Personality of The Week

The achievement and accomplishment of an individual in life is not determined by the place of birth, or parents he or she belongs to.
Everyone’s destination is controlled and directed by God who is the maker of mankind no matter that person upbringing.

This week personality desired to become a banker with the hope that he was going to obtain more money get the best of things that world has to offer, but it did not go his way as planned although he a smart kid in school during his childhood days.

We humans have our own plans, but God has a different and better one for us.
More of how our personality dream of becoming a banking will be place below in our discussion, but what the above statement about God’s plans brought to me in keeping with a scripture in the Holy Bible- Proverbs 19:21 that says, “Man proposes but God disposes.”

I am pleased to introduce our personality of the week. He is Pastor Alfred Beyan, the man who is shepherding God’s followers at the pastoring the GSA Road Church of Christ located in Paynesville, Montserrado County.
Before becoming a preacher of the word of God, he had his own plans like any other person would do per his own perception and vision that was not of God’s plan for his existence.

Pastor Beyan is a Liberian, a son of Lofa County who is making greater impact on the lives of many Liberians including other nationalities across the country through his humanitarian gesture.
This son of Lofa did not just achieved successes in his life based on his own ability as a human, but through the divine intervention and direction of the God.

Pastor Beyan growing up as a child had his struggling times but was focused- the preacher like any other person underwent difficulties in life to reach thus far.

This was how he reflected by saying, “Looking at me, Washington, I was born in a little town call Konia, Lofa County with my parents from a poor background but with a focus.”

Pastor Beyan had a troubling upbringing not because of lack of parental care, but economic difficulties-very low wage of his father who was a classroom teacher and having a farmer as mother his mother complex the situation more.
Our personality was always relating to me by calling my name as we were having the conversation especially on his childhood days by indicating, Washington! , “growing up as a child was not easy, my father and mother did not have money to fully support us like those money people children.”

He furthered, “He was a classroom teacher and my mother a farmer, but one thing they instilled in us was moral value or discipline especially in Christ.

During our conversation, the man of God recounting his days as child in Lofa he said to me, “Some days, we will not eat” stressing that they will have to ask their neighbors for food. “You know I did not really came up as a rich person child? he asked a rhetorical question as we spoke.

He said, “We used to come from school to go on the farm and the next day we will have to go to school.”
His statement made me to think of a story of a very poor famer and his wife who scarified all they had to educate their only son who later became a Medica Doctor.

They farmer who was very poor is nor benefiting from the decision he made to send his son to school.
The case with our personality of the week might be different but the similarity is that his one of his parent farmed as occupation, but today, there son is a ‘big man of God.’

The guidance he received from his parents has kept him moving on-something he expressed gratitude to his parents for the way they were brought up.
How God changed his plans

Reflecting on how God diverted his ambition from a banker to a pastor, our featured personality narrated that God has his own way of bringing people closer to Him as was done in his life.

Pastor Beyan said he never contemplated of becoming a pastor that God was going to use in his kingdom’s works- , when according to him, his desire was to make more money and live ‘big boy life’ with his family, but he could not comprehend how it happened that he is not a banker.
In search of education our personality of the week upon his graduation from high school and he took the University of Liberia entrance failed on one subject.

This failure discouraged him a lot causing him to go for the Liberia Bible College entrance instead of big dream of banker with plenty money.

At the Liberia Bible College entrance, he dux!
Pastor Beyan speaking about a divine decision following the results from the two entrances said, “I did pray about it as it relates to both the remainder at the University of Liberia and the Liberia Bible College, I decided to go to the Bible College and do the Bible courses and at the sometime prepare to do my remainder at the UL so that I could do my banking, but I never knew that God has a calling for me , that I was going to stick in ministry.
He said, “You Know Washington, when I used to go to church, I was someone that used to work hard for God and to the church.”

According to him, based his commitment, he received scholarship from Church of Christ located on Mechelin Street, to attend Wellharston High School, “before then, I was attending Gray D. Allison School in the barrack, I was living with my uncle when I came from Lofa, it was because of the work that I did in the church.”

What prompted our personality of the Week to become a humanitarian? He attributed it to his mother who served as a role model according to him, she was a giver and told to me to always do good to people, something he said is a pushing factor and motivational for his humility and humanitarian.
To become a true giver comes with challenges of which pastor Beyan admitted, saying that trying to give is difficult most especially during these challenging times.

Pastor Beyan said he isn’t a rich person with finances but said, “I have human relations because of my humanitarian posture that I inherited from my parents.”

One of his reliance is located in Acts 20-35 that says, “I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord himself said there is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”

Highlighting some of the benefits associated with his giving posture, our personality said, “It is difficult for me to be lacking of finance or other things for my upkeep something that I encouraged Christians to emulate.”
The personality of the Week who is the senior Pastor of the GSA Road Church of Christ said one of his humanitarian mission is based on his given to his members, communities, the less fortunate, organizations with assorted food and non- food items, money to those who are in need.

Pastor Beyan said he gets frustrated sometimes with some of church pastors who are not interested in preaching salvation messages, but rather mercies extorting money from the poor people something that always gets to him.
By Washington Tumay Watson –onewash9@gmail.com