Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

Trapping Terry the Tarantula

While Joyce and I were teaching and performing in Africa last fall, we had a roommate we named Larry the Lizard. One night we noticed he'd moved out, and then we found out why...



Find more about our adventures in Africa at www.RichDrama.com/Africa.


See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance...once the pandemic has cleared.

Jackals and Fruit, Part 2

In this episode of Treasure Seekers, Trevor the Trevor Seeker continues to explore fruit in Africa, and interviews the granddaughter of the woman who helped raise Rich Swingle's mom.

If you haven't seen Part 1, you can click here to see it first.

Click the arrow below, or if you're receiving this via email, visit www.WestchesterChapel.Blogspot.com to play the episode:



If you want to more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.

I play a lead in Providence, which you can bring to your area.

Jackals and Fruit, Part 1

In this episode of Treasure Seekers, Trevor explores the fruit of Africa. We introduce Pethahiah the Shepherdess (played by Joyce), who warns about jackals in wolves' clothing.

Click the arrow below, or if you're receiving this via email, visit www.Blog.RichDrama.com to play the episode.




See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance.

Performing for Teresiah Njeri

We sponsor Teresiah Njeri through Compassion International, and the photo is of me performing my 1-man play about Jonah for her and her friends because she told us in a letter that Jonah is her favorite story from the Bible. She got tickled and was sharing her joy with one of her friends on the pew behind her. I was translated into Kikuyu, which is the language my mom was learning when she was Teresiah Njeri's age. We picked her because of that, and because her Kikuyu name is the same as the woman who helped raise mom: www.RichDrama.com/Njeri

Pray about sponsoring a child: www.RichDrama.com/Compassion



For information on my one-man play about Jonah visit www.RichDrama.com/ShortPieces.

Photos from Africa

We took about 3,000 photos on our 26 day trip to Africa, and it's taking us a while to put them all into folders so you don't have to go through them all in one sitting. Click the images below to see the folders we have created so far:


We presented in 7 chapels at ANU. Click here to watch two of them.



We'll put more here as we have time, and you can visit later by going to www.RichDrama.com/Africa.




I Dreamed I Was Free tells the story of Quaker abolitionist John Woolman, who spoke against slavery a century before our Civil War.

Have a blessed Christmas Season!


We were blown away by the creativity of our Creator while we were in Africa a month ago! We saw the wonders of his love everywhere we looked, and we can be sure that Heaven will be better than the best of earth... and without sin! Wow!

The only snow we saw in Africa was
atop Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest
mountain on earth that is not a part
of a mountain range.
On the first Sunday of Advent our service was canceled by the threat of snow, sleet and freezing rain. I told one of our friends we made in Africa, and he texted, "Snow 🤔🤔." Our church gathered via conference call to share praise and prayer and hear Pastor Jim Warren share briefly on the Christmas Season. Because of the poor audio quality we didn't record it, as we usually do, but now I wish I would have. Pastor Jim made a keen observation: Just before Jesus was born the world was yearning for the Messiah to come. So many missed Him because they were looking for what they wanted Him to be. Now we who know Him are eagerly awaiting the return of the Messiah to deliver us from the mess we've made. Just as He came as a Babe in a manger, He will assuredly return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Be ready to worship Him!

Serving Him has taken us far and wide this year. I've been able to teach and perform in 15 states, Kenya and Tanzania, and Joyce joined me in leading seven chapel services at Africa Nazarene University in Kenya.

Here are some highlights:


January
Joyce and I worked on the short film "Reflection," produced and directed by alumni of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp, where Rich teaches and coaches each summer. Later that month Rich performed the role of Elijah for an Airship Genesis episode.

February
Rich performed I Dreamed I Was Free at the Westfield Friends School, where he also visited classrooms as John Woolman, the Quaker abolitionist featured in the play.

March
Rich read Scripture and led hymns at the Memorial Service of Roger Nelson in Pasadena, CA. Roger was one of Rich's mentors and colleagues in one-man plays.

April
Rich recorded the voice of John the Baptist for Airship Genesis Mobile Game.

