What I Learned from the African Church: Twenty-Two Students Reflect on a Life-Changing Experience

On Aug. 30, 2005, 22 students from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA., embarked on a 3 month adventure unlike any they had ever experienced before.

The semester-long adventure was part of the academic program required at EMU to acquaint students with the lives, histories, and cultures of people living beyond the shores of North America. This particular course focused primarily on 2 French speaking countries, France and Benin, West Africa, with 3 additional side trips to Switzerland, Togo and Ghana countries. Group members did not all respond to the religious and cultural realities they discovered in the same manner. They were themselves a diverse group, coming from a range of backgrounds and locations. Thus they became a learning community together - learning about God, about themselves, about negotiating differences and about celebrating victories on those occasions when seemingly insurmountable conflicts found resolution.

The 22 students featured in this booklet share their stories in insightful 300-400-word reflections on what they learned from the experience as guests within homes in each country, worshipers in a wide range of church settings, and observers of their host culture.

Also available in Spanish.