PASTOR WALSH'S STRATEGY 1

STRIKE ONE - HUSTLE HARD.

In the beginning, he was not Pastor Walsh. He was just Kofi Adu, plain and simple. He was a hustler and had tried to make it in life in all kinds of ways, mostly illegal. For instance, Kofi Adu had tried selling the weed for some time and nearly got caught by the law. He tried illegal mining and narrowly escaped death when he was almost covered by the pit in which he and his accomplices were digging for gold. Kofi afterwards had a stint as an armed robber. He went on just one operation and after a hot chase by the Police and another narrow shave, he quit. The work was too dangerous. Besides, he, Kofi Adu, was meant for finer things and for a more dignified life.

For some time, he did not know what to do with himself. Some friends suggested he should try his hands at trading. He could start with a small table-top operation or dog chains, chewing gum and even sachets of water. Kofi would have none of that. What did they think of him? Such work was way below him. Not only that; it would take too long a time before he could make a comfortable living from such ventures. What he needed was a quick deal which would turn his life around.

Around this time, he tried his hand at gambling. He threw some of his meager savings into the lotteries. He made the rounds at the casinos and tried the jackpot. In all these cases, the results he got were the same. He lost a lot of cash.

One day, Kofi got a brilliant idea. He would become an estate agent. Kofi Adu made some posters to advertise himself and his services. He went around and fortune smiled on him. He found an old woman who had two rooms for rent. Soon, he got a call from a guy who wanted a place to rent. Kofi took the guy to the woman’s place. He liked it and it was a deal. Kofi collected the rent advance from the tenant and before he knew what happened, he had squandered the cash. The old woman began to demand her money. Kofi was a quick thinker. He told her he had given the money to one of her sons after the tenant had paid. This particular son of hers had traveled and that was why Kofi used his name.

After this, he avoided the old woman and her sons like the plague. One day, however, while having a drink at the Pear Tree (a pub), the old woman’s son walked in and accosted him. He demanded the rent advance from Kofi. Kofi, however, mendaciously insisted that the money was with the old woman’s son. This greatly angered the son and he commenced to give him a sound thrashing. Kofi Adu was left with a swollen face, a bloody nose and bruises all over. For a whole week after, Kofi lay in bed recovering from the thrashing. That was the end of the estate agent business.

A few weeks after this incident, a group of young ladies from one of the charismatic churches came around to evangelize the members of the community and Kofi happened to be one of those they preached Christ to.

 He politely listened to the ladies. He listened not because he cared about their message. It was because of a slender black beauty among them who caught his eye. She was exactly the type of woman he liked to go out with. Kofi really admired her striking dark looks. He promptly agreed to visit their church coming Sunday when they asked. This would give him the opportunity to know her better.

He looked forward eagerly to the coming Sunday. In fact, he counted the days and grew more and more eager as the day drew closer and closer. Finally, Sunday came. Kofi put on his white shirt and black trousers. He put on his red bowtie and sprayed his most expensive perfume. He checked out his image in a mirror and smiled with satisfaction. He was good looking and feeling great. He knew when she saw him today she would be wowed.

At the church, Kofi Adu was the first new convert for the day. He was assigned to the slender black beauty known to all as Melanie to be discipled. This made him very happy. But there was something else. He had noticed the offertory. He was very impressed by the amount of money that found its way into the basket. Hmmm! All that money in a day?!

That night as he lay in bed, he thought of what had happened in the church that Sunday. He thought about the offertory and shook his head in wonder. Ei! This pastor business must be really lucrative. He thought of Melanie and smiled. It was just a matter of time and she would be his. His mind went back to the offertory. He could visualize the basket and all the notes and coins in it. With those thoughts, he drifted to sleep.

The next morning, he woke up late as usual. He lay in bed for a few minutes. He was suddenly struck by a thought.

To be continued...