St. Augustine – one of the early fathers of the Church once said, “God created man without man, but cannot save him without him.” God created us out of pure love; we had no choice, we were passive in the process. Now that He has created us, we are no longer passive and He cannot save us without us. We have the free will to accept God’s offer of salvation or reject it. God does not impose salvation, He offers it. It is our ultimate choice to accept or reject it.
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Thanks for visiting my home country of Ghana. I really do hope that you enjoyed your visit and Ghanaian hospitality at its best.

I listened to your speech to the Ghanaian Parliament and the rest of Africa. I have read it over and over again; I can’t stop reading it.

I asked a friend what he thought about Obama’s speech and he had this to say: “His speech was a breakaway from the conventional master-servant oration. He spoke to us like one of us, like a brother and a friend. He spoke to us like a grandpa passing on words of wisdom to his grand children.”

I couldn’t agree more.

But President Obama, there is one thing you didn’t talk about that I know first hand…
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Once a CRS donor asked me a unique question; “I have given millions of dollars to CRS over the past several years and will forever continue to do so because it is not just something that I do, it is who I am, it is my faith. And now, Thomas, apart from money, what else do you need from me?”

I thought that was a great and interesting question. However, I didn’t have an immediate answer for it. And so, I was silent for a moment, then, I said to the donor, “Come and visit us; Come and see us; Come and experience us; it is the gift greater than any check that you can give to CRS.”
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Thomas Awiapo impresses everyone he meets with his amazing story.

As part of a recent U.S. speaking tour, he stopped at Bellarmine College and talked to students about his childhood and escape from poverty.

On the Bellarmine website, junior Sebastian Ortega said: “Thomas Awiapo’s words touched my heart in a way that made me feel connected with him. I felt like he was my brother and for my brother to suffer like that, I am inspired to try my hardest to make a change in the lives of others.”