My varied experiences during my endeavor to secure some goat milk were proving to be quite challenging. These were setbacks that I never contemplated. Discouragement or deciding to just give up was never an option. Instead, I exercised faith and trust in God and continued to plead with Him in prayer for the fulfillment of what He had promised. In fact, there is even a passage to this effect in Scripture,
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:35 (NKJV).
In my case, the will of God was to continue doing just what I had been practicing, daily Bible study, frequent fervent prayer, claiming the fulfillment of God’s promise, and waiting for Him to fulfill it in His own time. During this period of apparent delay, I received the assurance that my prayers were being favorably considered. While lying in bed early one morning I heard,
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4: 14-16 (NKJV).
Once again I discovered that The Holy Spirit communicates with us from time to time in scripture passages. In fact, He also employs a multiplicity of effective communication media. By this time I had been outside of the U.S.A. for over three years, because of The COVID-19 pandemic. People in my age group were particularly vulnerable and my medical history of having previously contracted Blastomycosis (resulting in the collapse of my two lungs), was certainly not an asset. Although I had fully recovered from this disease, I was not impressed to take any chances. Moreover, I was in the habit of routinely walking at least four miles daily. Nevertheless, I had been forced to suspend this part of my daily routine because not only were my legs swollen, but their muscles were also weak and painful.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic ended Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close after three years — weeks before it was set to expire alongside a separate public health emergency. The national emergency allowed the government to take sweeping steps to respond to the virus and support the country’s economic, health, and welfare systems. Some of the emergency measures have already been successfully wound-down, while others are still being phased out. The public health emergency — it underpins tough immigration restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border — is set to expire on May 11.
Biden Ends COVID National Emergency After Congress Acts By The Associated Press, April 11, 2023.
I felt pretty safe in Ghana. COVID-19 was here from 2020 onwards. But compared to what was transpiring in Europe, Asia, and North America the COVID-19 event in The Gold Coast was a non sequitor. As per usual I was out in The Brong Ahafo Region. Surrounded by an abundance of trees, and fresh air. Far from the cities of Kumasi, Accra, and Tamale. Where the Covid-19 pandemic was trying strenuously to make an appearance. Although it wasn’t having much success. Just a few people came down with COVID-19 in Berekum, but there were no fatalities. They all recovered. By the time the COVID-19 emergency was discontinued in America, I had almost been out of the USA for four years continuously. Accordingly, I felt that the time had come for me to renew old acquaintances. I booked a return flight to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, traveling on Ethiopian Airlines. I had never utilized that Carrier previously. All I could remember about them was that a planeeload of people plunged into the sea and drowned. There were absolutely no survivors. Naturally, I had some misgivings. Even though the Airline blamed the accident not on pilot error but on design flaws in the BOEING 737Max.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopian investigators have concluded in a new analysis that the March 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight was caused by design flaws in the Boeing 737 Max plane and not by the performance of the airline or its pilots, adding to the scrutiny of the jet model that has been involved in two recent deadly crashes. An interim report released on Monday by the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau comes almost exactly a year after Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 went down shortly after departing Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people onboard. The crash occurred five months after a similar Max owned by Lion Air of Indonesia crashed minutes after takeoff, killing 189 people.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ethiopian Report on 737 Max Crash Blames Boeing,
By Simon Marks and Abdi Latif Dahir, March 9, 2020.
Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s biggest carrier, plans to fly the Boeing 737 Max again soon. At this year’s Dubai Air Show , the company announced that it has ordered 20 Boeing 737-8 Max planes—the same model that killed 157 people six minutes after taking off from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in March 2019.
QUARTZ: By Faustine Ngila.
Considering all the above factors and developments. This is an extremely intriguing story. I boarded my flight on Ethiopian Airlines ET920 at The Kotoka International Airport (Accra) at 11:30 A.M. March 4, 2023. The plane flew to The Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. Where we switched planes, took on fuel and supplies, and had our luggage checked. Thereafter we boarded Flight ET574 and flew to Dublin, Ireland. The trip was pleasant. Air turbulence was almost absent. The food was delicious and we were actually served four meals. All of which I hungrily consumed. Soon we were in the air again and on our way to The O’Hare International Airport, in Chicago. Upon reaching the American terrain I looked through the window and was reminded of the vast expanse of the American landscape. We soon landed without incident. Overall the flight was excellent, the staff was courteous, and all the air stewardesses were exquisitely beautiful. It was all an unforgettable experience. Going through the U.S. Customs turned out to be far less hectic than I had feared. However, while standing in the line I heard, “Take that Passport out of your mouth, then stand behind the red line and wait until I call you.” I promptly did as I was told. When I finally arrived at her kiosk, I handed her my US Passport and she said to me, “From where are you coming this time Mr. Donaldson?” My response was “Ghana, ma’am.” She stamped my document, gave me a ticket to pick up my luggage, and then said, “Welcome back to America.” I thanked her and then proceeded over to the revolving escalator to pick up my belongings.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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