KOMA ndinali nditayamba kale kuchita chidwi ndi mfundo za m’Baibulo. Mayi anga ankalandira mabuku othandiza kuphunzira Baibulo ndipo ine ndinkakonda kwambiri mabukuwo, makamaka zithunzi zake. Bambo sankafuna kuti mayi azindiphunzitsa Baibulo. Koma ndinali ndi mafunso ambiri choncho bambo akachoka, mayi ankandiphunzitsa. Ndiyeno mu 1943, ndili ndi zaka 10, ndinabatizidwa ku Blackpool ku England.

Kungoyambira nthawi imeneyo, ine ndi mayi tinkakonda kulowa mu utumiki. Tinkagwiritsa ntchito magalamafoni ndipo ankakhala akuluakulu komanso olemera kwambiri. Ena mpaka ankalemera makilogalamu 4.5. Komabe ineyo ngakhale kuti ndinali mwana, ndinkanyamula magalamafoniwa.

Ndili ndi zaka 14 ndinkafuna kuyamba upainiya. Mayi anandiuza kuti ndilankhule ndi mtumiki wadera. Koma iye anandiuza kuti zingakhale bwino nditaphunzira kaye ntchito inayake yamanja kuti ndizidzatha kupeza kandalama kondithandiza. Ndinachitadi zimenezo. Nditagwira ntchito kwa zaka ziwiri, ndinafunsanso mtumiki wadera wina ndipo anandiuza kuti: “Ungathe kuyamba upainiya.”

 Choncho mu April 1949 ine ndi mayi tinagulitsa katundu wam’nyumba mwathu ndipo wina tinangopatsa anthu. Titatero tinasamukira ku Middleton pafupi ndi mzinda wa Manchester n’kuyamba upainiya. Patatha miyezi 4 ndinasankha m’bale wina kuti ndizichita naye upainiya. Ofesi ya nthambi inatiuza kuti tisamukire ku mpingo wina wa ku Irlam womwe unali utangoyamba kumene. Koma mayi ndi mlongo wina ankachita upainiya mumpingo wina.

Ngakhale kuti ndinali ndi zaka 17 zokha, ine ndi mnzanga uja tinapatsidwa udindo woti tizichititsa misonkhano ya mpingo chifukwa mu mpingowo munalibe abale audindo okwanira. Kenako ananditumiza ku mpingo wa Buxton komwe kunali ofalitsa ochepa ndipo kunkafunika thandizo. Ndimaona kuti zonsezi zinandithandiza kukonzekera maudindo a m’tsogolo.

Mu 1951 ndinalemba fomu yopempha kuti ndipite ku Sukulu ya Giliyadi. Koma mu December 1952 ndinaitanidwa kuti ndikalowe usilikali. Ndinayesa kudziteteza ponena kuti ndine mtumiki wa nthawi zonse. Koma akhoti anakana ndipo anagamula kuti ndikakhale kundende miyezi 6. Ndili kundendeko ndinalandira kalata yoti ndikalowe kalasi ya nambala 22 ya Sukulu ya Giliyadi. Choncho mu July 1953 ndinakwera sitima yapamadzi, ulendo wopita ku New York ku sukuluyi.

 Nditafika ndinali ndi mwayi wokhala nawo pamsonkhano waukulu wa mutu wakuti, Anthu a Dziko Latsopano. Kenako ndinakwera sitima yapamtunda kupita ku South Lansing kumene kunkachitikira sukuluyi. Koma popeza ndinali nditangotuluka kumene kundende, ndinalibe ndalama zokwanira. Choncho nditatsika sitima ndinachita kubwereka ndalama kwa munthu wina kuti ndiwonjezere thiransipoti yokwerera basi.

Ku Sukulu ya Giliyadi tinaphunzira zinthu zambiri zimene zinatithandiza kuti ‘tikhale zinthu zonse kwa anthu osiyanasiyana,’ pochita utumiki wa umishonale. (1 Akor. 9:22) Titamaliza sukuluyi, ineyo, Paul Bruun ndi Raymond Leach anatiuza kuti tipite ku Philippines. Tinayembekezera kwa miyezi ingapo kuti tipeze ziphaso zoyendera. Kenako tinauyamba ulendo wa panyanja. Tinakwera sitima yopita ku Rotterdam, ndipo tinadzera kunyanja ya Mediterranean, kudutsa ku Suez Canal kukafika kunyanja ya India. Kuchoka pamenepa tinafika ku Malaysia kenako ku Hong Kong. Pamapeto pake tinafika ku Manila pa 19 November, 1954 moti tinayenda panyanja kwa masiku 47.

Tinkafunika kusintha kuti tizolowere chikhalidwe chatsopano, dziko lachilendo komanso kuti tiphunzire chinenero. Koma tonse atatu anatiika mumpingo wina wa mumzinda wa Quezon komwe anthu ambiri ankalankhula Chingelezi. Choncho panatha miyezi 6 tikungodziwa mawu ochepa chabe achitagalogi. Koma utumiki wathu wotsatira unatithandiza kuthetsa vutoli.

Tsiku lina mu May 1955 titangofika kuchokera mu utumiki, ineyo ndi M’bale Leach tinapeza makalata onena kuti taikidwa kukhala oyang’anira dera. Pa nthawiyo n’kuti ndili ndi zaka 22 zokha. Utumikiwu unandipatsa mwayi woti ‘ndikhale zinthu zonse kwa anthu osiyanasiyana’ m’njira zinanso.

