Signing IN

I am picking up from where my colleague Margaret stopped.

What I really intend today is simply, as a point of reference for the future, introduce myself to the wider Luther family, and the global audience of the Life@Luther blog.

I am a youngish African male, born and raised in Malawi, Central Africa. I served as a missionary in Europe (mostly Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and England) for seven years before “going back to school” for a PhD in Congregational Mission and Leadership at Luther Seminary. Violet, my wife is here with me, currently working hard to find a job after acquiring her Master of Laws degree from the University of Minnesota this past May. Our daughter, Tameika, just clocked two months three days ago. Thandeka, our older daughter lives in Malawi.

This summer, I started my third year at the seminary, which is also my third year in the USA. I have spent two glorious years in the Twin Cities—the longest time I have been at one place since 2000! Sometimes, I look back the seven years in which I worked in six different countries and wonder what, if any, was God’s plan for the rest of my journey. Apart from the strong winters, it has been a busy but happy time. I just finished coursework and now I have to get ready for comprehensive exams. My blogging here will be mainly shaped by an intentional attention to life at the seminary from the perspective of the many African, Asian and other international students at the Seminary.

In addition to this, being a non-Lutheran student, I will also use this opportunity to try and make sense of the ecumenical life at Luther Seminary. I grew up in the Assemblies of God in Malawi, and now I am a minister in the Vineyard Association of Churches - USA. Naturally, I am part of a larger group of ecumenical students here at the seminary, among whom there are a lot of conversations worth sharing.

As I finish this introductory blog, I wish to acknowledge the great work that Margaret Obaga did for us for the past one year. Apart from enjoying the everflowing fountain of Tchai at her house, her blog postings were always refreshing. We will miss her. I pray she will surprise us with a few comments here and there as the year goes. (Pass the message if you see her!)