“Unyoro Hwenyu Hunopfuura Upenyu”

Yakataurwa naCalvin H. Holmes

Akanga ari December wa1930, uye ndakanga ndichangopedza kukama mombe apo Baba vakauya kumusha vachibva kunoshanyira muvakidzani akanga ari pedyo. “Iri ibhuku randakwereteswa naVaWyman,” vakadaro sezvo vaibudisa bhuku rebhuruu muhomwe yavo. Rakanga rine musoro unoti Deliverance, rakabudiswa neWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Baba, avo vairava zvinhu nenguva iri kure, vakarava bhuku iroro kusvikira usiku chaihwo.

GARE GARE, Baba vakakwereta mamwe mabhuku, ane misoro yakadai saLight naReconciliation, akabudiswa nevabudisi vamwe chetevo. Vakawana Bhaibheri rekare raAmai uye vainonoka kurara usiku vachirava nechiedza cherambi reparafini. Kuchinja kukuru kwakaitika kuna Baba. Mwaka iwoyo wechando vakataura kwatiri kwemaawa—amai vangu, hanzvadzi dzangu nhatu, uye ini—sezvo taikomberedza chitofu chedu chekare chehuni.

Baba vakataura kuti vanhu vaibudisa mabhuku aya vainzi Vadzidzi veBhaibheri uye kuti, maererano navo, takanga tichirarama mu“mazuva okupedzisira.” (2 Timotio 3:1-5) Vakatsanangura kuti pasi raisazoparadzwa pakuguma kwenyika asi kuti muUmambo hwaMwari raizochinjwa kuva paradhiso. (2 Petro 3:5-7, 13; Zvakazarurwa 21:3, 4) Izvozvo zvakandifadza chaizvoizvo.

Baba vakatanga kutaura neni sezvataishanda pamwe chete. Ndinoyeuka kuti takanga tichifurura chibage apo vakatsanangura kuti zita raMwari ndiJehovha. (Pisarema 83:18) Nokudaro, muchirimo cha1931, pandakanga ndine makore 14 bedzi, ndakatsigira Jehovha noUmambo hwake. Ndakanyengetera kuna Jehovha ndiri mumunda wemaapuro wekare wakanga uri seri kweimba uye ndakavimbisa zvakakomba kuti ndaizomubatira nokusingaperi. Mwoyo wangu wakanga watosundwa nomutsa worudo waBaba vedu vanoshamisa.—Pisarema 63:3.

Taigara papurazi rakanga riri anenge makiromita 30 kubva paSt. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.A., uye asingasviki makiromita 65 kubva kuKansas City. Baba vakaberekerwa muimba yakavakwa nematanda iyo tateguru vangu vakanga vavaka papurazi racho mukuvamba kwezana remakore rechi19.

Kurovedzwa Nokuda Kwoushumiri

Muzhizha ra1931, mhuri yedu yakanzwa muredhiyo hurukuro yavose yaiti “Umambo, Tariro Yenyika,” iyo Joseph Rutherford, panguva iyoyo purezidhendi weWatch Tower Society, akapa pakokorodzano muColumbus, Ohio. Yakanyandura mwoyo wangu, uye ndakafadzwa kugoverana naBaba mukuparadzira kuvazivikanwi vedu bhukwana rakanga rine hurukuro iyi yavose inokosha.

Muchirimo cha1932, ndakapinda musangano wangu wokutanga weZvapupu zvaJehovha. Muvakidzani wedu akakoka Baba neni kuti tizonzwa hurukuro yakakurukurwa naGeorge Draper muSt. Joseph, mutariri anofambira weZvapupu zvaJehovha. Patakasvika, musangano wacho wakanga wava pakati, uye ndakawana nzvimbo yokugara mushure maJ. D. Dreyer akasimba, mukobvu, uyo akanga achizoita rutivi runokosha muupenyu hwangu.

