Somupoteri, Ndakawana Ruramisiro Yechokwadi

Sezvo Kwakanga Kuchiri Kutonhora Uye Kwakanga Kune Sinou Pasi, Ndakapfeka Bhachi Rinodziya. Ipapo Ndakamedza Musanganiswa Wechinhu Chiri Chose Chine Chepfu Chandaigona Kuwana Muwandirapu, Kubatanidza Mishonga Yokuchenesa Nayo (carbon tetrachloride). Ndakaenda Kucharles River Mucambridge, Massachusetts, Ndichikarira Kuti Ndaizofira Ikoko. Panzvimbo Porufu, Zvose Zvandakawana Nokuda Kwokupererwa Nezano Kwangu Akanga Ari Mazuva Mashanu Ndiri Muchikamu Chavanorwara Zvikuru Chechipatara. Chii Chakanga Chanditungamirira Kumwero Wokupererwa Nezano Rose Wakadaro? Ngatidzokerei Kumavambo Angu.

Ndakaberekerwa muJaffa, Palestine, muna 1932, ndiri muParestina wechiGiriki. Ndakarerwa murudzidziso rweGreek Orthodox, uko kwaireva shanyo dzevhiki nevhiki kuchechi nokuzvinyima zvokudya apo kwaidikanwa. Asi wakanga uri muitiro usina revo kwandiri.

Vabereki vangu vakanga vakapfuma kwazvo, sezvo mhuri yedu yakanga ine kambani huru yokugovera zvokudya nezvinwiwa. Pazera ramakore gumi, ndakatumirwa kuFriends’ Boarding School muRamallah uye ipapo kuSt. George’s Anglican School muJerusalem. Chapashure chakandiorora zvikuru—kwaiva navadzidzi vemigariro yechiKristu, chiArab, uye chiJudha vose vachifunda pamwe chete murugare rwakaganhurirwa. Chikoro chacho chaidzidzisa kuyanana, tsika dzakanaka, uye unyoro. Asi chikoro chacho nezvomene zvakanga zviri zvinhu zviviri zvakasiana.

Mukati mohuhwana hwangu, rwisano yavagari vemo yakanga iri chinhu chakarovedzeka, navaJudha, vaArab, namaBritish vachirwisana nguva dzose. Somwana muduku, ndakapupurira kuuraiwa kwomunhu kunze kwemba yedu. Nguva zhinji vabereki vangu vaiwanzopona napaburi retsono. Ipapo Hondo yeNyika II yakaita Haifa, guta rechiteshi chengarava, chipfuro chokubhomba kweGermany—rufu rwakawanda noruparadziko.

Nokuguma kwechiremera cheBritain paParestina kwaiuya muna May 1948, rwisano yavagari vemo yakawedzera. Muna July 1946 King David Hotel, yakakurumbira zvikurusa yeJerusalem, yakabhombwa. Chiverengero chavakafa chakanga chisingasaruri—maArab 41, maBritish 28, maJudha 17, uye vamwe vashanu. Mhuri yedu yakasarudza kutiza nyonganyonga yacho. Muusiku humwe takatamira kuCyprus, uko Amai vakanga vane hama dzokunyama. Baba vakasiya bhizimisi ravo nezvimwe zvinhu zvavo zvakasiana-siana.

Izvi zvinoitika zvakaumba zvimiro zvangu zvendangariro zvapakuvamba. Pazera ramakore 16 okukura, ndaifarira zvamatongerwe enyika uye kurava mapepanhau zuva nezuva kuti ndirambe ndichivambirana nezvinoitika. Mutungamiriri weEgypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, akanga ari chidhori changu. Akanetesa pesvedzero yokumwe munyika yake.

Muna 1950 mhuri yedu yakatamira kuUnited States. Hondo yeKorea yakanga ichifambira mberi, uye ndaida kuita rutivi rwangu nokuda kwenyika yakanga yaponesa vabereki vangu mumugariro unodzvinyirira. Ndakazvipira kuMauto Anofamba neNdege, uko ndakasimukira kusvika kunzvimbo yomukuru wehondo. Zvisinei, handina kutongosvika kuKorea—kunze bedzi kwenzvimbo yamauto yakanga iri paOmaha, Nebraska.

