Author: Parameciumcaudatum

After Mr. Sam’s untimely death last year in August. His uncle succeeded him as the agent responsible for managing this property. He is the brother of the proprietress and she lives abroad. I spoke to him about my concerns and he advised me to merely place a gate at the entrance of the verandah. I knew that this new arrangement although somewhat helpful. Would definitely not solve the problem completely. Because serious boundary issues are deeply entrenched in the inner recesses of the subconscious mind. Most times they are social and also cultural. My neighbors had absolutely no porch of their own. Accordingly, it was only natural for them to regard my privately rented porch as communal property. Available to be enjoyed by everyone. I was about to disabuse their minds. I had made a number of improvements to this property since moving to this address. Such improvements include the erection of a water tower and the installation of a 3000-liter water poly tank. This facility provided water for everyone even when the water was locked off by the Water Commission, during times of drought. Last year when the water was shut off. Since they hadn’t paid the bill in a timely manner I went down to The Berekum Water Board and paid the full bill of 1200.00 GHS in its entirety. Both of these endeavors greatly enhanced my ethical appeal.

Consequently, I decided to assert a small modicum of territorialism and also exercise some soft power. One Sunday morning while I was Earthing at the back of the property, sitting on a concrete slab with my bare feet on the grass. My neighbor’s eldest son, Benjamin, appeared. As such children do when they are curious about the activities of adults. Presently he is about 10 years old and we both sat apart observing each other. Finally, I said to him, “Mr. Benjamin, to whom does the enclosed front porch belong? His response was, “To you Mr. James.” I looked at him in amazement and asked, “Are you sure?” Then I persisted, “No, it can’t possibly be mine.” Once again he asserted in the affirmative, “Yes Mr. James it’s yours.” Then I said to him, “Since that verandah belongs to me then why are you going up there to wrestle, and play football? Furthermore, I noticed recently that you even park your bicycle up there?” He was dumbfounded. That’s life for you. People do a lot of things that are just downright wrong. Then when you ask them to justify their behavior, their silence is profound. I’m certain that he thought of many excuses. But he dared not utter any of them. Because none of them would make any sense. “Please, don’t go back up there again. Stay off,” I concluded. That same Sunday afternoon while leaving the property for my diurnal evening walk. I noticed that Benjamin’s father was sitting on their steps along with all of the other children. I said to him, “please, I’m begging you, I don’t want anyone on my porch. Because I will be putting some pots and decorative plants up there and I don’t want any accidents, because I don’t want any of them to be damaged.” Furthermore, don’t we read in sacred wisdom literature, “Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, Lest he becomes weary of you and hates you?” Proverbs 25:17 (NKJV).

The following Monday afternoon, I made the very same request to his wife. When she came to the back porch to give me their portion of the monthly water bill, for payment to The Water Commission. No one dared to oppose me. None counteracted my righteous and reasonable demand. All quietly acquiesced to my request. One week later I noticed that the two young ladies were on my porch in the company of Mr. Benjamin. With their blender plugged into my electrical socket and running at high speed. I said to his older sister, “Ms. Patience, you know that I love you dearly and therefore shortly I will be installing an electrical outlet in your foyer. So that you will be able to use it for your own purposes.” I summoned my electrician and did exactly as I had promised the following day. At the same time I decommissioned the electrical outlet on my porch. From that day onward, no one trespassed on my porch. Especially since I also installed a gate there to keep out intruders. After the work on the gate was finished Mr. Benjamin hung his laundry on my gate to dry. The young ladies parked their slippers, straw broom, comb, and other paraphernalia on the far corner of the porch nearest to their side of the building. But I made no complaints. Because such acts of passive aggression didn’t surprise me. The Lord Almighty gave us two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, a big head to think, and only one tongue. Therefore we should try and use it sparingly. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV).

THE SANCTUARY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE COURTESY OF THE INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY

This is a diagram of the OUTER COURT. Which was constructed by Moses during the forty-year wilderness journey of the Israelites.

1. The total length of this area is 100 cubits = the same length as Noah’s Ark
2. The width of this area is 50 cubits = the same width as Noah’s Ark
3. There are 20 poles in the northern and southern elevations each.
4. There are 10 poles in the eastern and western elevations each.
5. The height of each pole is 5 cubits and is covered with a capital of silver.
6. The distance between every pole is exactly 5 cubits.
7. We can easily arrive at 100 by multiplying 10X10
8. 10 is the number that represents humanity in scripture. Man has 10 fingers and 10 toes and was given 10 Commandments to live by.
9. The number 5 represents the Gospel of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
10. Every standing pole is covered with brass. Because within the Court The Brazen Altar is continually sprinkled with the blood of sacrificed animals, i.e. the burnt offering, fellowship offering, and trespass offering. The blood of the sin offering is always poured out at the base of The Altar of Burnt Offering. All of these sacrificial offerings were prophetic of the sacrificial death of The coming RIGHTEOUS MESSIAH.
11. The beautiful, clean white fabric encircling this OUTER COURT represents the spotless, unadulterated RIGHTEOUSNESS of CHRIST OUR DIVINE SAVIOUR. WHOSE MERITS ALONE ARE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD THE FATHER, in Heaven’s efforts to resolve the problem of sin.
12. The message embedded in this diagram is unmistakeable: “MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN RACE, WHO KEEP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, AND WHO ARE ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN THE GOSPEL OF MOSES, ARE THOSE, AND ONLY THOSE, WHO WILL BE CLEANSED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND COVERED WITH HIS LIFE.’
13. This is God’s great BOUNDARY OF ETERNAL TRUTH: REVEALING HIS SACRED LAW, LOVE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTICE, and MERCY.
14. Woe unto all those who ignore it, reject it, despise it, or fail to respond to it appropriately.

Immediately after that violent confrontation. A nearby car was started and Burt Reece, who was now losing blood rapidly, was ushered into the car and taken to The Spanish Town Hospital. Where appropriately qualified medical personnel attended to his needs. Now that I reminisce upon all that had transpired, I come to the realization that Teacher Reece had quietly witnessed all the unfolding events. She was fully aware of the physical abuses her son had been inflicting upon smaller children. Unfortunately, however, she had done nothing to staunch his avalanche of mischief. Her own parental neglect had almost occasioned the tragic death of her own dearly beloved son. The last time I heard anything about Mr. Burt Reece, he was Dr. Burt Reece, a practicing surgeon in the City of Huntsville, Alabama. My ex-brother-in-law described him to me and couldn’t help mentioning the very prominent scar on his forehead. The wound that I had visited upon his ‘temple’ couldn’t have hurt him intellectually, and my thanks are due to The Lord Almighty. Nevertheless, he is destined to carry that ugly scar upon his face for the rest of his life. As a fitting testament and permanent trophy of his childhood folly. The contempt with which he regarded a visible but inconvenient boundary.

