Believe

By Ophelia S. Lewis

In Maryland County, Liberia, the Almighty humbles a proud man and exalts him when he begins to trust. The providence of faith in God is strikingly displayed as divine power is united with human effort-the means used is human; the deliverance is divine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Village Tales Publishing
• Release date: Dec 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781945408625

Ophelia S. Lewis

As publisher at Village Tales Publishing, Ophelia S. Lewis has been working with seasoned, as well as aspiring writers for over seventeen years providing publishing opportunities. Her extensive background in self-publishing has given her a broad base from which to approach the publishing industry. Lewis has written books in several genres; including children's books, fiction, non-fiction, gamebook, reference, educational workbook, and poetry. Lewis is a member of the Liberia Literary Society organization, which supports educational opportunities, girls' education and preserves Liberia/Liberian literary works. She especially enjoys mentoring young African/Liberian writers in bringing their work into print.

Book preview

Believe

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The Life Chronicles Series

Ophelia S. Lewis

Village Tales Publishing

Minneapolis, Minnesota

People seldom know what they want or what truly matters until they get what they’ve asked for. Then half of the time, they don’t know what to do with it; not knowing when sufficient is enough. Before you know it, pride builds a nest in your soul, and suddenly, the wear and tear of life aren’t much of a challenge. But making your life according to your instincts is never good enough, often resulting in a bad outcome. You break apart and find yourself in need of starting over again. This time, with a keen sense of how important God’s directions are, you follow the blueprint for a good life. You do it by humbling yourself, giving to the needy, and responding with love to those who have wronged you. And then sometimes it takes a miracle to fix things, that is if you believe.

One might agree, or not, a miracle is an event or something that man is not usually capable of making happen but thought to be done by God. Possibly a miracle occurs so a worthless life can be sent into reverse; this is my opinion, of course. Whether you believe in miracles or not, we certainly do not deserve it, or rather, earn it. Nevertheless, thank God for second chances.

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A narrow dirt highway passes through Pleebo, connecting Montserrado County from ¹Monrovia to Harper, Maryland County. There are no lights that change from green to red in Pleebo, but the earth there is rich and matted with grass. The soil holds the mist and rain that seeds into it. It remains beautiful, almost holy, as it came from the Creator. It is tended and guarded by nature to keep God’s man fed and nurtured, especially people with skills but no jobs nor any means of lifting themselves out of poverty. The hardship of poor people is incredible.

The ²palm oil tree is native to large parts of Liberia. It is a tree of life, a symbol of joy, and a festive decor for most events. Its fruits feed man, and its branches clothe and shelter, providing the three basic human needs. A palm branch has over fifty blade-like leaves. One leaf can produce a strong string by peeling away the solid green substance that makes up most of the leaf, leaving about eight or nine threadlike fibers more than two feet long. These threadlike fibers are placed on the thigh and rolled with the palm of your hand, twisting them into a piece of a long thread. These strings are woven into fishing nets.

Buildings in Monrovia are like those in other modern cities, but huts (framework similar to that of any structured bungalow) are usually built for occupancy in the villages. The hut walls are built by arranging sticks made from the palm branch’s central stem in a cross-bracing grillwork to hold the mud plaster in place. The whole palm branch, folded over and stitched closely together in bands, makes ³thatching for the hut’s roof. Like shingles, one band lays on top of another to double the thickness of the palm branches.

The climate provides the hottest and tropical conditions under which these palm trees flourish. Many areas around Pleebo have a long tradition of managing palm oil trees, but cutting palm nuts is not easy. Traditionally, this is a challenging professional occupation. Before the palm tree is climbed, the climber must check to make sure the tree is not sick and is strong enough to be a magnet for the climber. Superb strength and skill, as well as knowledge and