Muna September 1933, ndakapinda gungano naBaba muKansas City, uko kwandakagoverana kokutanga mukuparidza pachena. Baba vakandipa mabhukwana matatu ndokundirayira kuti: “Ndiri mumwe weZvapupu zvaJehovha zviri kuparidza mashoko akanaka oUmambo hwaMwari. Pasina mubvunzo makanzwa Judge Rutherford muredhiyo. Hurukuro dzake dzinotepfenyurwa nenhepfenyuro dzinopfuura 300 vhiki imwe neimwe.” Ipapo ndakagovera bhukwana. Manheru iwayo, sezvandaikama mombe shure kwepurazi, ndakafunga kuti iri rakanga riri zuva rokuyeuka zvikurusa roupenyu hwangu.

Nokukurumidza mwaka wechando wakasvika, uye kwatiri kufamba kwakanga kwakaganhurirwa. Ipapo Hama Dreyer nomudzimai wavo vakashanya uye vakabvunza kana ndaida kuuya kumusha wavo manheru omusi weChitanhatu ndokurara. Kufamba makiromita gumi ndichienda kumusha kwavanaDreyer kwakanga kwakafanira zvikuru nhamburiko yacho nokuti ndakakwanisa kuvaperekedza muushumiri zuva rakatevera uye kupinda Fundo yeNharireyomurindi muSt. Joseph. Kubva ipapo, ndave ndisingawanzopotsa kugoverana muushumiri pamisi yeSvondo. Kurovedza kwaHama Dreyer nezano zvakabvumikisa kuva zvinokosha zvikuru.

Pakupedzisira, musi wa2 September 1935, ndakakwanisa kuratidzira kuzvitsaurira kwangu kuna Jehovha kupfurikidza nokubhabhatidzwa mumvura pagungano muKansas City.

Kutanga Kwebasa Roupenyu Hwose

Mukutanga kwa1936, ndakanyorera kuti ndibatire sapiyona, kana kuti mushumiri wenguva yakazara, uye ndakaiswa parudungwe rwaavo vaitsvaka wokupayona naye. Nokukurumidza pashure pezvo ndakagamuchira tsamba yaibva kuna Edward Stead wekuArvada, Wyoming. Akatsanangura kuti akanga asingagoni kubva pawiricheya uye aida kubetserwa kuti apayone. Ndakakurumidza kubvuma chikarakadzo chake uye ndakagadzwa kuva piyona musi waApril 18, 1936.

Ndisati ndaenda kunokumbanira Hama Stead, amai vangu vakataura neni ndiri ndoga. “Mwanakomana, une chokwadi chokuti izvi ndizvo zvaunoda kuita here?” vakabvunza kudaro.

“Pasina izvozvo upenyu hausati huchizova hwakafanira kurarama,” ndakapindura kudaro. Ndakanga ndasvika pakunzwisisa kuti mutsa worudo waJehovha unokosha zvikuru kupfuura chimwe chinhu chipi nechipi.

Kupayona naTed, sezvataidana Hama Stead, kwakanga kuri rovedzo yakaisvonaka. Vakanga vazere nokushingaira uye vakanga vane nzira inofadza yokupa nayo Shoko roUmambo. Zvisinei Ted aingogona kunyora nokutaura bedzi; mapfundo ake ose akanga akakuvadzwa nerheumatoid arthritis. Ndaikurumidza kumuka ndokumushambidza nokumuveura ndebvu, kugadzira chisvusvuro, uye kumudyisa. Ipapo ndaimupfekedza ndokumugadzirira nokuda kwebasa. Muzhizha iroro takapayona muWyoming neMontana, tichirara mumusasa usiku. Ted airara muimba chaiyo yakanga yakavakirwa murori yake duku, uye ini ndairara pasi. Gare gare gore iroro ndakatamira kumaodzanyemba kuti ndinopayona muTennessee, Arkansas, uye Mississippi.

Muna September 1937, ndakapinda kokorodzano yangu huru yokutanga muColumbus, Ohio. Ikoko kwakaitwa gadziriro dzokutungamirira basa rekuparidza nokushandiswa kwegiramufomu. Nguva imwe neimwe yataishandisa giramufomu taiidana kuti kugadzira. Mumwe mwedzi ndakava nokugadzira 500, uye vanhu vanopfuura 800 vakateerera. Pashure pokupupura mumataundi akawanda ekumabvazuva kweTennessee, Virginia, uye West Virginia, ndakakokwa kuti ndibatire sapiyona chaiye munzvimbo itsva, ndichishanda pamwe chete nemubatiri wezoni, sokudanwa kwaiitwa vatariri vanofambira panguva iyoyo.