During the purported administration of the punishment delivered to me, by my grand aunt. I jumped up and down appropriately. As if I was actually feeling pain. Because although I felt no discomfort from her gentle strokes, I was nonetheless emotionally mortified and publicly humiliated. I wept in shame. I had responded firmly to the egregious provocation that I had been forced to endure. My violent actions, however, were unacceptable. I had shed blood and threatened the life of the principal’s son. My grandaunt said nothing further to me after I arrived home that day. I remained in meditative silence. A few days later Ms. Sarah made a routine visit to a friend and fellow church member. Whose home was located directly behind Mrs. Reece’s private school. That woman had only one question: “Ms. Sarah, why did you flog Chubby? (That was my nickname). The Principal’s son is even more rotten than rotten eggs! “He is rotten; he is rotten; he is rotten.” She repeatedly asserted. Do you have any idea how many children he has bullied mercilessly? He got just what he deserved.” Apparently, the flogging that was publicly imparted to me, seemed real enough! My guardian’s only response was, “You see, I didn’t know.” She reported everything back to me. The community at large considered my actions to be courageous and honorable. My grandaunt was fully vindicated and so was I.

Two new Indian brothers were matriculated as students at the Titchfield Secondary School. Their mother brought them there in person to enroll them at that Institution. We soon became good friends and went out on the school grounds to play frequently. We were full of energy and had a lot of fun. One of the games we played innocently was just throwing small stones at each other. This game seemed harmless enough until one of my friends was struck in the skull with a stone and his scalp started to bleed generously. They quickly ran home and his mother was certainly not appreciative of this gesture. Although I had quietly retreated to my classroom and was sitting in my chair in front of the teacher. Their mother appeared and I was summoned to the principal’s office. I attempted to explain to the Head Master that we were playing and that what happened was only an accident. He just didn’t seem to be able to understand my point. He ordered me to stretch out my hands and I was administered six strokes. Three in each hand with a firm leather belt. That in those days couldn’t have been less than 4′ wide. Once again I was constrained to shed many tears. But I learned that at all times we will be held responsible for our actions, even though we may believe that we are really innocent. When their mother saw my tears I observed no malice in her face only love and compassion. However, she probably felt that my childhood propensities needed some bridling. After that painful experience, I don’t think I ever threw another stone at any other human being again.

Where I presently reside, there are two porches attached to my apartment. One at the front and another at the back. After moving here and renting this abode initially, I observed that my neighbors had some serious boundary issues. Those in the apartment on my left would venture onto my front porch with their friends. They would play football, skate, wrestle, and sometimes even damage the mesh over my front window by grabbing it during their wrestling bouts. At night they would turn on my porch light and study there. At my expense while consuming my electrical credits. Sometimes they even created a raucous with their loud bacchanalian laughing and bantering. I continued to observe them and suffer in silence. Because I knew that my tenant’s rights were being violated and my unique privileges were being trampled upon. Since I was the one who leased this apartment and paid the required rent. Providence must have been aware of my silent seething and angry frustration. One night while they were all on my porch enjoying themselves. A powerful breeze blew in from the North and dislodged the bulb from its receptacle. Suddenly they were all plunged into darkness. Gradually they quietly slinked away to their respective habitats. Since I neither repaired that fixture nor replaced that bulb. No one visited that porch again after dark.

(TO BE CONTINUED).

As a boy in attendance at The Titchfield Secondary School in Spanish Town, Saint Catherine, Jamaica, West Indies. I was forced to learn some Painful lessons about invisible boundaries. Some boys were skirmishing on the porch immediately outside the woodwork classroom. I was a mere bystander but the woodwork master was irritated, exited his room, and administered some justice to all of the boys in that vicinity. His cane fell mercilessly on my back. As it justly did on the backs of all the instigators. But I was extremely angry as a result of this perceived injustice. I couldn’t have been more than nine years of age at the time, but immediately retaliated by cursing him profusely. He became angry at my outburst of disrespect. When I saw the visible rage on his face I attempted to flee. Running as fast as I could from the scene. But he dispatched some bigger boys after me. They soon outran me, arrested me, and brought me back to the porch to face the woodwork master’s justice (?). At that moment of reckoning, he accused me of cursing him and gave me a firm whipping for my disrespect. I shed many tears in my apparent grief, but I learned not to verbally abuse people, bigger and far more powerful than myself.

There are many visible boundaries in this world of ours. Some of them are as plain as the typical concrete walls surrounding the environs of many private properties. Some property owners, where I reside in Ghana. Even mount metal struts on top of their walls and intertwined within these struts are sharp razor wires. Others assume that such measures are inadequate. Also placing live electrical, uninsulated wires. Above the extremely sharp and polished large steel razors. To visibly discourage any overconfident thief or robber from brazenly attempting a breach. There aren’t any NO TRESPASSING SIGNS on full display. The visible obstacles forbidding such a possibility are unmistakable. Most sensible malefactors, upon witnessing such pernicious displays of wealth and power. Tend to avoid the seemingly overwhelming odds and move on to more vulnerable victims. There are also invisible boundaries in this life. Clearly hidden from being seen by the naked human eye. Any violation of such boundaries, however. Ends nevertheless in equally catastrophic consequences. A friend of mine shared with me one of his experiences. Through which he had passed in his teenage years. He and two companions of his. Trespassed on private property to steal some mangoes from a heavily laden East Indian Mango Tree.

Once they got close enough to within 40 feet of the fruit tree. He observed that there was a tall muscular man, holding the leashes of two large German Shepherd guard dogs, immediately beneath the branches of the tree. He stopped exactly where he was and began to describe to his two companions what he was witnessing. “What are you talking about?” They demanded. He said to them, “Look beneath the branches of the East Indian Mango Tree. There is a man and two guard dogs standing there.” They saw nothing but by then they were perturbed. Because they knew from Jamaican folklore that not everyone is capable of seeing events transpire within the supernatural world. What he, clearly saw, they were obviously completely incapable of seeing. They clearly understood that fact. By then, however, he became increasingly overwhelmed by a sense of imminent danger and he started to run away from the tree and off of the property. His companions saw nothing. They heard his words, saw his actions, and emulated his example. If any of them had dared to violate that boundary. He would have had to suffer some debilitating physical disability of pay with his life.         

