In this volume of eclectic reflections, Harold F. Miller looks back on fifty years on the African continent. Much of that time was spent in service positions within Christian organizations in Tanzania, Sudan and Kenya. The pieces range widely in theme and geography: they include encounters with the luminaries of the independence movements as well as conversations with the local wood seller; excursions to Indian Ocean islands and strolls through a Nairobi neighborhood. They include meditations on trees and sand dams, peacemaking and art. Encounters in Africa offers glimpses of a lifetime spent in Africa, and documents a pivotal transition period in the history of the continent.