Ghana for my long-awaited holiday.
I really needed a break. It was six
months to a milestone for me (my
fortieth birthday) and I had lots of
thinking to do. I had no job to go
back to. This was during a time of
frequent power cuts so I had early
nights. My Mum was worried about
the early nights but they were for
thinking.
Forty
was
fast
approaching and I was taking stock
of my life so far. I had gone back to
the country of my birth after my
ordinary level education and almost
23 years down the line, my outlook
was changing. I thought a lot
relocating to Ghana and prayed a
lot.
In January 2007, the time came
for me to go back to England. My
Dad looked tearful; he just waved
at me from the porch. My Mum
came to say goodbye at the gate.
Did she feel like Daddy did? Or
was she just good at hiding how
she felt?
I must have cried all the way to
Kotoka International Airport from
Koforidua. “I don't think I can do
this anymore − this parting from my
parents”, I said to God. Dad was 76,
Mum almost 73. It was time for me
to make the decision to cut some
strings and move back to Ghana (I
was not an only child, and although
I had an older sister, I just felt the
need to return to Ghana).
Back in England, the weather
was horrible. As a result of my
resignation, I was paid for all the
holidays I had been asked to forfeit,
TESTIMONY
TESTIMONY
“I closed my eyes and saw
cocoa trees with the pods
hanging on them.”
in addition to my December salary.
Now, unlike before, my finances
were in such a robust state that I
stayed at home for another two
weeks on my return before I started
a new job.
Everything about England
started to get on my nerves. If I
missed the bus to work, there was
trouble. Even when it drizzled, it
irritated me. At the time, I had
started praying earnestly about
relocating to Ghana.
My fortieth birthday came and
went without any grand celebration.
I had to make a big decision a few
days after that so I was not in the
right frame of mind to party. I
simply went to church to thank God
and that was it.
A few days after the big decision,
I informed my parents that I wanted
to move to Ghana. My Dad's
response was that I should only move
if I had a job to come to.
One Saturday morning in July
2007, my cousin and I went to a
programme hosted by Pastor
11
Hannah’s Testimonies