‘I HE Taimi Lekooti

Fai ʻe Richard L. Bairett Jr.

ʻOku nofo e tokotaha naʻá ne fai e talanoá ʻi Kalefōnia, USA, ʻi he taimi naʻe hoko ai e meʻá ni.

Ne fie maʻu ia ke hoko ha me‘a fakaofo ke u lava ʻo ʻalu ki ʻapi ki he papitaiso ʻo hoku ʻofefiné.

Naʻe toki hoko e taʻu valu ‘a hoku ʻofefiné pea naʻá ne fiefia ke u papitaiso ia. Ne teu foki ke haʻu ʻene ongo kuí ki he ouau makehé ni ʻa ia ne tānaki atu ia ki heʻene fiefiá mo e fakatuʻamelié. Neongo iá, ‘i he ofi atu ki he ʻaho lahí ni ne hangē ʻe ʻikai ke u ʻi he papitaisó.

Ne tātaaitaha ke u nofo noaʻia ʻi heʻeku ngāué ʻa ia ko ha pailate vakapuna fakakautau mo ha ʻōfisa tokoni ki hono fakalele ʻo e vaʻa laulā puná (ops), ka naʻe toe lahi ange e meʻa ke faí ʻi he mavahe ʻa ʻeku ʻōfisa fakalele laulā puná (ops) ki ha ngāue ʻe taha. Ne u fekuki mo ha ngaahi peau hokohoko ʻo e ngaahi misiona ngāué. Naʻe pau ke u kaniseli ha ako ngāue, taʻofi mo ha ngaahi fatongia faka-laulāpuna, pea mo kaniseli ha ngaahi ʻaho malōlō ʻeveʻeva ne ʻosi laumāhina hono palaní kae lava ke maʻu e tokolahi ʻo e kau kauvaká.

Na‘e mavahe ʻa e kau kauvaka vakapuná ʻi ha tuʻutuʻuni folau ʻaho ʻe 21 mo ha kiʻi faingamālie siʻisiʻi ʻo ha foki ki ʻapi. ʻI he taimi ne foki mai ai ʻeku ʻōfisa laulāpuná mo ha toe ʻōfisa tokoni laulāpuna ʻe taha, ne faingata‘a ke fakatonuhiaʻi ‘eku nofó koeʻuhí ko ha meʻa fakafāmili. ‘E anga fēfē haʻaku nofo fiemālie hili ʻeku fie ma‘u ha ngaahi feilaulau mei ha ni‘ihi kehe tokolahi?

Na‘á ku ongoʻi mātuʻaki mafasia. Na‘á ku feinga maʻu pē ke fakamuʻomuʻa hoku fāmilí ʻi heʻeku ngāue maʻuʻanga moʻuí, ka ko ha ngaahi tūkunga makehe ʻeni, pea naʻe ʻi ai pē foki mo hoku fatongia ke ngāue maʻa hoku fonuá. Ko ʻeku ʻōfisa laulāpuná, neongo ʻoku ʻikai ko ha mēmipa ʻo e Siasí, ka naʻe mahino kiate ia ʻa e mahuʻinga ʻo e meʻá ni ki hoku fāmilí pea naʻá ne fakangofua au ke u fili pē. Hili ha lotu lahi mo ha ngaahi fealēlea‘aki fakafāmili, naʻá ku fai e me‘a ne u ongoʻi na‘e totonú peá u fakataimi-tepileʻi ʻeku misiona hokó.

‘I he taimi ne tala mai ai ki heʻeku kau kauvaká ha misiona ke kamata ʻi he pongipongi Mōnité, ne hangē ʻe ʻikai pē ha faingamālie ke u foki kei taimi mai ai ki he papitaiso ʻo hoku ʻofefiné ʻi he ʻaho Tokonakí. Naʻe pau ke mau puna ki ha feituʻu uta koloa, pea mei ai ki ha tauʻanga vaka, ʻa ia naʻe fie maʻu ke mau mālōlō ai kimuʻa pea mau toe puná. Hili iá te mau toe puna ki ha feituʻu ʻe taha ʻo mālōlō, pea mau tiliva ha uta koloa ki ha feituʻu mamaʻo ʻaupito, pea ʻi heʻemau fokí, ʻe toe tau e vaká ke mālōlō e kau kauvaká, pea mau foki ki he tauʻanga vaká ke toe uta mai mo ha ngaahi koloa pea toe foki pē ʻi he halanga tatau. Ko e angamahení, ne faʻa ʻaho ʻe fitu pe lahi ange hono fakakakato ha takai ʻe taha ʻo e fepunaʻaki ko ʻení, ka naʻá ku ʻilo ne lotu ʻa hoku fāmilí ke u foki ange. Ne tokoni‘i au heʻenau tuí mo e ngaahi lotú ke u maʻu ha tui, pea naʻe vave pē ʻene mahino kiate au naʻe ʻikai ko ha misiona angamaheni ʻeni.

