Kosta Rika wɩsɩ ɖɩlɩyɛ tɛtʋ ndʋ payaɣ se Puerto Limón nɛ tɛtʋ ndʋ tɩcɔ-tʋ nɛ tɩta yɔ, tɩ-taa maacaɣ nɛ manpaɣlɩ. Ma-lʋlɩyaa wɛnɩ piya lutozo nɛ mɛkɛnɩ lʋbɛ tʋ. Maawɛnɩ pɩnzɩ lutozo lɛ, man-caa sɩba. Piyeba nɛ mo-ɖoo cɔnɩ ɖɔ-yɔɔ e-ɖeke.

Maasɔɔlɩ baseball  * tɔm kpem. Maakɛ pɩɣa evelaɣ lɛ, maasɔɔlɩ hola aleɣya tɔm nɛ mansʋʋ hola aleɣya ɛgbɛyɛ cikpeɖe naɖɩyɛ taa. Maawɛnɩ pɩnzɩ 20 lɛ, mamakaɣ baseball ɛgbɛyɛ cikpeɖe naɖɩyɛ taa nɛ peeɖe abalʋ nɔɔyʋ kɔma nɛ eheyi-m se mansʋʋ baseball ɛgbɛyɛ sɔsɔɖɛ naɖɩyɛ taa Niikaraguwa ɛjaɖɛ taa. Ɛlɛ mantɩpɩzɩ nɛ mowolo Niikaraguwa mbʋ pʋyɔɔ yɔ, pɩwɩɣaɣ mo-ɖoo nɛ pɩɩwɛɛ se mɔncɔnɩ e-ɖeɖe. Pitileɖi lɛ, abalʋ lɛlʋ kɔɔ nɛ ɛya-m se mansʋʋ Kosta Rika ɛjaɖɛ baseball maɖaa ɛgbɛyɛ taa. Mba pɛwɛ ɛgbɛyɛ nɖɩ ɖɩ-taa yɔ, palɩnɩ Baseball agbaa cikpena ndɩ ndɩ taa. Peeɖe mentisaa. Kpaɣnɩ 1949 nɛ puwolo 1952 lɛ, maawɛ ɖɛ-ɛjaɖɛ baseball maɖaa ɛgbɛyɛ taa; nɛ mama baseball Kubaa, Mɛkɩsiikoo nɛ Niikaraguwa. Mamakaɣ Baseball camɩyɛ. Manɩɣ ɛyaa teɣ hendu nɛ payaɣ ma-hɩɖɛ lɛ, pɩkɛdɩɣnɩ-m siŋŋ.

Pɩlabɩ pʋtɔdɩyɛ se mancakaɣ wezuu kɩdɛkɛdʋʋ nɛ paa maawɛnɩ ɖaŋ kʋɖʋm na yɔ, ma nɛ halaa lalaa ɖɩsʋwaɣ. Mankpaŋaɣ sʋlʋm ɖɔɖɔ kpem. Kɩyakʋ nakʋyʋ mankpaŋ sʋlʋm mbʋ nɛ tɛʋ fema lɛ, mana man-tɩ ñalʋʋ yɔɔ mon-kuduyuu tɛɛ, ɛlɛ maatɔzʋʋ ɛzɩma pɩlaba nɛ mantalɩ ɖɩɣa yɔ. Maasɔɔlɩ looteri nɛ domino aleɣya pɩdɩɩfɛyɩ.

Alɩwaatʋ ndʋ tɩ-taa, mon-ɖoo pɩsɩ Yehowa Aseɣɖe Tʋ. Mon-ɖoo kaacɛyɩ ɛ-tɩ se ɛwɩlɩ-m mbʋ ɛkpɛlɩkaa yɔ nɛ ma ɖɔɖɔ mɛwɛɛnɩ tisuu ɛzɩ ɛnʋ yɔ. Ɛlɛ kajalaɣ taa lɛ, ɛtɩpɩzɩ mbʋ pʋyɔɔ yɔ hola aleɣya mʋwaɣ-m alɩwaatʋ kpem. Mankpakaɣ alɩwaatʋ sakɩyɛ nɛ mahayɩsɩɣnɩ man-tɩ nɛ halɩ mantaanɩɣ ñɔɔsɩ taŋ. Ma-lɩmaɣza kpeekpe kaawɛ aleɣya yɔɔ. Maasɔɔlɩ baseball nɛ pɩkɩlɩ pɩtɩŋa!

