ʻOua ʻe Fakamāuʻi pe Ko Hai ʻOku Mateuteú

ʻĪmisi

Illustration depicting a young man holding a copy of the Book of Mormon.

Tā fakatātaaʻi ʻe Katie Payne

Te u manatuʻi maʻu pē ʻa e maʻu meʻatokoni efiafi ʻi he fakataha ki he taʻu 40 ʻeku ʻosi mei he akoʻanga māʻolungá. Ne u hohaʻa ke sio ki haku ngaahi kaungāmeʻa fuoloa ne teʻeki ke mau fetaulaki ʻi ha ngaahi taʻu mo ʻiloʻi e meʻa naʻe hoko ʻi heʻenau moʻuí talu mei he akoʻanga māʻolungá.

Lolotonga ʻemau talanoa ʻi ha tēpile mo ha ngaahi kaungā-ako ʻe 8 pe 10 he maʻu meʻatokoni efiafí, naʻe pehē ʻe ha taha ʻo hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻa motuʻa ko Kuleki Likí, kuó ne ʻosi papitaiso ki he Siasí ʻi heʻene kei taʻu 20 tupú.

Hili iá naʻá ne fai leva ha fehuʻi fakahangatonu: “Ko e hā naʻe ʻikai ʻomi ai ʻe ha taha ʻiate kimoutolu ha Tohi ʻa Molomoná kiate au ʻi he ako māʻolungá? Naʻa mou fakakaukau nai he ʻikai lava ke u kau ki he Siasí?”

Naʻe pehē ʻe hoku kaungāmeʻa fuoloa ʻe taha—ʻa ia naʻe ʻikai ko ha mēmipa ʻo e Siasí, “Ne tonu ke ke maʻu ʻe koe ha taha ʻo ʻeku ʻū tohí; naʻá ku maʻu ha tatau ʻe 50 nai!”

Ne u ʻohovale. ʻI he akoʻanga māʻolungá, kapau naʻá ke talamai kiate au ʻe papitaiso ʻa Kuleki pea hoko ko ha tokotaha lea fakalotolahi, naʻe ʻikai ke u tui au ki ai. Naʻá ku fuʻu saiʻia ʻia Kuleki! Ko e faʻahinga kaungāmeʻa mateaki ia te ke lava ke falala ki ai ʻi he taimi ʻokú ke fie maʻu ai iá. Ka naʻá ku ʻiloʻi naʻá ne saiʻia ke ʻalu ki he ngaahi pātí, pea naʻe faʻa fepaki mo e palopalemá. Naʻe ʻikai pē ke u teitei fakakaukau ʻe fie fanongo kau ki he Siasí. Ko e meʻa fakaolí, ne u tui ko e kaungāmeʻa ko ia ʻe tahá, ʻa ia ne u vahevahe ki ai ʻa e ongoongoleleí mo ʻoange ha tatau ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná, ʻe kau ʻi ha ʻaho. Ko e foʻi moʻoní, ʻoku ʻikai pē ke ke ʻiloʻi ʻe koe ko hai ʻoku mateuteu ke tali ʻa e ongoongoleleí pea ko hai ʻoku ʻikaí.

Naʻá ku kiʻi ongoʻi mā hili ʻa e fetalanoaʻaki ko ia mo Kulekí koeʻuhí he naʻe teʻeki ai ke u vahevahe ʻa e ongoongoleleí mo ia, hangē ko ha niʻihi kehe tokolahi. Naʻá ku fehuʻi kiate ia pe naʻe founga fēfē ʻene kau ki he Siasí. Ko ʻene talanoá ʻeni:

Naʻe hiki hoku fāmilí ki Sōleki Siti, ʻIutā, ʻi hoku taʻu 11 nai, ka naʻe ʻikai ke u kau ki he Siasí kae ʻoua kuó u taʻu 24. ʻI heʻeku vakai ki muí, naʻe lava ke u sio ki he ʻuhinga ne ʻikai vahevahe mai ai ʻe ha taha ʻa e ongoongoleleí kiate aú. Ne ngali ne ʻikai ko ha tokotaha au ke talanoa kau ki he ongoongoleleí. Ko hono moʻoní, ne u kiʻi makaka. Naʻá ku faʻa fuhu pea palopalemaʻia maʻu pē ʻi he akó.

