Today we were invited to the wedding of a young ANU man as guest of the ANU Vice Chancellor. The wedding was held in a local church. The pastor gave stern warnings to the groom about the manly responsibility to respect and care for his wife. At the outdoor reception, the young women "ululated" (the high-pitched, high-low celebration sound made by African and Middle Eastern Women) to welcome the bridal couple as they moved to the head table. The groom's father is the founder and director of an orphanage that serves 800 children--many victims of the AIDS deaths of their parents. As entertainment, several groups of children from the orphanage sang and recited and performed martial arts. The hit of the afternoon was a group of high-school aged boys who did a Zulu war dance in costume. If you look carefully on the far right of the group you can see the groom, still in his wedding clothes, dancing with the group!
As Nancy and I think about the ANU opportunity, we can't help but think about the beautiful children we're seeing. Africa and Kenya are facing challenges that will almost certainly impact their lives: the AIDS epidemic, violence in neighboring countries, and poverty. According to UNICEF the life expectancy of Kenyan children at birth is 48 years. The message of Jesus Christ and the power of Christian higher education are essential to the future of these children and the future of Africa. No pressure :-)
