Hello all. Let me first start off by saying if you have any questions about anything I say or want to know about something I haven't addressed then leave a comment and I will try to address it in the next post.
So today we returned to Mpophomene, but we began work with a different agency today called Ethembeni. Ethembeni is a baptist organization that focuses on relief efforts for HIV/AIDs patients. While some of the programs are similar to that of Masibumbane, Ethembeni is more focused on relief while Masibumbane is more focused on self empowerment. For example Ethembeni has four beds in their office where they nurse sick patients back to healh or transport them to the hospital if they have more serious needs.
Today the four Dukies broke into separate groups which consisted of a Ethembeni employee, a pastor, and a Dukie (one of the leaders of the organization enjoyed calling us that). I was with a lady named Tutu, and I never did catch the name of the pastor. We walked around the township visiting clients of Ethembeni; and when I say we walked I mean we walked for miles. When we visited the Ethembeni employee would ask about what problems they were facing. Then the pastor would read a Bible verse to them. Finally I was designated to pray for there concerns. It was very interesting how responsive the people were to my prayers, even though no one interpreted my prayer to them, they really seemed to appreciated the prayers and trust that what I said was a spirit filled petition to God. It was very interesting to see how a prayer could touch someone even though they had no idea what the prayer said. Events like this in the trip so far have really given me a better appreciation for Pentecostalism and the work of the spirit.
One of the most heartbreaking visits today centered around a mother, her son, and her sister. The mother had 3 kids and no income to support her family. One of her kids is mentally disabled in some way and it was tough to be around him. He was malnourished, I think he had TB (don't worry I can't get it) and he just stood there like a zombie. His motor skills were fine but he would just stare blankly as if he had no idea about what was going on around him. This kid could not go to a special education school because it was to far away, and the government would not give the family a disability grant. The family did get a grant for each child which was 260 rand a month per child. In dollars that's close to forty dollars a month, so for three children that is about 120 dollars a month. 120 a month for a family of 4 plus her sister, how can someone live on that? Sad thing is that is more money than a lot of people in the township had. The sister that I was talking about was struggling with alcohol and started bawling when she admitted in front of us all. It was such a sad sight, and praying words of encouragement was very difficult.
We then continued to other houses but the pastor left for other duties leaving me as the de facto pastor. In one house Tutu asked me to speak the word of God, meaning scripture, but the only Bible we had was in Zulu. I was to speak about healing and immediately I thought of the story of the women who touched Jesus' cloak and was healed because of her faith. Unfortunately, like a good Methodist, I didn't know the exact location of the story so I told Tutu to look for it in Mark 6 (it was Mark 5) but she could not find it so I panicked and blurted out the first passage I could think of which was the beginning of Romans 5 which says,
"1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
In hindsight I think this passage probably worked very well. Tutu emphasized how our pain is part of our growth and that we always have hope in God; very fitting because Ethembeni means hope. Today has been both one of the most fulfilling days while I've been here but also one of the most painful days after seeing so much pain and suffering. As Jamison and I were ironically talking about before this trip this morning, you can't really have true joy without having pain and suffering to put it in perspective. I saw pain and suffering today, but I also saw joy in some of those who truly felt the presence of God with them. I have realized that joy is not the escape from pain, but comfort and contentment in the midst of all of your pain. God Bless
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
New Friends and Comrades
This Saturday was our first free day during our time here. We got to sleep in, which now sleeping in consists of waking up at 9:30. We didn't have much planned for the day except for a men's group that John G (John G is our friend from South Africa, John D is the Duke student) invited us to. We didn't really know much about this men's group except for that it was at 4 o'clock. When 4 o'clock came around Jamison, John G and I arrived at this men's group which was a primarily Indian men's group. This was very interesting because the Indian culture is one that we had not yet been exposed to here in South Africa, even though South Africa has the second highest percentage of Indians in the world outside of India.
