SEASON OF THE "BORGAS"

Due to economic hardship in Ghana,a lot of Ghanaians migrate to foreign countries with the hope of finding greener pastures. Popular destinations for Ghanaian migrants are Germany,Italy,Spain,England and the USA. Some of these migrants have the required documents to stay in such countries while others are illegals but find safe havens in the home of fellow country men.

A Ghanaian living abroad is affectionately called "BORGA", I'm not so sure how the term came about but popular folk links it to the Ghanaians living in Hamburg,Germany. It is said that most Ghanaians who lived in Hamburg in the late 1980's and early 1990's referred to themselves as "Hamburgas". So with time,the name was shortened to just "Burgas" and eventually "Borga" due to the Ghanaian accent. I guess that's the etymology of the "BORGA" word.

Borgas are seen from three angles are far as I'm concerned. There are some Ghanaians who believe that Borgas are negative influence on the youth because they don't instill any sense of patriotism. They believe that Borgas create the impression that you can never succeed till you travel abroad. There are the Ghanaians who also believe that Borgas are symbols of determination and hard work, since most of them hustle hard till they finally make it in life. Then there are the Ghanaians who believe that there is no hope in Ghana and Africa at large, due to some corrupt leaders and the only option is to just travel abroad. Personally, i don't see anything wrong with traveling abroad. If you have the legal documents,there is nothing wrong with traveling abroad,it's an individual choice. There is no guarantee that things will blossom when you travel abroad neither is there any assurance if you stay in Ghana. It takes courage, hard work,determination and the grace of God to make it.There are people who have been successful in Ghana,so you can also make it if you try.

Borgas often return home during the Christmas season,making it an age old tradition. It's no surprise that family members and friends are filled with excitement and optimism during Christmas,because Borga will be coming home with their Christmas presents. Well, i guess Borga can pass for a Ghanaian version of Santa Clause hahaha lol.

Over the years, some typical Borgas have made their style of dressing a symbol of the country they live in.Typical German Borgas are often seen wearing skin tight shirts with rings on their fingers and Borgas from the USA are usually seen wearing over sized colourful t-shirts and over sized trousers(baggy pants). Not forgetting the Jordan and Timberland they wear. One common thing with all of them is the numerous gold and silver chains on their neck and oh,they carry a bottle of mineral water everywhere they go,since,according to them, sachet and pipe borne water aren't safe for drinking.

Borgas often make references to the country they live in whenever they come across inefficiency in Ghana. For instance, if a Typical German Borga faces inefficiency from a public service provider,he usually says "Das ist schlecht", which means "This is bad" and then ends the statement with "..aahh! You can't do this in Germany", hahahaha lol. Well Borgas are interesting, as they tell us tales from their adventures abroad and I prefer calling women with the same attributes "Borgress" lol. It's a fact we can't deny, the month of december in Ghana is "The Season Of Borgas".

LOVE AS WE KNOW IT

LOVE,how many times have you heard this word?,a billion times i guess. It's the subject of most movies,plays,stories,songs and talk shows.It's very clear that love is a brand on it's own. Not only does love thrive in business,it's the basis of the world's largest religion,Christianity,as our founder(I'm Christian), Jesus Christ,gave His life in atonement for our sins.He did that obviously because He loves us.

So what then is love? I'm no scholar but in my own words,love is a feeling that makes you decide to sacrifice for the sake of someone else. We've all made sacrifices or compromises in our lives one way or the other,thus we've all experienced love.However,we tend to associate love with fantasies a lot these days thanks to movies and fairy tales. A friend of mine once told me,"Fairy tales are stories that haven't ended yet",I agree,because the usual thing we see at the end of fairy tales is "....happily ever after" which obviously does not relate to real life situations.

Love is what makes a mother give up all she has for her children, love is what makes a father go hungry just so his wife and kids can have a meal.Love is what makes a brother protect his sister like a lion defending it's pride,love is what makes a sister care for her brother like a bird protecting it's egg,love is what drives athletes to victory just so their nation can be recognized and love is what drives patriots to defend their nation with their lives.

Love is also what makes us want to spend eternity with that special person, the Mr Right or Miss Right.Sometimes emotions run high and we confuse love with lust or we get blinded by material stuff.Lust is nowhere near love,as it only drives you to seek sexual pleasures. Love comes straight from the heart and it does not really care about physical beauty,it counts, but it's not that important. If you think beauty or looks is all that matters in love,go talk to a blind couple or witness love between a blind couple,they don't have eyes,it's what's inside that counts.

