Aye Huuhuuhu: The Dilemma of Ghanaians Abroad Part 3

In the previous two articles, I talked about the physical problems Ghanaians go through abroad in their attempt to make a living. In this article I will be tackling the spiritual problems, or dilemmas, of Ghanaians abroad. You will realise from these experiences that wonders will never end. All the names used in this article are fictitious. This is to protect the people involved. I want to emphasise very forcefully that what you are about to read actually happened. They should therefore not to be taken as old wives’ tales or Ananse stories. I do not wish anyone to go through such dilemmas.

A man and his wife had an invitation to attend a birthday party of a very close friend. They prepared themselves and left. They decided to drive through town to buy a present for their friend who was celebrating his birthday. Along the road, the man saw a woman who looked like her aunt. He dismissed it, because he knew the aunt does not even have a passport to travel and even if she intended to travel to where they were, she should have informed them. They came back from the party very late. When he opened the door, they were stupefied to see that same aunt sitting on the sofa with arms folded. They shut the door and rushed out in fear. Aye huuhuuhu!

Pastor Abbey was driving with his family to church. When he looked into the side mirror, he saw a woman in white, running and waving to him to stop. The pastor slowed down and stopped by the quiet Paris street. When the woman got to the car, she asked the pastor if he knew Abenaa Sarfowaa. The pastor replied: "Yes, she is one of our ushers. Of late, she has been very sick and..." The woman cut in: "She is my daughter. I am warning you not to ever think of healing her." She turned and left. The pastor narrated the incident to his bewildered congregation at the service. He shouted, "No way for Satan. Abenaa, come forward to receive your healing. The epilepsy must go in Jesus' name." As he began to pray, an unseen force struck him. He died instantly. Wonders will never end!

Abenaa Sarfowaa went home with the husband in a very sad mood. They opened the door only to find to their amazement that a snake had coiled itself near where their television was. The man gathered courage and lifted a Ghanaian traditional stool that stood in a corner and hurled it at the snake. It weakened the snake. He grabbed a long stick and began to hit the snake repeatedly. The snake was dead. He took it outside, poured petrol on it and burnt it. Within twenty minutes, Abenaa received a phone call from home that her mother was dead. Aye huuhuuhu.

Phillip, 32, lived in Austria. He dreamt one night that he was being fed on honey by two men and a woman whose faces he could not see. They were going to add sugar to the honey when he suddenly woke up. He could not understand the dream. He took a shower, dressed up and decided to go to his pastor who was very good at interpreting dreams. As he opened the door, he was met by a bearded man dressed in white silk. "Are you Phillip Opoku?", the visitor demanded. He answered, yes. The man pushed a heavy box into Phillip's waiting hands. The man told him to take the box inside while he went into his car to bring his mum's complimentary card. Phillip knew very well his mother was dead. After thirty minutes when the man did not appear, he opened the box. He was overwhelmed by what he saw inside. The box was full of dollars. A note in the box indicated an amount of one million dollars. Eno samanpa!

Maria lived in Canada for fourteen years before travelling to Ghana for the first time. When she arrived in Ghana, she did not go to her family house but rather chose to stay in the house of her husband's parents. This angered her family members. They refused to accept anything she brought for them from Canada. Her grandmother told her that she would go back to Canada for all to see. Maria did not understand what she meant and she never cared. When it was time for her to return to Canada, she left without saying anything to her family. From Kotoka Airport, she made a transit in Amsterdam. The immigration officer who inspected her passport exclaimed: "Madam, I am sorry you can't travel with a man's passport”. Her picture had suddenly turned into a man's picture. The passport was seized and she was deported back to Ghana. Indeed wonders will never end!

From the different episodes, it is clear that we are not only struggling against flesh and blood problems but also against the powers of darkness. We can all be victims of these spiritual forces. What we need to do is to commit our special circumstances to God in prayers.

Written by: Stephen Atta Owusu Author:Dark Faces At Crossroads Email: stephen.owusu@email.com