Thoughts on a Conversation with a Stranger – Part 4
In case you want to start from the beginning instead of jumping into our conversation, start here: https://copytestprove.com/thoughts-on-a-conversation-with-a-stranger-part-1/
The man said, ‘You seem to be a very positive person. Were you born that way?’
‘Initially, no. As soon as something happens, what comes to mind is the worst-case scenario. I have to actively think to myself, ‘Can I do something about this?’ and if the answer is no, well, then, there’s no point stressing about it, right?’
‘We in Nigeria are not like that.’
‘Well, I have found that as much as Nigerians like to complain about a variety of things, they are very pragmatic and fatalistic about it.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There is a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes that says, ‘He that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.’ Nigerians are not like that.’
‘What does THAT mean?’
‘The one thing Nigerians know how to do is hustle, and in a good way. Uh, Nigerians are also known for the bad kind of hustling… but whatever it is, they won’t sit down and wait for things to get better. Or for the all the traffic lights to be green before they start out, as an analogy.’
‘Yes, that’s right. It’s because we know that no one is coming to our rescue. We’re on our own. So we hustle to support our family.’
‘And not just family…’
‘Huh…?’
The story will continue tomorrow.
Somehow I missed the first 3 “chapters” but thanks for sharing the link, I went back and read them. How exciting to be a missionary in Nigeria. Looking forward to the next chapter! Our church has a sister church in Nigeria and often their priest will come to visit ours.
Hey, you left me hanging with the kidnapping!
I get that you want to tell this story – but can you tell the kidnapping story sometime?
The link to the kidnapping story was at end of part 3: https://copytestprove.com/thoughts-on-a-conversation-with-a-stranger-part-3/
But to be helpful here is the direct link: https://copytestprove.com/an-extreme-situation/
I like the cliff hanger. Curious to read tomorrow.