Africa & Europe #1

In April I had the privilege of spending 4 days with Christine Mutua, the director of our MA program in East Africa, and her wonderful family: husband Daniel, and children Hope, Shalom, and Fadile. It was a restful, fun time during which I enjoyed their hospitality as well as the beauty of northern Tanzania. 

Specifically, they took me to see Ngorongoro Crater, an incredible natural phenomenon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the world's largest caldera (Merriam-Webster says: "a volcanic crater that has a diameter many times that of the vent and is formed by collapse of the central part of a volcano or by explosions of extraordinary violence"). During rainy season, it is filled with an amazing array of animals. Enjoy the pictures below!

From Tanzania, Christine and I flew to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to meet with the leaders of a theological college there to discuss potentially partnering with them to offer our program to leaders in Ethiopia. I spent the summer after high school (1997!) in Addis, so it was really fun to return and see how the city has changed, which it indeed has. Far more tall buildings and far fewer herds of goats and cows trekking through the traffic-jammed roads than 18 yrs ago.

From Ethiopia, Christine returned home and I flew northwards to another place I haven't visited in a long time: Black Forest Academy. Julianna and I were missionary teachers there in 2002-2004. It was wonderful to be back in the bucolic Black Forest region and to see the school. Even though most of our friends have moved on, some have remained, such as good friends Chris and Jenny Greathouse, plus the arrival two years ago of Wheaton friends Joel and Kristen Cagwin. Chris is starting a Leadership Center at the school designed for both students and staff. Since part of what we (DAI) do is consulting, I stopped through to see if we could assist in some way (our mission is leadership development, after all). 

Enjoy the pictures of these excursions in this and the following posts.

First up, a visit with Christine Mutua, a member of our MA Admin Team, and a day at Ngorongoro Crater. Then, a few pictures of our visit to Ethiopia (mainly food with one pic of our hosts).

I'll post pictures of my visit to Black Forest Academy in post #2 to follow.

My colleague Christine with her family at their home in Arusha, Tanzania. I had a wonderful few days with them!

A day in exploring the wildlife of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Next stop: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our lunch: injera be wot together with our hosts.

Let the fun begin!

After we've finished. Yum!

With our hosts, Semeon and Frew, both administrators and leaders of a theological college in Addis, Ababa. Christine and I were visiting to discuss the possibility of partnering with the college to offer our MA in Organizational Leadership in Ethiopia.

Enjoying an after lunch macchiato.