During the service John G gave his testimony which was very inspirational. He told us about his wife Carmen and how she had throat cancer and the doctors said that all the drugs and treatment would make her unable to have kids. He told the story about one of her checkups where they do a whole body check and the doctor jumped up and said "there are two heartbeats" meaning that she was pregnant with twins. About 8 months into the pregnancy something happened and one of the twins broke their sac and started to drown and poison themselves on the fluids in the womb. the had to do and emergency surgery and one of the kids was born healthy and the other one they were told wasn't going to make it through the night. He said he never lost faith and now both of their sons are healthy 8 year olds.
After the service a couple of the younger members of the group probably in their early thirties invited us back to their place to watch the Manchester United/Barcelona game which is as big here as the Super Bowl. We went with John and some of them named Uben and Denver to the downtown area of the Indian community. During the Apartheid the were all displaced into their own community outside of the main city, but this community is nowhere near as poor as the townships we have visited, in fact some of the houses in the area are very nice. After buying a boatload of food in some of the local markets we went back to their house to Braai, which is in essence having a bbq. The food was so amazing, and they let us try it as each item came off the grill. First there was steak, followed by mutton chops (no not the sideburns), then there was spicy mutton sausage, and finally something called voors sausage. We had tried a lot of each of these items and then they took us inside to "chow." Apparently the amount we ate outside was just starters and now it was time to pig out. It was so amazing, the spices were unlike anything at home. You can tell by how much I am writing about the food, how good it really was. We then sat an watched the game and just laughed and joked with each other. They were so friendly and so hospitable that I really felt as if I were at home with some of my friends chilling watching a game. I hope that we keep in touch with them and have more get togethers.
Today, was a big day for the city of Pietermaritzburg; it was the Comrades Marathon. The Comrades was started after World War II as a way to pay tribute to those who died in the war. Each year since then the race has alternated between running from Durban to Pietermariztburg and vice versa, and this year it ended here in Pietermaritzburg. The run is 52 miles long, That's like running from Richmond to Fredericksburg, or from Durham to Greensboro. It was a huge celebration here with live music and vendors, and tons of people lining the streets cheering on the exhausted racers as the inched closer to the finish line. People from all over the world raced in the Marathon, and apparently it is one of the largest Marathons in the world. It was definitely a sight to see, and a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Tomorrow and Tuesday we head back to Mpophomene, but we won't be working with Masimbubane anymore. Then on Wednesday we begin at a place called Walk in the Light where I have no idea what we will be doing or where it is. The adventure continues. God Bless.
During the service John G gave his testimony which was very inspirational. He told us about his wife Carmen and how she had throat cancer and the doctors said that all the drugs and treatment would make her unable to have kids. He told the story about one of her checkups where they do a whole body check and the doctor jumped up and said "there are two heartbeats" meaning that she was pregnant with twins. About 8 months into the pregnancy something happened and one of the twins broke their sac and started to drown and poison themselves on the fluids in the womb. the had to do and emergency surgery and one of the kids was born healthy and the other one they were told wasn't going to make it through the night. He said he never lost faith and now both of their sons are healthy 8 year olds.
After the service a couple of the younger members of the group probably in their early thirties invited us back to their place to watch the Manchester United/Barcelona game which is as big here as the Super Bowl. We went with John and some of them named Uben and Denver to the downtown area of the Indian community. During the Apartheid the were all displaced into their own community outside of the main city, but this community is nowhere near as poor as the townships we have visited, in fact some of the houses in the area are very nice. After buying a boatload of food in some of the local markets we went back to their house to Braai, which is in essence having a bbq. The food was so amazing, and they let us try it as each item came off the grill. First there was steak, followed by mutton chops (no not the sideburns), then there was spicy mutton sausage, and finally something called voors sausage. We had tried a lot of each of these items and then they took us inside to "chow." Apparently the amount we ate outside was just starters and now it was time to pig out. It was so amazing, the spices were unlike anything at home. You can tell by how much I am writing about the food, how good it really was. We then sat an watched the game and just laughed and joked with each other. They were so friendly and so hospitable that I really felt as if I were at home with some of my friends chilling watching a game. I hope that we keep in touch with them and have more get togethers.
