I have been living in Africa since I lost my dependable job due to political or governmental changes. I think God has left Africa because of the poverty, destructions, killing, famines, homelessness, and many more which is happening here. Now it seems the whole world is against me because I have reached out to many people here, and, because of man’s wickedness, no one wants to help me. Sometimes I wonder why God has not taken away my life because what kind of life is this. Am I here to accompany some people to achieve their goal, or I was born for a purpose, and if so, then why am I suffering all the while? If God is love, why should my parents die and leave me in this world to suffer without help from someone?<\/p>\n
I have been searching the web any time I have a little money to go to the Internet caf\u00e9 to look for someone to help me, but I have tried so hard, and I could not find anyone until I heard about your ministry and decided to write you.<\/p>\n
There are a whole lot of people in my situation here, and they need to be attended to; otherwise, many souls will be lost. Sometimes I feel like joining a gang to survive, but when I realize that it’s a crime, then I stop. The last time I wrote, I had decided to commit suicide, and I saw your mail that you wanted to listen to me. Even what to wear, what to eat, and where to sleep is a problem now. I need someone who will help me to achieve. Maybe if I to go to school and get work afterward. If someone will help me get a job to do so that I can survive on that.<\/p>\n
Please I can not write all of them here because the credit I have at the caf\u00e9 is not enough, so I have to end here and wait for your reply. But if you turn against me, then I will not have any option other than to commit suicide because I am lonely and have no one in this world to talk to. Not even one to comfort me. My whole life is all about sadness and disappointment. So please reply to me soon.<\/p>\n\t
My suspicion is that this is just a little more sophisticated scam, but in case it might be legitimate, I replied with the following:<\/p>\n
I understand that many places are difficult because of the turmoil men have brought upon themselves. You and I cannot solve those problems. Your chief problem at the moment is that you need employment. Begging for money is not going to give you what you need. “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread<\/em>” (II Thessalonians 3:10-12).<\/p>\n When you are unemployed, your job is to look for jobs. Since you are able to get some funds for the Internet caf\u00e9, it is clear that you are able to make a small amount of money. If what you like to do is not available, then you accept jobs doing what you would rather not do.<\/p>\n If you are going to be a follower of Christ, joining a criminal gang is not an option. You don’t help yourself or your neighbors by increasing the violence and the crime in your area. Nor is suicide an option because it solves nothing. It would be foolish to exchange hardship in this life for an eternity of suffering because you committed the murder of yourself. You are alive and that means you can do something to improve your life. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Once you die you cannot improve your life. What you have is your ability to work, so put effort to use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: I have been living in Africa since I lost my dependable job due to political or governmental changes. I think God has left Africa because of the poverty, destructions, killing, famines, homelessness, and many more which is happening here. Now it seems the whole world is against me because I have reached out to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[397,182,188],"class_list":["post-31212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-depression","tag-suffering","tag-trials"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18032,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/ive-been-living-in-fear-for-11-years-i-want-to-commit-suicide-but-i-dont-know-can-you-free-me-from-my-demons\/","url_meta":{"origin":31212,"position":0},"title":"I’ve been living in fear for 11 years. I want to commit suicide, but I don’t know. Can you free me from my demons?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 28, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been bound to fear for about 11 years now. I am originally from Africa but living in the Netherlands now. When I was in Africa, a woman threatened to deal with me spiritually. Since then, I have developed a fear for her and her family so I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41064,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-whites-and-blacks-worship-separately-in-south-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":31212,"position":1},"title":"Why do whites and blacks worship separately in South Africa?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Who was the first black person in the world? 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Then I sprained my ankle, got uveitis (eye inflammation), and lost my hearing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67055,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-teach-in-an-area-that-holds-strong-prejudice\/","url_meta":{"origin":31212,"position":3},"title":"How do you teach in an area that holds strong prejudice?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, I wanted to ask: What can I do in my local community to get the word of God out, not just about salvation, but the natural progression of the conversation about the right church? For context, I am in South Africa. 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I have touched her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38620,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/we-havent-done-anything-really-bad-so-why-are-our-lives-so-difficult\/","url_meta":{"origin":31212,"position":5},"title":"We haven’t done anything really bad, so why are our lives so difficult?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi there, I hope you are doing fine. I am only 19. I'm married, my husband is 20. Neither of us has done anything really really bad in our lives, but yet we are suffering like we are the worse people on earth. 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