Dear Friends,
While on a recent flight, I met a very interesting person. His name is
Peter Atiah and he is a Pastor and relief worker from Ghana (West Africa.)
He was in the U.S. on a scholarship to Pinecrest Bible Training College in
Salisbury Center, NY. During our two hour flight, we conversed about his
impressions of the United States and the contrast to his homeland.
Although this was his first trip abroad, he was able to visit several
cities. What started out as friendly conversation between two airline
passengers quickly became a profound education for one touring musician.
As my new friend spoke, he described in detail his amazement of the
"enormous wealth of everyday people" and the "overwhelming choices your
people have." He told me of being awestruck in a grocery store where
"there are more types of food and beverage" than he could ever imagine.
He could not believe the number of automobiles, malls, electronic devices,
highways, etc. What was truly fascinating was the sheer wonder and
amazement in his eyes as he spoke.
He went on to tell me of the abject poverty in Ghana. Although he is
considered fortunate in his country, (he is educated, owns a home and
earns the equivalent of about forty U.S. dollars a month) he lives without
luxuries such as electricity and plumbing. In fact, daily, he has to walk
to the town water pump to retrieve enough water for drinking, cooking and
bathing. Most of the people in his town are poor farmers. They, like us,
have also felt the devastating effects of this year's El Nino. Needless
to say, I was humbled by our conversation.
Despite his country's economic hardship, Peter spoke with great optimism.
He told me that through education and preaching the Gospel, he felt that
he could enrich the lives of many of his people. It was at this point that
he inquired about my life and work. I told him about the colleges and
universities that I perform at around the country. I gave him one of my
CDs even though I knew that he would not have any way to listen to it once
he returned home. Regardless, he was genuinely grateful. At his request,
I removed my guitar from the overhead compartment and played him a song.
I can assure you that I am not accustomed to doing this at thirty-five
thousand feet, particularly when the flight attendants are wheeling the
beverage cart down the aisle. I was embarrassed to tell him that the
guitar cost more than twice his annual income, so when he asked, I
responded with a concise "a lot."
He told me that he loved music and that he would like to acquire some
musical instruments for his church. He asked me if I knew anyone who had
an old guitar or other musical instruments that they would be willing to
donate. I told him that I had several percussion instruments and a few
harmonicas that I would gladly send him.
I am writing to you today to respectfully ask if you or anyone that you
know has any old instruments that are no longer being used and to consider
donating them. I am primarily looking for any "acoustic" instruments such
as a guitar, banjo, mandalin, etc. My good friend James Ball, (guitar
tech and owner of Pickers Paradise in Stapleton, Alabama) has graciously
offered to perform any minor repair work on these instruments pro bono. Any
donations can be sent directly to Peter at:
Pastor Peter A. Ataih
P.O. Box 96
Atebubu, Ghana
West Africa
or if the hefty postage to Africa is a problem, you can also send any
instruments to me and I will gladly forward them. I also ask that you
forward this e-mail or hardcopy to anyone who you think might be able to
help. Please make sure that any donations are accompanied by a return
address as I am certain that Peter would want to thank you/them
personally.
Thank you for your help,
John Reno
P.O. Box 1765
Fairhope, AL 36533
(800) 738-RENO
http://www.johnreno.com