“UJane Elizabeth Manning James” IziHloko zomLando weBandla
“UJane Elizabeth Manning James”
UJane Elizabeth Manning James
UJane Elizabeth Manning (owayephila cishe ngeminyaka yo-1822–1908) wayengomunye wabantwana cishe abayisihlanu abazalwa yizithandani zaseConnecticut ezazingama-Afrika aseMelika ezazikhululekile ngesikhathi lapho iningi labamnyama eMelika babeyizigqila.1 Esakhula, wangena eBandleni iNew Canaan Congregational ngonyaka ka-1841, kodwa ezinyangeni eziyishumi nesishiyagalombili kamuva, ebusika bangonyaka ka-1842–43, yena nabomndeni wakubo babhabhadiselwa eBandleni likaJesu Kristu labaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina. UJane nabanye emndenini wakubo ngokushesha bafisa ukuyohlangana nabaNgcwele eNauvoo, ngakho-ke bahamba besuka eConnecticut baya eNew York, behlele ukuhamba ngezikebhe. Kodwa-ke, banqatshelwa ukudlula ngezikebhe ngenxa yebala labo, ngakho-ke kwadingeka bahambe ngezinyawo amamayela angamakhulu ayisishiyagalombili ayesasele. Sebefike ePeoria, e-Illinois kwathi uma iziphathimandla zendawo zibabona abakwaMannings zacabanga ukuthi kungenzeka babe yizigqila ezazibalekile zase zifuna amaphepha okufakazisa ukuthi babekhululekile. Ukucwaswa ngebala kwaba yisithiyo ayezobhekana naso impilo yakhe yonke uJane.
Kwathi esefikile eNauvoo, uJane waqala ukuba nobudlelwane ngokushesha noJoseph no-Emma Smith. Wayehlala nabo futhi esebenza emzini wabo. Ngelinye ilanga, u-Emma wake wamema uJane ukuba emukelwe njengomntwana emndenini wakwaSmith ngesimiso sokuboshwa kobuphristi.2 UJane wenqaba, engawuqondi kahle lomkhuba omusha owawungajwayelekile, kodwa ekholwa kakhulu kuJoseph njengomphrofethi. “Ngangimazi umPhrofethi uJoseph,” kwasho yena efakaza kamuva. “Wayeyindoda eyayinogazi kunawo wonke engake ngawabona emhlabeni. … Nganginesiqiniseko sokuthi wayengumphrofethi ngoba ngangikwazi lokho.”3
Ngesikhathi exoxa noJoseph nonina, uLucy Mack Smith, uJane wafunda okuningi ngeNcwadi kaMormoni nangokuhunyushwa kwayo futhi wathola ukuziqonda nokuhlonipha izimiso zasethempelini.
UJane wagana u-Isaac James, owayeyikholwa elimnyama elalikhululekile laseNew Jersey. Bobabili, kanye nendodana kaJane uSylvester, bahamba eNauvoo ngonyaka ka-1846 ukuya entshonalanga nabaNgcwele. NgoJuni walowonyaka, kwazalwa indodana kaJane no-Isaac uSilas. Ngonyaka olandelayo lomndeni wanqamula amathafa, waze wafika esiGodini saseSalt Lake ngobusika bangonyaka ka-1847. U-Isaac noJane bathola abanye abantwana abayisithupha, kodwa babili vo abaphila isikhathi eside kunoJane. Njengabanye abahlali ababefika esiGodini saseSalt Lake, uJane no-Isaac basebenza kanzima ukondla umndeni wabo. U-Isaac wasebenza njengesisebenzi futhi eshayelela uBrigham Young ngezikhathi ezithile, kanti uJane yena wayephotha indwangu, enza izingubo zokugqoka, ewasha nezingubo, njengoba ayenza eseseNauvoo.
Ukungezwani emshadweni wabo kwenza ukuba u-Isaac noJane bahlukane ngonyaka ka-1870. Kamuva uJane wagana uFrank Perkins owayeyisigqila ngaphambilini, kodwa wabuye waqhubeka nempilo yakhe njengomzali okhulisa abantwana eyedwa ngenxa yokuthi emva kweminyaka emibili wahlukana noFrank. Ngenxa yokweswela imali nokushona kwabantwana abathathu kwenza ukuba uJane abuyele emsebezini. Wayenza futhi adayise insipho, ngesikhathi abafana bakhe ababili beqashwe njengezisebenzi. Ngonyaka ka-1890, emva kweminyaka engamashumi amabili engekho, u-Isaac wabuyela eSalt Lake City, wavuselela ubulungu bakhe eBandleni, walungisa nobudlelwane bakhe noJane. Ngesikhathi edlula emhlabeni emva konyaka, inkonzo yomngcwabo wakhe yabanjelwa emzini kaJane.
Kubo bonke ubunzima abhekana nabo empilweni yakhe, uJane wayelokhu abambelela okholweni lwakhe nasezimfundisweni zevangeli futhi ebazisa ubulungu bakhe kuleliBandla. Wanikela ngesikhathi kwakhiwa ithempeli futhi wabamba iqhaza kwiNhlangano yoSizo yabesiFazane nakwiNhlangano yamaNtombazane yokuPhungulwa kwabaSebenzi.4 UJane wathola izipho zikaMoya kaningi, okubalwa kuzo imibono, amaphupho, ukwelashwa ngokholo, nokukhuluma izilimi. Kamuva wabhala wathi, “Ukholo lwami eVangelini likaJesu Kristu, namhlanje lunamandla, cha, futhi kungenzeka ukuthi lunamandla kakhulu kunangesikhathi ngibhabhadiswa okokuqala.”5
Phakathi konyaka ka-1884 nonyaka ka-1904, uJane wayevame ukuxhumana nabaphathi beBandla—uJohn Taylor, uWilford Woodruff, uZina D. H. Young, noJoseph F. Smith—efuna imvume yokuba ambathiswe ethempelini futhi aboshwe.6 Ngaleso sikhathi, abaNgcwele beziNsuku zokuGcina abamnyama besilisa nabesifazane babengavumelekile ukubamba iqhaza ezimisweni eziningi zasethempelini. Ngonyaka ka-1888, umongameli wesikhonkwane u-Angus M. Cannon wagunyaza uJane ukuba abhabhadiselwe abomndeni wakhe ababengasekho emhlabeni.7 Abaholi beBandla bagcina bemvumele uJane ukuba aboshwe ngokumelwa emndenini kaJoseph Smith njengesisebenzi ngonyaka ka-1894, okwakuyinto eyayingajwayelekile impela. Noma engazange akuthole ukwembathiswa kwasethempelini noma ukuboshwa nomndeni wakhe esaphila, lezi zimiso wenzelwa zona ngonyaka ka-1979.8
Wadlula emhlabeni ngomhlaka 16 ngo-Ephreli ngonyaka ka-1908, eneminyaka egamashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nanhlanu, efela okholweni. I Deseret News yabika ukuthi, “Bambalwa okuthiwa ngabo babenokholo nokwethembeka okungaphezulu kukaJane Manning James, futhi nakuba ngokwesimo sakhe wayempofu wayenabangani nabantu ayebazi ababebaningi kakhulu.”9