I know love starts with joy,as the love grows older,the joy seems to fade. This is when compromise and forgiveness should be part of both partners like oxygen,you will need them to survive. Problems will come,just know that these problems are like storms,they come to take away unwanted stuff. So if you both don't hold on to each other tight,one of you will leave with the storm. So just stay committed,don't cheat,don't lie and try hard to compromise,most importantly,keep God first in all you do. 

Often we hear in music and movies,"...our love is like Bonnie and Clyde or Romeo and Juliet".....Well personally,i don't buy these ideas,especially "Bonnie and Clyde" because they were criminals and enemies of law and order. As for "Romeo and Juliet" it's just figments of imagination that has been accepted into pop-culture(popular culture) thanks to the captivating writing of 

William Shakespeare. I choose to idolize grandma and grandpa as great symbols of love.Just look at all the old couples,married for over 20 years,now that's a real testimony of love. When someone hurts you and you're willing to forgive and move on with the person,that's love. When you hurt someone and the person forgives and tells you they'll always be there for you,that's love. So just like Country Music singer Paul Overstreet said.."Even when it don't feel like it, it's still love", hold on to that person and know that they are worth fighting for.

LOVE AND SACRIFICE

The greatest gift you can give anyone is love and because God first loved us, He showed us tremendous love by sending us His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Jesus sealed the love deal by giving up His life for us, just so our sins can be forgiven and have eternal life. Love begets sacrifice and there is no sacrifice without love. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His only son for us and His son, Jesus, sacrificed His life for us because He loves us. The stories of Jephtah  and his daughter and that of Abraham and his son Isaac are but a few of stories that epitomize the love and sacrifice connection.

The same applies to we modern day Christians, we must love God with all our heart, thus, we should offer Him the best sacrifice always. Best sacrifice is not necessarily blood sacrifice or expensive things, it could be our time, energy, money, skill or even talent. We must always give God all the best that we have, not what we have to spare. We should also know that when sacrificing unto God, we must do so with a willing and cheerful heart, not a heart filled with resentment. A sacrifice from a resentful heart is meaningless.

It is true that sometimes the sacrifice might seem too complicated or absurd, but God always knows best and the will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not follow. Also in such moments, remember the story of Abraham and Isaac. I know their story obviously sounds cliché now, but the truth still remains, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. It hurts when you sacrifice, but God will soothe your pain and even put you in a better place than you were initially. Prosperity in Christ is not all about physical things like money, cars and mansions, it’s about unspeakable joy and peace in your heart and life. Yes there will be temptation because Satan will try and make you lose your faith. There will also be harsh times, just know that when these harsh times are over, you will assure yourself that your faith in God has endured them all, just read James 1:2-3. It’s amazing how much God loves us, count your blessings, try naming them one by one and you will see your doubts and sorrows getting obliterated.

Salvation is free, just repent, confess and invite Christ into your heart. Then show the whole world this by getting baptized. Mind you, baptism will not get you to heaven; it is just a sign to show the world that you are now a follower of Christ. It is just like a wedding ring on a wedding finger. The ring is on the finger just to tell the world that a person is married and belongs to someone, without it one can still get married. There are people who do not include the exchange of rings in their wedding ceremony and rather opt for exchange of bibles, necklace, coins and even message in a bottle, so the ring is just a symbol. However, if it was important for Christ to get baptised when He was here on earth, then it is important for us to do so. Salvation is what assures you of eternal life, so please invite Christ into your heart. Love God whole heartedly and spread His message of love and hope by any means you can, through one on one conversations, songs and even social media.

Sacrifice willingly and cheerfully unto God always, remember, He first loved us. God has given us free will, so the choice is in our hands, we sin because we want to, and so we can change and please God if we want to.  So where do you stand in this end time? It’s your call!

OUR PAGES

Hey folks....just want to share something with y'all,I'll keep it short and simple. People that come our way are like pages in a book and so are we to them. So just make sure that as others flip through, you will be one of the most colourful and memorable pages. Always stay real,true and honest. Be kind,generous and most importantly,keep Jesus Christ first in all you do,remember,seek ye first the kingdom of God and all other things will be added unto you....Team Jesus...Team Salvation...Christian!!