UGEORGE wayephelelwe lithemba. Wayengakwazi ukondla intsapho yakhe. Kwangaxeshanye, abamelwane bakhe babegula, abanye besifa yindlala. Noko ke, amadlelo ayebonakala eluhlaza kwilizwe eliselumelwaneni. Wathi, ‘ndiza kufuduka ndiye kwelinye ilizwe, ndifune umsebenzi ndize ndibize nentsapho yam.’

NoPatricia wayenqwenela ukufudukela kwelinye ilizwe. Wayengaphangeli yaye amathuba okuphila ubomi obubhetele ayemfiliba kwilizwe lakhe. Yena kunye nomntu awayethandana naye bagqiba kwelokuba bemke eNigeria baye eAlgeria, ngelizama ukuya eSpeyin. Babengayiqondi indlela ekuyingozi ngayo ukunqumla iNtlango yeSahara. Uthi: “Ndandikhulelwe yaye ndifuna umntwana wam aphile ubomi obubhetele.”

URachel waya kukhangela amadlelo aluhlaza eYurophu. Wayesandul’ ukuphulukana nomsebenzi wakhe kwiPhilippines yaye izalamane zakhe zazisithi umsebenzi udlal’ abantwana phesheya. Ngoko, waboleka imali yokukhwela inqwelo moya, wathi ndlela-ntle kumyeni nakwintombi yakhe, esithi: “Siza kukhawuleza sibonane kwakhona.”

Kuqikelelwa ukuba bangaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-200 abantu abaye bafudukela kumazwe aphesheya kula mashumi eminyaka edluleyo. Nangona abanye beye bafuduka ngenxa yeemfazwe, iintlekele zemvelo nentshutshiso, uninzi luye lwafuduka ngenxa yemeko yezoqoqosho. Ziziphi iingxaki abajamelana nazo xa befika kwamanye amazwe? Ngaba bonke bayabufumana obu bomi bubhetele babufunayo? Abantwana bashiyeka besithini xa abazali befulathela ikhaya kuba bekhangela amadlelo aluhlaza? Khawuve ezi mpendulo zale mibuzo zilandelayo.

Iingxaki zabantu abafudukayo ziqala kwakuhambo lokuya kwelinye ilizwe. UGeorge ekuthethwe ngaye kwinqaku lokuqala, wahamba umgama omde enokutya nje okuncinci. Uthi: “Uhambo lwalunzima.” Abantu abaninzi abade bafike nalapho besiya khona.

UPatricia wayezimisele ukuya eSpeyin. Wanqumla iNtlango yeSahara ekhwele ngasemva elorini. Uthi: “Ukusuka eNigeria ukuya eAlgeria kwasithatha iveki yonke, yaye abantu abangama-25 babepakishene okweengxowa zeetapile ngasemva kuloo lori. Endleleni, sabona izidumbu ezininzi kunye nabantu ababebhadula kuloo ntlango belindele nje ukufa. Kuthiwa abanye abaqhubi beelori babahlisa endleleni baze babashiye apho abantu.”

Ngokwahlukileyo kuGeorge noPatricia, uRachel wakhwela inqwelo-moya waya eYurophu, apho wafika wafumana umsebenzi. Kodwa akazange ayiqonde indlela awayeza kuyikhumbula ngayo intombi yakhe eyayineminyaka emibini. Uthi: “Qho ndibona umama ephethe usana lwakhe, kwakuye kusike ngaphakathi.”

UGeorge wakha wasokola ukuqhelana nelizwe lakhe elitsha. Kwaqengqeleka iinyanga ngaphambi kokuba akwazi ukuthumela imali ekhaya. Uthi: “Ebusuku, ndandidla ngokulila ngenxa yokukhathazeka nokuba nesithukuthezi.”

Emva kweenyanga eziliqela eseAlgeria, uPatricia wada wafika kumda weMorocco. Uthi: “Kulapho ndabelekela khona usana lwam. Kwakufuneka ndizifihle kubantu abaxhwila amabhinqa asemzini baze bawenze oonongogo. Ekugqibeleni, ndade ndayifumana imali yokukhwela isikhephe esiya eSpeyin. Esi sikhephe sasiligxoko-gxoko ekwakungafanele kukhweliswe kulo abantu abaninzi kangako. Endleleni, kwakufuneka simane sikhupha amanzi ngezihlangu zethu! Ukufika kwethu eSpeyin, ndandingenawo namandla la okuhamba.”

Abo bacinga ngokufuduka abamele bacinge kuphela ngeengozi zokufuduka. Bakwafanele bacinge nangeengxaki ezinjengokufunda ulwimi namasiko elo lizwe, iindleko kunye nendlela ekunzima ngayo ukufumana iimpepha-mvume ezisemthethweni zokuhlala kwelinye ilizwe. Kuba nzima ukufumana umsebenzi obhadlileyo, izindlu ezisemgangathweni, imfundo kunye nonyango olusemgangathweni kwabo bangakwazanga ukufumana iimpepha ezisemthethweni. Kusenokuba nzima kubo ukufumana iimpepha zokuqhuba okanye ukuvula iakhawunti yebhanki. Abantu abangenazo iimpepha-mvume zokuhlala kwilizwe elithile badla ngokuxhatshazwa, mhlawumbi ngokusetyenziswa nzima baze bahlawulwe umvuzo omncinane.

