We were invited to attend a wonderful African tradition, a naming ceremony for a new baby. It is the custom for the father to choose the name for the baby and to keep it a secret until it is announced at the ceremony. Even the mother doesn't know and the name isn't spoken aloud until it is announced.  The father in this case is a staff member at the Training Center. In honor of having some Americans at the Center when his daughter was born, he asked us for suggestions of American names.

So we did some internet research and gave him a list of the most popular baby names in the US last year. We were delighted when he chose the name Isabella, the name of of one of our granddaughters! One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was when an elder in the family, in this case the baby's grandmother, shouted her new name in her ear three times! I had the honor of offering a prayer for baby Isabella and her family.