobhala wenhlangano yeBhayibheli yaseBrithani Naphesheya kwezilwandle waxwayisa uMfoweth’ uYoung ngokuthi uzophikiswa kakhulu. Noma kunjalo, uMfoweth’ uYoung wacela imvume yokusebenzisa igumbi lokuzivocavoca laseCamões Secondary School futhi wayithola.

Wafika umhla ka-13 Meyi—usuku lwenkulumo kaMfoweth’ uRutherford. Kwakunelukuluku elikhulu! Kwakunezikhangiso ezazibekwe ezindongeni zamabhilidi nezazisemaphephandabeni ezazimemezela inkulumo yomphakathi eyayinesihloko esithi “Indlela Yokuphila Emhlabeni Phakade.” Ngokushesha abaphikisi benkolo banyathelisa isihloko ephephandabeni labo esasixwayisa abafundi balo “ngabaprofethi bamanga” ababesanda kufika. Emnyango wegumbi lokuzivocavoca abaphikisi banika abantu izinkulungwane zezincwajana ezazigxeka inkulumo kaMfoweth’ uRutherford.

Noma kunjalo abantu abangaba ngu-2 000 bethamela inkulumo, kodwa kwajikiswa abanye abangaba ngu-2 000 ngoba ihholo laligcwele phama. Ezinye izilaleli ezazimagange ukuzwa zazilenga ezitebhisini zentambo emaceleni egumbi lokuzivocavoca; abanye babehlezi phezu kwemishini yokuzivocavoca.

Kodwa kwaba khona ubuhixihixi. Abaphikisi baklabalasa baphula izihlalo. Noma kunjalo uMfoweth’ uRutherford waqhubeka ezolile futhi wagibela phezu kwetafula ukuze azwakale kahle. Lapho eqeda inkulumo yakhe—cishe phakathi mabili—abantu abangaphezu kuka-1 200 babhalisa amagama abo namakheli ukuze bakwazi ukuthola izincwadi ezisekelwe eBhayibhelini. Ngosuku olulandelayo, iphephandaba i-O Século lanyathelisa isihloko ngenkulumo kaMfoweth’ uRutherford.

 NgoSepthemba 1925, INqabayokulinda yesiPutukezi yaqala ukunyatheliswa ePortugal. (INqabayokulinda yesiPutukezi yayisinyatheliswa kakade eBrazil.) Cishe ngaleso sikhathi, uVirgílio Ferguson, umFundi weBhayibheli waseBrazil wenza izinhlelo zokuthuthela ePortugal ukuze asize ngomsebenzi wokushumayela. Ngaphambili wayeke wasebenza noMfoweth’ uYoung ehhovisi elincane legatsha labaFundi BeBhayibheli eBrazil. Kungakabiphi, uVirgílio nomkakhe uLizzie bahamba bayosebenza noMfoweth’ uYoung. Umfoweth’ uFerguson wafika ngesikhathi esihle ngoba uMfoweth’ uYoung wayesezohamba aye kwezinye izabelo zokushumayela kuhlanganise naseSoviet Union.

Lapho ibutho lempi libusa ngobushiqela ePortugal, ukuphikiswa kwanda kakhulu. Ngesibindi uMfoweth’ uFerguson wahlala kulelo zwe futhi wathatha izinyathelo zokuvikela iqembu elincane labaFundi beBhayibheli nelokuthuthukisa umsebenzi wabo. Wacela imvume yokuba imihlangano yenzelwe kwakhe. Ngo-Okthoba 1927, wayithola imvume.

Phakathi nonyaka wokuqala wombuso wobushiqela, abantu abangaba ngu-450 ePortugal bacela ukuthunyelelwa INqabayokulinda njalo ngenyanga. Ukwenezela kulokho, kusetshenziswa amapheshana nezincwajana, izwi leqiniso lasakazekela ezindaweni ezikude zombuso wasePortugal—e-Angola, e-Azores, eCape Verde, e-East Timor, eGoa, eMadeira, naseMozambique.

Ngasekupheleni kwawo-1920, umlimi othobekile wasePortugal uManuel da Silva Jordão waya eLisbon. Ngesikhathi ehlala eBrazil, wezwa inkulumo eyabekwa uMfoweth’ uYoung. Wabona ukuthi leli yiqiniso futhi wayezimisele ukusiza uMfoweth’ uFerguson akhulise umsebenzi wokushumayela. Ukuze enze lokho, uManuel wakhonza njenge-colporteur, noma iphayona elivamile. Njengoba ukunyatheliswa nokusakazwa kwezincwadi ezisekelwe eBhayibheli kwase kuhleleke kahle, ibandla elisha laseLisbon lachuma.

Ngo-1934, uMfowethu noDade Ferguson kwadingeka baphindele eBrazil. Noma kunjalo, imbewu yeqiniso yayitshaliwe. Phakathi nezinxushunxushu zeMpi Yombango YaseSpain neMpi Yezwe II, iqembu labazalwane abathembekile ePortugal lakwazi ukuhlala liqotho kuJehova. Nokho, okwesikhathi esithile intshiseko yaleli qembu yehla, kodwa ngo-1947 yavuseleleka lapho kufika isithunywa sevangeli sokuqala uJohn Cooke. Ngemva kwalokho inani labamemezeli boMbuso landa ngendlela ebabazekayo. Ngisho nalapho uhulumeni uvala imisebenzi yoFakazi BakaJehova ngo-1962, ukwanda kwaqhubeka. NgoDisemba 1974 lapho oFakazi BakaJehova beqashelwa ngokomthetho kulelo zwe, kwase kunabamemezeli abangaphezu kuka-13 000.

Namuhla abamemezeli abangaphezu kuka-50 000 bashumayela izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu ePortugal naseziqhingini eziningana okukhulunywa kuzo isiPutukezi kuhlanganise ne-Azores neMadeira. Kulaba bamemezeli kukhona abazukulu balabo abalalela inkulumo kaMfoweth’ uRutherford ngo-1925.

Siyambonga uJehova nabafowethu nodadewethu bangaleziya zikhathi abawenza ngesibindi umsebenzi ‘njengezinceku zikaKristu uJesu ezizweni.’—Rom. 15:15, 16.—Okuvela ezinqolobaneni zethu ePortugal.