Previous to being matriculated at that much larger school. I was in attendance at a private elementary school and my grandaunt paid a school fee, on my behalf, of one shilling per week. Since Jamaica was at that time one of the colonies of the far-flung British Empire. One shilling then was one-twentieth of a British Pound. It was a small school with many students. I really don’t recall learning anything there. Although there must have been organized instruction periods in a variety of classrooms. The Head Mistress was a highly respected member of the local church I attended. The only anxiety I experienced while enrolled as a student there. Was the continuous harassment and bullying, to which I was being subjected by her son, Burt. Why was he always picking on me I frequently wondered? Was it because he was much bigger? Or was I just a convenient target selected by him, since I kept to my seemingly unimportant self, and wasn’t fawning over him. I went to his mother on at least two occasions to warn her of his obnoxious conduct. But all to no avail.

One fateful and very hot afternoon, Burt came into the classroom and saw me. Maybe desiring to show me just how big and important he was, he grabbed me, and despite the fact that I warned him repeatedly, to “Let me go.” He would not desist. He turned me upside down and shook me violently. Until I was almost completely dislodged from my short khaki pants. After some minutes of brutal provocation and my screaming, he finally released me. What an almost fatal mistake, on his part? When I finally got back on my feet, my rage knew no bounds! All I wanted was maximum vengeance! Although I was much smaller and younger than he was, I felt that every fiber of my being had been heinously violated. Suddenly, another spirit took possession of me. My speech became symbolic and apocalyptic. My own voice could no longer be heard. Instead, the roar of a lion proceeded from my vocal cords. “I told you to leave me alone; I told you to leave me alone; I told you to leave me alone. What’s the problem, can’t you hear? Those were the words I kept repeating. The aggressor and his companions were now paralyzed with fear. Seemingly immobilized by what now sounded like the growls of a ferocious and dangerous predator. Like sitting ducks, they cringed against the opposite wall, facing me.

They all knew instinctively that sudden calamity was about to descend upon that scene. I calmly scaled the room for an appropriate weapon of destruction. Lying on a nearby desk was a broken slate. All fear and self-control had abandoned me! All rational thinking had fled my mind! I grabbed that weapon, aimed at his head, and released it with all the power in my right arm. The missile sped unerringly to its appointed target and collided with the middle of his forehead, piercing it, just as I had intended. The next thing I knew, blood covered the face of Mrs. Reece’s uncontrollable son. The merciless and cruel victimizer was now the victim! Several years later I came to the realization that I had been sent to that school to execute God’s vengeance. For the many tears of helpless children that Burt Reece had caused to be shed. Fortunately for the perpetrator, however, was the fact that God’s vengeance had been mingled with mercy.

Someone went up the lane and summoned my grandaunt, to probably come and calm me down. Since Burt Reece and his partners in crime, rapidly absented themselves from the space surrounding me. Because they were all terrified of what I might do next in my moment of fierce and uncontrollable passion. By the time my aunt Sarah arrived, only a few moments later. I was silent and as calm as the Pacific because my rage had been spent. She demanded to know what had happened to cause such a violent outburst on my part. The rationalizations, fabrications, and outright lies started to fly, but none of them stuck with me. Not even for a moment. Because she already knew exactly who I was at home. A humble and submissive child, and as gentle as a lamb. But as the saying goes, “Still waters run deep.” A cousin of Burt Reece’s, Joy Scott, who thirty years ago was employed as a journalist at The Jamaica Daily News. Claimed that all Burt did was touch me and that his one gentle touch provoked me to violence. In response to this very obvious and completely irrational fib. My grand aunt interjected, “Speak the truth and speak it ever, cost it what it will. For he who hides the wrong, he did. Did the wrong thing still.” Nevertheless, she gave me what appeared to be a flogging. But it was all empty symbolism. I felt nothing as the gentle blows fell across my back. Because I wasn’t supposed to feel anything.

(TO BE CONTINUED).

Government corruption is nothing new, it has existed since ancient times. In fact, corruption is standard procedure in a sinful world. We are cautioned in scripture not to hyperventilate because of corruption when we witness it. “If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.” Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 (NKJV). What is extraordinary in Ghana today though is that government corruption is unbridled and unprecedented. The Former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo has criticized the government for the current economic situation. 

According to her, the government has failed to be transparent to Ghanaians regarding the current predicament. She made this known when she joined the Pensioner Bondholders Forum to picket the Finance Ministry over the inclusion of their investments in the Debt Exchange Programme on Friday, February 10. The stateswoman said the move is unacceptable and cannot be forced on investors. “Why are we in this mess? Nobody has fully explained to us, yes we took debt, what was it used for? And where is the accountability? Exactly what was it used for? You are not telling us about how you are going to be able to make things better but just that ‘help me and I help you’, no, you help yourself first, let me see you doing something serious because we have seen these sorts of things too many times. (JOY ONLINE: Why Are We In This Mess? Sophia Akuffo Quizzes Government, 10 February 2023, By Ernest Arhinful).

During the course of the last six years, the government of Ghana has borrowed billions of dollars overseas by issuing Eurobonds. If anyone is looking for some kind of explanation to justify this excessive accumulation of foreign debt the Ghanaian government has many rationalizations.

“Between 2016 and 2020, the increase in Ghana’s debt stock was 137 percent (This includes the cost of the banking sector clean-up, excess capacity charges, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic),” Mr. Ofori-Atta said. “We have financed the construction of seven ongoing interchanges across the country, including those at Takoradi, Tamale, Tema, Obetsebi Lamptey, and Pokuase to ease traffic congestion and enhance productivity,” he said. Despite the impact of the pandemic, he said, the rate of growth of the public debt has been lower under this government than under previous administrations. (ALL AFRICA: Ghana Debt Increase Of 137 Percent Between 2016 and 2020 Lower Than Previous Administrations – Ofori Atta, 12 May 2021).

Such excuses however have done nothing to quell the public outcry emanating from the voices of many sectors of the Ghanaian social spectrum resulting from the collapsing value and purchasing power of the Ghana Cedi.

Former President John Dramani Mahama says the prevailing economic challenges in the country are the result of President Akufo-Addo’s ‘arrogance’, in addition to the ‘incompetence’ of his Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta. In a Facebook post on Friday, he stated that the current challenges could have been avoided if the government had heeded earlier calls for a national dialogue. According to him, when the economy started deteriorating, he was part of those who stressed the need for consensus to help salvage the situation. This he said, however, fell on deaf ears, leading to the ongoing widespread public agitations and the gloomy outlook of the economy. (JOY ONLINE: A President’s Arrogance And A Minister’s Incompetence Have Led Us Here – Mahama On Sophia Akuffo’s DDEP’s Outburst, By Paa Kwesi Schandorf 10 February 2023).

