God has killed me - Part 15

"Because you have a good system and everyone is supporting that system...as there is the feeling of solidarity in your country," mentioned Princess nipping sachet water.

"I guess so!"

"You must understand us Blacks...we have no solidarity among each other...one important factor why we are not progressing and do not cooperate with others in Africa. We basically are selfish people, like it or not. Only by outside force can we be changed but left to ourselves...we are only interested in what we can show off and how great we can be seen in the eyes of others. When you look around before simple and ugly houses you see big, big cars, SUVs, expensive once. But once you step inside the house...poverty welcomes you. That is what we are. We want others to see what we have and so we invest more money in our cars that get rotten after ten or so years wasting money after money...at least in church when we pull up...church members will come to us, congratulate us for the latest SUV model and praise the blessings on us. When back home we have nothing really to eat...we hide...simple mind of us people here."

"Wow...I just do not know what to say...wow!"

"You want a good laugh, Sir?" asked Princess looking at him while four small children were passing them playing with a green coconut instead of a well-inflamed leather football.

"Just recently the Deputy Minister of Communication was caught red-handed by the driver, a man that did not like her at all. The President had opted for that lady because of her looks; she has many curves and. great breasts...now, I would not allow myself to compare them to any cow...but I have to say, bras to find for these two things...not easy...not easy, Sir. Anyway, during the vetting process live broadcasted every one of us was able to see that her qualification was only in her looks, not in her mind. But the President liked her looks and gave her the job. Her driver one day was recording one call she had made in the car in which she mentioned to the other person she was talking to it would be her goal during her time in the Ministry to make one Million US Dollars. Once the tape was leaked, she was fired...how can someone be so stupid and make such a call in a car in front of a witness? Her big breasts did not save her from a serious downfall." Princess paused, took a deep breath and added: "I mean we all know, even we young once, that to be a Politician and Member of Parliament is not that these people want to help us and make our life better but only to make money in the shortest possible time for themselves...simple truth!"

"Princess...oh my daughter...how nice to see you! Long time, long time. Where have you been?"

"Sorry Pastor, please forgive me!"

"But you know you are forgiven always...as long as you come next Sunday to the first Service."

"Pastor...I promise!"

"And who is this man standing by your side?"

"Please Pastor, I beg. This is my German friend, Mr Karl. He stays with us for a while!"

"Mr Karl, nice to meet you. It is not often that we see White People here around. I am honoured that you have found rest here on the structure of my new church building. We are advancing quite well...but of course, we need more time for completion," invited Pastor Kwabena Lamptey both to join him near the place marking the future altar being more covered by the roof from the sun. The church eventually would have room for around two hundred people. The podium for the church choir and band had already been completed. The sides of the church would take most of their time to complete indicated Pastor Kwabena Lamptey with a smile on his face. The church would be finished by donations of church members and sponsors only, no money taken from the local or national authorities. The fact the church was erected along the Tema-Accra Railway tracks meant to get the lease for the land was fairly affordable as for the foreseeable future Ghana Railways had no plans to expand the network around here and make the line a double track on.

"You are asking me how I got into ministry, Mr Karl," started Pastor Kwabena Lamptey to explain himself. "Very well then. I was a businessman before selling stationary...just like any other person doing business to feed his family. Church was always important to me, but I never saw myself as a Pastor. My business was not bad, and my family and I had a good life. One day the call from God came upon me and so I left my business and went into Ministry. I can tell you that was not easy for the start. I had no money, even no underpants, no belt to keep my dirty trousers fixed to my body. Even my shoes...when I think of that...were broken. But...I never gave up...never. Giving up was never an option as I knew God was preparing me for my own Ministry. I rented rooms in places to make people come and listen to me. When I had the money, I bought chairs, plastic chairs of course, and we had church service under huge tents. I was not able to pay anyone for helping me along the way. The choir and musicians even had to pay small money by themselves when they wanted to perform something special. Of course, the offerings I shared with them as much as possible. Sometimes my family and I had nothing to eat but were not able to tell our church members anything about it. Then more and more people came, also people with a bit of money. One had an old car, the rear window broken, and he gave it to me. I was lucky he also sponsored the fuel and insurance on that car. This made it easier for me to attend programmes from other churches and get some small money from them for giving half an hour of my time. Gradually, small step after small step I managed to move ahead and get known by more and more people. I do not go out and fish for other Pastor´s congregation, but I go out and show myself to people hoping they would join my church. Over time I went into Prophecy and as to my greatest surprise was more and more confident and successful in the Prophetic Ministry and healing."

"What is Prophetic Ministry, Man of God?" asked Mr Karl humbly.

"Very good question," started Pastor Kwabena Lamptey to explain and smiled after having served his guests chilled sachet water a young girl was carrying on, he heads in a small basket and he had called her over. "As a Pastor, you read and teach the bible, but as a Prophet, you see the life of a person right before your own inner eyes. You see what the life of the person before you stand is all about especially its future and problems why certain things are doing wrong in that person. Then you hear the voice from God how this problem should be solved and you pray over the problem and perform certain rituals to solve the problem, maybe an accident planned by the enemy or misfortune the person finds itself in."