May
Rich played John the Apostle in the Off-Broadway production of Revelation. He shared the role with Jonathan Blair, who played Jesus in the Sight and Sound production of Jesus, which we enjoyed with one of our greatest supporters over the decades, Cindy Sebring.

June
Rich taught and coached at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp. He also played the father in this year's short film, "Loneliness."

July
Rich performed in two short films ("The Ledger" and "Mine") in Canada near Calgary. They were produced by an alumnus of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.

August
Several bookings linked together, along with a trip with Rich's parents, which set up episodes of Treasure Seekers between Denver and Rhinebeck, NY.

September
Rich played Alan in the feature film Second Chances in Northern Idaho. Then Rich taught an Actors Bootcamp and performed at Content 19 Film Festival and Media Summit in Fort Worth, TX.


October
Rich performed and taught at the Hollywood Divine International Film Festival, near Harrisburg, PA. Then Joyce and Rich led seven chapel services at the two campuses of Africa Nazarene University in late October and early November. You can watch two of those chapels at www.RichDrama.com/Africa.

November
We went on safari in Tanzania, where we filmed several episodes of Treasure Seekers. We'll be posting more photos at www.RichDrama.com/Africa.

December
Joyce and I portrayed Elizabeth and Zechariah in Dennis Cole's "Unlikely People" at three events.

Praying the warmth of the Son shines on you throughout this Holy Season.



I Dreamed I Was Free tells the story of Quaker abolitionist John Woolman, who spoke against slavery a century before our Civil War.

The Advent of the Radical Life

Swingles in Tanzania.
Joyce continues Westchester Chapel's Radical Advent series teaching on John 15:7-17. I open with stories and a song from Africa. Dr. Linda Warren prays refreshment for us after our trip.

Click the arrow below, or if you're reading this in an email you can click this link, to play the service:




This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

If you want to more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.


See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance.

Chapels at Africa Nazarene University

For the
25th Anniversary chapel at
Africa Nazrene Universtiy
we portrayed
Harmon and Lula Schmelzenbach,
the first
missionaries for the
Church of the Nazarene.
We just returned from Africa, where we had an amazing time! We're so grateful for the prayer covering we had, and everything went so smoothly with Divine appointments left and right!

We'll post more photos soon, but in the meantime, here are links to the two chapel services we led at Africa Nazarene University:

October 23: 25th Anniversary Chapel
October 29: The Lamb of God

For the second one you can see monkeys coming forward as Joyce gives the altar call.


Registration is now open for the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp, where I'll be teaching acting for film.

We've arrived in Kenya!

At least a dozen of these
monkeys live on the ANU
campus.
We've arrived in Kenya!

We'll present in six chapels at Africa Nazarene University.

On Wednesday Joyce and I will portray Harmon and Lula Schmelzenbach, who were the first missionaries in the Church of the Nazarene, which is our denomination. Their grandson founded ANU, and this week they're celebrating the school's 25th anniversary and Harmon Schmelzenbach III's promotion to Glory. We count ourselves incredibly blessed to share the legacy of the Schmelzenbach family on this continent.

Here's a powerful sermon by Harmon Schmelzenbach III:



If you're receiving this in an email you can listen at www.Blog.RichDrama.com.





I Dreamed I Was Free tells the story of Quaker abolitionist John Woolman, who spoke against slavery a century before our Civil War.

Give Your Life for the Lord

This morning at Westchester Chapel Church of the Nazarene Joyce taught on John 12:20-36.

Also, Pastor Jim and Dr. Linda Warren lead the community in prayer over us before our missions trip to Africa, which begins in a week!

Opening and prayer by Melanie Solomon. Joyce mentions the mini-series Lost Legacy Reclaimed, about the early Church in Northern Africa.

Click the arrow below, or if you're reading this in an email you can click this link, to play the service:



This service is available for download free on iTunes, where you can also subscribe to our podcast. Search for "Westchester Chapel" on the iTunes Store.

If you want to more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.


See the rest of Olympic champion Eric Liddell's Chariots of Fire story in Beyond the Chariots. Watch it online and book a live performance.