Ndakashanyira ungano nemapoka ari oga muWest Virginia—ndichipedza mavhiki maviri kusvika kumana ndine imwe—uye ndaitungamirira muushumiri hwomumunda. Ipapo, muna January 1941, ndakagadzwa kuva mubatiri wezoni. Panguva iyoyo Amai nehanzvadzi dzangu nhatu—Clara, Lois, naRuth—vakanga vatsigira Umambo. Naizvozvo mhuri yedu yose yakapinda kokorodzano huru muSt. Louis pamwe chete zhizha iroro.

Nokukurumidza pashure pekokorodzano yacho, vabatiri vezoni vakaziviswa kuti basa rezoni raizoguma pakupera kwaNovember 1941. Mwedzi wakatevera United States yakapinda muHondo Yenyika II. Ndakagoverwa kubasa roupiyona chaihwo, iro raida kupedzera maawa 175 pamwedzi muushumiri.

Ropafadzo Chaidzo Dzebasa

Muna July 1942, ndakagamuchira tsamba yaibvunza kana ndaida kubatira kudzimwe nyika. Pashure pokunge ndabvuma, ndakakokwa kuBheteri, dzimbahwe renyika reZvapupu zvaJehovha, muBrooklyn, New York. Hama dzisina kuroora dzinenge 20 dzakadanwa nokuda kwerovedzo chaiyo panguva imwe cheteyo.

Nathan H. Knorr, purezidhendi wepanguva iyoyo weWatch Tower Society, akatsanangura kuti basa rekuparidza rakanga raderera uye kuti taizorovedzwa kusimbisa ungano mumudzimu. “Hatidi kungoziva bedzi zvinetso zviri muungano,” akadaro, “asi zvamakaita pamusoro pazvo.”

Pataiva paBheteri, Fred Franz, uyo akatsiva Hama Knorr sapurezidhendi muna 1977, akapa hurukuro yaakataura kuti: “Hondo Yenyika II ichaguma, uye basa guru rekuparidza richapararira. Pasina mubvunzo mamiriyoni achaunganidzirwa musangano raJehovha!” Hurukuro iyoyo yakachinja chose chose chiono changu. Patakagoverwa, ndakaziva kuti ndaifanira kushanyira ungano dzose dziri mumaruwa eTennessee neKentucky. Taidanwa kuti varanda vehama, kutaura kwakazochinjwa kukuva mutariri wedunhu.

Ndakatanga kubatira ungano musi waOctober 1, 1942 pandakanga ndichiri nemakore 25 bedzi. Panguva iyoyo kufamba netsoka kana kuti wakatasva bhiza kwakanga kuri nzira bedzi yokusvika nayo kudzimwe ungano. Dzimwe nguva ndairara mukamuri rimwe chetero nemhuri yaindipa pokugara.

Pandaibatira Ungano yeGreeneville muTennessee muna July 1943, ndakagamuchira kokero yekupinda kirasi yechipiri yeWatchtower Bible School of Gilead. PaGilead, ndakaziva zvinorehwa chaizvoizvo no“kuteerera zvikuru izvo zvatakanzwa” uye “[kubatira] Ishe nguva dzose.” (VaHebheru 2:1; 1 VaKorinte 15:58) Mwedzi mishanu yekosi yechikoro yakapfuura nokukurumidza, uye zuva rokupedza kudzidza rakasvika musi waJanuary 31, 1944.

Canada Uye Kupfuurira kuBelgium

Vakati kuti vedu takagoverwa kuCanada, uko kurambidzwa kwakanga kuchangobva kubviswa pabasa reZvapupu zvaJehovha. Ndakagoverwa kubasa rekufambira, iro raida kufukidza madaro makuru pakati pedzimwe ungano. Sezvandaifamba, ndaifara kunzwa zvakaitika zvokuti basa redu rekuparidza raiitwa sei munguva yekurambidzwa muCanada. (Mabasa 5:29) Vakawanda vaitaura nezveinonzi nhimbe iyo muusiku humwe, bhukwana rimwe rakaiswa mumisha inenge yose zvayo kubva kurutivi rumwe rweCanada kusvika kune rumwe. Akanga ari mashoko akanaka zvakadini muna May 1945 kuziva kuti hondo muEurope yakanga yapera!

