I-INDONESIA
Ngizothanda Ukuqala La!
U-Alexander MacGillivray, inceku yegatsha lase-Australia, wayehambahamba ehhovisi lakhe ejulile ngemicabango. Kwase kuyizinsuku elwa nenkinga ethile, ekugcineni walithola ikhambi. Manje kwase kudingeka akhulume noFrank Rice.
UFrank, i-colporteur (iphayona), elalikwazi ukumelana nobunzima, lineminyaka engu-28, wayesenamasonto ambalwa esehhovisi legatsha. Iqiniso wayelithole esemncane, ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho wayeseqala umsebenzi wama-colporteur. Wachitha iminyaka engaphezu kweyishumi eshumayela engxenyeni enkulu ye-Australia, ehamba ngehhashi, ibhayisekili, isithuthuthu nomahamba-nendlwana. Ngemva kokuhlala isikhashana eBethel, uFrank wayesekulungele ukuya esabelweni sakhe esisha.
UMfoweth’ uMacGillivray wabizela uFrank ehhovisi lakhe, wamkhombisa iziqhingi ezisenyakatho ye-Australia ebalazweni. Wayesethi: “Frank, ungathanda ukuvula umsebenzi wokushumayela lapha? Akukho muntu oshumayela kuzo zonke lezi ziqhingi!”
UFrank wakhangwa iziqhingi ezazibenyezela kuyi-Indian Ocean—iNetherlands East Indies (manje ebizwa ngokuthi i-Indonesia). * Kulezi ziqhingi kwakunezigidi zabantu ezazingakazizwa izindaba ezinhle zoMbuso kaNkulunkulu. Ekhomba inhloko-dolobha iBatavia (manje ebizwa ngokuthi iJakarta), uFrank wathi: “Ngizothanda ukuqala la!”
Ukushumayela EJava
Ngo-1931, uFrank Rice wafika eJakarta, idolobha elikhulu eliphithizelayo elisesiqhingini saseJava. Waqasha ikamelo eduze kwedolobha, waligcwalisa ngamabhokisi ezincwadi zeBhayibheli, okwamangaza umama ayeqashe kuye.
UFrank Rice noClem Deschamp eJakarta
UFrank uyakhumbula: “Ekuqaleni ngazizwa ngilahlekile, ngikhumbula nasekhaya. Abantu babehla benyuka begqoke amasudi abo amhlophe apholile nezigqoko zelanga, mina ngimfoma ngenxa yezingubo ezifudumele zase-Australia. Ngangingakwazi ukukhuluma isiDashi noma isi-Indonesia. Ngemva kokucela isiqondiso kuJehova, ngacabanga ukuthi kungenzeka bakhona abantu abakhuluma isiNgisi ezindaweni zamabhizinisi. Yilapho ngaqala ukushumayela khona—futhi yeka insimu ethelayo!”
Njengoba iningi labantu baseJakarta babekhuluma isiDashi, uFrank wazikhandla ukuze asifunde, ngokushesha waqala ukushumayela endlini ngendlu. Washumayeza nabantu abakhuluma isi-Indonesia, naso wasifunda kancane kancane. UFrank uthi: “Inkinga yayiwukuthi ngangingenazo izincwadi zesi-Indonesia. UJehova wabe esengiqondisa kuthisha okhuluma isi-Indonesia owalithanda iqiniso futhi wavuma ukuhumusha incwajana ethi Bakuphi Abafileyo? Ziningi izincwajana ezalandela, ngokushesha abantu abaningi abakhuluma isi-Indonesia baba nesithakazelo eqinisweni.”
Ngo-November 1931, kwafika amanye amaphayona amabili eJakarta evela e-Australia, uClem Deschamp, owayeneminyaka engu-25 noBill Hunter owayeneminyaka engu-19. Bafika nendlu yamaphayona enamasondo—umahamba-nendlwana. Yayiphakathi kwezokuqala ezaba khona e-Indonesia. Ngemva kokufunda amagama ambalwa esiDashi, baqala uhambo lokushumayela emadolobheni amakhulu aseJava.
