Ndili ndi zaka zitatu, bambo anga, amalume anga ndi agogo anga anagwidwa n’kupititsidwa kundende komwe ankawagwiritsa ntchito yakalavulagaga chifukwa chokana kulowelera ndale. Bambo anga okha ndi amene anabwerako ndi moyo. Iwo anabwera nkhondo yachiwiri ya padziko lonse itatha mu 1947, atathyoka msana. Ngakhale kuti iwo anali atavulala chonchi, anali olimbabe m’chikhulupiriro.

Ndili ndi zaka 9, banja lathu pamodzi ndi mabanja ambiri a Mboni a ku Moldova tinathamangitsidwa kupita ku Siberia. Pa 6 July 1949, tinakwezedwa m’magalimoto onyamulira ng’ombe. Tinayenda ulendo wa makilomita 6,400 kwa masiku 12 osapuma, kenako tinafika pasiteshoni ya sitima ya Lebyazhe. Akuluakulu a boma anali akutidikira. Anatigawa m’magulu ang’onoang’ono n’kutipititsa m’madera osiyanasiyana. Kagulu kathu kanapeza malo okhala pasukulu ina imene sinkagwiritsidwa ntchito. Tinali titatopa kwambiri komanso tinali osasangalala. Mayi wina wachikulire yemwe tinali naye limodzi anayamba kung’ung’udza nyimbo imene a Mboni za Yehova anapeka pa nthawi ya nkhondo yachiwiri ya padziko lonse. Pasanapite nthawi, gulu lonse linayamba kuimba nawo mawu a nyimboyo mosangalala. Mawu ake anali akuti:

“Abale athu ambiri anagwidwa n’kupita nawo kutali.

Anapita nawo kumpoto ndi kum’mawa.

Chifukwa chotumikira Mulungu, iwo anazunzidwa koopsa koma anapirira.”

Patapita nthawi tinayamba kusonkhana Lamlungu lililonse ndipo tinkayenda ulendo wa makilomita 13 kuti tikafike kumisonkhanoko. M’nyengo yozizira tinkalawirira m’bandakucha kukuzizira madigiri -40 ndipo tinkayenda movutikira. Tinalipo anthu oposa 50 ndipo tinkapanikizana m’kachipinda kakang’ono kwambiri. Tinkayamba ndi kuyimba nyimbo imodzi kapena ziwiri ndipo nthawi zina zinkakwana zitatu. Kenako wina ankapereka pemphero n’kuyamba kukambirana mafunso a m’Baibulo kwa ola limodzi kapena kuposerapo. Tikatero tinkaimbanso nyimbo kenako n’kukambirana mafunso ena. Zimenezi zinatithandiza kwambiri kuti tikhale ndi chikhulupiriro cholimba.

Pofika m’chaka cha 1960, Mboni zimene zinali m’mayiko ena zinayamba kupatsidwa ufulu. Ngakhale kuti tinali osauka, ndinkatha kupita kukacheza ku Moldova ndipo kumeneko ndinakumana ndi Nina, yemwe makolo ake komanso agogo ake anali a Mboni. Pasanapite nthawi tinakwatirana n’kubwerera ku Siberia komwe mwana wathu wamkazi, dzina lake Dina, anabadwira m’chaka cha 1964. Kenako mu 1966 mwana wathu wamwamuna dzina lake Viktor anabadwa. Patatha zaka ziwiri, tinasamukira ku Ukraine ndipo tinkakhala m’kanyumba kakang’ono m’mzinda wa Dzhankoy, womwe uli pamtunda wa makilomita 160 kuchokera ku Yalta, m’chigawo cha Crimea.

Mboni za Yehova za m’chigawo cha Crimea, zinali zisanalandire ufulu wochita zinthu zawo momasuka, ndipo  umu ndi mmene zinalilinso m’mayiko onse omwe anali pansi pa ulamuliro wa Soviet Union. Koma sikuti ankaletsedwa kulalikira ndi kusonkhana komanso sankazunzidwa kwenikweni. Zimenezi zinachititsa kuti abale ndi alongo ena ayambe kufooka mwauzimu. Anali ndi maganizo oti popeza anavutika kwambiri ku Siberia, tsopano inali nthawi yoti azigwira ntchito kwambiri kuti akhale ndi moyo wabwino.