"So, you can help a person to push its way into the right direction?"

"Many people have the problem they do not know their calling in life. They think of something but I can see it is not their calling so I must correct them and show them the right way. Once they know that a foundation is set. Then we must see into the issue why is the person not yet at the point the person should be. So, we discover evil forces mainly in their own family. Opposition against someone`s life is mainly in the family and close friends, not the unknown stranger as he does not know you and has not a blood connection to you for which he cannot attack you. But blood from your own family when that is evil, it can cut you off from your destiny and destroy you. When someone is not strong enough his family can kill him and take the destiny away from that person. It needs a strong Man of God that can always pray for that person to make the tables turn and eliminate the evil forces from the family. Sometimes we must make sure that the evil people in the family die, simply die. When they are dead the person, they were fighting is free. And you must understand in our culture, not like in your society, here we have so many fights evil against good. Witchcraft is not an issue of the past like in your society. Here Church members have no problem to attend Sunday Service and, in the afternoon, pay his Mallam a courtesy visit...no problem for most us the people here around. They have the interest to get results and whoever gives them these results, the Pastor or the Mallam, does not really matter to them."

"Are these people desperate?" asked Mr Karl wanting to know the truth.

"Most likely also...but this is part of our overall historic mentality. The tree in the village, the family tree in the family and the Gods from under the Sea and the woods...that is the thinking which we have inherited for generations. Even we Pastors are part of that history, the world below our feet and above our heads," said Pastor Kwabena Lamptey. He looked out of his church structure and saw a modern SUV passing by avoiding potholes in the dusty road. "You see, this is a Kantanka car, Made in Ghana, by a Man of God, very talented Man of God. He is disappointed and shouts on our Government for not getting enough support but letting foreign Motor Companies enter the market with their own Assembly Line to produce old models and sell them as new. Now, when you look at this Kantanka SUV, it looks nice.... right? Very nice!"

"It looks like many SUVs I have seen from another manufacturer around the world...not really a big difference," said Mr Karl. "But yes...it looks impressive!"

"Do you know what is typically wrong with this car?" asked Pastor Kwabena Lamptey and walked over to the road to give Mr Karl a closer look at the car that had parked right in front of them across the Methodist Church with the driver gone into the impressive new church that had cost Millions of Cedi’s which could have been used for other interventions of the church but Leaders of the church had decided God needed a new impressive building exceeding their normal financial budget-stretching the finances of the Church to the extreme.

"I do not quite understand...what you mean...Sir," was Mr Karl a bit puzzled and uncertain what to think and how best to answer.

"The people in Ghana are basically low-income people just making a living. Now ask yourself how many of us are able to afford such cars? And ask yourself why on earth they use outdated technology like combustion engine instead of electric cars, small and simple at low cost for all of us affordable?" opened Pastor Kwabena Lamptey his eyes. "If I would sit in Government, I also would have serious doubts to assist these people as the people having the money to buy such cars have no problem and no need to be supported."

"You are telling me... as I have already heard it in other places...that people do not intent something people really need but something that makes themselves stand out and be famous and...rich in the end?"

"That is the sadness of this country, Sir. People that want to do business when they sit down with someone for the very first time and they are black, they discuss the project and before breathing out again asking how much profit, how many shares are in the business for them."

"Oh, this surprises me!"

"I know from you, you talk business for long, for meetings after meetings and before it comes to put things down on paper in black and white...this is the time you think of profit-making, profit sharing and company shares sharing. So, in other words, while you are focused primarily on the job, and to do a great job, we are focused on the profit we can make with a job. This mentality is deep down in us and a clear reflection of our inability and unwillingness to cooperate for a good and greater course. To work on big projects people from different walks of life have to join hands and everyone has to contribute his best to the common cause...and on the way to destiny have confidence and trust in each other...which we, you guess is as good as mine, do we have. We do not trust each other as we are only interested in our own Swiss bank account and how to feed our families."

Mr Karl wanted to straighten out the subject and suggested: "Maybe this is because you are poor so you must survive somehow and for that matter have such a mentality...only to survive...isn't it?"

"The other way round makes sense!"

"Sorry, what do you mean by that, Pastor?"

"Because we have the mentality that we have...we are poor!"

"So, you need a changed mind than!" suggested Mr Karl seeing that Princess was watching the late-night train behind them passing.

"We need blood transfusion...complete...after which we will have a changed mind, Sir," explained Pastor Kwabena Lamptey.

"Not possible!" jumped Princess in and smiled. "There is not enough blood...and after all, where should this blood come from?"

Pastor Kwabena Lamptey looked at Mr Karl, looked at Princess, looked at the Kantanka SUV and again at Princess and said: "Look at Mr Karl...he is here!"

"Oh...oh...oh...Pastor....oh no, not with me. Never with me. I do not give my blood for this country. I am not stupid!"

"You are not stupid...that is why you are here and why we talk!"

"Prophecy!" whispered Princess. "This is a Prophecy. Listen very carefully and be still, Mr Karl."

Pastor Kwabena Lamptey took the hands of Mr Karl, prayed over him, took anointing oil, poured it over his head and pronounced: "Your life belongs to God. He has given it; he will take it. You are blessed!"