Ishmael Beah

This would be the third post for today. I was thinking of writing down all the things I wanted to share before they vanish from the top of my head.

Recently, I've been reading a book recommended by my colleague. It's called a long way gone: memoirs of a boy soldier. It's a book written by Ishmael Beah, depicting his early life as a boy soldier during the wartime in Sierra Leone. I am 2/3 through the book and no doubt, it's getting interesting. I am never a fan of non-fiction books as I have the passion and love to divulge in romance, crime and everything fiction.

This book has been an eye-opener to me. It showed how environment can force change in someone, regardless of your age. I have thought a lot about it and I am still counting my blessings each passing day. I promise I'd dedicate a post specially for this book after I'm done with it. Maybe some thoughts and reflections I have been pondering all these while.

I did a Google search on Ishmael and I found this piece, The Lord is My Shepard, written by him on the website of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Ishmael also wrote a piece, When Good Comes from Bad, which reflected his early life as a child soldier. I am very happy for who he is today and his work to help his people in Africa, especially war-torn Sierra Leone. Here's the excerpt to share:

The Lord Is My Shepard
by Ishmael Beah

I give thanks to God for always helping me to see the brighter side of everything. Even in the darkest time of my life when I almost gave up and thought life was over. God made me realize and see that I have a reason to live a life guided by him. The following are a number of verses which I have written from a longer song:

The lord is my Shepard
I can never be lost
Even when this daily life
comes to the worst
I keep his trust in my heart
Through all the darkest hours
I am protected by his powers
God bless me everyday
even when I fail
in this day to day struggle
he helps me pave my way
out of the troubles I face
making my fears less
so when I am stressed
I take it as another temptation
to test my motivation
But I fight this competition
between evil and good
every day and every night
I sometimes am deceived
intense struggles I perceived
raising my praises
cause my beliefs get stronger
so I no longer
live like the Pharisees, you heard
The God’s marvelous display
keeps me safe
even when I am lost in this place
do not feel disgrace
Because his grace is always with me
once blind, now I see.

Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa. At the age of thirteen, his life was interrupted by a civil war that claimed his family. He was forced to become a child solider for three years. In 1996, he was disarmed and taken out of the army by a United Nations sponsored program. He now resides in the United States where he is a senior at the United Nations high school in New York.