UCharles Harris wayeshumayela ngebhayisekili nangomahamba-nendlwana
Ngemva kokufika kukaClem noBill kwalandela uCharles Harris, elinye iphayona lase-Australia. Kusukela ngo-1935, uCharles wahlanganisa ingxenye enkulu yeJava ehamba ngomahamba-nendlwana nebhayisekili, ehambisa izincwadi ngezilimi ezinhlanu: isi-Arabhu, isiShayina, isiDashi, isiNgisi nesi-Indonesia. Ngeminye iminyaka wayeye ahambise izincwadi ezingu-17 000.
Inani lezincwadi ezazihanjiswa uCharles lenza abantu abaningi baqaphela okuthile. Elinye iphoyisa eJakarta labuza uClem Deschamp: “Bangaki abantu benu abasebenza eMpumalanga Java?”
“Munye kuphela,” kuphendula uMfoweth’ uDeschamp.
“Ayikho leyo nto!” kusho iphoyisa. “Kubonakala sengathi kunezindimbane zabantu abasebenza laphaya, ngibona indlela izincwadi zenu ezisakazeke ngayo yonke indawo!”
Ukuze amaphayona akuqala afinyelele abantu abaningi ngangokunokwenzeka, ayengahlali ndawonye. UBill Hunter wathi: “Sasisisebenza sonke isiqhingi, sikhulume nabantu sidlule.” Ngokwenza kanjalo ahlwanyela imbewu eningi yeqiniso okwathi kamuva yathela kakhulu.—UmSh. 11:6; 1 Kor. 3:6.
Izindaba Ezinhle Zifika ESumatra
Ngo-1936, amaphayona aseJava axoxa ngokuthi kungashunyayelwa kanjani eSumatra—eyisiqhingi sesithupha ngobukhulu emhlabeni. Lesi siqhingi sihlukaniswe inkabazwe, sinamadolobha amakhulu, izitshalo, amaxhaphozi namahlathi amakhulu.
Amaphayona avumelana ngokuthi kuhambe uFrank Rice, ngakho ahlanganiselana imadlana yokuba ahambe. Ngemva nje kwalokho, uFrank wafika eMedan, eNyakatho Sumatra, ephethe izikhwama zakhe ezimbili zokushumayela, amabhokisi angu-40 ezincwadi, enemadlana engatheni ephaketheni. Wayenokholo. Wavele wakhwela emsebenzini, eqiniseka ukuthi uJehova uzomnikeza ayekudinga ukuze afeze isabelo sakhe.—Math. 6:33.
Ngesonto lokugcina eshumayela eMedan, uFrank watholana nomlisa ongumDashi onomusa owamngenisa endlini wamenzela ikhofi. Watshela lo mlisa ukuthi udinga imoto azoshumayela ngayo izindaba ezinhle kuso sonke isiqhingi. Ekhomba imoto efile eyayisegcekeni lakhe, lo mlisa wathi: “Uma ungayikhanda, ungayithatha ngama-guilder ayikhulu.” *
“Anginayo imali engako,” kusho uFrank.
Lo mlisa wagqolozela uFrank, wambuza: “Ufuna ngempela ukushumayela kulo lonke elaseSumatra.”
“Yebo,” kuphendula uFrank.
“Kulungile, uma uzoyikhanda, ungayithatha,” kusho lo mlisa. “Uma uthola imali, ungabuye ungikhokhele.”
UFrank wayikhanda imoto, ngokushesha yayisihamba. Kamuva wabhala: “Ngemoto egcwele izincwadi nethangi eligcwele uphethiloli, yimi lowaya ngiyoshumayeza abantu baseSumatra, ngithembele ngokugcwele kuJehova.”
UHenry Cockman noJean noClem Deschamp eSumatra ngo-1940
Ngemva konyaka, eseshumayele kuso sonke isiqhingi, uFrank wabuyela eJakarta. Wafike wadayisa imoto ngama-guilder ayikhulu wayesethumela imali kumDashi eMedan.
Emasontweni ambalwa kamuva, uFrank wathola incwadi evela e-Australia emyisa esabelweni esisha lapho ayezophayona khona. Wapakisha izikhwama zakhe masinyane wayeselibangisa e-Indochina (manje ebizwa ngokuthi iCambodia, iLaos neVietnam) eyovula khona umsebenzi wokushumayela.
