A teenage young man is sitting on a hill near an open field. There appears to be a school in the background. He is alone and appears to be listening to music on his headphones.

Maʻá e Toʻu Tupú: ʻOku Ngāue Pōpula ʻEku Mātuʻá, pea ʻOku Faingataʻa ke Talanoa fekauʻaki mo Ia. Ko e Hā Te u Lea ʻAkí?

ʻE lava ke faingataʻa hono tali ʻa e foʻi moʻoni ko ia kuo ngāue pōpula ha taha ʻokú te ʻofa ai. Mahalo te ke ongoʻi tuenoa pe loto-mafasia. Mahalo kuo liliu ha ngaahi meʻa lahi ʻi hoʻo moʻuí. Mahalo ʻe faingataʻa ke hoko atu hoʻo ngaahi ʻekitivitī angamahení, hangē ko e akó pe ngāué. Mahalo te ke ʻita ki hoʻo mātuʻá, kau mēmipa kehe ʻo e fāmilí, kaungāmeʻá, pe naʻa mo koe. ʻE lava ʻe he ngaahi ongo ko ʻení ʻo ʻai ke faingataʻa ke talanoa ki he niʻihi kehé fekauʻaki mo e meʻa ʻoku hokó.

ʻOku tokolahi ha kakai ʻi ho toʻú ʻoku nau foua ha ngaahi tūkunga tatau. Ka neongo ia, ʻoku maʻu ʻe he tokotaha takitaha haʻane talanoa mo ha ngaahi ongo ke foua. Ko e tokotaha ʻokú ne ʻiloʻi lelei ʻa e meʻa ʻokú ke ongoʻí ko Sīsū Kalaisi. Neongo he ʻikai mahino kakato kiate kitautolu ʻa e founga ʻoku malava ai ʻení, ka ʻoku talamai ʻe he folofolá naʻe foua ʻe Sīsū Kalaisi “ʻo kātakiʻi ʻa e ngaahi mamahi mo e ngaahi faingataʻá pea mo e ngaahi ʻahiʻahi kehekehe kotoa pē” (ʻAlamā 7:11; naʻe tānaki atu hono fakamamafaʻí).

Koeʻuhí ko Ia, ʻoku ʻikai fiemaʻu ke ke ongoʻi tuenoa. Mahalo te ke fie lau ʻa e lea ʻa ʻEletā Sefilī R. Hōlani “None Were with Him” mei he konifelenisi lahi ʻo ʻEpeleli 2009. ʻOku fakamatalaʻi ʻe ʻEletā Hōlani “koeʻuhí naʻe ʻaʻeva toko taha ʻa Sīsū ʻi ha hala lōloa mo fakataʻelata, he ʻikai ke tau toe foua ia ʻe kitautolu.”

Naʻe akoʻi ʻe Palesiteni Lāsolo M. Nalesoni te ke lava ʻo kumi ha ngaahi tali mo ha fakafiemālie ʻi hoʻo “lotu ʻi he huafa ʻo Sīsū Kalaisí fekauʻaki mo hoʻo ngaahi hohaʻá, manavasiʻí, mo ho ngaahi vaivaí—ʻio, ʻa e ngaahi fakaʻānaua ʻo ho lotó. Peá ke fakafanongo leva!” (“Fakahā maʻá e Siasí, Fakahā ki Heʻetau Moʻuí,” konifelenisi lahi, ʻEpeleli 2018).

Ko ha meʻa kehe ʻe lava ʻo tokoni atu ke ʻoua te ke ongoʻi taʻelata aí ko hoʻo vahevahe loto-fiemālie hoʻo ngaahi aʻusiá mo e niʻihi kehé. ʻOku lelei mo mahuʻinga ke talanoa ʻo fakafou ʻi hoʻo ngaahi ongó ʻi ha ngaahi ʻātakai ʻoku malú. Lotu ke ke ʻiloʻi pe ko hai ʻoku totonu ke ke talanoa ki aí pea mo e taimí. Kapau ʻoku fuʻu faingataʻa ke talanoa ki ha kaungāmeʻa falalaʻanga, kamata ʻaki ha kāinga ofi. Kimuʻa peá ke talanoa mo ha tahá, fakakaukau ki he meʻa ʻokú ke ongoʻi fiemālie ke vahevahé. ʻOku ʻikai fiemaʻu ia ke ke vahevahe ʻa e meʻa kotoa pē. Te ke lava ʻo fakamatalaʻi ange ʻoku faingataʻa ke ke talanoa ki hoʻo ngaahi aʻusiá pea te ke fiemaʻu ha tokoni.

Kapau ʻokú ke ongoʻi ilifia ʻi hono vahevahe hoʻo ngaahi ongó mo ha taha ʻi he taimí ni, ʻoku sai pē ia! Te ke lava ʻo kamata ʻaki haʻo talanoa ki he ʻOtuá ʻi he lotu. Kuó Ne folofola mai, “Sio pē kiate au ʻi he fakakaukau kotoa pē; ʻoua ʻe tālaʻa, ʻoua ʻe manavahē” (Tokāteline mo e Ngaahi Fuakava 6:36). ʻOkú Ne ʻafioʻi ho hingoá mo ho ngaahi tūkungá. He ʻikai ke Ne teitei liʻaki koe.

Maʻuʻanga Tokoni Fakakoló

• Youth.gov, “In Their Words: 4 Young People Share Experiences with Having an Incarcerated Parent” (vitiō), youtube.com