There's more hope for the HOPE-LESS?

We had a the Partners World Wide meeting this morning and I was reminded if the book " Against All Hope: Hope for Africa. I wrote this post back in May of last year when I hang out at Thomas' job site. I was going to start reading " The Paris Option" by Robert Ludlum but I sat at the desk and saw a book titled " Against all hope: Hope for Africa by Darrow L. Miller and Scott Allen. I usually try to steer clear of such books because it is usually written by folks who have not really experienced Africa in the the sense that its inhabitants have experienced it. Such people can always go and conduct their researches in Africa and decide to leave when they are done or running out of funding. The people in the motherland however, continue to live and make ends meet no matter what. That alone I think should speak to the will power to live and survive against the odds. I have not read the booklet into detail yet but one statement that caught my eye on page 32 was "Resources do not come from the ground but from the innovation of the human mind." That's quite an interesting statement that kept resonating in my mind as I kept reading the book.

There were so many things to be said in response to the authors views and it made me wonder if they were right and I was wrong. I have always been aware of the kind of hopelessness that is evident when you speak to most Africans or Ghanaians to be more specific. According to the authors of the book, our main problem or the root of all our struggles is the fact that our worldview is wrong. The statement they made was that "The root of the problem is inside the minds of the people of the continent." Is this really true? If it is, then what has shaped our worldview? Where did we go wrong/ How did we end up with a fatalist/ spiritist worldview which is deeply rooted in the Animistic culture? As a christian, I have always believed that when you take God out of the equation, then things start going downhill because this has been very true of my life. Is the worldview of the average African really fatalistic and spiritist?

Aren't Asian nations like China and Singapore mainly of a different worldview other than Christian or Godly? Why are they not poorer than Africa? I think I need to have a chat with my father about this issue because my little mind is overwhelmed by the questions. How can we rise out of the dark black hole that we have been portrayed to be in? How can we get our corrupt leaders to realize that the good of the community supersedes that of individual interests?Can anybody give me any answers?

So many people start with good intentions but somehow things usually seem to not end so great. Why are we so pessimistic and so distrustful of each other when it comes to success? Why do we have the PHD(Pull Him/Her Down) syndrome when it comes to success. It seems almost as if some of our people enjoy seeing other people's down fall even if they are family. Man, the effects of colonialism can not be downplayed but we were bullying each other and looking down on other tribes before they came to colonize us. Or? I suppose as long as one person esteems himself higher than another, this will remain a problem. Why is this so in a country where the majority of people profess to be Christian? Aren't we in humility supposed to consider others better than ourselves? But alas, we are only human and we are as fallen as can be and in need of redemption(Yes, I went to Calvin College thus the creation, fall redemption view).

I do not have many answers to my questions yet. I am very excited to think about the possibility of helping to make people's life better without expecting anything in return. In doing so, I need to be more careful about my expectations and the rate at which human empowerment will happen. I guess part of the problem is that we have been given the fish so many times without being taught how to fish so even if we were given the tools to fish, our lazy behinds tend to think about how easy it will be if only someone will do all that work and catch the fish for us. Lord we need to be reminded constantly of your GRACE and how sufficient it is for us.

Daddy

For as long as I can remember, he has been my biggest fan. He has always believed in me and sometimes, it made me feel like I was superhuman. My dad is like no other dad. He is the one who taught me to be proactive and not reactive to situations in my life. He teased me mercilessly when I fell in love with my husband and made me feel quite comfortable about introducing my future husband to him. He never intimidated any of my guy friends but always offered advice and light conversation to put people at ease. I love my dad with all my heart!



When I started college, he worked like crazy to make sure my bills were paid and told everyone(including those who knew me and those who did not) how proud he was of my accomplishments. He sure is my biggest fan! Even though my dad is a pastor and a spiritual leader, he has always led his life in a very practical way and does not separate his spiritual life from his everyday life. They are one and the same. This has taught me not just to be a Christian on Sundays but every day of the week. Thank you daddy. I hope you will live really long for my kids to meet you one day and see you with the same adoring eyes as I see you! I love you!

survey

1.My home… is wherever my heart is glad
2. I am listening to... the hum of my laptop, the sound of birds chirping and cars going by on the road
3. Maybe I should... get up to get breakfast and take a shower
4. I love... being married to Totoe and seeing the silly side of him that no one sees!
5. My best friend... is Tomeister!
6. My ex and I... what ex?
7. I don't understand... God's plans many times.
8. I lost... molar and my voice too! Sob, sob
9. People say... a lot of things they probably don’t understand themselves
10. My past... is forgiven and I am glad to have some of the wonderful memories from it
11. Love is... so amazingly awesome!
12. Right now, somewhere, someone is... pondering over the meaning of life
13. I always... pray God’s grace will guide me to make the right decisions.
14. Once upon a time, I... was not so forgiving and considerate :(
15. Now, I... understand the grace of God which forgave me while I was still clueless of my shortcomings and it enables me to extend the same grace to others.
16. I never want to... hurt anyone on purpose
17. My personal motto is... do your very best all the time and you will have no regrets!
18. When I wake up in the morning... I usually thank God for bringing me to another wonderful day!
19. I get annoyed when... when people act all “high and mighty” when they really are not so smart
20. People always... have room to grow
21. I sing... because, I’m happy and I have a song in my heart!
22. Today I will... go to the ENT to figure out what is going on with my voice, plan a trip to Walmart, F21, Hair braiding place and do some cooking!
23. Tomorrow I will... be glad to know what is up with my voice
24. I really want... to get my green card sorted out and possibly stay in Michigan and not move to another State for my job.
25. People would say that I... I have no idea!...maybe I love laughing?
26. Life is full of... endless possibilities and change.
27. Dogs... freak me out. don't know why but they just do
28. Cats... are arrogant creatures!
29. I hate... hateful behavior
30. If I had a million dollars... I would make sure my family’s financial issues were taken care of, give to my church, give to support and educate people in Ghana and buy my hubby his dream car :(
31. I hope... I can impact as many people as possible and leave a legacy in my lifetime.
32. I'm totally terrified... of animals especially snakes! sick disgusting creatures! arrrggghhh