Mwachitsanzo, ndinakamba nkhani yanga yoyamba yapoyera panja pa sitolo ina. Kenako ndinamva kuti ku Philippines ankaona kuti nkhani yapoyera inkayenera kukambidwa pabwalo. Ndikamayendera mipingo, ndinkakamba nkhani zapoyera m’malo ngati m’nyumba zikuluzikulu, m’misika, m’mabwalo a masewera, m’mapaki komanso m’mbali mwa misewu ikuluikulu. Nthawi ina ndili mumzinda wa San Pablo ndinalephera kukamba nkhani pamsika chifukwa cha mvula. Choncho ndinauza abale kuti tikakambire nkhaniyo mu Nyumba ya Ufumu. Pambuyo pake abale anafunsa ngati tingapereke lipoti loti pakambidwa nkhani yapoyera popeza sinakambidwe poyera.

Nthawi zonse ndinkakhala m’nyumba za abale. Abalewa analibe zinthu zambiri koma nyumba zawo zinali zaukhondo. Nthawi zambiri ndinkagona pamkeka ndipo pansi pa nyumbazi pankakhala pa matabwa. Kunalibe mabafa moti ndinaphunzira kusamba panja. Ndikamapita pazilumba zina ndinkayenda pa basi kapena pa boti. Pa nthawi yonse imene ndakhala ndikuchita utumiki, sindinakhalepo ndi galimoto.

Kulalikira komanso kuchezera mipingo kunandithandiza kuti ndidziwe Chitagalogi. Sindinalowe m’kalasi yophunzitsa chinenerochi koma ndinaphunzira kwa abale, mu utumiki komanso pamisonkhano. Abale anandithandiza kwambiri ndipo ndimayamikira zimene ankandiuza.

Utumiki wina umene ndinapatsidwa unandithandiza kuti ndisinthenso zinthu zina. Mu 1956 M’bale Nathan Knorr atabwera ku Philippines ndinapemphedwa kuti ndizilankhula ndi atolankhani pamsonkhano.  Ndinali ndisanagwirepo ntchitoyi koma abale ena anandithandiza. Pasanathe chaka, tinakhalanso ndi msonkhano waukulu ndipo kunabwera M’bale Frederick Franz wochokera kulikulu. Ineyo ndinali woyang’anira msonkhano. Pamene M’bale Franz ankakamba nkhani yake, anavala zovala zomwe anthu a ku Philippines amakonda kuvala. Abale anasangalala kwambiri ndi zimenezi ndipo zinandiphunzitsa kuti ndiyenera kusintha kuti ndizigwirizana ndi anthu.

Nditakhala woyang’anira chigawo, ndinafunika kusinthanso zinthu zina. Pa nthawiyo tinkaonetsa filimu yakuti, Chimwemwe cha Anthu a Dziko Latsopano. Nthawi zina tinkaonetsa filimuyi panja choncho pankakhala tizilombo touluka tambirimbiri. Tizilomboti tinkatsatira kuwala ndipo tinkakakamira mupulojekita imene tinkagwiritsa ntchito. Chinali chintchito kuchotsa tizilomboti mupulojekitayo. Sizinali zophweka kuonetsa filimuyi koma tinkasangalala kuona mmene zinkathandizira anthu kudziwa gulu la Yehova.

Ansembe a Katolika ankaumiriza akuluakulu a boma kuti asatilole kuchita misonkhano yathu. Tikamachita msonkhano pafupi ndi matchalitchi awo, ankaimba belu pofuna kusokoneza msonkhanowo. Komabe ntchito yathu inapitiriza kuyenda bwino ndipo  anthu ambiri a m’madera amenewo anayamba kulambira Yehova.

Mu 1959 ndinalandira kalata yondiuza kuti ndikayambe kutumikira ku ofesi ya nthambi mumzinda wa Quezon. Kumenekunso ndinaphunzira zambiri. Patapita nthawi, ndinapemphedwa kuti ndiziyendera abale ndi alongo m’mayiko osiyanasiyana. Pa ulendo wina, ndinakumana ndi mlongo wina dzina lake Janet Dumond. Mlongoyu anali mmishonale ku Thailand. Tinayamba kulemberana makalata ndipo kenako tinakwatirana. Panopa tatumikira limodzi mosangalala kwa zaka 51.

Ndayenda m’mayiko okwana 33. Ndimasangalala kwambiri kuti utumiki umene ndinkachita poyamba paja unandithandiza kukonzekera kuti ndizichita zinthu bwino ndi anthu a mitundu yosiyanasiyana. Maulendo amene ndayenda andithandiza kudziwa zinthu za m’mayiko osiyanasiyana ndipo ndatsimikiza kuti Yehova amakonda anthu a mitundu yonse.—Mac. 10:34, 35.

Kunena zoona ndimasangalala kwambiri kutumikira limodzi ndi abale a ku Philippines kuno. Panopa chiwerengero cha ofalitsa chawonjezeka ka 10 tikayerekeza ndi mmene chinaliri pa nthawi imene ndinafika m’dzikoli. Ine ndi mkazi wanga tikupitirizabe kutumikira panthambi. Ngakhale kuti ndakhala ku Philippines kuno kwa zaka zoposa 60, ndimakhalabe wokonzeka kusintha kuti ndigwirizane ndi zimene Yehova akufuna. Komanso tikuona kuti tiyenera kukhala ololera kuti tizitha kuchita zinthu mogwirizana ndi kusintha kumene kwachitika posachedwapa m’gululi.

Timayesetsa kutsatira malangizo a Yehova ndipo izi zatithandiza kuti tizikhala mosangalala. Tikuyesetsanso kusintha zinthu zina ndi zina kuti tizitha kutumikira bwino abale athu. Cholinga chathu n’chakuti tikhale “zinthu zonse kwa anthu osiyanasiyana” pochita zilizonse zimene Yehova akufuna.