Back from Africa

Wow--where to start? For one thing, it felt like our missionary books had come to life:

• we had several meals with Ted Esselstyn who with Mark Moore was instrumental in the starting of ANU;
  
• we met NTC Muldersdrift Principal Mashangu Maluleka (pictured left), and we'll share his story of life as a child in Soweto in a later Africonnection post;
• we sat next to Dr. Richard Zanner who was the regional director of Africa during most of the growth that has occurred there.
  
• we had a visit with Dr. Hynd(pictured right), the 83-year old Scottish Nazarene doctor who delivered the current Swazi king and queen;
• We also got to meet Eugenio Duarte, and to spend several days with Fili Chambo, the current Africa region education coordinator. These are wonderful men of God. We've already profiled Eugenio Duarte, and we'll introduce Fili Chambo to you in a later post as well.

Highlights:

• visiting Soweto, including Mandala's home, a Catholic church where students met and were fired on by South African troops, and the Soweto museum;
• attending the dedication of the new Helstrom Student Center at ANU;
• walking within a hundred feet of a herd of zebras a couple of miles from the ANU campus;
• having a meal with fellow-missionaries Randy and Mary Jane James at the Masai Lodge, near the ANU campus;
• attending the launching ceremony for the new Swazi Nazarene Higher Education Consortium (see attached video--sorry about the sound); and
  
• attending a morning worship service with 800 other worshipers at the historic Sharpe Memorial Church of the Nazarene on the campus of the Nazarene compound in Manzini, Swaziland;
• waiting at the Manzini airport while a prince and lots of troops prepared for the arrival of the Swazi Queen Mother from a trip away from the country.