In any economic crisis, the people at the bottom of the social and economic system are the ones who suffer the most. Presently because of the apparent, temporary, strengthening of the Cedi against the dollar, the current rate of exchange on the black market is US$1.00 = 11.90 GHS. However, when you go to the grocery store to shop for essential items you have to pay for the imported goods you purchase at a rate of US$1.00 = 14.00 GHS.

Ghana’s inflation rate was around 30% in June 2022 — resulting in the highest cost of living in two decades. Prices of food and other goods are rising daily, worsening living conditions for ordinary consumers. Teacher unions went on strike to demand a 20% payment for a so-called cost of living allowance. They only called off the action when the government agreed to pay them 15%. Yeboah said Ghana’s current economic challenges “haven’t been easy and it is still not easy now.” He is not the only one feeling the pinch of the country’s skyrocketing prices. Prince Essien, who works in Accra’s private sector, told DW that the “cost of living in Ghana is very expensive these days.” Essien who used to spend $3 a day on food now has to spend more than double that amount due to the high inflation. And that’s not to mention Essien’s other expenses. He explained that “paying bills and paying rent and other utilities, it is very difficult … I have families and other things that one way or the other that I need to support them.” Essien’s salary hasn’t increased for more than two years. He said he “needs at least $125 to cover his monthly expenses” — an amount of money that he struggles to raise. (DW: AFRICA: Ghana’s High Inflation Worsens Living Conditions By Isaac Kaledzi, July 21, 2022).

Is The Government of Ghana solely responsible for this widespread perception of corruption? Probably not. Anyone who has lived in Ghana for a period of time will know from experience that there is a pervasive Anancy mentality throughout this country. Chicanery, trickery, and fraud are deeply entrenched in Ghana’s social fabric. These are realities with which The Lord Almighty is intimately acquainted. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” Psalm 139:1-3 (NKJV). People will trick and rob you to your face if they feel that they can get away with such a sleight of hand. For this very reason, foreigners are especially vulnerable. Because they are the ones most often victimized by such practices. Accordingly, divine providence has given Ghanaians the government they deserve. The people of Ghana are now prey to a government that mimics and mirrors the cultural patterns of its own citizens!

Are we to conclude that this development is the product of some blind accident, coincidence, or chance? The Prophet Amos observes, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing? Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything? When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not The Lord caused it?” Amos 3:3-6 (NKJV). The prophet’s point is that nothing happens unless there is a reason for it to happen. He posits the delicate relationship between the cause and consequence. Ghana’s domestic economic crisis, therefore, is a divine call for individual and national repentance. The prophet Isaiah puts it this way, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7 (NKJV).

Having lived and worked in the third-world country of Jamaica, West Indies, for approximately eight years. I was well acquainted with allegations of fraud and corruption in government. In the 1970s while I was stationed in that country during the era of The Manley Regime. Countless millions of Jamaican dollars (unbacked by gold or foreign exchange). Were printed to finance the Crash Program inaugurated by Jamaica’s socialist prime minister the late Mr. Michael Manley. It seemed to many well-learned people, at the time, including the opposition Jamaica Labour Party. That this whole exercise was not only unaffordable, and unsustainable but would also lead to financial ruination for the country. Large numbers of Crash Program workers were employed to do a variety of things. But those workers located in the corporate area argued about politics, leaned on their brooms most of the time, and occasionally attempted to sweep the streets. The chickens finally came home to roost when Jamaica’s government had to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund for a financial bailout in 1977. The loan was obtained but the terms for granting the loan were a bitter pill for the Jamaican electorate to swallow. They involved a sharp reduction in government expenditure and a 40% devaluation of the Jamaican dollar.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dorothy Dobson, a mother of four, is a “crashie,” worker in Jamaica’s “crash,” or Special Employment Program, which is similar to the Works Progress Administration of the Great Depression era in the United States. Mrs. Dobson thinks that progress in Jamaica is finally offering benefits to her. About 50,000 people hold various crash‐program jobs. For a few years Mrs. Dobson worked with ‘others in sweeping the streets of Kingston, to the scorn of some residents of the capital who called the sweepers “shovel leaners.” (THE NEW YORK TIMES: Jamaicans Are Divided Over Nation’s Leftward Course, By C. Gerald Fraser, July 26, 1977).

Although rich in a variety of natural resources such as cocoa, gold, diamonds, oil, natural gas, aluminum, iron ore, and gypsum, Ghana is nevertheless a third-world country. With a population of approximately 33 million people and a gross national product of $US76 billion in 2022. The rate of unemployment is very high in Ghana and was 13.9% during the second quarter of 2022. A few employed people in Accra make as much as US$150,970.00 per annum. On the other hand, large numbers of the populace earn absolutely nothing, and personally, I know taxi drivers in Berekum who earn as little as 250.00 GHS (US$19.23) monthly. With this kind of income disparity and the preponderance of poverty, it’s not unusual for people to frequently request a handout. Fortunately, The Brong Ahafo Region, where I reside, is a largely agricultural community. Consequently, there is an abundance of food. A trip to the market will reveal a wide variety of edibles such as yam, plantains, bananas, avocado pears, melons, pineapples, mangoes, ginger, tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, cabbage et cetera. All the grocery stores are well stocked. Recently, however, imported food items have become extremely expensive due to the devaluation of the Ghana Cedi.

Ghana is experiencing a deep economic crisis, with rampant inflation that has reached almost 55% and its currency has fallen by almost half compared to the US dollar. The government’s finances are also at their lowest point in years. President Nana Akufo-Addo, who has faced several protests in the West African country because of the situation, admitted that Ghana is in crisis and blamed what he called “malevolent forces…that have come together at the same time” referring to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ghana’s government has blamed the aforementioned calamities as some of the drivers of the economic crisis, but analysts think that the overspending by the government has contributed to the current economic woes. The government’s critics attribute Ghana’s present financial turmoil to blatant Government corruption. Examples are as follows:

1. The NPP has the largest size of government in the history of Ghana! Find out how many ministers they’ve appointed from 2017. At one point, they had over 125 ministers!

2. This government has over 1,000 presidential staffers paid as article 71 officeholders at the jubilee House!

3. They’ve also appointed soo many special assistants to ministers with emoluments close to that of deputy ministers at the various MDA’s.

Take also into consideration:

4. The number of spokespersons at various MDA’s paid above the pay of Directors!

5. The number of CEOs at various State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) and their pay packages! Many of these SOEs now employ 3 or 4 deputy CEOs with fat conditions of service!