Paa mbʋ yɔ, maawɛnɩ pɩnzɩ 29 lɛ, mamʋ heŋ nɩɩyɩ  alɩwaatʋ ndʋ maawɛ mɛncɛyɩɣ man-tɩ se mankpa pombo nakʋyʋ aleɣya naayɛ taa yɔ. Pɩkɔm nɛ me-heŋ waa lɛ, malɩɩ baseball maɖaa sɔsaa hɛkʋ taa nɛ mansɩɣnɩ baseball maɖaa hayɩsʋʋ ɛgbɛyɛ cikpeɖe nɖɩ ɖɩñɔtɩnɩ man-ɖɩɣa yɔ, ɖɩ-taa ñɩma.

Pɩnaɣ 1957 taa, paya-m nɛ mowolo kigbeɣluu nakʋyʋ. Yehowa Aseɣɖe Tɩnaa lakaɣ-kʋ kadaɣ ŋga ka-taa maamabɩ baseball yɔ. Mancaɣ samaɣ hɛkʋ taa lɛ, pɩtaawɛ-m kaɖɛ se mana se wɛtʋ kɩbandʋ ndʋ Yehowa Aseɣɖe Tɩnaa wɛnɩ ɛyaa yɔɔ yɔ, tɩwɛ ndɩ nɛ lakasɩ kɩdɛkɛdɩsɩ nzɩ sɩɩwɛ samaɣ hɛkʋ taa alɩwaatʋ ndʋ pɔkɔŋ baseball mabʋ yɔ. Mbʋ mana kigbeɣluu ŋgʋ kɩ-taa yɔ, piseɣti-m nɛ ma nɛ Yehowa Aseɣɖe Tɩnaa ɖɩpaɣzɩ Bibl kpɛlɩkʋʋ nɛ manpaɣzɩ ɖɔɖɔ pe-kediɣzisi wobu.

Tɔm ndʋ mɛnkpɛlɩkaɣ Bibl taa yɔ, titukaɣni-m siŋŋ. Tɩ-taa natʋyʋ lɛ ndʋ Yesu kaayɔɔdɩ kɛdɛzaɣ kɩyakɩŋ yɔɔ yɔ. Ɛyɔɔdaa se ɛ-wayɩ tɩŋɩyaa kaɣ susuu Kewiyaɣ tɔm ɛjaɖɛ kpeekpe yɔɔ. (Maatiyee 24:14) Mɛnkpɛlɩkaa ɖɔɖɔ se Toovenim Krɩstʋ ñɩma iisusuu tɔm se pɛhɛyɩ-wɛ liidiye naɖɩyɛ. Yesu yɔɔdaa se: “Paha-mɩ falaa, ɩha falaa.”—Maatiyee 10:8.

Mankpakaɣ ndʋ mɛnkpɛlɩkaɣ Bibl taa yɔ nɛ mamaɣzɩɣnɩ lakasɩ nzɩ manaɣaɣ Yehowa Aseɣɖe Tɩnaa hɛkʋ taa yɔ. Ɛzɩma pañakaɣ pana siŋŋ se posusi Kewiyaɣ tɔm kɩbandʋ ɛjaɖɛ kpeekpe yɔɔ yɔ, pitukaɣni-m pɩdɩɩfɛyɩ. Mana tɩ-haʋ lɩmaɣza wena a-tɔm Yesu kaaheyi ɛ-wayɩ tɩŋɩyaa se pɛwɛɛna yɔ. Pʋyɔɔ lɛ, alɩwaatʋ ndʋ mankalɩ Maarkɩ 10:21 taa ɖenɖe Yesu tɔm se ‘kɔɔ ŋtɩŋ ma-wayɩ’ yɔ lɛ, pɩkɛdɩnɩ-m se manpɩsɩ Aseɣɖe Tʋ.

Pɩkpaɣ-m alɩwaatʋ pʋcɔ nɛ manpɩzɩ mɛlɛɣzɩ me-wezuu caɣʋ camɩyɛ. Maasɔɔlɩ looteri tɔʋ. Pʋyɔɔ lɛ, maawɛnɩ “ñʋʋ leleŋ” mayaɣ nakɛyɛ nɛ mɔntɔʋnɩ looteri. Maalabɩ mbʋ pɩnzɩ sakɩyɛ kpɩtaŋ tɩŋa. Paa mbʋ yɔ, mɛnkpɛlɩkɩ Bibl taa se Ɛsɔ tɩsɔɔlɩ mba pɛsɛɣ “ñʋʋ leleŋ ɛsɔ” nɛ mba pɛwɛ hiluu ɖɔɖɔ yɔ. (Koloosi 3:5) Pʋyɔɔ meyebi aleɣya wena ɛyʋ lakɩ se ehiɣ liidiye yɔ. Meyebi looteri tɔʋ lɛ, ma-ñʋʋ leleŋ mayaɣ wa kujuka ŋga katɩŋ pʋwayɩ kpaagbaa yɔ! Ɛyaa hoŋi-m mbʋ pʋyɔɔ yɔ, kpɩtaʋ ŋgʋ kɩ-taa mantɩtɔ looteri nɛ pañaɣ pana se pañɩɣ mɔ-yɔɔ nɛ manɖaɣnɩ paɣzʋʋ looteri tɔʋ; ɛlɛ mantɩla mbʋ. Wiɖiyi mantɩtasɩ labʋ aleɣya ana.

