The Son of Iowa

Last year my father, The Rev. Canon Milton Cole, traveled to Sudan, Africa. The occasion was the consecration of Father Peni becoming a Bishop. His stay was 3 weeks long, and in that time he became known as “Iowa." An Arabic expression for approval and a sort of “Ah Ha” moment. Not aware of the meaning, my father was in the car with four other gentlemen on their way to the consecration. While in the car with the other gentlemen they began conversing among each other, but in their native language. One man in the car would say something and the others would approve by saying “Oh, Iowa."

My dad was not paying much attention to the conversation until he heard the word “Iowa” My family currently lives in West Des Moines, Iowa so hearing the word “Iowa” made him pay a little closer attention to the conversation. After about the 5^th time hearing it my father began looking around suspiciously wondering how they all knew he was from Iowa.

Finally fed up with the curiosity he asked them why they kept saying “Iowa." They then explained the meaning to him and he explained to them that he actually lives Iowa and everyone began to laugh.

Villagers all across Nzara all heard about the “Iowa” story because they knew my father. The less educated villagers are very unaware of the world and are under the impression that the only other place in the world is England, because they were taught that that's where the white missionaries came from. Most of them had never heard of a place called Iowa and now associate it with my father, thus he became “Iowa."

Yesterday, Bishop Peter of Yambio came and visited Bishop Peni and I. Upon his arrive he greeted me has the “Son of Iowa” He told me everyone in Nzara knows my father as “Iowa,"and also that everyone knows about me coming and knows me not as George, but as the "Son of Iowa." And I am proud to be the "Son of “Iowa”

"Iowa" saying goodbye to Me at the JFK Airport