6. The impact of the Over 50 new agencies with zero output, eg. CODA, NADA, MBDA, free SHS secretariat, 1D1F secretariat, Petroleum Hub Development Authority, Ghana cares Secretariat, etc.

7. The unconscionable decision to send over 100 Databank staff to the Finance Ministry as special assistants and paid as customs commissioners on GRA’s payroll!

(BUSINESS GHANA: Ato Forson Outlines Seven Reasons For Ghana’s Economic Woes, CNR Citi Newsroom, 16th January 2023).

Renowned John Hopkins University economist Professor Steve Hanke has again criticized the Akufo Addo administration’s resort to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance amid a challenging economic time. In a post shared on Twitter, professor Steve Hanke asserted that the current IMF program that the country hopes to benefit from will fail like previous ones. According to him President Akufo Addo’s passing of the ‘begging bowl to The IMF’ will not yield any results adding that the country’s inflation stood at 50% year on year contrary to the data from The Ghana Statistical service which puts it at near 30%. (GHANA WEB: Akufo Addo Has Passed The Begging Bowl To The IMF, Thursday 14 July 2022).

(TO BE CONTINUED)

We have been hearing and reading a great deal about Global Warming in recent years. During the 1980s Vice President, Al Gore championed that movement internationally with some famous speeches. His emphasis was that we were running out of time to change the trajectory of our march into worldwide calamity. Unless we did more to cut down on our consumption of fossil fuels. Or somehow intervene to mitigate the dire consequences of their use on such a massive international scale. What were the results of his crusade? Both India and China, are the two countries with the largest populations on planet earth. They built more gigantic coal plants to pump large quantities of soot and other air pollutants into our atmosphere. Currently, there are 1,074063 coal plants operating in China alone. In India, there are 233,130. In the USA there are 217,894. These three countries are the biggest air pollution offenders. Other industrialized economies such as Turkey, Germany, and Japan are contributors to the degradation of our atmosphere but to a lesser extent.

Around the world, nine out of 10 people breathe unhealthy air. Air pollution is now the biggest environmental risk for early death, responsible for more than 6 million premature deaths each year from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and respiratory diseases. That’s more than the deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Children, the elderly, people with existing diseases, and minority and low-income communities are particularly vulnerable to adverse health outcomes and economic impacts, such as missed work days, from exposure to air pollution. Research suggests that long-term exposure to some pollutants increases the risk of emphysema more than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. And recent studies show air pollution can impact mental health, worker productivity and even stock market performance. (ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE FUND: Health Effects Of Air Pollution).

Most scientists around the world seem to be in agreement that our present freak weather pattern, is the result of global warming. The general consensus is that soon and very soon an unimaginable climate catastrophe will envelop planet earth. This worldwide calamity will lead to the destruction of at least fifty percent of all human life.

Fact 1: Over the last six decades, our governments have not only completely failed to fix the accelerating global warming emergency, but it is also now getting worse even faster.

Fact 2: By 2025-2031, the severity, frequency, and scale of extreme weather events will increase radically far beyond where it is now!

Fact 3: Today’s legitimate global fossil fuel reduction targets require all developed countries and governments (including China and India) to compel their citizens to reduce ALL fossil fuel use by about 75% by 2025.

Fact 4: Missing the 2025 global fossil fuel reduction targets (and consequently crossing the atmospheric carbon threshold of carbon 425-450 parts per million [ppm]) means we also will trigger the first extinction-accelerating global warming tipping point, and we will enter the second phase of runaway global heating.

Fact 5: Because our governments did not effectively reduce global fossil fuel use and global heating during the last six decades, crossed climate tipping points, climate feedbacks, and accelerating climate consequences will cause the unavoidable extinction of about half of humanity by about mid-century.

 Fact 6: With the little remaining time left to act, the only effective way to save what will remain of humanity post-mid-century from an even worse near-total extinction process is for our governments to get close to the 75% global fossil fuel reduction 2025 target as soon as possible before 2031.

Fact 7: Only our governments’ immediate and massive 75% global fossil fuel reduction actions can save us at this late stage of climate destabilization. Only massive and intense government action can protect the remaining half of post-mid-century humanity from an even worse, near-total extinction process occurring during the period of 2050 to about 2080.

Fact 8: There is still hope to save at least half of humanity, but only if our governments act NOW! To fix the runaway global heating extinction emergency, we must finally use the legitimate 2025 global fossil fuel reduction target of 75% and execute a comprehensive fossil fuel reduction plan that will work.

Fact 9: Despite being highly probable and almost certain that half of humanity will perish by about mid-century because of sixty years of government climate change ineffectiveness, there is still much good news. While humanity can no longer escape a climate-caused mass die-off and its consequent global turmoil, humanity can still learn from these painful climate catastrophe lessons.

Fact 10: Everything our governments are doing currently to fix the climate emergency is still “far too little, far too late.” Desperate individual actions to reduce personal fossil fuel use alone will not save us at this 11th hour. We are way beyond that point today. 

(JOB ONE FOR HUMANITY: Our Current Climate Change Condition Will Soon Adversely Affect Your Daily Life, Updated January 27, 2023). 

Since my childhood years, the weather has been a major source of concern for me. I spent some time in Jamaica, therefore I had to think about earthquakes frequently. Because every now and then at least once or twice each year there was an earth tremor. Some people stood still as the shaking and trembling of the earth’s surface occurred, and others did something crazy like running indoors. But there was no major catastrophic event such as the collapse of a bridge or motorway. Which is an event that actually occurred in California.

On October 17, 1989, the San Francisco Bay area was jolted by the Loma Prieta earthquake. The quake’s epicenter was near Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The magnitude 6.9 quake was the most powerful the state had experienced in several years. The Loma Prieta earthquake was triggered by the mighty San Andreas Fault, where the massive Pacific plate slips northwestward. During the quake, the epicenter slipped up to two meters. The Loma Prieta earthquake caused 63 deaths, 3,757 injuries, and about $6 billion in damage. Many casualties occurred as parts of several transportation routes, including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and a busy freeway, collapsed. (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Loma Prieta Earthquake, October 17 1989 CE).

While earthquakes definitely remain a major threat to our peace and tranquility. Cyclones, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and snowstorms have recently grabbed our attention. In fact, while residing in Jamaica with my pregnant wife in 1980 we were forced to endure the onslaught of Hurricane Allen which struck the Island on 3-4 August 1980. At the time we were living in the Village of Seaforth, Saint Thomas, Jamaica, West Indies. During the morning of August 3rd, many of my neighbors were boarding up their windows, purchasing water, and gathering food items for a possible catastrophic eventuality, which everyone dreaded. I left home and drove around the vicinity in my Volkswagen car, just to observe the transpiring events. There was one major change that I couldn’t ignore. Powerful gusts of wind had commenced sweeping through the area. I was standing in front of a small shop gazing across the road at a gigantic Tamarind tree. Which was located in the middle of the vacant commons, where it had stood for decades.