Enye into ekufuneka sicingisise ngayo yimali. Iluncedo kangakanani? IBhayibhile ilumkisa ngala mazwi: “Musa ukuziqoba amandla ufunana nobutyebi. . . . Kaloku ubutyebi busuka buthi shwaka ngephanyazo; ungade ucinge ukuba busuke bantshula amaphiko  bantinga njengokhozi.” (IMizekeliso 23:4, 5, IBhayibhile yesiXhosa yowe-1996) Ukhumbule kwakhona ukuba ezona zinto zibalulekileyo sizidingayo—njengothando, ukuba noxolo, kunye nentsapho azithengwa ngemali. Kubuhlungu ukubona abazali besukela imali kangangokuba bade bangakhathalelani okanye bangabi nawo ‘umsa wemvelo’ ngabantwana babo!—2 Timoti 3:1-3.

Thina bantu kufuneka sikhonze uThixo. (Mateyu 5:3) Ngenxa yoko, abazali bafanele benze konke okusemandleni abo ukuze bafundise abantwana babo ngoThixo, iinjongo zakhe kunye nemithetho yakhe.—Efese 6:4.

Abantu abafudukela kwamanye amazwe behlelwa zizinto ezahlukahlukeneyo, kodwa ke zonke zinento ezifana ngayo, njengoko umzekelo kaGeorge, uRachel noPatricia ekuthethwe ngabo kumanqaku angaphambili ubonisa. Intsapho itsala nzima xa umzali, umyeni okanye inkosikazi ishiya iqabane layo, yaye kusenokudlula iminyaka emininzi ngaphambi kokuba baphinde babonane. Kwadlula iminyaka emine ngaphambi kokuba intsapho kaGeorge iphinde ibonane.

Ekugqibeleni uRachel wabuyela kwiiPhilippines ukuze aye kulanda intombi yakhe, emva kweminyaka emalunga nemihlanu engasayiboni. UPatricia wafika eSpeyin ephethe intombi yakhe. Uthi: “Nguye kuphela intsapho endinayo, ngoko ndizama kangangoko ukumkhulisa kakuhle.”

Abantu abaninzi bafika bawe bevuka bezama ukuphila kumazwe abafikele kuwo nangona besiba ngamalolo, basokole baze bachithe ixesha elide bengahlali neentsapho zabo. Ekubeni bencame into eninzi ukuze bafuduke, baye bangafuni ukubuyela ekhaya xa izinto zingabahambeli kakuhle, kuba besonqena ukuhlazeka nokuhlekwa.

Umntu owakwaziyo ukuzincama nguAllan wakwiiPhilippines. Wafumana umsebenzi ohlawula kakuhle eSpeyin, kodwa kwiinyanga ezili-18 kamva wabuyela ekhaya. Uthi: “Ndandikhumbula umfazi wam kunye nentombi yam. Ndagqiba kwelokuba andisoze ndiphinde ndisebenze kwelinye ilizwe, ngaphandle kokuba ndiza kuhamba nentsapho yam. Yiloo nto kanye esayenzayo ekugqibeleni. Intsapho ibaluleke ngaphezu kwemali.”

Kukho nenye into ebaluleke ngaphezu kwemali, njengoko wabonayo noPatricia. Wafika eSpeyin ephethe “iTestamente Entsha” okanye iZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike. Uthi: “Ndandicinga ukuba le ncwadi likhubalo. Kodwa ke, ngenye imini ndadibana nenye inkosikazi eliNgqina likaYehova. Ngaphambili, ndandikungathandi ukuncokola nabantu bale cawa. Ngoko ndabuza le nkosikazi imibuzo emininzi kuba ndifuna ukuyibonisa ukuba iinkolelo zayo zibubuxoki. Kodwa yonke imibuzo yam yayiphendula ngeBhayibhile.”

UPatricia wafunda ukuba olona lonwabo nekamva eliqaqambileyo azixhomekekanga kwindawo ohlala kuyo okanye imali onayo, kodwa lixhomekeke ekwazini uThixo nenjongo yakhe. (Yohane 17:3) Enye yezinto awazifundayo uPatricia kukuba uThixo unegama elinguYehova. (INdumiso 83:18) Kwakhona, wafunda eBhayibhileni ukuba kungekudala uThixo uza kuphelisa bonke ubuhlwempu esebenzisa uBukumkani obulawulwa nguYesu Kristu. (Daniyeli 7:13, 14) INdumiso 72:12, 14 ithi, “[UYesu] uya kumhlangula lowo ulihlwempu ukhalela uncedo, kwanalowo uxhwalekileyo nabani na ongenamncedi. Uya kuwukhulula umphefumlo wabo kwingcinezelo nakugonyamelo.”

Nawe khawukhe uziphe ithuba lokufunda iBhayibhile. Le ncwadi equlethe ubulumko bukaThixo inokukunceda wazi ezona zinto zibalulekileyo ebomini, wenze izigqibo zobulumko uze unyamezele naziphi na izilingo ngovuyo nethemba.—IMizekeliso 2:6-9, 20, 21.