Old Vandals Global®

ANGELS ON THE WAY Oprah Winfrey’s first opportunity on television came in 1973, when she was just 19 years old. Chris Clark, then the News Director at Nashville’s CBS station in Tennessee, gave her that opportunity. In our quest to move forward in life, God often places angels on our way. To Oprah, Chris Clark was her angel. I often say, it is better to prepare and not have opportunities than to have opportunities come your way and find you unprepared. Preparation is important because when an opportunity comes and you miss it, you may never get that same opportunity again. Everyone has an angel who will show up at one point or another. The question is: How prepared are you to take advantage of what your angel offers? I remember when I was Senior Boys Prefect and SRC Zone 5 President of the Greater Accra SRC in 1998. I had six schools under my jurisdiction: St. John’s Grammar, Achimota School, PRESEC, WASS, GHANATA, and Osu Doku Senior High School. Even as a young student leader, I was sleeping in a kiosk at Kotobabi, Accra, opposite the Police Station. Despite those challenges, I remained prepared to learn, serve, and make a difference. Then came my angel. I was adopted by the Village of Hope Orphanage, which took me off the streets, gave me a home, paid my accumulated school fees at St. John’s Grammar and supported me through the University of Ghana. I made sure to take full advantage of the opportunity I had been given. After the University of Ghana 🇬🇭, I did my National Service at the Orphanage in Gomoa Fetteh. It was there that I met the man I affectionately call “Grandpa Don Barnett.” He was an Elder at the Oklahoma Church of Christ in Edmond, and he supported me through Law School until I was called to the Bar in 2010. I can talk about several Judges and Senior Lawyers who became mentors and, in many ways, angels in my life. When I first entered Parliament as an opposition MP, I saw and faced many difficult things. But I was blessed to have colleagues who supported me in my work, including Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, Hon. Governs Kwame Agbodza, Hon. Ibrahim Jaja, Hon. Afenyo Markin, and Hon. Patrick Boamah. In the 8th Parliament, despite the 137-137 situation between the two sides and one Independent Member, I introduced 19 Private Members’ Bills as a first-time MP. Three of these eventually became law, including the legislation that abolished the death penalty under Act 29. Finally, I recall how the Right Honourable Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, took a personal interest in my work and supported me to succeed on many of these fronts. Looking back, I can clearly see the hand of God through the many angels He placed on my path. God will always put angels in our way when we genuinely desire to serve, grow, and make an impact on the lives of others. But remember this: Anytime you look around and do not find an angel, YOU MUST BECOME THE ANGEL TO OTHERS. Someone is waiting for the opportunity, encouragement, support, mentorship, or helping hand that only you can provide. Be prepared. Be available. Be someone's angel. KEEP MOVING FORWARD. 🙏🏾🇬🇭