Suddenly the limbs and branches were swaying uncontrollably in response to a powerful invisible force. Could all of this be mere molecules of violent air I mused? The next thing I knew was that the very large and cumbersome tree was suddenly uprooted from the soil where it had been firmly anchored and thrown to the ground. When I witnessed this phenomenon I was afraid. I got into my car and quickly drove home to be with my wife. I didn’t bother to board up any windows and now that I reminisce upon my past, I remember that all of the windows were glass louver panes. We ate dinner in a sober and subdued mood. Every now and then I looked outside through the windows to witness the increasing ferocity of the approaching storm. Darkness gradually descended as per usual and then the rain also came. But on this occasion it was violent. Right through the night the angry gusts of wind and the violent rain lashed everything in the area with unceasing fury. I could hear sheets of zinc being ripped off their roofs and flung against every available obstacle, that stood in their way, as they flew through the air. At midnight everything seemed to reach a crescendo. The sound of the raging tempest was one continuous shriek.

I feared for the worst. Although the house in which we lived was brand new and built out of reinforced concrete, mortar-filled blocks, and steel. We offered many prayers and eventually, I took my wife into the smallest room in the house, the bathroom. She sat in the tub and I cringed somewhere on the floor. During the course of the night, I fell asleep and awoke many times until finally, the day dawned. We were both still alive and very grateful to God for our survival. Since we had claimed multiple divine promises during the frightening and turbulent darkness that seemed to be unending. As we are assured in scripture,

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.  He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings, you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.” Psalm 91:1-6 (NKJV).

Some recent weather monstrosities in North America. Have reminded me of the many dreadful hours that I spent during that long night of terror. Huddled together with my pregnant wife, as we feared the worst but dared to hope and pray for a good ending. Actually, the eye of Hurricane Allen had passed 20 miles off the eastern coast of The Island of Jamaica. But the carnage and destruction that it left in its wake were staggering. When I finally exited the door of my house, what I witnessed was a fitting testament to what we had experienced during the hours of darkness. Although there was absolutely no damage to our building, our neighbors weren’t so fortunate. The road was impassable. Trees, light poles, electrical wires, sheets of zinc, and other debris were scattered everywhere. I was able to make my way out to the main Seaforth Road. I wanted to check on my church just to see what had been its fate. Miraculously, it was still standing, unscathed. A large edifice, erected for the worship and the glory of God. What a wonderful consolation?

These weather abnormalities have now become universal in scope, and although no region of the world has been spared. The most advanced economies seem to be receiving the brunt of these cataclysmic manifestations. The US has recorded 55 fatalities, with a further four dead after a bus rolled over on icy roads in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Of the US deaths, 25 are from Erie County in the state of New York, where the city of Buffalo has been hit hard by the blizzard, its numbing cold, and heavy “lake-effect” snow – the result of frigid air moving over warmer lake waters. The National Weather Service said that nearly four feet of snow fell at Buffalo’s airport by Sunday, and that snow was falling at the rate of two to three inches an hour south of the city. The region’s storm victims include people found stranded in cars, left freezing in white-out conditions while would-be rescuers struggled against the weather to help. (SKY NEWS: US Bomb Cyclone, At Least 59 Dead As North America Gripped By Devastating Winter Storm, Tuesday 27, December 2022).

(TO BE CONTINUED)

When Ms. Nancy started working at my home she behaved like a four-year-old in a toy shop. She wanted sheets like mine, blankets like mine, and a stove like mine. None of this kind of behavior seemed out of the ordinary to me because she came from an impoverished home and was filled with wide-eyed excitement at everything she saw. One afternoon she came to me lamenting about 200.00 GHS that she had borrowed from an acquaintance. She didn’t have the money to repay him nor did she like how he behaved toward her. She requested a loan to settle her indebtedness to him and I acquiesced to her plea. However, I warned her to make sure that she didn’t fall into this kind of trap again. She faithfully promised that she wouldn’t. The following month she advised me that she had to make a trip to Accra with her sister and needed some money to take care of her expenses. One week later she called to say that they were delayed and that she needed an additional 100.00 GHS., to tide her over until her return. At that time I decided to leave home at 5:00 A.M. for an early morning walk.

While ascending the very steep hill that leads into the Village of Kato I had a vision. I saw a black female dog and her back was turned toward me. Visions of this nature are always a foreboding of danger. This one meant that “I would be visited by a female thief, therefore I should beware of treacherous friends.” I was extremely uncomfortable after this premonition and naturally, I started to think about Nancy. All kinds of thoughts galloped through my mind, and the most prominent one was, “Is this girl just deceiving me?” I decided to find out. After returning home I showered, shaved, and made a trip to the relocated beauty salon beside the church that Nancy regularly attended. I entered, greeted everyone, and there was Nancy in flesh and blood, and in live technicolor. Inside the beauty salon and not in Accra, where she had claimed to be. Our eyes met and I left immediately afterward. Later that day she called me and I wouldn’t answer because I recognized her number. I was extremely disappointed in her. Not only because she seemed to be trying to rob me but also because it was obvious she was lying to me.

The stand-off lasted for about three days. She called me repeatedly claiming to be hungry and I finally relented and promised to send her 40.00 GHS, and I did. In the course of time, I discovered that although Nancy was very good at requesting money. She was practically incapable of giving a rational explanation pertaining to her conduct. What a contrast to myself? Where she was concerned I had to learn to read between the lines. Eventually, I finally figured out that since her Madam was a tyrannical supervisor. She absolutely refused to permit Nancy to take any time off from her schedule at the beauty salon, to go anywhere else. Accordingly, coming to my house to do any work was a big problem. My anger and disappointment with her therefore gradually evaporated. The more insight I gained into the situation the less frustrated I was about her lies. Her ambivalent predicament was as plain as day. She didn’t want to lose her apprenticeship and she didn’t want to do anything to upset me. I proposed a compromise. “You can make your own schedule to come to my house to work Ms. Nancy. The important thing is that you come.” She agreed.

