Yɛkura yɛn Agyanom Gyedie no mu

Na John Linford anya mfeɛ 43 berɛ a ɔne ne yere Maria, ne wɔn mma mmiɛnsa sii gyinaeɛ sɛ wɔbɛfiri wɔn fie a ɛwɔ Gravely, England, atu kwan kwansini mpempem akɔ ka Ahotefoɔ a wɔwɔ bonhwa kɛseɛ a ɛwɔ Salt Lake no mu no ho. Wɔgyaa wɔn babarima a ɔtɔ so nnan a na ɔreyɛ asɛmpatrɛ adwuma hɔ, na wɔfaa suhyɛn firii Liverpool de kɔɔ Thornton.

Wɔtuu kwan faa po so kɔɔ New York, na wɔfirii hɔ kɔɔ Iowa a wɔanhyia ɔhaw biara. Nanso, ankyɛre, berɛ a Lindfords abusua ne nna a Ɛdi Akyire Ahotefoɔ afoforɔ a wɔde Thornton suhyɛn firii Iowa Ahenkuro bae akyire no ɔhaw firii aseɛ, a ɛka asiane ahodoɔ a na ɛdi James G. Willie tease-ɛnam kuo no akyi.

Wiem nsakyeraeɛ bɔne ne akwantuo yaaya nyaa kuo no mu nnipa bebree ne John so nsunsuansoɔ bɔne. Akyire yi ɔbɛyaree yɛɛ mmrɛ ara ma na ɛwɔ sɛ wɔde ne to tease-ɛnam mu twe no. Berɛ a kuo no duruu Wyoming no, na ne yareɛ no mu ayɛ den pa ara. John wuui no dɔnhwere kakraabi akyiri na ɔgyeɛ kuo a wɔfiri Salt Lake Ahenkuro bɛduruu wɔ Ahinime 21. Ɔwuui saa da no anɔpa wɔ bea a ɛbɛn Sweetwater asubɔnten no ho.

So John nuu ne ho sɛ ɔgyaa ahotɔ ne asetena pa kɔfaa ahohiahia, ohia, ne ahokyere mu berɛ a ɔde n’abusua rekɔ Sion no?

“Daabi, Maria,” ɔka kyerɛɛ ne yere ansana ɔrewu. “Ɛyɛ me dɛ sɛ yɛbaae. Merennya nkwa nnuru Salt Lake deɛ, nanso wo ne mmɔfra no bɛtumi, ne mennuu me ho wɔ deɛ yɛakɔ mu nyinaa, sɛ mmɔfra no bɛnyini na wɔate wɔn mmusua wɔ Sion deɛ a.”¹

Maria ne ne mma mmarima no kɔ duruui. Berɛ a Maria wuui bɛyɛ mfeɛ 30 akyi no, ɔne John gyaa gyedie, ɔsom, anidie, ne afɔreɛ ho agyapadeɛ akyi.

Sɛ obi yɛ Nna a Ɛdi Akyire Ahoteɛnni a na ɔyɛ ɔdikanfoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ ɔdikanfoɔ asekyerɛ ne “obi a ɔdi kan kɔsiesie anaa ɔbue kwan ma afoforɔ.”² Na sɛ obi yɛ ɔdikanfoɔ a na ɔnim afɔrebɔ. Ɛwɔm sɛ seesei wɔmmisa Asɔremma sɛ wɔnnya wɔn afie na wɔntu kwan nkɔ Sion deɛ, nanso ɛtaa ba sɛ ɛwɔ sɛ wɔgya wɔn suban dada, amammrɛ a akyɛ, ne nnamfofoɔ a wɔsom boɔ. Ebinom si gyinaeɛ yaaya sɛ wɔbɛgya wɔn mmusuafoɔ a wɔmpene so sɛ wɔbɛdɔm Asɔre no hɔ. Nanso, Nna a Ɛdi Akyire Ahotefoɔ tɔ kɔ so, bɔ mpaeɛ sɛ wɔn adɔfoɔ bɛte aseɛ na wɔagye atom.

Adikanfoɔ kwan nnyɛ mmrɛ, nanso yɛnante Ɔdikanfoɔ a Ɔkorɔn no—mpo Agyenkwa no—anamɔn mu. Ɔno na ɔdii yɛn anim kan, kyerɛɛ yɛn kwan no.

Ɔto nsa frɛ yɛn sɛ³ “Bra, bɛdi m’akyi.”

Ɔde too dwa sɛ⁴ “Mene kwan no, nokorɛ no, ne nkwa no,”

Ɔfrɛɛ wɔn sɛ,⁵ “Mommra me nkyɛn,”

Akwantuo no bɛtumi ayɛ den. Ɛyɛ ebinom den sɛ wɔbɛgyina atwetweɛ ne kasantwi a ɛfiri (sɛbi) nkwaseafoɔ a wɔdi kronkronyɔ, nokwaredie, ne setie ma Onyankopɔn ahyɛdeɛ so no ano. Nanso wiase agu setie a yɛde ma nyinasosɛm no animtia. Berɛ a Noah nyaa akwankyerɛ sɛ ɔnsi nsuhyɛn no, ɔman mma (sɛbi) nkwaseafoɔ no hwɛɛ ewiem sɛ ayɛ petee na wɔgoroo ne ho na woyii no ahi kɔsii sɛ nsuo no tɔɔeɛ.

Wɔ Amerika asasepɔn so mfeɛ ahaha a abɛsen kɔ no, nnipa annye anni, wɔgyee kyim, na wɔyɛɛ asobrakyeɛ kɔsii sɛ ogya hyee Sarahemla, asase kataa Moronaeha kuro no so, na nsuo yiri faa Moronae. Na fɛwdie, atwetwesie, kasafi, ne bɔne nni hɔ bio. Awerɛhoɔ dinnyɛ, ne esum kabii bɛsii wɔn ananmu. Na Onyankopɔn aboterɛ asi, ne mmerɛ nhyehyɛeɛ ahyɛ ma.

Maria Linford anhwere ne gyedie da ɛmmfa ho ne ɔtaeɛ a na ɛwɔ England, n’akwantuo a ɔde rekɔ “bea a Onyankopɔn ahyehyɛ,” ahokyere,⁶ ne amanehunu a ɔfaa mu maa n’abusua ne Asɔre no akyire yi.

Wɔ 1937 awufo som a wɔyɛ de kaae Maria no, Ɛlda George Albert Smith (1870–1951) bisaa n’asefoɔ sɛ: “So mobɛkura mo agyanom gyedie no mu? Monpere sɛ mobɛsɛ afata afɔreɛ a wɔabɔ ama mo no nyinaa.”⁷

Berɛ a yɛrepere sɛ yɛkyekyere Sion wɔ yɛn akoma mu, wɔ yɛn afie, wɔ yɛn mpɔtam, ne yɛn aman mu no, yɛnkae akokoduro kɛseɛ ne gyedie a ɛdi mu a wɔn a wɔbɔɔ wɔn biribiara afɔreɛ de maae sɛdeɛ yɛbɛtumi anya asɛmpa a aba bio no nhyira, ne anidasoɔ ne bɔhyɛ a ɛnam Yesu Kristo Mpata no so.