Ne tokolahi hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻa Siasí, ka ko e tokotaha pē naʻe talanoa kau ki he Siasí. Pea koeʻuhí he naʻá ku fakamataliliʻi ia fekauʻaki mo hono lau ʻa e Tohi ʻa Molomoná ʻi he taimi naʻá ne toʻotama aí.

Ka neongo ia, naʻá ku fie ʻilo ki ha ngaahi meʻa. Naʻe ʻave au ʻe heʻeku fineʻeikí ki ha siasi faka-Kalisitiane fakalotofonua. Ne tuʻo taha ʻeku fehuʻi kiate kinautolu pe ko e hā kuo teʻeki ke hāʻele mai ai ʻa Sīsū ki he ongo ʻAmeliká. Ne hangē ne nau kataʻi au ʻi hono ʻeke ha faʻahinga fehuʻi peheé, ko ia naʻe ʻikai ke u toe fehuʻi au ha meʻa kehe fekauʻaki mo ia.

Hili ha ngaahi taʻu mei ai ne u fakakaukau ke ʻaʻahi ki he senitā ʻo e kau ʻaʻahí ʻi he Temipale Sikueá ʻi Sōleki Sití. Naʻe ʻi ai ha fakaʻaliʻali ʻo Kalaisi ʻi ʻAmelika. Fakafokifā ne u manatuʻi ʻeku ngaahi fehuʻi fekauʻaki mo e kaveinga ko iá mei heʻeku kei siʻí. Ko e taimi ia ne u ongoʻi fakafokifā e Laumālié, pea naʻá ku ʻiloʻi naʻá ku mateuteu ke fanongo.

Naʻe nofo ʻiate au ʻa e sīpinga ʻa hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻa mei he akoʻanga māʻolungá. Ko hono moʻoní, ko e kakai Siasí naʻá ku fakaʻapaʻapaʻi lahi tahá. Naʻe fakatou ako ʻa Lenitī Liti mo hono uaifí ʻi hoku ʻapi akó. Naʻá na hoko maʻu pē ko ha ngaahi sīpinga maʻongoʻonga, ko ha kakai lelei ʻaupito. Naʻe hoko ia ko ha takiekina lahi kiate au kimui mei ai. Naʻá ku fakakaukau, “Kapau ʻnaʻe tui ʻa Lenitī naʻe moʻoni ʻeni, pau pē naʻe mahuʻinga.”

ʻOku ʻikai ke u ʻilo pe ko e hā naʻe mei hoko ʻo kapau kuo nau vahevahe lahi ange fekauʻaki mo e ongoongoleleí he taimi ko iá. Naʻe ʻikai ke u mei mateuteu. Ka ʻi he toe manatu ki aí, ʻoku ou fakaʻamu naʻa nau fai ia. ʻOku ou ʻilo naʻe mei hoko ia ko ha takiekina kiate au.

ʻOku ou ongoʻi houngaʻia ʻaupito koeʻuhí naʻe hoko ʻeku tā sīpingá ko ha takiekina lelei kia Kuleki. Ka neongo ia, naʻá ku mei ongoʻi lelei ange, kapau ne u fai ha meʻa ki ai he taimi ko iá. Kapau naʻá ku vahevahe e ongoongoleleí pe ko e Tohi ʻa Molomoná pe fakaafeʻi pē ʻa Kuleki ki ha ʻekitivitī, naʻe mei lava ke liliu ai ʻene moʻuí. Naʻe mei lava ke ne kau vave ange ki he Siasí. Mahalo pē naʻá ne mei ngāue fakafaifekau.

Kuó u ako ʻoku mātuʻaki mahuʻinga ʻa e hoko ko ha faʻifaʻitakiʻanga leleí, ka ʻoku pehē foki mo e fatongia ko ia ke vahevahe ʻa e ongoongoleleí. Kuo fekauʻi kitautolu ʻe he ʻEikí ke fai pehē: “Mou ʻalu ki māmani kotoa pē, ʻo malanga ʻaki ʻa e ongoongoleleí ki he kakai fulipē” (Maʻake 16:15).

Ko ia ai ʻoua ʻe manavasiʻi ke vahevahe. Tānaki atu ki aí, ʻoua ʻe vave ke fakamāuʻi pe ko hai ʻoku mateuteú mo ʻikaí. Mahalo te ke ʻohovale ʻi he ngaahi loto kuo fakamoluú, ʻo tatau ai pē kapau ʻoku fufuuʻi ʻa e tokanga ko iá ʻi ha feituʻu loloto ʻoku ʻikai lava ke ke sio ki ai.