After that crisis abated, Nancy started to complain that she was sleeping on the floor with four other people in the room where she spent her nocturnal hours. She wondered if I would help her to rent a room. While walking one bright sunny afternoon, in The Nyame Nae area, I passed a property on Hexagon Avenue, where a room was being advertised for rent. I went inside and after speaking with the landlord I took Nancy there to review the premises. The proprietor contended that he would only rent the room for a minimum of two years, amounting to a downpayment of 2000.00 GHS. I promised to return the following day with the amount he requested. That night the Spirit spoke to me and warned me not to rent any room on Nancy’s behalf because said He, “You don’t know who she is.” This occurrence might seem to some to be an inexplicable phenomenon. However, it is the result of one of the promises of Christ. “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:15-18 (NKJV). I have learned in the past to pay careful attention and faithfully adhere to The Spirit’s counsel. Because failure to do so would lead to catastrophe.

I told my female friend that I didn’t have the money at that time but at some time in the near future when circumstances permitted I would try to assist her in that regard. The following month Nancy requested money not only for a church project but also to travel to Tarkwa to pick up her Senior High School diploma. I finally gave her the money she requested. She told me that she would be leaving to go on her journey on Friday morning. I took an Okada to her beauty salon, just to verify her tale, and there she was as I had suspected. Obviously, she had lied to me again; and I determined that this act of deception would be her last. One outstanding characteristic of Nancy was the fact that her lies were unsophisticated. Her deceptive maneuvers were simplistic and it was easy to see through them. The following month she approached me with a brand-new story. She was experiencing great discomfort and pain as a result of having to sleep on the floor and she desperately needed a bed. The cost of which would be 800.00 GHS. My response had been carefully contemplated and I was well prepared for her new antic. I replied, “Nancy, I’m afraid I can’t help you. I just don’t have the money,” I asserted. However, she persisted. Whenever she saw me she would resurrect her story. Nevertheless, I was resolute. This girl was like a bottomless pit. Her greed was insatiable. The more I gave her the more she demanded. Unfortunately, her luck had run out, and even though she started crying and begging me to give her the money she craved. I remained as immovable as the Rock of Gibraltar.

The following week she didn’t come to work. After two weeks of absence, she called to say that she was sick and had been hospitalized. She wanted to know if I would send her some money? I asked her if she had come to work and she replied in the negative. I told her that I wouldn’t be sending her any money. Since I had no intention of paying her for doing nothing. “Mr. James, why do you have to be so hard?” She complained. My reply was, “I’m not trying to be hard on you Nancy, I’m merely trying to protect myself.” Since she had frequently exploited my sympathy and routinely abused my magnanimity in the past, I no longer trusted her. Two weeks later she contacted me again to inform me that although she was no longer in the hospital, she was pregnant. My response was, “Since you were most likely impregnated by your lover you must both be very happy?” “He is not my lover, Mr. James. I don’t even know him. We met, went out together, and he insisted on having sex. Now I’m pregnant. It was a mistake!” My response was, “He didn’t rape you. Moreover, if what you are saying is true Nancy, then you are just another whore.” She confessed that when she was asking me for the 800.00 GHS she was already pregnant. I surmised that she probably wanted that money to obtain an abortion. But her little scheme just didn’t work out.

Most of the girls in Berekum between the ages of 16-23 are carrying infants on their backs. They were impregnated because of whoredom. Employment opportunities are extremely limited and they resort to selling sex in order to survive. My efforts on Nancy’s behalf were designed to save her from such a fate. However, she had possibly been practicing that lifestyle for many years and was also a sex addict. Now she had become ensnared and chained by a vice she had cherished. Victimized by her own lifestyle. Conversely, all of us become beneficiaries of the virtues we pursue. As we read in scripture, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV). Ms. Nancy begged me to permit her to return to work for me again. My response was, “You never did a good job while you were here before. Furthermore, I think you’ve punished me enough for my kindness.” 

My female friend vanished for about nine months. During that period of time, I ran into her once while traveling in an Okada (a popular three-wheeled taxi imported from china), that can carry up to four passengers. She told me that she was working in Kumasi and for that reason, I rarely saw her. The City of Kumasi is the second largest metropolis in Ghana. It is also the capital of The Ashanti Region. Having a population of approximately 4 million people. This large city suffers from gross traffic congestion and inadequate roads. After alighting at the corner of Berlin Road and Prepapa Avenue. She appeared to be holding out her hand as she received some money from the male passenger who had been seated beside her. I assumed that this was one of her relatives and continued to the Town of Berekum, my ultimate destination. A few months later I saw her again on one of my diurnal evening walks and she told me that she was broke and requested some money. As per usual I had none with me, but I promised to fulfill her request when I saw her again the following evening. The succeeding day I came to the realization that I couldn’t go walking later since it would be Friday night. The Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday…”From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32 (KJV).

Over the years I have learned from painful experiences that adhering to the Sabbath commandment was always in my best interest, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. The following Monday afternoon, I ran into her at the corner of Sofokyere Avenue and Ahenema Lane. She expressed disappointment with me for not keeping my previous promise. My immediate response was, “Well, I’m here now.” I handed her 50.00 GHS and she seemed content to accept that amount of money from me. Then she informed me that she was in training to become a Beautician and that she was going to need financial help. I advised her that I needed someone to clean my two bedrooms, 21/2 bathrooms, large hall, large dining room, front and back porches, and large garage, apartment. I advised her that she should just come and work two full days weekly. Then I would pay her 300.00 GHS monthly. She agreed.

Eventually, she told me that she was no longer in Kumasi because even though she had a job there before. It was far too strenuous for her and she quit. She was now training at a small beauty salon located at an unnamed junction at the end of Ahenema Lane. There were three other girls being trained along with her but they were all at different stages of their professional preparation. They were under the supervision and tutelage of a certain Madam and she appeared to be extremely strict and uncompromising. They all had to work twelve to sixteen hours daily, six days each week, and none of them was being compensated. This was difficult for me to understand, but then I also remembered that most of the girls working in Berekum. Had to work similar hours and were only being paid 200.00 GHS (US$13.00) to 250.00 GHS (US$16.25) monthly. There were a few exceptions to this prevailing practice, but they were few and far between. I often wondered how they survived economically? But then I remembered that the Ghana Cedi has a great deal of purchasing power here in Ghana. Items that are imported are expensive but those locally produced such as yam, plantain, bananas, fish et cetera are affordable. Since the main dietary items for Ghanaians are Banku and Fufu.

