Babembiza Ngokuba Ngu-“Bible” Brown

NGOXA wayesebenza kwiPanama Canal ngo-1907, uWilliam waphulaphula intetho kaIsaiah Richards onguMfundi weBhayibhile, njengoko amaNgqina kaYehova ayebizwa njalo. Intetho kaRichards yayisekelwe kwi-“Chart of the Ages,” isicangca esisetyenziselwa ukucacisa iinjongo zikaThixo. UWilliam wakhawuleza wayamkela inyaniso ibe wabuyela eJamaica ukuze aye kuncokola ngayo nomama wakhe nodadewabo. Ekuhambeni kwexesha nabo baba ngaBafundi BeBhayibhile.

Kangangexesha elithile, uMzalwan’ uBrown wakhonza kwisiXeko sasePanama. Apho wadibana noEvander J. Coward, ummeli ohambahambayo waBafundi BeBhayibhile owayetyelele ePanama eze kunikela iintetho. UCoward wayesisithethi esiphum’ izandla ibe abantu babethontelana ukuya kumphulaphula. Xa wabona ukuba uWilliam wayenenzondelelo ngenyaniso, wamcela ukuba ahambe naye baye kushumayela eTrinidad.

Ngaphezu kweminyaka elishumi, uWilliam watyelela iWest Indies, enguvulindlela ibe esomeleza amaqela amancinane. Ngo-1920, watshata noAntonia udade ongumKristu othembekileyo. Emva kweentsuku ezimbini betshatile, uWilliam noAntonia baya kwisiqithi esincinane saseMontserrat, kwiZiqithi zeLeeward bephethe i-“Photo-Drama of Creation”—iifilimu ezine ezisekelwe eBhayibhileni. Bashumayela nakwiziqithi zaseBarbados, eDominica, naseGrenada. Iintsuku zabo zokuqala betshatile bazichithela enkonzweni kaYehova.

Kwiminyaka emibini kamva uWilliam wabhalela uJoseph F. Rutherford, owayevelela umsebenzi wabantu bakaYehova ngelo xesha esithi: “Ngoncedo lukaYehova ndishumayele ndaza ndenza abafundi abaninzi kwiZiqithi zeCaribbean. Ngaba ndifanele ndibuyele kubo?” Kwiintsuku ezingephi, uMzalwan’ uRutherford waphendula: “Qhubeka wena nenkosikazi nomntwana niye eSierra Leone, kwiNtshona Afrika.”

Ebudeni beminyaka eyi-27 uMzalwan’ uBrown ekhonza nentsapho yakhe kwiNtshona Afrika, zange akuthande ukuhlala eofisini. Wayethanda ukuphuma aye entsimini. Ngenxa yokuba wayebalaselisa ukubaluleka kweBhayibhile, abantu bambiza ngokuba ngu-“Bible” Brown.

Ngo-1950, xa wayeneminyaka eyi-71, uWilliam Brown nenkosikazi yakhe babuyela eJamaica baba ngoovulindlela. UWilliam waba nguvulindlela de wagqiba ubomi bakhe basemhlabeni ngo-1967. Wayebuthanda gqitha ubuvulindlela! Wayevakalelwa kukuba eli lelona lungelo likhethekileyo umntu anokuba nalo.