Hester Needham (marubuci)

**Hester Needham** (23 Janairu 1843 - 12 Mayu 1897) ta kasance mai wa'azin addinin kirista kuma marubuciyar tafiye-tafiye ta Burtaniya. An san ta da buga littafin *God First ko kuma littafin Hester Needham bayan mutuwarsa a Sumatra,* wani littafin tafiye-tafiye da aka buga a 1899. Kwafi ɗaya daga cikin tarin littattafai na musamman na Jami'ar Maastricht ne .  Shi ne kawai littafin da aka sani da wata mai wa'azin addini mace ta rubuta a Indonesia a wancan lokacin. Littafin ya ƙunshi wasiƙu da littattafan tarihin Needham, waɗanda Mary Enfield ta shirya. Ya kuma haɗa da gabatarwar Sarah Geraldine Stock da babi game da tarihin rayuwar marubucin.  Needham ta zauna a Sumatra daga 1889 zuwa 1897, inda ta mutu.  Ta yi tafiya zuwa can don shiga cikin aikin wa'azin addini na Rhenish Missionary Society a matsayin mace ta farko mai wa'azin addini. 

## Rayuwar farko
Needham ta rayu a zamanin tarihin Birtaniya na Victorian kuma ta yi aikin bishara .  Na ɗan lokaci, ta halarci makaranta a Weston-super-Mare . A Landan, tun tana da shekaru ashirin zuwa sama, ta gudanar da ayyuka daban-daban da suka shafi cocinta, kamar ziyartar Asibitin St George don koyar da makaranta a ranakun Lahadi.  A shekara ta 1873, ta fara wani ƙaramin reshe na YWCA, wata ƙungiyar mata da ke wakiltar abin da ake kira Bisharar Zamantakewa : ra'ayin cewa ci gaban zamantakewa albarkar Allah ne.   A matsayin wani ɓangare na reshen, ta buɗe Gidan Gimbiya a Landan a shekara ta 1878. Ginin ya kasance wurin zama da ilimi ga mata matasa. 

Addinin bishara shine ginshiƙin al'ummomin masu wa'azi .  Musamman idan aka haɗa shi da farfaɗowar al'ummar Victoria,  tsarin mayar da waɗanda ba Kiristoci ba Kiristoci a yankunan ya fito ne daga al'ummar Birtaniya.  Al'ummomin masu wa'azi sun sami kulawa da kuɗi na musamman,  kuma mata sun ba da gudummawa ga ayyukansu. A farko, suna taka rawa ne kawai a matsayin abin da ake gani a matsayin mata na maza masu wa'azi .  An fara buƙatar mata masu wa'azi a yankunan saboda ana ganin sun fi dacewa su koyar da kuma wayewa ga wasu mata.  

A ƙarshen shekarun 1880, ƙungiyar Mishan ta Rhenish ta nemi mata masu wa'azin bishara don shiga ayyukan mishan a ƙasashen duniya.  A shekara ta 1888, Schreiber, ɗaya daga cikin manyan ministocinta, ta je wani taro a Landan .  Needham ta halarci taron kuma ta yanke shawarar shiga.  An aika ta zuwa Sumatra .  

## Aikinsa a Sumatra

A watan Disamba na shekarar 1889, ta sauka a Sibolga kuma bayan wasu kwanaki ta isa tashar mishan da ke Pansur Napitu, a Arewacin Sumatra, arewacin Padangsidempuan .  A tsawon zamanta a Sumatra, ta gudanar da ayyuka da dama, galibi tana magana ne game da musuluntar addinin mutanen yankin, Batak, zuwa Kiristanci . Tana gudanar da azuzuwan Littafi Mai Tsarki da dama a kowane mako kuma tana gudanar da tarurruka da azuzuwan musamman ga mata kamar yadda wani lokacin ga yara ma.  Da zarar ta koyi yaren yankin, ta taimaka wajen fassara Littafi Mai Tsarki zuwa harshen yankin kuma ta yi wa'azi . Ta shiga ayyukan agaji : ta taimaki mutanen yankin da kuturta ko talauci ya shafa kuma ta taimaki makafi Bataks . 

A watan Maris na shekarar 1891, aka buɗe Gidan Gimbiya na Pansur Napitu. Ta ba da kuɗin gina shi, kuma da zarar ta buɗe, ta zauna a can yayin da take kula da gidan da kuma gudanar da taro da azuzuwan a can.  A lokacin bazara na shekarar 1892, girgizar ƙasa da dama ta afka wa tsibirin. Ta fara tattara kuɗi da abinci don Tsibirin Sangir da ya fi fama da bala'i. A watan Janairun shekarar 1893, ta ƙaura zuwa Sipoholon, wani babban ƙauye inda ake buƙatar ƙarin aikin tuba . Shekara guda bayan haka, aka buɗe Gidan Gimbiya na biyu inda ta yi aiki har zuwa watan Yunin shekarar 1895.

A watan Yunin 1895, Needham ta ƙaura zuwa wani yanki na Sumatra inda mutanen Mandailing ke zaune. Bayan tafiya mai tsawo, wadda ta ɗauki watanni biyu, ta zauna a Muara Sipongi.  A lokacin bazara na 1896, ta ƙaura zuwa Malintang, kudu da Padangsidempuan . An kuma naɗa ta a matsayin mai kula da Bartimeus, wani mutumin yankin, na ƙungiyar Littafi Mai Tsarki ta Birtaniya da Ƙasashen Waje .  A watan Disamba na 1896, ta ƙaura zuwa Maga inda sarkin yankin ya ba ta masauki. A ranar 12 ga Mayu 1897, ta rasu a Maga a Mandailing . Ba a san musabbabin mutuwarta ba amma rashin lafiyarta ta ƙarshe ita ce ciwon jijiyar ciki . 
Fayil:God_First_or_Hester_Needham's_work_in_Sumatra-title_page.jpg|alt=Title page of God First.| Shafin taken *Allah Da Farko.*
Fayil:God_First_or_Hester_Needham's_work_in_Sumatra-page_84.jpg|alt=Photo of Princess House in Pansur Napitu.| Hoton Gidan Gimbiya a Pansur Napitu.
Fayil:God_First_or_Hester_Needham's_work_in_Sumatra-page_167.jpg|alt=The night school at Sipoholon, showing sister Kate and Andreas.| Makarantar dare a Sipoholon, inda aka nuna 'yar'uwa Kate da Andreas.
Fayil:God_First_or_Hester_Needham's_work_in_Sumatra-page_240.jpg|alt=Picture of Needham and a local Christian family in Maga, Mandailing.| Hoton Needham da wani iyali Kirista na gida a Maga, Mandailing.


## Manazarta