Pa 27 March 1991, Mboni za Yehova zomwe zinali m’mayiko onse omwe anali pansi pa ulamuliro wa Soviet Union zinalandira ufulu. Nthawi yomweyo panakonzedwa kuti m’dzikolo muchitike misonkhano 7 ya masiku awiri. Ifeyo tinakonza zoti tipite ku msonkhano wa ku Odessa, ku Ukraine womwe unkayenera kudzayamba pa 24 August. Ine ndinapita kutatsala mwezi wathunthu kuti ndikathandize nawo kukonza sitediyamu yomwe msonkhanowu unali kudzachitikira.

Tinkagwira ntchito tsiku lonse ndipo tinkagona m’mabenchi a m’sitediyamumo. Azimayi anagawidwa m’magulu kuti aziyeretsa panja pa sitediyamu ndipo anachotsa zinyalala zambiri. Panalinso dipatimenti yoyang’anira za malo ogona a alendo okwana 15,000, omwe amayenera kubwera kuchokera m’mayiko osiyanasiyana. Dipatimentiyi inali ndi ntchito yaikulu yofufuza malo a anthu onsewa. Kenako tili mkati mokonzekera tinamva nkhani yokhumudwitsa.

Pa 19 August, yemwe anali pulezidenti wa USSR, dzina lake Mikhail Gorbachev, anamangidwa ali pa holide, mumzinda womwe unali pafupi ndi mzinda wa Odessa. Zimenezi zinachititsa kuti aletse msonkhano umene umayenera kuchitika pasitediyamuyo. Alendo anayamba kuimbira foni dipatimenti ya msonkhano n’kumawafunsa kuti: “Ndiye titani poti tagula kale matikiti a basi ndi sitima zobwera kumeneko?” Abale amene ankakonza za msonkhanowu atapempherera nkhaniyi, anangowauza kuti: “Bweranibe.”

Tinapitirizabe kukonzekera msonkhanowo kwinaku tikupemphera. Dipatimenti imene inkayang’anira za kayendedwe ka alendo inayamba kulandira alendowo n’kumakawatula kumene anawapezera malo okhala. Tsiku lililonse abale a m’komiti ya msonkhano ankapita kukaonana ndi akuluakulu a mzindawo kuti akakambirane koma pa masiku onsewo ankawakaniza kuchita msonkhano pasitediyamuyo.

Lachinayi pa 22 August, kutangotsala masiku awiri kuti msonkhanowo uchitike, abale a m’komiti ya msonkhano anakakambirananso ndi akuluakulu aja. Pa nthawi imeneyi anabwera ndi nkhani yosangalatsa. Akuluakuluwo anavomera kuti msonkhanowo ukhoza kuchitika. Pamene tinkaimba nyimbo yotsegulira msonkhanowo, tinali osangalala kwambiri. Pa tsiku loyamba msonkhanowo utatha, tinatsalira mpaka usiku tikucheza ndi anthu amene tinaonana nawo kalekale. Pamsonkhanowu panali Akhristu achikhulupiriro cholimba omwe anapirira mayesero ovuta kwambiri.

Padutsa zaka zoposa 22 chichitikireni msonkhano umenewu ndipo ntchito yathu yapita patsogolo kwambiri. Mwachitsanzo, Nyumba za Ufumu zamangidwa m’madera osiyanasiyana ku Ukraine. M’chaka cha 1991, ofalitsa Ufumu analipo 25,000 koma panopa ku Ukraine kuli ofalitsa oposa 150,000.

Panopa tikukhalabe m’kanyumba kathu ka ku Dzhankoy, mzinda womwe uli ndi anthu pafupifupi 40,000. Mmene tinkabwera kuchokera ku Siberia mu 1968, ku Dzhankoy kunali mabanja ochepa a Mboni koma panopa kuli mipingo yokwana 6.

Banja lathu lakulanso. Pali ana athu, ana awo ndiponso ana a ana awowo ndipo tonse tikutumikira limodzi Yehova.