DID YOU KNOW THAT A SCHOOL HAS BEEN NAMED AFTER ME?

A couple of weeks ago, one of our apostles called me from Ghana. As we shared reminiscences over many things, he expressed many wishes for me, including that somebody somewhere would name a school after me.


I told him that was not a big deal to me because God honors His faithful servants in different ways. If he had that as a desire for me, I was glad to inform him that his prayer had already been answered.
Now please read on.

Between 1961 and 1965, the Ghana Government, through the Volta River Authority (V.R.A), undertook
the construction of the Akosombo Dam to generate hydro-electric power for the nation. The construction of the dam resulted in the flooding of some upper parts of the Volta River, creating the Volta Lake, the world's largest man-made lake. It covers an area of 3,502 square kilometers. The flooding affected about 700 villages and a total of about 80,000 people. Re-settlement towns, 52 in number, were built for the affected communities who were evacuated to these townships before the dam was completed.

Apostle Ntumy Junior High School block.

Osramani is one of these 52 towns. It is an agglomeration of 15 villages which were settled there in August, 1964. The V.R.A which managed the town had built two Primary Schools and one Middle School for the new community. This Middle School (which later metamorphosed into Junior High School) served the ever-increasing population until September 2010 when the Government of Ghana, with some communal support, established this second Junior High School for the community.

Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah, Chairman of COP (with microphone), offering the Inaugural / Dedication Prayer before the Pillar of Plaques.

The school was formally inaugurated by Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah, Chairman of The Church of Pentecost in October 2010. He was assisted by Mr. Akara, District Director of Education, Apostle David Tekper, COP Area Head, Kete-Krachi and Pastor Maclean Arthur-Gyan.

The Chiefs, Elders and the Youth of the town decided to name the school after me, "in recognition of (my) numerous contributions to the development of the town."

Apostle Dr Michael Ntumy and his wife Martha.

LESSONS I LEARNT FROM THIS.

When the COP Area Head for Kete-Krachi called and broke to me the news of naming the school after me, I was overwhelmed. I wondered how and why. First, it was a public school ("government school") which, may normally bear the name of the town or community. Secondly, I was not aware that a new school was being built for them, let alone to have contributed anything to its construction.

I immediately contacted the leadership of our church to discuss it with them and they gladly consented to it.  I thereafter requested our Chairman who happened to be traveling to the Kete-Krachi Area around that time to inaugurate and dedicate the school for the community, which he graciously obliged.

In deep gratitude to God and the community, I learnt many lessons from this great act of grace done me:

1. It is God who honors people. Nobody should go round seeking to be honored.
2. We should not grow weary in doing good. Sometimes though the beneficiaries may not know how to express their gratitude, they are grateful. When they have the opportunity of opening up to you one day, you would be overwhelmed by what they say or do.
3. Our good deeds for the LORD will never go unrewarded. If human beings (the people of my town), who are prone to forget, remembered my personal contributions to the town over a long period of time, how much more will God not remember to reward us for our various good works.
4. When God blesses you, remember to bless others, your "Jerusalem"---your hometown, your church, humanity as a whole.

PS. I have responded appropriately to the kind gesture of the community. We want to make the school an "A" school. Somebody is putting up a computer lab and library block for the school. If there is any way you want to help achieve my dream for the school---library books, computers, etc, you may contact me through this email address: ntumybooks@yahoo.com.
God bless you.