Continued from May 8, 2015.

 

I saw the goodness of God
Too much to hoard so out I stepped
And with the first person I met
I shared out of the goodness
With which I have been blessed
And I said to him, “As you go
On your way, keep sharing
Keep spreading, this goodness
That has made us who we are today
For we are who we are
Because of His generous goodness
Because of the chains of goodness

 

When I relocated from that town, he came along and God helped me secure another job for him. He rarely, if ever asked for anything. It was a new state, a new town, new people, new job, and different sets of conditions, expectations, and responsibilities but he was not dissuaded. I don’t recall Prince struggling with adjustment. He breezed right in as if he had been waiting for those opportunities all his life.

 

It was his first time living away from his hometown but this young man did not only embrace the new environment and lifestyle, he excelled. When that job opportunity expired and God opened another door that allowed him to work outdoors, Prince was unleashed. He started out as a helper in an engineering facility I was managing. Before we realized it, he assumed additional responsibility by attaching himself to the forklift operator as his helper. In a few months, everyone was calling Prince instead of the operator to help with their lifting operations.

 

Don’t forget, he had no skill to start with. But he had sufficient strength and great attitude. He was willing to help even at his own cost. And he was always willing to learn. Anything he didn’t know appeared as an opportunity which he attacked with no less zeal as he did the ones he knew well enough. If you counted the things that were against him, they were many but I don’t recall him ever allowing those get in his way. He is the most forward-looking person I have ever been privileged to come across. All he needed was a hand up.

 

He progressed from the position of helper who did odd jobs to a forklift operator. He learned to operate a forklift by helping the operator. He learned a skill that was rare where we worked and before long, his fame and income grew. While the other helpers were stuck where they were, still calling on him to help here and there and whining about poor salaries, Prince graduated from being a helper though he continued to help. Looking back now, I think his second name should be helper: he loves to help. He thrives when he is helping.

 

Promotion comes with its own risks. His situation was complicated because rather than plead endlessly with the original forklift operator, workers beckoned on Prince who would joyfully assist and thereafter he goes, “Is that all?” He is supposed to be helping but he is gladly the first man in and the last man out. Everyone called on him and he had one indisputable quality: he was reliable. You can count on him to deliver. In fact, he delivers too soon and with a smile asks, “Any more?”

 

The original forklift operator ran him over twice in the name of accidents but he did not give up. He lived through pains of broken bones, paid his way when he wasn’t getting appropriate medical attention, and after healing, would return to work; without a grudge or resentment, without complaints or bitterness, without demands for what he spent. All he wanted was a job and he loved this one that let him work outdoors.

 

After each recovery from accidents on the job, he would resume full of life and excitement. I was concerned for his safety but he was fearless. He developed himself, became an expert and on his own, began to change jobs. He didn’t wait for me to trigger the changes he needed. He first of all equipped himself, secured appropriate certifications, sought better opportunities, and applied.

 

He is a tireless young man who has learned to channel his energies appropriately. In spite of the enormous work he did at site, he would go out after work hours, scouting for jobs in places undergoing development. He would secure contracts to provide essential services that developers lacked or help with challenges they were facing. And he didn’t jeopardize his regular job. That was another outstanding thing about this young man – Prince knew his limits. He married that knowledge with his willingness to help others and turned the lives of many around.

 

When he secured these contracts, he would send for young boys from his home town who are jobless. He accommodated them until they are able to afford their own housing. He paid them based on the contract value. During the day, he attended his regular job, in full blast while the boys worked away at the secondary sites. In the evening, he would go to these secondary sites to supervise them. Gradually, these youths, once like him, without skills, began to value regular work and to earn a living. In that manner, Prince has been responsible for helping several of these young people who had grown up, in an environment that promotes violence and exploitation of the vulnerable, to relocate to a town where they gained meaningful employment.

 

He has also been very supportive of his extended family, helping wherever the need arises. Isn’t it amazing that in a handful of years, this same guy that had next to nothing, is now supporting others, despite all the disadvantages stacked against him? He didn’t have much to start with but he was not deterred by hard work. He started small but he had a dream he was willing to work hard to accomplish.

 

While the admission delayed and life progressed, I relocated and we only communicated by phone calls. One day, he called to break a seemingly sad news. His girlfriend was pregnant. It felt bad because it wasn’t planned. This was a very good boy who made a mistake. Nevertheless, he had to accept responsibility for his action and that meant his dream for college had to be deferred. Like he takes on everything, he took that up squarely, wedded the young lady and they both raised the baby.

 

In the course of time, he enrolled in a community college and secured a diploma. He also received professional trainings and certifications as a forklift operator. He has a great job that pays him well and continues to invest in all manner of business opportunities that come his way. Some of the friends he brought into town are married with families and doing well at their jobs. Prince continues to help others. That once young boy has grown into a handsome gentleman that loves and serves God with his family and is touching the lives of many others like him.

 

Recently I visited and he brought his family to see me. That simple visit turned out one of the most remarkable events of my life. He held my hands and said, “Mamma, I can never thank you enough for changing my life. If not for you, I would have been dead by now.” While I cannot claim full credit for the changed life, we both knew that like many others from where he started out, he would have been dead by now, if not for God. Same goes for his friends. And not only do I have a son who has helped many others shun violence and find meaning in life, I became a grandmother who has three beautiful grandchildren from what started out as a mistake.

 

His level of responsibility is tremendous. His tenderness toward his wife is amazing. Considering his background, it is very strange, yet that is who and what he has become. From a location where the young men are violent and many end up handicapped or dead before their time, one is standing tall as a gentleman who is raising a godly and peaceful home. From an area where many are considered lazy and lousy emerged one who started out without skill but has defied odds to stand successful. From an incident we counted as mistake, God built a beautiful home with three adorable children. From the region where men are considered irresponsible because they leave the women to fend for and raise the children, he stands out as a father who works hard to give the best to his offspring. And from the very place it seemed I came out empty, God gave me a quiver full of blessings.

 

He continues to amaze me. With weapons of care and kindness, he has influenced young people like him to put away their arms, acquire essential skills, gain purposeful employment, earn worthy living, and build admirable families. These young boys are maturing into men who have progressed from helpers to bosses in their chosen fields. I know only a few but all of them know me as Prince’s mother. Few weeks back, one of them called me to say he had graduated from helper to a truck driver. I get several calls like that from young men I can’t even recall, who are moving away from their disadvantages and climbing societal ladders: young men who were written off as no good, arrested by chains of goodness, that has grown from one to many, and continues to grow. I can never thank God enough for a son like Prince – I am eternally grateful to God who makes something out of our nothingness.

 

 

Glory!

 

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