NDAKANGA ndatova nechido chekuziva chokwadi cheBhaibheri. Amai vangu vakanga vawana mabhuku anotsanangura Bhaibheri, uye ndaifarira zvaivamo, kunyanya mifananidzo yacho. Baba vaisada kuti amai vandiudze zvavaidzidza. Zvisinei, ndaida kuziva zvavaidzidza uye ndaibvunza mibvunzo, saka amai vaindidzidzisa kana baba vasipo pamba. Izvi zvakaita kuti ndizosarudzawo kutsaurira upenyu hwangu kuna Jehovha. Ndakabhabhatidzirwa mutaundi reBlackpool, muEngland, muna 1943 ndiine makore 10.

Kubva panguva iyoyo, ini naamai taigara tichiita ushumiri pamwe chete. Kuti titange kutaura nevanhu mashoko eBhaibheri, taishandisa magiramufomu. Ainge akakura uye airema makirogiramu anenge 4,5. Chimbofungidzira ndiri kamukomana kadiki ndichitamburira kutakura giramufomu rakakura kudaro!

Pandakazosvitsa makore 14, ndakanga ndava kutoda zvekupayona. Amai vakati ndaifanira kutanga ndataura nemuranda kune hama (uyo ava kunzi mutariri wedunhu). Akandikurudzira kuti  ndidzidze basa raizoita kuti ndikwanise kuzviriritira pandinenge ndichipayona. Saka ndizvo zvandakaita. Pashure pekushanda kwemakore maviri, ndakataura nemumwe mutariri wedunhu nezvenyaya yekupayona. Akanditi, “Hapana chekumirira!”

Saka muna April 1949, ini naamai takatengesa uye takapa vamwe midziyo yataiva nayo muimba yatairenda ndokutamira kuMiddleton, pedyo neManchester, kwatakatanga kupayona. Pashure pemwedzi 4, ndakasarudza hama yandaizopayona nayo. Hofisi yebazi yakati taigona kutamira kuungano yakanga ichangobva kutangwa muIrlam. Amai vaipayona neimwe hanzvadzi mune imwe ungano.

Kunyange zvazvo ndaingova nemakore 17 chete, ini nehama yandaipayona nayo takapiwa basa rekuitisa misangano nekuti muungano yacho maingova nehama shomanana dzaikwanisa kuitisa misangano. Pava paya, ndakanzi ndiende kuungano yeBuxton, iyo yaiva nevaparidzi vashomanana uye yaida rubatsiro. Izvozvo zvakaita kuti ndigadzirire kuzoita mabasa aiva mberi.

Muna 1951, ndakanyorera kuti ndipinde Chikoro cheBhaibheri cheWatchtower cheGiriyedhi. Asi muna December 1952, ndakabva ndashevedzwa kuti ndipinde muchiuto. Ndakakumbira kuti ndisapinda muchiuto ndichitsanangura kuti ndaiva mushumiri wenguva yakazara, asi dare redzimhosva harina kubvuma chikumbiro  changu, uye rakabva randitongera kugara mujeri kwemwedzi 6. Pandaiva mujeri, ndakagamuchira tsamba yaindikoka kuti ndipinde kirasi yechi22 yeGiriyedhi. Saka, muna July 1953, ndakakwira ngarava yainzi Georgic, ndokunanga kuNew York.

Pandakasvika kuNew York, ndakakwanisa kupinda gungano ra1953 raiva nemusoro wekuti New World Society. Ndakabva ndaenda nechitima kuSouth Lansing, New York, kwaiva nechikoro chacho. Sezvo ndainge ndichangobva mujeri, ndaingova netumari tushoma. Pandakaburuka muchitima, ndakakwira bhazi kuti ndisvike kuSouth Lansing, uye ndakatokumbira 25c yebhazi kune mumwe munhu aivamo.

Chikoro cheGiriyedhi chakatibatsira chaizvo kuti ‘tive zvinhu zvose kuvanhu vemarudzi ose’ mubasa reumishinari. (1 VaK. 9:22) Ini, Paul Bruun, naRaymond Leach takanzi tiende kuPhilippines. Takamirira kwemwedzi inoverengeka kuti tiwane mavhiza. Takazoenda nengarava, tichipfuura nekuRotterdam, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Indian Ocean, Malaysia, uye Hong Kong. Takaita mazuva 47 tiri mugungwa! Takazosvika kuManila musi wa19 November, 1954.

Takabva tatanga kuchinja kuti tijairane nevanhu vatsva, nzvimbo itsva, uye kunyange mutauro mutsva. Zvisinei, tose tiri vatatu takatanga kupinda neungano yaiva muQuezon City, maiva nevanhu vakawanda vaitaura Chirungu. Saka pashure pemwedzi 6, taingoziva mashoko mashomanana echiTagalog. Basa ratakazopiwa rakatibatsira kuti tikunde dambudziko iroro.

Rimwe zuva muna May 1955 tichibva kuushumiri, ini naHama Leach takasvika tikaona mumba medu muine tsamba. Takanzi tiende kunoshanda sevatariri vematunhu. Ndaingova nemakore 22 chete, asi basa iri rakandipa mimwe mikana ‘yekuva zvinhu zvose kuvanhu vemarudzi ose.’

