Gary and Rosa lived together for nine years in Sierra Leone, West Africa. They still have many connections with and a keen interest in Sierra Leone in particular and Africa in general. If you are in their home you might hear them speak Sierra Leone Krio or you might be offered ground nut soup over rice. When possible, they will also have mangoes. In fact, the “mangoes” part of the name of this blog, “from Mangoes to Melchizedek,” represents their time in and love for Africa. Gary has both a map of and the flag of Sierra Leone hanging up in his office. The picture above shows the house in Madina that was the Cockerill’s home for almost three years.

• For stories from and things of interest about Africa click on the category marked “Africa” on the right hand side of this blog.