Muchinji Pachikoro Chouzivi hwaMwari

Pashure pokusunungurwa kwangu muMauto Anofamba neNdege, ndakaenda kuYunivhesiti yeTexas uye ipapo kuYunivhesiti yeOhio, uko ndakawana dhigirii mune zvokuchengetedza pfuma. Ndakanga ndichitaura zvakananga zvikuru pamusoro pokusaruramisira muMiddle East uye ndakatokokwa kuzodzidzisa pamusoro penhau yacho. Purofesa weEpiscopal, Dr. David Anderson, uyo akandinzwa ndichitaura, akakarakadza kuti ndibvume kuripirwa mari yokudzidza kuEpiscopal Theological School muBoston nokuda kwokupfuuridzira zvidzidzo zvekosi. Sezvo ndisina kubvumirana negadziriro yokubhadharwa yavafundisi, ndakanga ndisina vavariro yokuva mufundisi. Kunyanguvezvo, muna 1958, ndakagamuchirwa pachikoro chacho.

Kosi yokufunda yakabatanidza kushanda mumasangano ane chokuita nendangariro pamwe chete navafundisi. Rutivi rwechikoro rune chokuita nezvoumwari nedzidzo rwakanga ruchifadza zvikuru, asi ndaida kuona chiito chikuru neruramisiro munyika. Naizvozvo ndakaumba boka rechiito rokuchinja rainzi “Zita Rake Rakaziviswa Pakati Pamarudzi.” Ndaida kuti chikoro chiite chiito. Ndaida kutevera Jesu, kwete kuraibhurari, asi kunyika.

Zvisinei, ndakakurumidza kuona kuti chinjo dzangu dzakakarakadzwa dzakanga dzisingazoshandiswi. Pakupedzisira, ndakakumbirwa kusiya chikoro chacho. Panenge panguva ino ndakadanana nomumwe mukadzi muduku akanga ari kuguma kwokutsvaka kwangu munhu wandaigona kugoverana naye nguva yangu yemberi. Ndakarangarira kuti takanga takakodzerana zvikuru. Ipapo ndakawana kuti akanga asingawirirani nokunzwa kwangu. Kuramba kwakamwe kamwe kwakanga kuchikurira. Chakanga chiri chikonzero chokupedzisira chakatungamirira kukuedza kwandakaita kuzviuraya.

Basa Somudzidzisi

Pashure penhambo yokugadzikana, ndakapinda New York Yunivhesiti yeColumbia kundoronda kosi yokudzidzisa zvine chokuita namagariro apasi nenhau. Mukati menguva iyi yose, ndakanga ndichiri kutsvaka chandakadana kuti chiKristu chaichoicho chinoshanda. Kudzidzisa kwangu kwakandiendesa kuSouth Glens Falls, New York. Ikoko chinjo huru yakaitika muupenyu hwangu. Ndakasangana nomudzidzisi anonzi Georgia, uyo akava mudzimai wangu neshamwari muna 1964.

Ndakanga ndichiri wezvamatongerwe enyika zvikuru uye ndaitevera kutaura kwaSenator James Fulbright, uyo akataura mukurwisana nehondo muVietnam. Iniwo ndakanga ndichirwisana nehondo iyoyo. Kushamisika kukuru kwakauya norufu rwaPurezidhendi John F. Kennedy muna November 1963. Ndakatapurwa zvikuru zvokuti ndakapinda mariro ake muWashington.

Kutsvaka Kwangu chiKristu

Muna 1966 takatamira kuLong Island, New York, uko ndakaita basa rokudzidzisa paNorthport High School. Ndaiitira hanya zvikuru pamusoro pezvinoitika zvenyika—yakanga iri nhambo yokushandiswa zvikuru kwemirimo, zvikwata zvinopandukira, mapoka aisimbisa kuzvipira kuna Jesu Kristu. Ndakapinda boka ravanokurudzira kuzvipira ndokuona kuti ivowo vakanga vachitadza kuziva shoko rechokwadi rechiKristu, vachiisa simbiso huru pamirangariro kupfuura pachiito. Pane imwe nhambo ndakatonzwa mushumiri weEpiscopal achireverera hondo muVietnam. Ndakavamba kufunga kuti vamwe vasingadaviri kuvapo kwaMwari vaiva vanhu vari nani kupfuura vanhu vanoenda kuchechi.

Ndakarasikirwa nokutenda kwangu Mwari asi kwete mukukosha kwezvamatongerwe enyika kweMharidzo yaJesu yapaGomo. Kwandiri akagura muitiro woruvengo nedzidziso yake, uye ndakaona ikoko sechigadzikiso kuchinetso cheMiddle East. Ndakaedza rudzidziso rwakawanda kwazvo—Katurike, Salvation Army, Baptist, Pentecostal—asi nguva dzose ndichibuda nokunzwa kusina maturo kwokuti vakanga vasiri kushandisa chiKristu chamaKristu apakuvamba. Ipapo, muna 1974, ndakasangana nomutarisiri wokutengeswa kwenzvimbo akachinja upenyu hwangu.

