Once in Freetown we settled in to our hotel and got a good night's sleep. The next morning dad and I were honored to have coffee with the new bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, the Rev. Bishop Moses KobbaMomah. The Bishop brought with him the treasurer of the ELCSL and we had a good conversation about the challenges facing the church especially in the wake of Ebola.
Giving thanks for this opportunity to meet with the bishop it seemed appropriate to give some gifts. I was privileged to present the bishop with a "Texas style" cross (found by Trinity member Penny Level at the antique mall on Montgomery and I-30) as well as a 2016 calendar by noted Fort Worth photographer Brian Luenser.
One final gift I was able to give to the bishop was a lapel pin from Cowtown. These were provided by Trinity member Jim Level through our city councilman Dennis Shingleton. The bishop seemed pleased by these gifts and he would wear the lapel pin when we met him for worship on Sunday.
After the morning's activities we had a brief wedding rehearsal and met our driver and headed down the coast for the rehearsal dinner. Along the way we observed some young people playing soccer on a makeshift pitch.
The rehearsal dinner was held at the home of a friend of Manja's family. She had married a banker from Europe who built a beautiful home on the beach. The deck of their home provided an amazing setting for dinner.
Had to take a "walking on the rocks" picture just for fun.
Having met the bishop earlier in the morning, when most of the rest of the family was resting, I was very tired and hungry. Unfortunately, this was Sierra Leone. So while we were there at the appointed time of 4pm for dinner, no one else showed up for at least another hour. So we enjoyed the scenery and waited smelling the wonderful cooking.
Thankfully, dinner was finally served. An amazing feast combining West African, Caribbean, and European tastes.
After dinner there were toasts and sharing of stories. Then, thankfully, we returned to the hotel and I was able to rest for the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment