Documentaries Prògraman Aithriseachd

[Torcall MacLeòid] Cha robh mi ach glè òg nuair a thòisich mi a’ leantainn a’ Chruthadair. Bho 1972 gu 1998, faodadh mi ag ràdh, cha do rinn mi càil idir ach dìreach a bhith beò mar a bha a h-uile duine eile – a bhith beò. Bha mi annam fhèin a’ fàs do-riaraichte leis an aideachadh a bha mi a’ dèanamh mar Chrìosdaidh, nach robh mi a’ dèanamh càil idir airson daoine eile. Uill, ’s e sin a bha mi a’ faireachdainn co-dhiù. Agus bha caraid dhomh, bha i ann an Afraga ’s thàinig i dhachaigh ’s bha i ag innse dhomh tòrr eachdraidh mar a bha na daoine sin beò agus tòrr dhaoine ris na choinnich i. Agus ann a bhith ag èisteachd rithe, thòisich m’ inntinn, seo greimeachadh m’ inntinn, ’s ann an do thuirt mi rithe “dè mu dheidhinn an ath-bhliadhna gun tèid sinn air ais ann agus gun tig mi fhèin còmhla ribh ann?” Agus ’s e sin a thachair, agus dh’fhalbh sinn nar dithis agus chaidh sinn a dh’Uganda.

[Torcall MacLeòid] Nise, ann an Uganda tha Marsaili Campbell ag obair – ’s i an nurs a th’ aig Dwelling Places agus bha sinn eòlach air dhà no trì a bha ag obair timcheall an àite sin. ’S rinn sin furasta dhuinn a dhol ann. A’ chiad turas a chaidh mi ann, bha sinn a’ coinneachadh ri daoine a bha ag obair am measg na cloinne air an t-sràid. Clann aig nach robh dachaigh, clann, feadhainn a chaidh am breith air an t-sràid agus cha do thuig mi dè bh’ ann am bochdainn gus an deach mi gu Uganda. Anns a’ bhochdainn a bh’ aca, bha taingeileachd nan cridhe. ’S e sin rud a bha mi a’ faireachdainn a bha a dhìth orm fhèin ged nach robh dìthean orm. Cha robh taingeileachd agam mar bu chòir airson na bh’ agam. Ach nuair a chunnaic mi na daoine ud leis a’ bheagan a bh’ aca, bha iad cho taingeil airson càil sam bith a dhèanadh duine dhaibh, no càil sam bith a bheireadh duine dhaibh. Air sgàth ’s gun robh mi anns an àite, agus gum faca mi na daoine, tha mi eòlach air na daoine, tha mi eòlach air tòrr a bha sinn a’ cuideachadh.

[Torcall MacLeòid] Agus thàinig aon neach gu m’ inntinn an-dràsta agus ’s e an t-ainm a th’ air Farouk agus bha e ceithir bliadhna deug air an t-sràid, agus thàinig e a-steach gu Dwelling Places agus chaidh e a-steach gu clas a h-aon aig ceithir bliadhna deug. Tha e a-nis ochd bliadhna deug agus leughaidh e agus sgrìobhaidh e, agus bidh e ag innse dhuinn mun fheum mhòr a tha an taic a tha sinn a’ toirt dhaibh a’ dèanamh. Thug iad buaidh orm agus nuair a thàinig mi dhachaigh bha mi a’ feuchainn ri smaoineachadh dè ’s urrainn dhuinn a dhèanamh airson beagan dha na sin a leasachadh. Dh’aithnich mi nach b’ urrainn dhan t-saoghal atharrachadh, ach nam inntinn bha mi ag ràdh “uill, ’s dòcha gum faigh sinn air saoghal cuideigin atharrachadh”.

[Torcall MacLeòid] Chaidh mi an uair sin às dèidh charaidean dhomh air an robh sinn eòlach a’ seinn anns na còisirean agus bha mi ag ràdh riutha “dè mu dheidhinn dhà no trì againn faighinn còmhla ri chèile agus gun dèanadh sinn CD de laoidhean is de shailm agus ann a bhith a’ reic nan CDs gum faigh sinn airgead airson nan daoine sin?”. Uill ghlac seo inntinn dhà no trì, agus mar a chanas iad “cha b’ ann leum ach ruith” no “cha b’ ann ruith ach leum”a bu chòir dhomh a ràdh. Bha iad cho deònach seo a dhèanamh ’s tha sinn air a bhith a’ dèanamh sin a-nis bho chionn trì bliadhna.

[Torcall MacLeòid] Ris an seo, mar freastal aig an àm seo, tha e a’ cur iongnadh orm gu bheil sinn a’ dèanamh seo. Nuair a bha mi òg, eil fhios agad, nuair a bha mi òg anns an sgoil is aig an àm nuair a dh’fhàg mi an sgoil cha robh encouragement, mar a chanadh sinn, ga thoirt dhuinne airson a bhith a’ leantainn career sam bith ann an seinn, no ann a bhith a’ dèanamh deilbh, no art no càil mar sin. Agus an-diugh ’s e sin a tha a’ cumail taic ann a bhith a’ cuideachadh nan daoine ud, agus saoilidh mi gun do ràinig mi ceann a’ chearcaill a-nis na mo bheatha agus gu bheil mi a’ faicinn gur e an Cruthadair a thug seo dhomh, airson a bhith a’ dèanamh seo aig an àm seo. Uill tha mi fhèin a’ smaoineachadh tha sinn beò ann an saoghal, mar tha fhios aig a h-uile duine, a tha ag atharrachadh cho mòr, cho luath agus tha e cho follaiseach gu bheil daoine dìreach air an luasgadh a-null is a-null leis a h-uile feallsanachd. Agus tha mi fhèin a’ creidsinn na mo chridhe, rud a tha an Fhìrinn a’ cumail nar cuimhne gun tuirt Ìosa “is mise an t-slighe, an fhìrinn agus a’ bheatha” agus ’s e sin an rud tha daoine ag iarraidh – tha iad ag iarraidh slighe, tha iad ag iarraidh fìrinn, tha iad ag iarraidh beatha agus tha mi fhèin bhon a’ bheachd nach eil e ri fhaicinn ann an nì no neach sam bi eile ach ann an Crìosta.

Chaidh am prògram seo, Alleluia, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2009.

[Torquil MacLeod]I was very young when I started to follow Christ. From 1972 to 1998, I can say, I did nothing but live just like everyone else - to be alive. In myself I was dissatisfied with the confessions that I was making as a Christian, that I wasn’t doing anything at all for other peopl. Well, that’s how I was feeling anyway. And I had a friend, she was in Africa and she came home and was telling me a lot of history of how those people lived and lots of people that she met. And by listening to her, my mind started, this gripped my mind, and I said to her “what about next year we go back and I come with you?” And that’s what happened, the two of us left and we went to Uganda.

[Torquil MacLeod]Now, Marsaili Campbell works in Uganda - she is the nurse that works at Dwelling Places and we knew two or three [people] who were working around that area. That made it easy for us to go there. The first time I went, we were meeting with people that were working with children on the street. Children who didn’t have a home, children, some who had been born on the street and I didn’t understand what poverty was until I went to Uganda. In their poverty, thankfulness was in their hearts. That is what I felt that I was missing although I had no needs. I didn’t have thankfulness as I should have had for what I had. But when I saw those people with the little that they had, they were so thankful for anything that a person did for them, or anything that a person gave them. Because I was in the place, and I saw the people, I know the people, I know many whom we were helping.

[Torquil MacLeod]And one person that came into my mind right now and his name was Farouk and he was fourteen years on the street, and he came into Dwelling Places and he went into class one at the age of fourteen. He is now eighteen years old and he can read and he can write, and he tells us about the great use that the aid that we provide is doing. They had an impact on me and when I came home I was trying to think of what we could do to slightly develop that. I realised that the world wouldn’t change, but in my mind I was saying “well, maybe we could change someone’s world”.

[Torquil MacLeod]I then went after some of my friends that we knew sang in the choirs and I was saying to them “what about two or three of us getting together and making a CD of hymns and psalms and by selling the CDs we will get money for these people?”. Well this caught the attention of two or three, and like they say “it wasn’t jumping but running” or “it wasn’t running but jumping” [accepted it on the spot], I should say. They were so willing to do this and we have been doing that now for three years.

[Torquil MacLeod]With this, as fate at this time, I am surprised that we do this. When I was young, you know, when I was young in school and at the time when I left school there was no encouragement, like they say, given to us to pursue any career in singing, or in doing paintings, or art or anything like that. And today that’s what supports helping those people, and I think that I have reached the end of the circle now in my life and that I am seeing that it was Christ that gave this to me, for doing this at this time. Well I think myselfthat we are alive in a world, like everyone knows, that is changing so much, so fast and it is so obvious that people are just swinging between every philosophy. And I believe in my heart, what the Gospel reminds us that Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life” and that’s what people want – they want a way, they want truth, they want life and I myself am of the opinion that it can’t be seen in anything or anyone other than in Christ.

This programme, Alleluia, was first broadcast in 2009.