Ebyafaayo bya David Brainerd

David Brainerd yamala emyaka amakumi abiri mu mwenda ng'omulamu, mu gyo yakozaamu obuweereza emyaka nga ena myereere, teyalaba bibiina binene, teyatandikawo kitongole kyonna, era yafiira mu nnyumba y'omuntu omulala ng'akolola omusaayi. Nga tugeraageranya mu ngeri ez'ensi zonna, obulamu bwe bwali butono era obwafa. Naye ekitabo ky'ennaku kye yawandiika — ekyafulumizibwa oluvannyuma lw'okufa kwe Jonathan Edwards — kiweerezza abasajja n'abakazi bangi mu nnimiro y'obuweereza okusinga ebitabo eby'obulamu bw'ababuulizi ekikumi abaatuukirira. Ye bujulizi nti Katonda apima obulamu mu ngeri ey'enjawulo ku gye ffe gye tupima.

Yazaalibwa ku lunaku lwa Ssabbiiti, nga April 20, 1718, mu Haddam, Connecticut, mu maka agaali ag'okutya Katonda naye nga gajjudde ennaku; bazadde be bombi baali bafudde nga tannaweza myaka kkumi na ena. Yali mwana ow'amaanyi mu birowoozo era nga wa nnaku, eddiini nga emukwatako nnyo era nga emuteganya nnyo, ng'asiiba era ng'alongoosa empisa ze naye nga tafuna mirembe. Egyo gyajja mu mwaka gwe ogw'amakumi abiri mu ebiri gwokka. Nga July 12, 1739, ng'atambula yekka akawungeezi, omuzito gw'ennaku ne guggibwako mu kaseera kamu.

Bwe nnali ntambula mu kibira ekikwafu era ekizibu, ekitiibwa ekitayogerekeka ne kiraga nga kyeggula eri amaaso n'okutegeera kw'emmeeme yange… Emmeeme yange n'esanyuka n'essanyu eritayogerekeka, okulaba Katonda afaanana bw'atyo, Omutukuvu ow'ekitiibwa afaanana bw'atyo.

— David Brainerd, Diary, July 12, 1739

Yagobwa mu Yale

Mu biseera ebyo eby'ekyengera yayingira Yale okwetegekera obuweereza, era eyo obunyiikivu bwe ne businga okwegendereza kwe. Ng'akwatiddwa omuliro gw'Okuzuukuka Okukulu (Great Awakening) okwali kubunye mu New England mu kiseera ekyo, abayizi ne batandika okunenya abasomesa be baalowooza nti tebaakyusibwa mitima. Bwe yabuuzibwa mu kyama ky'alowooza ku omu eyali asabye awatali bbugumu bulabika, Brainerd n'ayogera ebisukkiridde:

Talina kisa kisukka ku ntebe eno.

— David Brainerd, eyawulirwa mu Yale, 1742

Omuyizi omuggya n'awulira n'akiloopa. Omukulu w'essomero (rector) n'amusaba okwatula mu lujjudde; Brainerd, ng'akkiriza nti ebigambo byali bya kyama era nti ekibonerezo kyali tekya bwenkanya, n'agaana — era olw'ekyo, awamu n'okugenda kwe mu lukuŋŋaana olwaziyizibwa olw'“Abaawukana” (Separate), n'agobwa mu biseera by'obutiti bya 1742, mu mwaka gwe ogwokusatu. Teyaweebwa dipuloma n'akatono. Obuswavu buno bwamunuubula nnyo era ne buggalawo emiryango egya bulijjo egy'okubuulira mu New England. Ate era, olw'okuteekateeka kwa Katonda, ne bumukyusa okwolekera omulimu gumu Brainerd gwe ajjukirwako.

Eri Abazaalirwa ba Amerika

Bwe yaweebwa olukusa okubuulira mu July 1742, ekibiina ekyali kiweereza eri abantu Abazaalirwa ba Amerika ne kimutwala. Mu April 1743 n'asenga mu Kaunaumeek, akyalo ka Housatonic akaali kokka wakati wa Stockbridge ne Albany, ng'abeera mu wigwam olwo n'addamu ng'abeera mu kasiisira akatono, ng'asula ku ssubi, ng'ayiga olulimi, ng'alya ebitono, era ng'avuga amayilo mangi ng'ayita mu ddungu. Yatera okulwala, ng'atera okuwulira empewo, era ng'abeera yekka ebiseera ebisinga. Ekitabo kye eky'ennaku okuva mu myaka gino kiwandiiko ekiwanvu eky'okubonaabona kw'omubiri n'obwerere bw'omwoyo — n'okwegomba okwamira buli kirala kyonna.

Saafaayo gye nnali mbeera oba engeri gye nnali mbeeramu, oba kubonaabona ki kwe nnayitamu, wabula okuggya emmeeme ne nzireeta eri Kristo kyokka.

— David Brainerd, Diary, July 21, 1744

Bwe yaawongebwa Presbytery of New York mu June 1744, n'agenda mu Forks of the Delaware mu Pennsylvania, era n'akola engendo enzibu era ezitaali na kibala okutuuka ku Susquehanna. Okumala ekiseera ekiwanvu tewaali kyalabikawo n'akatono. Ekyamuwanirira si bibala wabula kwe kusaba.