Zita rake rakanga riri Frank Born. Ndakanga ndichimusvika pamusoro penzvimbo yokutenga. Mukufambira mberi kwekurukurirano, akabudisa Bhaibheri. Nokukurumidza ndakariramba, ndichiti: “Haungagoni kuwana munhu upi noupi anorarama mukuwirirana nenheyo idzodzo.” Iye akapindura, kuti: “Handei, uzvionere paHoro yoUmambo yeZvapupu zvaJehovha.” Asi ndaida kuti apindure mibvunzo mikuru ndisati ndashanyira Horo yake yoUmambo.

Wokutanga: “Mune mufundisi anobhadharwa here?” Mhinduro yake yaiva, yokuti: “Aiwa. Vakuru vedu vose vazvipiri vanozvitsigira vamene nemhuri dzavo kupfurikidza nebasa ravo rokunyika.” Mubvunzo wangu unotevera waiva wokuti: “Munosangana mumisha sezvaiita maKristu apakuvamba kuti vafunde Bhaibheri here?” Mhinduro yakanga iri: “Hungu. Tine musangano wevhiki nevhiki mumisha mumativi akasiana-siana enharaunda.” Mubvunzo wangu wechitatu unofanira kuva wakaratidzika kuva usiri wechienzi kwaari. “Chechi yenyu inotumira mushumiri kuzvinoitika zvokugadzwa kwamapurezidhendi kuti anyengeterere purezidhendi here?” Frank akapindura, kuti: “Hatitsigiri nhau dzose dzezvamatongerwe enyika uye hatitori rutivi. Tinovimba noUmambo hwaMwari samanyuko bedzi kuzvinetso zvinotambudza rudzi rwomunhu nhasi.”

Ndaisagona kudavira zvandakanga ndichinzwa. Ndaisagona kumira kunoona uko aya maKristu aisangana. Chii chandakawana? Kwete kudzorwa nemirangariro asi kusvika kune mufungo kuBhaibheri. Misangano yavo yakanga ichidzidzisa, ichikwanirisa vanhu kutsanangura nokudzivirira kutenda kwavo kwechiKristu. Rakanga riri boka rinoshanda, rinobva pakati pavanhu kundotsvaka avo vanoshuva kutonga kwakarurama kwaMwari. Heino mhinduro yangu kuchinetso cheMiddle East—vanhu vamarudzi ose, mitauro, uye tsika vakabatanidzwa mukunamata kune rugare kwaChangamire Ishe wechisiko chose, Jehovha Mwari. Uye kwose ikoku kuri mukuwirirana nomuenzaniso nokudzidzisa kwaKristu. Pano pakanga pasina ruvengo nekakavadzano. Rugare bedzi nechinzwano.

Ndakava Chapupu chakabhapatidzwa muna 1975, uye Georgia akanditevera munhano iyoyo makore mashanu gare gare. Tine vanakomana vaviri, Robert naJohn, vari kuzivisa nokushingaira mashoko akanaka oUmambo hwaMwari.

Zvimiro Zvendangariro Zvakachinja

Kwamakore apfuura zvimiro zvangu zvendangariro zvakapfaviswa. Kare, ndakanga ndiri murwi akasimba ndisina tsitsi nokuda kwavamwe. Kufanana namamirioni mazhinji zvikuru, kufunga kwangu kwakanga kwapesvedzerwa norudzidziso rwenhema nezvamatongerwe enyika. Zvino ndinoona kuti Mwari haasati achisarura uye kuti vanhu vane mwoyo yakatendeseka vamarudzi ose vanogona kumubatira murugare nechinzwano.

Munzvimbo dzeZvapupu zvaJehovha, ndakawana vanhu vane migariro yose yekare isingadaviriki, vanhu vaichimbovenga vamwe. Zvino, kufanana neni, vakaziva kuti Mwari rudo zvirokwazvo, uye ndicho chimwe chezvinhu izvo Jesu akauya kuzotidzidzisa. Iye akati: “Ndinokupai murairo mutsva, wokuti mudane; sezvandakakudai imi, nemi mudanewo saizvozvo. Vose vachaziva naizvozvi kuti muri vadzidzi vangu, kana muno rudo pakati penyu.” (Johane 13:34, 35)—Yakataurwa naConstantine Louisidis.

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Constantine Louisidis wamakore gumi okukura achipinda Friends’ Boys School

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Kushamisika kukuru kwakauya norufu rwaPurezidhendi John F. Kennedy