Zhizha iroro, pandaibatira imwe ungano mutaundi duku reOsage, Saskatchewan, ndakagamuchira tsamba yaibva kuna Hama Knorr, yairava kuti: “Ndiri kutambanudzira kwauri ropafadzo yokuenda kuBelgium. . . . Kune basa rakawanda rinofanira kuitwa munyika iyoyo. Inyika yakasakadzwa nehondo, uye hama dzedu dzinoda kubetserwa, uye zvinoratidzika kuva zvakanaka kutumira mumwe munhu anobva kuAmerica kuti avape yamuro yakafanira nenyaradzo zvavanoda.” Ndakapindura nokukurumidza, ndichigamuchira mugove wacho.

Muna November 1945, ndakanga ndiri paBheteri yeBrooklyn ndichifunda chiFrench naCharles Eicher, hama yakura yekuAlsace. Ndakarovedzwawo nokukurumidza maitirwe ezvinhu zvebazu. Ndisati ndaenda kuEurope, ndakashanyira mhuri yangu neshamwari kwenguva pfupi muSt. Joseph, Missouri.

Musi waDecember 11, ndakabva muNew York ndiri muchikepe chinonzi Queen Elizabeth, uye mazuva mana gare gare ndakasvika muSouthampton, England. Ndakagara kwemwedzi mumwe pabazu reBritain, kwandakagamuchira rovedzo yokuwedzera. Pashure pezvo, musi waJanuary 15, 1946, ndakayambuka English Channel ndokubudira paOstend, Belgium. Kubva ipapo ndakaenda kuBrussels nechitima, uko mhuri yose yeBheteri yakasangana neni pachiteshi chechitima.

Basa Rakawedzerwa Pashure Pehondo

Mugove wangu wakanga uri wekutarisira basa roUmambo muBelgium, nepo ndakanga ndisingambogoni kutaura mutauro wacho. Muinenge mwedzi mitanhatu, ndakaziva chiFrench zvokugona kutaura. Yakanga iri ropafadzo kushanda pamwe nevanhu vakanga vaisa upenyu hwavo mungozi kuti vapfuuridzire basa rekuparidza mukati memakore mashanu okudzorwa nevaNazi. Vamwe vavo vakanga vachangobva kusunungurwa mumisasa yevasungwa.

Hama dzaidisa kuti basa rirongwe ndokudyisa avo vakanga vane nzara yechokwadi cheBhaibheri. Naizvozvo kwakaitwa gadziriro dzokuita magungano uye dzokuti vatariri vanofambira vashanyire ungano. Takavawo neshanyo dzinokurudzira dzaNathan Knorr, Milton Henschel, Fred Franz, Grant Suiter, uye John Booth—vose vakanga vari vamiririri vaibva kudzimbahwe reBrooklyn. Mumazuva iwayo epakuvamba, ndakabatira semutariri wedunhu, mutariri weruwa, uye mutariri webazu. Musi waDecember 6, 1952, pashure peanodokusvika makore manomwe ebasa muBelgium, ndakaroora Emilia Vanopslaugh, uyo aishandawo pabazu reBelgium.

Mwedzi mishomanene gare gare, musi waApril 11, 1953, ndakadanwa kukamba yemapurisa yemunharaunda ndokuziviswa kuti kuvapo kwangu kwakanga kune ngozi kuchengeteko yeBelgium. Ndakaenda kuLuxembourg kunomirira kukwirirwa kwenhau yangu kuDare reHurumende.

Muna February 1954 Dare reHurumende yeBelgium rakatsigira murayiro wokuti kuvapo kwangu kwakanga kune ngozi kunyika yacho. Ufakazi hwakapiwa hwakanga huri hwokuti kubva pandakasvika muBelgium, nhamba yeZvapupu munyika yacho yakanga yawedzera zvinoshamisa—kubva pa804 muna 1946 kusvika ku3 304 muna 1953—uye kuti, semugumisiro, chengeteko yeBelgium yakatyisidzirwa nokuti Zvapupu zviduku zvakawanda zvakanga zvichitsigira zvakasimba kusatora rutivi kwechiKristu. Nokudaro, Emilia neni takagoverwa kuSwitzerland, kwatakatanga kubatira mubasa redunhu muchikamu chinotaura chiFrench.