Semuenzaniso, hurukuro yangu yekutanga semutariri wedunhu ndakaipira panze, pamberi pechitoro. Ndakazoziva kuti mazuva iwayo muPhilippines hurukuro yavose yaipiwa paruzhinji. Pandaishanyira ungano dzaiva mudunhu racho, ndaipa hurukuro mumisika, panhandare dzemutambo webasketball, mumapaki nedzimwe nzvimbo dzaiwanika vanhu, uye kakawanda kacho pamakona emigwagwa. Pane imwe nguva muguta reSan Pablo, mvura yakatsvotsvoma zvekuti ndakatadza kupa hurukuro pamusika, saka ndakataura nehama dzaitungamirira kuti ndipe hurukuro yacho muImba yeUmambo. Pakapera hurukuro, hama dzakabvunza kuti dzaifanira kuishuma semusangano wavose here, sezvo hurukuro yacho isina kupiwa paruzhinji!

Taigara mudzimba dzehama. Kunyange zvazvo dzimba dzacho dzakanga dzisingashamisiri, dzaigara dzakachena. Ndaiwanzorara pameti. Taigezera panze, saka ndakadzidza kugezera pachena asi ndisina kushama. Ndaifamba nemajeepney nemabhazi, uye dzimwe nguva pandaienda kune zvimwe zvitsuwa, ndaienda nebhoti. Mumakore ese andashumira Mwari, handina kumbobvira ndava nemotokari.

Kuita basa rekuparidza uye kushanyira ungano kwakandibatsira kuti ndidzidze chiTagalog. Handina kumboita kosi yemutauro wacho, asi ndaiudzidza nekuteerera hama dzichitaura muushumiri uye pamisangano. Hama dzaida kundibatsira kudzidza, uye ndinotenda kuti dzaiva nemwoyo murefu uye dzaindiudza zvinhu sezvazviri.

Nekufamba kwenguva, mabasa matsva akaita kuti ndive nezvimwe zvinhu zvandaifanira kuchinja. Pakauya Hama Nathan Knorr muna 1956, ndakapiwa basa rekutaura nevatori venhau pagungano rakaitwa muPhilippines.  Ndakanga ndisina ruzivo nezvebasa racho, saka vamwe vakandidzidzisa. Pasina gore, rimwe gungano rakarongwa uye Hama Frederick Franz vakashanya kubva kumahofisi edu makuru. Pandaishanda semutariri wegungano, ndakadzidza chimwe chinhu kubva pachido chaiva naHama Franz chekuchinja kuti vaite zvinoitwa nevanhu vemuPhilippines. Hama dzeko dzakafara padzakaona Hama Franz vakapfeka hembe inowanzopfekwa kuPhilippines inonzi barong Tagalog pavakanga vachipa hurukuro.

Pandakava mutariri weruwa, ndakaona kuti ndaifanira kuchinja kuti ndijairane nezvakanga zvavapo. Panguva iyoyo, tairatidza vanhu firimu rainzi The Happiness of the New World Society, kakawanda kacho tichivaratidzira panze munzvimbo dzinowanikwa vanhu vakawanda. Dzimwe nguva, taioneswa nhamo netupukanana. Twaifarira chiedza chaibuda mupurojekita, uye twaipinda mupurojekita yacho twobva twatadza kubuda. Raiva basa chairo kuzotubvisa mupurojekita! Zvaisava nyore kuronga kuti vanhu vaone firimu racho, asi zvaifadza kuona vanhu vachifarira kuziva nezvesangano raJehovha.

Mapristi echechi yeRoma aiudza vehurumende kuti vasatipa mapemiti ekuita magungano. Aiedzawo kuvhiringidza purogiramu yedu nekuridza bhero rechechi pese paipiwa hurukuro pedyo nemachechi avo. Kunyange zvakadaro, basa  rakaramba richifambira mberi, uye vakawanda vemunharaunda idzodzo vava vanamati vaJehovha.

Muna 1959, ndakagamuchira tsamba yaitaura kuti ndiende kunoshumira kuhofisi yebazi. Ikoko ndakadzidza zvimwe zvinhu zvakawanda. Nekufamba kwenguva, ndakakumbirwa kuti ndipote ndichishanyira dzimwe nyika. Pane imwe nguva yandaishanya, ndakasangana naJanet Dumond, mumishinari aiva muThailand. Takaita nguva tichinyorerana tsamba ndokuzochata. Tava nemakore 51 tichinakidzwa nekushumira pamwe chete semurume nemudzimai.

Ndakava neropafadzo yekushanyira vanhu vaJehovha munyika 33. Ndinotenda chaizvo kuti mabasa andakatanga kuita akandibatsira kuti ndizokwanisa kushanda zvakanaka nevanhu vakasiyana-siyana! Kushanya uku kwakandibatsira kuti ndione kuti Jehovha anoda vanhu vemarudzi ose.​—Mab. 10:34, 35.

Tinofara chaizvo kushumira pamwe chete nehama dzedu muPhilippines! Kubva pandakatanga kushumira kuno kusvika iye zvino, nhamba yevaparidzi yawedzera zvakapetwa ka10. Ini naJanet tichiri kushumira pahofisi yebazi yePhilippines iri muguta reQuezon. Kunyange zvazvo ndava nemakore anopfuura 60 ndichishumira mune imwe nyika, ndichiri kufanira kugara ndakagadzirira kuchinja kuti ndiite basa randinenge ndapiwa naJehovha. Nemhaka yekuchinja kwaita zvinhu musangano raJehovha munguva pfupi yapfuura tinofanira kugara takagadzirira kuchinjawo.

Tange tichiedza nepatinogona napo kuteerera mirayiridzo inobva kuna Jehovha, uye izvozvo zviri kuita kuti tirarame upenyu hunogutsa. Takaedzawo kuchinja zvimwe zvinhu kuti tishumire hama dzedu zvakanaka. Chokwadi, takatsunga kuva “zvinhu zvose kuvanhu vemarudzi ose,” chero bedzi Jehovha achiri kutibvumira kuti tidaro.