Amagatsha Okuqala ENingizimu Afrika

Ngaphambi kokufa kwakhe, uJoseph Smith wayala abaPhostoli ukuba bangakuvumeli ukuba kube khona “indawo emhlabeni engenayo imishini.” Ubunzima bokuthatha uhambo, izinkinga zamasiko, ukuncishiswa kwenkululeko yokholo, nokunganeli kwalokho okwakudingwa ngabaNgcwele kwenza lomsebenzi ubadangalise—kepha ngomhlaka 28 Agasti 1852, uBrigham Young wathatha isinyathelo sokufeza lokho umphrofethi ayethunywe kona ngokubiza abefundisi bevangeli bokuqala e-Afrika.

Igosa uJesse C. Haven ehamba noWilliam H. Walker noLeonard I. Smith, bahamba baya eKapa leThemba eLihle emva kwamasonto ambalwa. Uhambo lwabo lwabathatha izinyanga eziyisikhombisa; bawela amathafa aseMelika, bahamba ngomkhumbi besuka eNew York, badlula eLiverpool baze bafika eKapa, bebekezelela nokugula endleleni. “Asinqikazanga—asiqulekanga—asesabanga; ezinhliziyweni zethu sasinokuthi iNkosi yayisithumele ukuzoletha lomyalezo, futhi ngosizo Lwayo sasizimisele ukwenza lokho esasithunywe ukuzokwenza,” kwakubhala uHaven emuva kokuthi befike eKapa.

EKapa ukushumayela kwakunzima. Abantu babevame ukuyiphazamisa imihlangano eyayibanjwe emigwaqweni, bephonsa amaqanda nezithelo ezibolile kubefundisi. Baqala ukuba nenqubekela phambili ngenkathi uNicholas Paul waseMowbray ebanikeza ikhaya lakhe ukuba babambe imihlangano khona nokuthi bavikeleke ekuhlushweni. UPaul nabanye bangena eBandleni, kwathi ngoSepthemba ngonyaka ka-1853 kwamiswa amagatsha amabili.

Ekuqaleni abefundisi bagxila ekufundiseni abamhlophe ababekhuluma isiNgisi. Nakuba kwakukhona ukwehlukana ngokobuhlanga kwangaleso sikhathi, kwaba khona abambalwa abebala elixubile abangena eBandleni. Nakuba okwakubhalwe ngabefundisi kungasho lutho ngohlanga lwakhe, imibhalo ngokubalwa kwabantu base-Utah ikhombisa ukuthi uJohanna Langeveld Provis wayengomunye walabo bebala elixubile abangena eBandleni. UProvis wayengowokuqala okhuluma ulimi lwesiBhunu owangena eBandlenii. Ngonyaka ka-1854 wafundisa uHaven ulimi lwesiBhunu ngesikhathi ayelungiselela ukufundisa amaBhunu.

Njengabanye abaguquka ekuqaleni, baningi abangcwele abaseNingizimu Afrika abahlangabezana nobunzima ngesikhathi belungiselela ukuyohlangana nabaNgcwele e-Utah. Kwenye indaba esemlandweni, abanikazi bomkhumbi benqaba ukugibelisa abaNgcwele. Kwasiza izicebi ezimbili ezazingamalunga eBandla, uCharles Roper noJohn Stock abathenga umkhumbi abawuqamba ngokuthi Ubunye bewuthengela amanye amalunga eBandla ukuze awele ngawo. Abanye abaNgcwele bahlala balugcina ukholo bodwo iminyaka eminingi. UGeorge no-Anna Ruck, amalungu okuqala eGatsha laseMowbray, babona abefundisi behamba ngonyaka ka-1858 baphinde bemukela abeza emva kwabo sekudlule iminyaka emithathu. AbakwaRuck bahlala eNingizimu Afrika ngenkathi abefundisi bebuyela emuva futhi ngonyaka ka-1865. U-Anna washona emva kweminyaka engamashumi amabili, kodwa uGeorge waphila waze wafakaza kubefundisi abafika kamuva ngonyaka ka-1903. Nakuba yena uqobo lwakhe engahambanga wawela izilwandle ukuya ethempelini, empilweni yakhe wazi ukuthi izimiso zomkakhe zasethempelini zenziwa ngowayemmele ngonyaka ka-1906.