TAKE A LITTLE TRIP WITH ME...
...okay, a virtual one, but still.
I'm reading Tom Davis' new book SCARED this week. It is SO good! It's set primarily in Swaziland and though it's fictional, the story is true one! Tom follows the life of one girl and accurately portrays for you what life is like for orphans in the nation with the highest HIV/AIDs rate in the world. Besides keeping the story very real as far as what struggles and dangers they face, he's also keeping it real with background elements. For instance, one character in the book is Pastor Walter. I've actually mentioned Pastor Walter here on this blog before and when I visited Swaziland last year, was able to spend time with him and even heard him preach. Tom references that sermon, in fact, in SCARED.
Another true life element mentioned is THE MOUNTAIN INN. When I lived in Swaziland, I spent a good bit of time there. One year our Baptist mission family held a retreat there. I still remember the subject. I also remember the monkey gland sauce served. Yum! During another period of time I was a regular babysitter for a Campus Crusade family. The Oakes were actually living for a few months in a two-room suite at the inn with their children (3 or 4 of them) while waiting for permanent housing problems to be worked out. Trying to feed a baby who did NOT want to eat while in a public hotel restaurant is a memory I'll never forget! Gracious waiters and nice surroundings don't help one bit to get a spoon past the tight-pressed lips of a reluctant eater, I can tell you that!
Anyway, after seeing The Mountain Inn mentioned in Tom's book, I got curious and did a google search. I found a link to a virtual tour on YouTube....is there anything NOT on YouTube? I digress. Anyway, there is a nice part on the video with traditional Swazi singing and dancing plus some lovely shots of the hotel and the view from the back of the inn.
So take a little trip with me, via YouTube, and enjoy some of the beautiful side of Swaziland:
...okay, a virtual one, but still.
I'm reading Tom Davis' new book SCARED this week. It is SO good! It's set primarily in Swaziland and though it's fictional, the story is true one! Tom follows the life of one girl and accurately portrays for you what life is like for orphans in the nation with the highest HIV/AIDs rate in the world. Besides keeping the story very real as far as what struggles and dangers they face, he's also keeping it real with background elements. For instance, one character in the book is Pastor Walter. I've actually mentioned Pastor Walter here on this blog before and when I visited Swaziland last year, was able to spend time with him and even heard him preach. Tom references that sermon, in fact, in SCARED.Another true life element mentioned is THE MOUNTAIN INN. When I lived in Swaziland, I spent a good bit of time there. One year our Baptist mission family held a retreat there. I still remember the subject. I also remember the monkey gland sauce served. Yum! During another period of time I was a regular babysitter for a Campus Crusade family. The Oakes were actually living for a few months in a two-room suite at the inn with their children (3 or 4 of them) while waiting for permanent housing problems to be worked out. Trying to feed a baby who did NOT want to eat while in a public hotel restaurant is a memory I'll never forget! Gracious waiters and nice surroundings don't help one bit to get a spoon past the tight-pressed lips of a reluctant eater, I can tell you that!
Anyway, after seeing The Mountain Inn mentioned in Tom's book, I got curious and did a google search. I found a link to a virtual tour on YouTube....is there anything NOT on YouTube? I digress. Anyway, there is a nice part on the video with traditional Swazi singing and dancing plus some lovely shots of the hotel and the view from the back of the inn.
So take a little trip with me, via YouTube, and enjoy some of the beautiful side of Swaziland:
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