After 4 long days of travel during which we also had 2 overnight stays and a quick sightseeing tour of both Sao Paulo in Brazil and Casablanca in Morocco, we finally arrived in Togo (a country on the West African coast) on Thursday, January 9th.
Still hard to believe I’m in Africa! It’s an immense and wonderful continent and it enters your heart forever once you set foot on it!!! Even though I’ve only been here for less than 2 weeks and I’ve seen relatively little, I’ve already been struck by so many things: the dazzling smiles and the super contagious joy of the children on the street who run to meet you to shake your hand, play or stare at you because you may be the first white person they meet; the friendly greetings as you walk by; the countless colors and patterns of the traditional clothes; the “sacredness” of hospitality; the music to the beat of the drum and rattles at any time of day or night; the chaos and variety of the open markets; the golden colour of the beaches and villages; the incredible balance and strength shown by the women as they carry on their heads, without the help of their hands, containers very heavy for long distances on foot; the loving mothers who wrap their children on their shoulders with the help of a special towel, so they can be free to do other jobs, as there are no strollers or babysitters; little goats that run around the neighborhood and look like puppies but are instead pets that will probably be eaten!
In particular, we are in Lomè which is the capital of Togo. One of the official languages is French and I am very happy to speak it again during my time here although many people only know the local dialect and it is not always easy to communicate. Where we are based there are many who live in houses similar to ours, there is a nice university and along the coast there are several hotels, including large 4 and 5 star resorts overlooking the sea. Our favorite is Hotel Sarawaka, 5 minutes walk from our place: in our free time we often hang out there to have a coffee, find some cool shelter from the scorcing heat and use the open wifi in the huge reception area. We also found 2 bars/restaurants nearby where they sell delicious homemade ice cream!
However, you can’t help but notice the extreme poverty in which so many people live who lack services that for all of us are almost basic or taken for granted.
This girl in the picture below is Rosalie, she is 18 years and she has a baby who is only 8 months old. She sells African style pancakes and freshly prepared drinks in front of our house with her sister in order to provide for the whole family. She told us a little bit about her story and that she would like to find another job and study but can’t afford it. We prayed for her; she now considers us as her friends and almost every day she entrusts us with the little girl while she tries to earn something. We gladly accept to babysit the child and she is loved by everyone!
Reflecting on her situation and that of many locals here, I came to the conclusion that, at least on a superficial level, just for the fact to be born in one country rather than in another, we are somehow more advantaged, without having done absolutely anything to deserve it: we have easily access to food and water in abundance that too often we waste without consideration; electricity and gas all day, closets full of stuff that we do not even put on, resources, comforts, opportunities, etc. It has been said that most of us who live in countries with more advanced economies, compared to millions and millions of people in the world (and not only here in Africa), are basically rich: our smartphone for example is already worth more than what many people can earn in 1, 2, 3 or in the worst cases 1 year of work!
All this makes you think a lot and you feel powerless in the face of the unjust distribution of wealth and concentration of power worldwide, as well as human selfishness and greed.
However, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Luke’s Gospel in chapter 12 verse 48: “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” (Amplified Bible). In short, God is infinitely generous to all but also infinitely just. Every good thing is a gift that comes from Him: “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it”. Therefore, it is fundamental to realize that we are only “temporary possessors or stewards” during this earthly life (nothing really belongs to us, we are born with nothing and we take nothing with us when we die) and as such we are asked to “administer or manage” what we are (qualities and talents) and what we possess (properties and wealth) with gratitude, altruism and generosity. Basically, God blesses us because He undoubtedly loves us but at the same time it is because we too can imitate His way of being by becoming a source of blessing for others, especially the needy.
The Spirit of God gave me this verse to share with you: “Give your food to the hungry and care for the homeless. Then your light will shine in the dark; your darkest hour will be like the noonday sun. The Lord will always guide you and provide good things to eat when you are in the desert. He will make you healthy. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water or like a stream that never runs dry. ” (from the book of Isaiah, chapter 58: 10 BIBLE).
The nice lady below is Jiuliette, she has 4 children and sells fruit and sweets she fries outside her house. With a joyful beautiful smile which reflects the nature of her heart, she invited us to sit on her porch and have some banana cakes. Sometimes it’s not about what or how much you give to people, but how you do it and how appreciated and loved you make the other person feel!
It should be also noted that, statistically, the highest rate of depression, unhappiness and suicide is in the richest countries. How ironic, don’t you agree? Or rather, it is a confirmation that true joy, that constant and permanent joy, does not depend on money, power or the external circumstances in which we find ourselves, but comes only from something much deeper and more vital, that is, from the intimate spiritual relationship with God, from His knowledge, from the presence of Jesus in our hearts at every moment of our lives.
Last week I had the honor and pleasure of speaking for half an hour for the first time in a local church, and the topic I chose is precisely the discipline of being content regardless of what we have or happen around us.
This is certainly easier said than done, because as human beings we are never fully satisfied: those who are rich and live luxury always want more, those who are poor find themselves wanting things they do not have.
The Apostle Paul writes: “I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” (Bible, CEV version, Letter to the Philippians 4:11-13).
As a result, we conclude that “to be content” is not something that comes naturally to us, but that we slowly learn by training ourselves to do so. How? By focusing on the positive things we have rather than what we lack, constantly counting the blessings God has filled us with, reminding ourselves of His promises, His love and faithfulness, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to save us from our sin and give us eternal life.
In short, I learned that knowing God, reading and studying His Word (Bible), spending time in His presence in prayer, talk with Him about everything as with a dear friend, tune our spiritual ears to hear the voice of the Lord, is the only way to find a joy in our hearts that no one and nothing can ever erase because it is the Creator of the Universe who gives it and only in Him can we find fullness, gratification and deep meaning for our existence.
I leave you with this beautiful poem written around 1800 by an anonymous woman who graciously describe this kind of contentment I was talking about:
I do not know
when I have had happier times
in my soul
than when I have been sitting at work,
with nothing before me
but a candle and a white cloth,
and hearing no sound
but that of my own breath;
with God in my soul
and heaven in my eye.
I rejoice in being exactly what I am
– a creature capable of loving God,
and who, as long as God lives,
must be happy.
I get up
and look a while out the window.
I gaze at the moon and stars,
the work of an Almighty Hand.
I think of the grandeur of the universe
and then sit down
and think myself
one of the happiest
beings in it.