Nancy (my friend) commenced working at my home in a timely manner the following Monday morning. She seemed to be a good worker. She swept and mopped all of the rooms and even dusted the furniture. Afterward, she ironed all of the clothes in the full laundry basket. Then she made dinner for both of us consisting of onions, garlic, eggs, cocoa yam leaves, and sardines (at my request). This dish is locally known as Indomie. It’s a popular meal in Ghana. Things continued more or less like this for about one month. In the second month of her employment, she said to me, “Mr. James, I’m almost naked because I hardly have any clothes to wear and I especially need some for church.” I asked her how much she needed and she requested 260.00 GHS (US$16.60). I gave her exactly what she asked for. One evening Nancy called me to report that she was sick and added that her friends advised that she was suffering from Gonorrhea. My response was, “That’s impossible because you are a virgin.” Moreover, I said, “In my opinion, you have a Urinary Tract Infection.” I called my physician the following day and took him to a shed overshadowed by a giant Karoo tree that towered into the sky. This was approximately 75 yards from the beauty shop. Then I summoned her to meet us there. She described her symptoms to the doctor. His diagnosis was consistent with my opinion.

I accompanied my physician on his motorcycle as we rode together over the uneven and extremely bumpy dirt road from Sofokyere Avenue. Straight to the paved asphalt road that we were grateful to traverse on our journey into Berekum. We both dismounted at one of the large pharmacies in Town and purchased the medication that Nancy would need to ameliorate her symptoms. I personally took all of them to the shed beneath the giant tree near her beauty shop and summoned her. She promptly came and when I delivered them to her I advised her that she would need to include oranges in her diet regularly. Because vitamin C would prevent the recurrence of this problem per the physician’s orders. The following morning I took a bag of groceries to the shop including a dozen oranges and delivered them to Nancy. Whereupon she thanked me and announced to her colleagues that I was her husband. I held my peace because they replied, “Since he is your husband then he will have to be a husband to all of us.” Two months later she came down with the very same complaint again and after I advised the physician he prescribed the same medication. I went and collected them at the same pharmacy and delivered them to her.

The physician’s professional services were not pro bono, and the required medication had to be paid for in full. But I recognized that Nancy was poor. She couldn’t afford these expenses and so I paid for everything on her behalf. When I was a young person, my family’s resources were limited, to say the least. I was the personal beneficiary of many charitable acts of kindness and altruism. Without such acts of humanitarianism, the world would quickly come to a grinding halt. Because only a small fraction of the planet’s population of eight billion people are millionaires or billionaires. There is a great deal of wealth on our planet. Nevertheless there is also a vast amount of poverty. During His sermon on The Mount Jesus taught the importance of sharing with others, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:34-37 (NKJV).

Three years ago when I returned to Ghana in 2019. I ran into a very attractive young woman working in a small convenience store in Sofokyere. The store belonged to one of her brothers and while she worked there he paid her 200.00 GHS monthly. I went there frequently because I always needed milk, sugar, Air time, and data for my phone and she sold them all. She was always there and didn’t need to do much more than serve the items ordered, and collect the payments made by her patrons. We chatted about a few things such as the Church she attended, the Sabbath and her father whom she claimed was Diabetic. On one occasion several months after first meeting her, I went into her store and discovered that she was having a dispute with a six-year-old girl. I expressed sympathy for the child because she had been reduced to tears. Consequently, encouraged by my pity she raised her hand to strike my 22-year-old friend. However, I quickly cautioned her against any such action. “Since,” I observed, “She is much bigger than you are and she will beat you up.” Furthermore, I consoled her by purchasing and handing her some candy.

I discovered that my shopkeeper friend had some interest in me. When I went there to purchase two 1-liter cartons of tropical fruit juice for two female friends of mine. Who accompanied me. Because she found it impossible to hide her jealousy and demanded instantaneous similar treatment. I was happy to oblige her. Afterward, whenever I went to Berekum I brought her a loaf of whole wheat bread or fried plantain chips. And she accepted them gratefully. One Friday afternoon she called me to ask if I was interested in sex? Since I was previously married and divorced. I knew that it would be unwise to rush headlong into any emotional entanglement. Therefore, my response was, “You will have to come to my house first to give me a demonstration of all your domestic skills.” She promised me that she would come and even though I invited her frequently. It took her two full years before she crossed the threshold of my apartment. During that period of time, she confided to me that even though she was in a previous relationship. She was still a virgin. I was impressed. Because in Berekum, Ghana. Such a status for a 22-year-old was a rarity.

I even invited her to attend church with me on several occasions but she declined. Claiming that her father wasn’t impressed with any such arrangement. Considering that she attended church on Sunday and I was a Sabbath keeper. Subsequently, I gave her a bible study proving to her from scripture that Saturday was in fact the true Sabbath. From all appearances, she was intellectually convinced. However, she made no changes in her lifestyle. Over the years I have found that such arguments are futile. As the saying goes, “Convince a man against his will and he’s of the same opinion still.” It is for this very reason that large evangelistic campaigns, (I have witnessed many. I even worked for several weeks in some of them), in which several hundred people are subsequently baptized are completely bogus. Primarily because there has been no change of heart and no corresponding change of life. Within a period of two months, they all apostatize. The most successful sales presentations are given to people who want to purchase the merchandise.

The most effective bible studies are given to people who yearn to know the truth. So that they may surrender their lives to Christ. As we read in scripture, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18. (NKJV).  My new-found friend eventually told me that her ambition was to study to become a dress designer and wanted to know if I was willing to help her. I assured her that when the time came I would. After about eighteen months of visiting that shop, my friend informed me that her brother was about to close the store because he wanted to open a boutique at the same location, instead. Within three months of the transmission of that piece of information, the small grocery store was closed and my friend was out of a job. She never complained. However, she disappeared and I ran into her occasionally usually in a taxi or whenever I saw her strolling on Sofokyere Avenue. One Sunday afternoon while I was in the process of doing my five-mile evening walk. I ran into her at the corner of Berlin Street and Prepatapata Avenue. After greeting me she announced to her stepmother that I was her husband.

I was quite taken aback by her claim and I said to her, “Are you seriously acknowledging me as your husband?” She answered in the affirmative. She informed me that she needed some money. Normally when I go walking at night I don’t carry cash with me for whatever reason. But having lived in Jamaica previously and being informed of the criminal activities of malefactors I knew that this practice was unwise. But I continued it nevertheless. I informed my friend that I had no money with me but when I passed that way the following evening I would give her some cash. I kept my promise. However, at the time of my arrival, she was absent but I left 50.00 GHS with her stepmother. She thanked me profusely. Ghana is a poor country, its population is approximately 33 million, and its per capita income was 2014.74 USD in 2021. People routinely ask foreigners for money. Generally, I try to be accommodating without being extravagant because as we are instructed in scripture, “Cast your bread upon the waters,
For you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.” Ecclesiastes 11:1-2. (NKJV).

(TO BE CONTINUED)