“Te U ʻUluaki Tauhi ki he ʻEikí,” Liahona, Fēpueli 2024.
Ngaahi ʻAta ʻo e Tuí
Te U ʻUluaki Tauhi ki he ʻEikí
Naʻe tokoniʻi au ʻe heʻeku ngāue maʻá e ʻEikí ko ha faifekaú ke langa ʻeku tuí ʻi ha fakavaʻe pau ʻa ia kuó ne tokoniʻi au ke fai ʻa e ngaahi fili totonú ʻi he taimi ne u fehangahangai ai mo ha ngaahi fili faingataʻá. Hili ʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú, naʻá ku mateuteu lelei ange ki heʻeku akó, ngāué, mo e ngaahi fatongia kehekehe ʻi he Siasí, kau ai ʻeku hoko ko ha pīsopé.
ʻŪ faitā ʻa Leslie Nilsson
ʻI heʻeku kei siʻí, naʻe ʻikai ke u faʻa tatali ke ʻalu ki he ʻunivēsití. ʻE fakaʻatā au ʻe he ʻunivēsití ke u maʻu ha ako lelei pea ke u maʻu ai ngāue tuʻu maʻu te u lava ai ʻo ohi hake ha fāmili.
Ka ʻi heʻeku aʻu ki hoku taʻu ʻunivēsití, naʻe ʻikai ke u fakapapauʻi ʻa e founga ke fakapaʻanga ai ʻeku akó. Naʻe ʻikai feʻunga e ngaahi maʻuʻanga tokoni naʻe ʻatā kiate aú. Naʻe mālōlō ʻeku tangataʻeikí ʻi he taʻu kimuʻá, pea naʻá ku hiki mo hoku tuofefiné ʻo nofo mo ʻeku faʻētangatá. ʻI he taimi ko iá, ne ʻikai maʻu ʻe heʻema faʻētangatá ha maʻuʻanga tokoni feʻunga ke tokoniʻi au he naʻá ne tokoniʻi ha toko nima ʻo ʻene fānaú ʻi he ʻunivēsití.
Talu mei heʻeku kei siʻi mo ʻeku loto foki ke ngāue maʻá e ʻOtuá ʻi ha faʻahinga tuʻunga pē, ka naʻe ʻikai ke u ʻilo pe ʻe founga fēfē. Kimuʻa peá u kau ki he Siasí ʻi hoku taʻu 19, naʻe ʻikai ke u maʻu ha faingamālie ke fai ia.
ʻI heʻeku kau ki he Siasí ʻi he 2004, naʻá ku kei fakaʻamu pē ke tulifua ʻeku ako ʻi he ʻunivēsití, ka naʻá ku fili ke u ʻuluaki ʻalu ʻo ngāue fakafaifekau. Naʻe teʻeki pē ke u ʻilo pe te u aʻusia fēfē ʻeku ngaahi fakaʻānaua mo e ngaahi taumuʻa ki ha ako ʻunivēsiti hili ʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú, ka naʻá ku tui ʻe iku lelei ʻa e meʻa kotoa pē kiate au. Naʻá ku pehē loto pē, “Te u falala ki he ʻEikí. Te u ʻuluaki ngāue Maʻana. ʻE toki muiaki mai leva e ngaahi meʻa kehé ʻamui ange.” Ko ia, ne u laka atu ki muʻa ʻi he tui pea kamata ngāue ke totongi ʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú.
Naʻe talamai ʻe ha niʻihi ʻo hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá ʻe mole hoku taimí ʻi he ngāue fakafaifekaú. Ka naʻá ku tui ko e ngāue fakafaifekaú ʻa e meʻa totonu ke faí, ko e ngāue maʻá e ʻEikí naʻe ʻikai ko ha fakamole taimi ia.
Ko e taha ʻo e ngaahi potufolofola naʻá ne ueʻi au ke u ngāue fakafaifekaú ʻoku maʻu ia ʻi he Fuakava Foʻoú: “Ka mou fuofua kumi ʻa e puleʻanga ʻo e ʻOtuá, mo ʻene māʻoniʻoní; pea ʻe fakalahi ʻaki ʻa e ngaahi meʻá ni kotoa pē kiate kimoutolu” (Mātiu 6:33).
Ne ʻikai fuoloa kuo uiuiʻi au ki he Misiona Ghana Cape Coast. Naʻe ʻomi ʻe heʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú ha ngaahi aʻusia fakangalongataʻa peá ne fakatoka ʻa e fakavaʻe ki ha ngaahi faingamālie mo ha ngaahi fatongia ʻi he kahaʻú. Hili ʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú, naʻá ku mateuteu lelei ange ki heʻeku akó, ngāué, mo e ngaahi fatongia kehekehe ʻi he Siasí, kau ai ʻeku hoko ko ha pīsopé.
ʻI heʻeku foki ki ʻapí, ne ʻosi e ako ʻa ha niʻihi ʻo e fānau ʻeku faʻētangatá. Naʻe maʻu ʻe heʻeku faʻētangata ʻofá ha ngaahi maʻuʻanga tokoni ke tokoniʻi au ke hoko atu ʻeku ako ʻunivēsití. Naʻá ku toʻo ha kalasi ki ha tohi fakamoʻoni ako ʻi he tauhitohí pea ne u lesisita leva ʻi ha polokalama mataʻitohi BA. Hili ha taʻu ʻe nima mei heʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú, ne u maʻu haʻaku mataʻitohi ʻi he tauhitohí mo e meʻa fakapaʻangá.
Ko e moʻoni, hangē ko ia kuó u mātā ʻi heʻeku moʻuí hili ʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú, kuo tānaki mai ʻe he ʻEikí ʻa e “ngaahi meʻá ni kotoa pē” ki hoku fāmilí. Kimuʻa ʻi heʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú, naʻá ku hohaʻa kapau he ʻikai ke u ʻalu ki he akó, kapau he ʻikai ke u maʻu ha ako lelei, te u nofo masivesiva. Ka kuo tāpuekina lahi ʻe he ʻEikí hoku fāmilí pea malava ai ke mau moʻui fiemālie.
Kuo teʻeki ai ke u fakaʻiseʻisa ʻi he ʻalu ʻo ngāue fakafaifekaú kimuʻa peá u toki ʻalu ki he ʻunivēsití. Naʻe hoko ʻeku fakahaaʻi ʻeku tui ke ngāue fakafaifekaú ko e fakavaʻe ki ha ngaahi fili lahi kuó u fai ʻi heʻeku moʻuí. Naʻe tokoniʻi au ʻe he ngāue maʻá e ʻEikí ke langa ʻeku tuí ʻi ha fakavaʻe pau. Kuo tokoniʻi au ʻe he fakavaʻe ko iá ke u fakahoko ha ngaahi fili totonu ʻi he taimi naʻá ku fehangahangai ai mo ha ngaahi fili faingataʻá.
Kiate kinautolu ʻoku ʻikai ke nau fiemālie ki he ngāue fakafaifekaú, te u fai ʻa e faleʻi tatau ne u maʻu mei he folofolá: “Ke mou fuofua kumi ʻa e puleʻanga ʻo e ʻOtuá, mo ʻene māʻoniʻoní,” pea ko e ngaahi meʻa kotoa ko ʻeni ʻoku mou pehē he ʻikai te mou maʻú, te mou maʻu ia ʻo fakatatau mo e finangalo ʻo e ʻOtuá—naʻa mo e liunga hongofulu. Ko ʻeku aʻusiá ia.