Amazwi eMbuyiselo

UPhebe Woodruff wayehlala kufuphi neNauvoo xa uJoseph Smith wayeqala ukufundisa malunga nokubhaptizelwa abo babephila ngaphambili. Waye wabhalela umyeni wakhe ngako, uWilford, owayencedisa emsebenzini wevangeli eNgilane:

“UMzalwane uJoseph … ufunde ngesityhilelo sokuba abo bakweli bandla banokubhaptizelelwa nasiphina isizalwana sabo esingasekhoyo kwaye ebesingafumenanga ithuba lokuva ngale vangeli, nkqu nabantwana babo, abazali, abantakwabo, noodade, oomamkhulu nootatomkhulu, oomalume, noomalumekazi. … Kamsinya nje bakuba bebhaptizelwe izihlobo zabo bayakhululwa entolongweni kwaye banokubanga eluvukweni baze babazise ebukumkanini beselestiyali—le mfundiso yamkelwa ngobubele libandla kwaye baya phambili bezizihlwele, abanye baya babhaptizwe kangangezihlandlo ezili-16 … ngosuku olunye.”

UWilford Woodruff kamva waye wathi ngalo mgaqo: “Ngomzuzu endathi ndeva ngawo umoya wam waye waxhuma luvuyo. … Ndaye ndaqhubela phambili kwaye ndabhaptizelwa zonke izizalwane zam ezingasekhoyo endandisazikhumbulayo. … Ndaziva ngathi ndingathi haleluya xa isityhilelo sasiphuma sisityhilela ubhaptizelo lwabafileyo. Ndeva ukuba sasinelungelo lokuvuyela iintsikelelo zeZulu.”

NjengoDade uWoodruff, uVilate Kimball weva ngobhaptizo lovuko ngelixa umyeni wakhe, uHeber, wayengekho eshumayela ivangeli. Yena wambhalela:

“UMongameli uSmith uvule isihloko esitsha nesizukileyo … esithe sabangela imvuselelo enkulu ebandleni. Oko kukuthi, kubhaptizelelwa abafileyo. UPawulosi uthetha ngako, kuyo baseKorinte bokuqala isahluko 15 umqolo 29. UJoseph ufumene ingcaciso epheleleyo ngako ngeSityhilelo. … Lilungelo elilodwa lalenkonzo ukubhaptizelelwa zonke izihlobo zabo ezithe zasweleka ngaphambi kokuba le Vangeli ivele; nkqu nokubuyela emva kooTat’omkhulu nooMam’okhulu babo. … Ngokwenza njalo, sisebenza njengee-arhente zabo; kwaye sibanike ithuba lokuza ngaphambili kuvuko lokuqala. Yena uthi baya kubanayo iVangeli ishunyayelwa kubo … kodwa ayikho into efana nokubhaptizwa kwemimoya. … Ukusukela kwalo myalelo ushunyayelwe apha, amanzi ebesoloko esengxakini. Ngelixa lenkomfa kwakukhona ngamanye amaxesha athile ukusuka kwisibhozo ukuya kwishumi laBadala emlanjeni ngexesha elinye bebhaptiza. … Ndifuna ukubhaptizelelwa uMama wam. Ndicingile ukuba ndilinde ude ubuye ekhaya, kodwa kwixesha elidlulileyo apho uJoseph ebethetha ngesi sihloko, waye wacebisa wonke umntu ukuba aphakame kwaye enze intshukumo, kwaye bakhulule abahlobo babo ebukhobokeni ngokukhawuleza okudibene nokungxama. Ngoko ke ndicinga ukuba ndizakuya phambili kule veki, njengoko kukho inani labamelwane abaya phambili. Abanye sele babhaptiziwe kangangezihlandlo ezininzi. … Ngoko ke uyabona ukuba likhona ithuba kubo bonke. Ingaba le ayiyona imfundiso ezukileyo?”

Nje lakuba iqula lokubhaptizela ligqitywe kwiTempile yaseNauvoo, ubhaptizo lwenziwa apho endaweni yomlambo. UPhebe Chase, umhlali waseNauvoo, wabhalela unina malunga netempile, echaza iqula lokubhaptizela njengendawo apho “singabhaptizelelwa abafileyo bethu kwaye sibengabasindisi eNtabeni iZiyon.” Yena waye waqhubeka ecacisa ukuba kweli qula, “Ndibhaptizilelwe utata wam endimthandayo nabo bonke abanye babahlobo bam abangasekhoyo. … Ngoku ndifuna ukwazi ukuba ngoobani amagama katata noMama wakho khona ukuze ndibenako ukubakhulula, kuba ndiyanqwenela ukukhulula abaFileyo. … INkosi ithethile kwakhona kwaye ibuyise ucwangco lwamandulo.”

Ebhalela abahlobo bakhe nosapho malunga nokubhaptizwa kwamalungu osapho awayephila ngaphambili, uSally Randall ukhumbula ukusweleka konyana wakhe uGeorge:

“Owu yayilixesha elinzima kum kwaye kubonakala ngathi andinako ukuxolelaniswa nalo, kodwa … utata wakhe sele embhaptizelelwe kwaye olunjani lona uzuko lwento eyiyo ukuba sikholelwe kwaye sifumane inzaliseko yevangeli njengoko ishunyayelwa ngoku kwaye sinokubhaptizelelwa bonke abahlobo bethu abangasekhoyo kwaye sibasindise ukubuyela emva njengoko sinokufamana ulwazi ngabo.

“Ndifuna undibhalele amagama anikezelweyo alo lonke unxibelelwano lwethu olungasekhoyo ukubuyela emva kootatomkhulu noomakhulu nakweliphi na inqanaba. Ndizimisele ukwenza oko ndinako ukusindisa abahlobo bam kwaye ndingavuya kakhulu ukuba abanye benu banokuza kwaye bandincedise kuba ngumsebenzi omkhulu ukuba umntu omnye awenze eyedwa. … Ndilindele ukuba uya kucinga ukuba le yimfundiso engaqhelekanga kodwa uya kuyifumanisa ukuba iyinyani.”