Kigwanidde okwogerwa mu bwannamddala nti Brainerd teyali mutukuvu ateredde. Ekitabo kye eky'ennaku kyamanyibwa — era eri abasomi abamu nga kyeraliikiriza — olw'okwekebera kwe okutakoowa n'ennaku eyingi. Yalwanagana obulamu bwe bwonna n'ekyo kye twandiyise kaakano nti obuyinike (depression), ng'awandiika ebiseera ebiwanvu “eby'okwennyamira,” ng'ayita yekka “ekitonde ekisingira ddala obubi ku biramu,” era emirundi mingi ng'ayagala kufa bufa. Edwards, bwe yafulumiza ekitabo eky'ennaku, yatya nti ennaku yaakyo eyinza okubuza abato, era n'akubiriza abasomi mu bukkakkamu okugoberera obwewaayo bwa Brainerd awatali kukoppa buyinike bwe. Naye obwesimbu buno bwennyini kye kimu ku maanyi g'ekitabo ag'ekyewuunyo. Wano obutukuvu tebulabikira ng'obuwanguzi obutaliiko kabi wabula ng'omusajja omulwadde, ow'ennaku, eyeebuusabuusa ng'anywerera ku Katonda ng'ayita mu kizikiza — era ng'asituliddwa. Kizzizzaamu amaanyi abakkiriza abaali baweddemu amaanyi bangi okusinga olugero lwonna olw'obuwanguzi obutaliiko kabi bwe lwandisobodde.

Okumeguza mu bibira

Brainerd yasaba ng'abasajja abalala bwe bakola emirimu — okutuusa lwe yakoowa ddala. Yayawulangako ennaku enzijjuvu olw'okusiiba n'okusaba mu kyama; “yasanyukiranga nnyo mu bifo eby'ekyama eby'okwesirika,” bwe yagamba Edwards, ng'abulira mu kibira okufuka emmeeme ye ku lw'abantu be yali azze okuweereza. Akawungeezi kamu mu Forks, ekiro nga tannaakyaasima embaga ey'okusinza bakatonda abalala, n'asaba okutuusa omubiri gwe lwe gwalemererwa.

Empewo mu Crossweeksung

Mu June 1745 n'atuuka e Crossweeksung, ekitundu Abadelaware mwe baali basaasaanidde mu New Jersey, era wano ekyeya ekiwanvu kye yali asabidde ne kikyuka ne kifuuka nkuba. Yabuulira, si ntiisa, wabula ekisa eky'obuwa n'okusaasira kwa Kristo — era nga August 8, 1745, eri abawuliriza nga nkaaga mu bataano, okuddamu ne kujja.

Enkyukakyuka eno teyali kumpulira kuyita buyisi. Obutamiivu bwalekebwa, amabanja gaasasulwa, entalo zaakomya; mu myezi kkumi n'egumu abantu amakumi asatu mu munaana baali beeyatudde okukkiriza mu lujjudde, “bonna abalabika ng'abaakolerwa omulimu gw'ekisa eky'enjawulo mu mitima gyabwe.” Brainerd, eyali yeegendereza era eyeebuusabuusa okuyita ekigero, yali akakasa ekintu kimu: si ye yakikola. Kyajja ng'ekirabo, mu kiseera ebyo ebyali bimulindiridde bwe byalabika nga bibi ennyo, ng'okuddamu kw'okusaba.

Ettabaaza eyazikira

Yalina ekiseera kitono okukyeyagalira. Akafuba akaali kamugoberedde okumala emyaka kaakano ne kamunyweza; yakolola omusaayi era n'atasobola nate kwetooloola bitundu bye ng'abuulira. Mu ntandikwa y'omwaka 1747 n'ava ku Bazaalirwa n'agenda mu maka ga Jonathan Edwards mu Northampton, Massachusetts. Eyo, ng'ajjanjabibwa mu wiiki kkumi na mwenda ze ez'oluvannyuma muwala wa Edwards Jerusha, n'afiira nga essaawa nga mukaaga ku makya ku Lwakutaano, October 9, 1747, nga tannaaweza myaka amakumi asatu. Okutuusa ku nkomerero okwegomba kwe okumu tekwakyuka: “Omulimu gwange guwedde,” bwe yabagamba; “okwegomba kwange kwonna kwe kugulumiza Katonda.”

Ekkuŋŋaaniro ekitono e Crossweeksung tekyalekebwa nga nnamwandu. Muto wa Brainerd John, naye eyali muweereza, n'atwala omulimu gwe gumu era n'alunda abakkiriza Abadelaware okumala emyaka egyaddirira, ne kiba nti okuzuukuka David kwe yali asabidde kwawangaala okusinga omusajja emirembe. Ekyo ekyalabika, ku kitanda kye eky'okufiirako, ng'olugero olwasalibwako nga terunnamala kubuulirwa, Katonda mu kasirise n'akweyongerayo.

Ekitabo ky'ennaku ekyagaana okufa

Nga wayiseewo emyaka ebiri Edwards n'afulumiza An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend Mr. David Brainerd, ekyazimbibwa ku kitabo ky'ennaku Brainerd kye yali amusabye okwekenneenya. Kyafuuka kimu ku bitabo eby'okwewaayo ebyasinga okuddiŋŋanwa okukubibwa mu lulimi Olungereza, era obuwulize bwakyo obw'emirembe, obw'okwemalamu, era obw'obwesigwa bwakoleeza omuliro Brainerd gwe yataba mulamu kulaba. John Wesley yakifunza era n'akitendereza. William Carey yakitwala e India era n'akiwaliriza abalala nga kye kyokulabirako. Henry Martyn yakisoma e Cambridge era n'awaayo obulamu bwe eri obuweereza mu Buvanjuba. Nga wayiseewo emyaka ebikumi bibiri, Jim Elliot naye n'ajjuza ebitabo bye eby'ennaku mu mwoyo gwe gumu ng'akyali muto nga tannafiira mu Ecuador. Obulamu obumpi, obwafukibwa mu bantu abeerabirwa mu kibira — era okuyita mu bwo, Katonda yeefunira erinnya mu mawanga, nga bwe kityo Brainerd bwe yali asabye.