Evemiye nɖɩ pamɩyɩsɩ-m lɩm nɛ manpɩsɩ Yehowa Aseɣɖe Tʋ yɔ, mankatɩ kaɖɛ lɛɛɖɛ nɖɩ ɖitukuni ‘mɛ-ɛyʋtʋ kɩfatʋ’ yɔ. (Efɛɛzɩ 4:24) Ðanaɣ ŋga manpɩsaɣ agɔma ɖɩɣa ŋga ka-taa maawɛɛ yɔ lɛ, mana man-ɖaŋ kɩbɩnʋ mɔ-nɔnɔɔ taa ɛɖaŋɩ-m. Ɛna-m lɛ eheyi-m se “Sammy, kɔɔ”; kɔɔ nɛ “ɖileɣyi pazɩ.” Peeɖe moncosi-i kpaagbaa se, “aayɩ” nɛ mɔntɔzɩ-ɩ se, lɛɛlɛɛyɔ lɛ mɛwɛɛ nɛ mancakɩ wezuu ŋgʋ kɩmʋnɩ Bibl paɣtʋ yɔ. (1 Kɔrɛntɩ 6:18) Ɛpɩsɩnɩ-m se “ŋtɔŋ suwe?” Peeɖe ɛcɛyɩ ɛ-tɩ se epeɣzi-m pɩtɩŋnɩ ɛzɩma ɛlɛɣzaɣ tɔm ndʋ Bibl yɔɔdaa pɩlɩɩnɩ kʋzʋʋ kɩdɛkɛdʋʋ yɔɔ yɔ, nɛ halɩ ɛtɔŋ se ɖɩtasɩ paɣzʋʋ ɖa-taabalɩyɛ. Paa mbʋ yɔ mansʋ mon-kuduyuu tɛɛ nɛ manɖɩɣ mɔ-yɔɔ. Sɔnɔ man-taa wɛ leleŋ se mɔyɔɔdɩ se, manpɩsʋʋ Yehowa Aseɣɖe Tʋ kpaɣnɩ pɩnaɣ 1958 yɔ, manpɩzaa mala lɛɣzɩtʋ me-wezuu caɣʋ taa nɛ mantɩpɩsɩnɩ wayɩ.

Pɩlakɩ-m ɛzɩ ye pɩwɛɛ se mama wazasɩ nzɩ mehiɣ Bibl paɣtʋ yɔɔ ɖɔm yɔɔ yɔ, sɩ-tɔm yɔ, mamaɣ wazasɩ nzɩ yɔ, sɩɖɔʋ kpem. Wazasɩ nzɩ sɩ-taa nasɩyɩ lɛ, taabalaa kɩbama sakɩyɛ mba mɛwɛnɩ lɛɛlɛɛyɔ yɔ, wezuu ŋgʋ kɩwɛnɩ tɔbʋʋ nɩʋ yɔ nɛ taa leleŋ siŋŋ.

Halɩ nɛ sɔnɔ mamakɩ baseball ɛlɛ mɛwɛnɩ lɩmaɣza kɩbana kɩ-yɔɔ. Mehiɣ liidiye nɛ hɩɖɛ ɖʋʋ baseball aleɣya taa, ɛlɛ ñɩm mbʋ piileɖiɣ. Ɛlɛ taabalɩyɛ nɖɩ ɖɩwɛ ma nɛ Ɛsɔ nɛ koobiya ɖɛ-hɛkʋ taa yɔ, ɖɩwɛɣ tam. Bibl yɔɔdaa se: “Ɛjaɖɛ nɛ ɖɩ-yɔɔ sɔɔlɩm mbʋ, pɛɖɛɣ; ɛlɛ weyi ɛlakɩ Ɛsɔ sɔɔlɩm yɔɔ yɔ, ɛwɛɣ tam.” (1 Yohanɛɛsɩ 2:17) Lɛɛlɛɛyɔ mɔnsɔɔlɩ Yehowa Ɛsɔ nɛ ɛ-samaɣ nɛ pɩkɩlɩ pɩtɩŋa!