‘Uluakí, naʻe vahe mai ʻi he misiona ko ʻení ke ʻutu pē homau vakapuná ʻi he ʻataá, kae ʻikai ke toe mālōlō ʻi ha ʻaho ʻe taha pe ua, pea ke mau hokohoko atu ai pē ki he fuofua feituʻu fakavahaʻapuleʻangá ʻo ʻikai toe mālōlō. Hili ha mālōlō ʻa e kau kauvaká ha taimi nounou, ne fakatokanga mai ke mau puna ʻi ha misiona kehe ʻo ʻalu-mo-foki ki he feituʻu utaʻanga koloa mamaʻó. Na‘e fakahifo ʻa e ngaahi me‘angāué pea naʻe fakaʻohovale ʻa e ʻutu lelei homau vaká ʻi he feituʻu ne mau taumuʻa ki aí, pea hili pē ha toe kiʻi mālōlō taimi siʻi ʻa e kau kauvaká, ne fakatokanga mai ke mau foki fakahangatonu hifo ki he tauʻanga vaka angamahení. Te mau foki ki ‘api ʻi ha ‘aho ʻe taha nai!

Na‘á ku toʻotoʻoa ke tala ki hoku fāmilí ʻoku ou mei foki atu. Ka ne toe talamai ʻe hoku uaifí, naʻe toe ʻunu ʻa e taimi papitaisó mei he 5:00 efiafí ki he 2:00 efiafi koeʻuhí ko ha ʻekitivitī fakasiteiki ʻa e toʻu tupú. Naʻá ku telefoni leva ki heʻeku pule laulāpuná ʻo fakamatala ki ai ʻa e meʻa ʻoku hokó. Hili haʻane kiʻi longo taimi nounou, naʻá ne tali mai ʻoku tokolahi feʻunga pē e kau kauvaká ke fakahoko ʻemau ngāue hokó ʻo aʻu ki he 5:00 efiafi ʻo e ʻaho Tokonakí—ko e taimi ia ne ʻuluaki palani ke kamata ai e ouau papitaisó!

‘I heʻemau puna foki ki ʻapí, pea ʻi heʻemau ofi atu he ʻotu moʻunga ofi ki hoku ʻapí, naʻá ku fakatokangaʻi ne toe ʻahiʻahi ʻemau tuí ʻe ha meʻa ʻe taha ne fakatatali mai: ne kāpui ʻe he kakapú e ngaahi maama ʻo e koló. Ko e kakapu kovi taha eni kuó u feinga ke tō ai e vaká. Naʻa mau palani fakavavevave leva ke mau tō ʻi ha malaʻe vakapuna ʻe taha ʻo ka lava, fakakakato ʻemau lisi ngāué, pea toki fakaofiofi hifo ʻemau vaká ke mau vakai lelei ange ki he meʻa ne hokó.

ʻI heʻemau fakavave hifo ke tō he halanga vaká ʻa ia ko ha fute ʻe 200 (mita ʻe 60) mei he kelekelé, ne takatakaiʻi kimautolu ʻe he kakapú. Fakafokifa pē, ʻi heʻemau ʻalu hifo ki he fute ʻe 120 (mita ’e 37), ne huluʻi mai ha tōʻanga vaka ‘i muʻa ‘iate kimautolu, hili pē ha lausekoni mei ai ne mau tūʻuta lelei. Ne tau lelei e mānava ʻa e taha kotoa.

Ne hokohoko ha ngaahi meʻa taʻe hano tatau ne ngali fakatuʻupakē ke malava ai ʻeku kau kauvaká ʻo fakahoko ha folau lōloa ki he tafaʻaki ʻe taha ʻo e māmaní mo foki mai ʻi he taimi totonu, pea naʻe malava ai ke u ʻi ʻapi ʻi ha kiʻi taimi nounou ke fakahoko e papitaiso hoku ʻofefiné. ʻI he tokoni ʻa e ʻEikí, naʻá ku malava ai ʻo fakakakato hoku fatongia ki hoku fonuá, ki hoku vaʻa laulāpuná pea mahulu haké, ki hoku fāmilí. Neongo ne mei hoko atu pē e moʻuí kapau ne fie maʻu ke toloi e papitaiso ʻo homa ʻofefiné, ka naʻe finangalo e Tamai Hēvaní ke mau ʻiloʻi ʻokú Ne ʻofa ʻiate kimautolu mo fanongoa ʻemau ngaahi lotú. Naʻá Ne foaki ha ngaahi manatu ki hoku ʻofefiné ʻi he ngaahi meʻa fakaofó ni ʻa ia ko ha fakamoʻoni ʻokú Ne ʻofa ʻiate ia, pea naʻá ku fakatou maʻu mo hoku uaifí ha fakamoʻoni mālohi ange ʻo e “ʻilonga ha me‘a te mou kole ki he Tamaí ʻi hoku hingoá, ‘a ia ʻoku totonu, ‘o tui te mou maʻú, vakai ‘e foaki ia kiate kimoutolu” (3 Nīfai 18:20).