More glory
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2009
1
8
18
Trip End
Aug 10, 2009
Cape Town,
Western Cape,
South Africa
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Something that I found striking was how many South Africans asked us, "What is Independence Day? Who cares?"... you really don't feel like your country is on top of the world when someone asks that question.
On Sunday morning, I finally got to go to Jubilee to meet their church and especially Matt Sharples, the youth pastor I have been in contact with. It's a very vibrant congregation, pretty laid-back like everything else here in South Africa, and also very diverse. It is neat to see how the church has really taken a stand against the apartheid movement by embracing God’s people—whether they are white, black, or colored—and battling against the prejudices that can tear the body apart
The Start of a GREAT drive
. We were challenged with Philippians 2, Hebrews 12, and Acts 16, three very powerful passages. Matt is really cool! He is originally from the UK and is heading up the youthgroup now. He shared with me that the teens are on "holiday" or winter break, for a bit still, so the youth ministry is a tad slow right now. I was somewhat disappointed to hear that, but I am really praying that a few random hangouts happen anyhow. Matt is talking about getting them together informally, and I would definitely be a part of that. Please be praying with me that I get the opportunity to spend time with the youth and be somehow a part of Jubilee's ministry with them, even while they are on holiday.
After church, my friend Brittany (see above) called and said that she and her boyfriend, Max, were going for a drive and that I should join them. Brittany is really awesome--she has such a passion for the culture and the people of Cape Town, and she wants to see and experience as much as possible. She's been living here for 4 months, and she has been so extremely helpful with making me feel comfortable here and showing me around.
First, Max took us into a township. Here I started to get some of my "hands-on" education about apartheid. The people in the township of Langa used to live in another section of the city, but were forced to relocate during the time of unrest
We had a gorgeous day!
. They settled there in a shanty town and have stayed since. Driving through and seeing these people just hanging out in the street was fascinating to me. I normally would not have the opportunity to do something like this because it would be considered unsafe for a few American girls to do, but Max grew up with these people, and he assured us that it's totally cool. He's 36 (those kind of spread-out age and mixed ethnicity relationships are very common here), very mature, a world-renown choreographer (traditional African dance and many other types), and very willing to share about the social issues he experienced growing up here. We went to the beach, all the way through Hout Bay and around the mountains, back around, and stopped in Muizenberg for dinner(see pictures) before returning to Obz. The food at Cape to Cuba was amaaazing... and the conversation we had was SUPER intriguing to me. We basically addressed the ideas of universal truth vs. personal opinion and relativism, Islaam, Christianity, and the rites of passage of the Xhosa people. Each of us was coming from a different perspective, so the conversation was extremely well-rounded and interesting.
On Sunday night, we celebrated Marisa's birthday with a cake and singing, watched Anchorman, and prepared for the week ahead. I would start at the clinic the next day... I went to bed slightly intimidated but knowing that I cannot do this in my own strength. Much excitement and curiosity sprung up in me as I read encouraging passages about God's promises to not only be with us but to go before us. He's greater than great.
Fab weekend ( :