Chikoro Choushumiri hwoUmambo—chikoro chinopa rovedzo yakadzama kuvakuru vechiKristu—chakatangwa muna 1959 paSouth Lansing, New York. Ndakakokwa ikoko kuti ndirovedzwe kudzidzisa makirasi echikoro ichi muEurope. Pandakanga ndiri muUnited States, ndakashanyira mhuri yangu muSt. Joseph, Missouri. Ikoko ndakaona amai vangu vanodiwa kwenguva yokupedzisira. Vakafa muna January 1962; Baba vakanga vashaya muna June 1955.

Chikoro Choushumiri hwoUmambo muParis, France, chakatanga muna March 1961, uye Emilia akandiperekedza. Vatariri veruwa, vatariri vematunhu, vakuru veungano, uye mapiyona chaiwo vakauya kuchikoro chacho vachibva kuFrance, Belgium, uye Switzerland. Mukati memwedzi 14 yakatevera, ndakaitisa makirasi 12 ekosi iyi yechikoro chemavhiki mana. Gare gare, muna April 1962, takaziva kuti Emilia akanga ava nepamuviri.

Kuchinjira Kumamiriro Ezvinhu

Takadzokera kuGeneva, Switzerland, kwataiva nemvumo dzechigarire dzokugara. Zvisinei, zvakanga zvisiri nyore kuwana nzvimbo yokugara, nokuti kwakanga kune kushayikwa kukuru kwedzimba. Kuwana basa kwakanga kusiri nyorewo. Pakupedzisira ndakawana basa muchitoro chikuru chine madhipatimendi akasiyana-siyana pakati peguta reGeneva.

Ndakanga ndapedzera makore 26 muushumiri hwenguva yakazara, naizvozvo mamiriro edu ezvinhu akachinja aida chinjo dzakati. Mumakore 22 andakashanda muchitoro ndokubetsera kurera vanasikana vedu vaviri, Lois naEunice, nguva dzose mhuri yedu yaiisa zvinhu zvoUmambo pakutanga. (Mateo 6:33) Pashure pokurega kwangu basa rekunyika muna 1985, ndakatanga kubatira semutsivi wemutariri wedunhu.

Utano hwaEmilia hwave hwakaipa zvikuru, asi anoita zvaanogona muushumiri. Lois akabatira sapiyona kweanenge makore gumi. Chakanga chiri chiitiko chinofadza zvakadini mumudzimu kukwanisa kufarikanya naye kokorodzano iya inofadza zvikurusa yemarudzi akawanda muMoscow muzhizha ra1993! Nokukurumidza pashure pezvo, ari parwendo rwokuzorora muSenegal, Africa, Lois akarasikirwa noupenyu hwake paakanga achishambira mugungwa. Rudo nomutsa zvehama dzedu dzemuAfrica nevafundisi zvakanga zviri nyaradzo huru kwandiri pandakaenda kuSenegal kuti ndinotarisira kuviga. Ndinoshuva sei kuona Lois murumuko!—Johane 5:28, 29.

Ndinoonga kuti ndakafarikanya kwemakore anopfuura makumi mana tsigiro yokuvimbika yeshamwari ine rudo. Zvirokwazvo, pasinei zvapo nokuora mwoyo kwangu nezvinetso, mutsa worudo waJehovha wave uchifadza uye wave wakaita kuti upenyu huve hwakafanirwa nokurarama. Mwoyo wangu unosundwa kuzivisa pamusoro paMwari wedu, Jehovha, mumashoko ewezvemapisarema okuti: “Nokuti unyoro hwenyu hunokunda upenyu; miromo yangu ichakurumbidzai.”—Pisarema 63:3.

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Takatungamirira basa rekuparidza negiramufomu

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Vabereki vangu muna 1936

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Kupupurira mumugwagwa muBelgium muna 1948