Upon arrival in Swaziland, we were delighted to set our eyes for this first time on this tidy little mountain kingdom.  Closely tied to prosperous South Africa with a great deal of foreign investment for its tiny size, Swaziland is much wealthier than Malawi and most of the other countries in this part of Africa.  Upon seeing the clean streets, fine homes, and developed infrastructure, I had to remind myself that I was still on the African continent.  I even saw a Kentucky Fried Chicken!   

The lectureship was held at a modern exhibition center in the city of Manzini.  The exhibition center is brand new and the modern buildings would have nothing to be ashamed of in any city on any continent. 

Only a few Churches of Christ exist in Swaziland and so we were especially impressed that the small number could organize such a big gathering of Christians from several nations without major glitches.  We and the other around 2500 participants were put up in suitable houses and rooms across the city.  The Swazi Christians also made sure that all of these people were fed and that classes were organized for three days of the event. 

Organizes chose "Created for Good Works" (Eph. 2:10) as the theme, delivered in lessons by speakers from across southern Africa and the US.  Singing periods featured songs in the languages of this part of Africa.  Besides the good lessons, it was encouraging to just meet Christians from places that we had only heard of and to learn of the work of the Lord in the places where they live.