It was a cool sunny day around 4: 30pm, where I got onto a
bus. As I got on the bus, there were few people onboard which made me question
myself that, when will this bus be full? I spotted a pawpaw seller down the
pavement, I observed as she peeled the pawpaw appealing and ordered her to
bring me some to buy. As I was enjoying the slices of pawpaw, I looked through
the opened window and right beside the pawpaw seller, a young man in an ash
short sleeve graph shirt with a bag at his back and who was also enjoying an
orange stood at the entrance of the bus. He threw the finished orange onto the
pavement and entered the bus.
I immediately paused the music on my ipod as this young man
begun to speak to us. He started that, he was an orphan and that, sometime ago,
he was working at the harbor, some items got lost and some other colleagues and
himself were wrongly accused and they were sentenced into prison. He was
released not long ago and even a police officer around the area taught he was
lying as he shared his story of the experience in the prison cells. This made
the policeman to enquire from other police officers to certify that he was
actually not a fugitive.
Moreover, he needed to get to kpando (a village in the Volta
region) where his relatives were and he could start something on his own (All
this while he had a small blue Bible in his hand covering his mouth). He
continued that, he was left with nothing to travel with and he was so hungry.
He even drew people’s attention to the fact that, if they had diaries, they should
note today’s date and write that they made a donation to an orphan prisoner and
that, it’s a seed they have sown into the lives and they will reap it in
thousand fold in the future. He said a lot about the sad life of prisoners
concerning; the way they eat malnutrition diets, how they sleep on their sides,
forty people are clustered in a small room and men selling themselves for food
(gay). He also talked about how he was transformed by a visited preacher’s book
and how he also helped others by not letting them involve in gay but taught
them the word of God. He also quoted the Holy Bible in some instances and
counseled passengers to be prayerful at all times.
Passengers on the bus felt sympathetic and started giving
this man some monies. When this man collects the money, he says a very big
thank you amidst expressing God’s blessings onto your life and even started
prophesying to an old man who donated that, “if he had a daughter, he should
make his daughter do a day fasting on the day she was born and she will become
a great lawyer for the family” (Holding this old man’s hand as he says all
these).
Other passengers who wanted God’s blessings gave to him and
he also said a lot unto their lives. Gradually, the bus was getting full and he
needed to get off the bus.
Before he left, I felt to also give this orphan and a
wrongfully prosecuted ex-convict something to feed with, I called him closer to
my seat, he made a step forward and stretched his hand as I give him the money.
I made a suggestion to him that, he could write a book from the experience he
had from the prison and that people are going to buy and it will also earn him
some income to carter for some of his necessities.
He replied that, “he had a jotter in his bag and he had started
already with that”. I then said, “fine! And I will not expect to see him
begging for arms again” and he joyfully replied that, never, he will be going
to his hometown to start a farm.
As he was about to get down, I ask of his name and he
replied that, he was called ‘Mark Apoh’ (even spelling the ‘Apoh’ for me to
note it well). He got down and the bus moved us safety to our destinations.
On the next day, which was on the 21st September,
2012 around 12 – 1 am midnight, after I had completed with an event I was
participating in and was been escorted by my cousin and her husband who came to
support me. I got to the bus station and gladly there was a bus ready and
waiting to send us to our destinations.
I was the first person to get onto the bus, feeling very
hungry, I called an ice cream seller to bring me one ice cream and one pastry.
He hurriedly brought it and he also got me some credit for my phone. All this
while, other passengers were on boarding the bus and soon the bus was ready to
move.
As we moved, I heard a voice from two rows back near the
window, this man was holding a New Testament Bible (the small blue Bible in hand
covering his mouth with it). He told us to bow down our heads for him to pray
with us. He offered a touching prayer (fluently in English) to the Most High
God and started with his plea for passengers to help him with some money and
that, he was an orphan and he was then a prisoner and he needed money to
transport him to his home in Tarkoradi.
I realized this was Mark Apoh again! I waited for him to say
all that he had to say. This time he was no more going to Kpando but to
Tarkoradi, that was where his family was. Once a man gave him money, he said,
if the man had a daughter, her daughter should do fasting on the day she was
born. He uttered the same words as he said in the other bus to the old man.
I asked myself, how could this happen? I called out his name
‘Mark Apoh’ for the first time, maybe he didn’t hear so I called him again and
this time he responded, all the passengers turned to watch me as I started
that,
I had met him the day before in another bus and the passengers in that
bus had contributed some amount for him to use as transportation home and not
to be begging for arms again in Accra. Mark was trying to defend himself but
the destination of going to Tarkoradi and not to Kpando this time exposed him
that he was a trickster. I turned and could see Mark bowed down his head his in
shame.
All passengers in the bus were astonished, they started murmuring
and groaning. One man told the driver to alight ‘Mark Apoh’.
The long and short of this true experience was that, we
should be careful with the people who in the name of God come and ask for our
help. Mark Apoh, that night smelled massively of drugs which the people seated
beside him complained after he had gotten down, however, due to his confidence
and public speaking ability, he was able to outwit me and other passengers to
give him monies.
We are in the end time and there is no doubt about that,
people and devising strange and bad ways to make money for themselves but I
will say ‘caution’ so that you don’t fall a prey to someone. Let’s be sober but
vigilant in all our ways. There are some false ministers of God also going
round in the name of the Almighty God and dubiously making money for
themselves. Not left out are also some politicians who will come to fill your
bellies with words and if you vote them into power, you already know the
results.
Lets be cautious and
not to be taken for granted or deceived. Thank you for your time spent with me,
let’s keep a positive attitude, expect the best and believe everything is
working together for our good. Cheers and have a good one!
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