Today, was a big day for the city of Pietermaritzburg; it was the Comrades Marathon. The Comrades was started after World War II as a way to pay tribute to those who died in the war. Each year since then the race has alternated between running from Durban to Pietermariztburg and vice versa, and this year it ended here in Pietermaritzburg. The run is 52 miles long, That's like running from Richmond to Fredericksburg, or from Durham to Greensboro. It was a huge celebration here with live music and vendors, and tons of people lining the streets cheering on the exhausted racers as the inched closer to the finish line. People from all over the world raced in the Marathon, and apparently it is one of the largest Marathons in the world. It was definitely a sight to see, and a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Tomorrow and Tuesday we head back to Mpophomene, but we won't be working with Masimbubane anymore. Then on Wednesday we begin at a place called Walk in the Light where I have no idea what we will be doing or where it is. The adventure continues. God Bless.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Masibumbane
Wow, three posts in two days. Don't expect this pace to continue though, there are going to be times in my trip where it might be weeks between posts. So yesterday I talked about what Masibumbane did, but now I will tell you about my experience own experience there. When we arrived on Wednesday we were introduced to Mdudsi the project manager of Masibumbane, and Rob, the man who started it all. Rob is a very nice guy, but is sometimes difficult to understand because he has a severe stutter because many years ago he was bitten by a snake whose neurotoxin caused his stutter. After they explained what the organization does, we got to sit in on the counseling sessions. I sat with Khanyi, and in between sessions we talked about our families and I even got to show her a picture of Lyric. In the sessions, Khanyi asked the clients what they have done since the previous meeting, found out what they needed, and wrote goals for them to accomplish before the next meeting.
One thing that we did over the three days of work was check client's garden to see how they are coming along. We would give a grade on the garden depending on how many new plots were created, how neat their compost pile was, how much they were able to produce for themselves, the variety they were able to produce, and the amount they were able sell. After tallying the grade, we gave suggestions on how to improve the garden. Today Jamison and myself even had the chance to work in the garden.
Everyday one of the women who worked there name Busi made us authentic South Africa meals. These consisted of chicken curry, a type of collard greens, beans, butternut squash, mashed potatoes with maize, and homemade bread; it was delicious. It was even more special because Busi lives in the township and does not have much to live off of, but she gave what she had to feed us. Hospitality is very important in South Africa, something America could learn a lot from.
We also took a tour of Impophemene while we were there and learned a lot about the area. During the apartheid there was a lot of fighting in the town due a political divide surrounding labor strikes. During one of the riots a police car that was trying to separate the rioters and ran over a 5 year old girl and killed her. This event was a rallying moment for both groups and a wall was built to commemorate the girl and all who died during the riots. The wall was donated at the time by Jacob Zuma, who is now the president of South Africa.
We will return Monday and Tuesday to Impophomene, but we will be working with a different agency. So now on to the story of our random road trip. On Wednesday, Deanna and Edgar were going to be taken to their placements in Durban and Pinetown, and we thought this would take place while we were at Impophemene, but when we returned to the flats, they were just about to leave. Jamison had the great idea to join them so we could see Durban. Durban in a very large city, not necessarily in terms of skyscrapers, but as we approached Durban all you could see were rolling hills of lights in the darkness of the night; it was quite a site to see. After dropping Edgar and Deanna off, Korabo, our fearless driver, drove us ocean front in Durban so that we could see the Indian Ocean. It was so dark it was hard to see, but we could see the white caps of the waves crashing into the shore. It was a very exciting trip.
Wow, I think I am finally caught up with where I am now. Korabo, Jamison, John and I are about to go into the city to grab something to eat. It already been a week, and it has only been a week. That's amazing because it has gone so fast and I feel like I have done so much already. I can't wait to see what else this trip entails. God Bless.
One thing that we did over the three days of work was check client's garden to see how they are coming along. We would give a grade on the garden depending on how many new plots were created, how neat their compost pile was, how much they were able to produce for themselves, the variety they were able to produce, and the amount they were able sell. After tallying the grade, we gave suggestions on how to improve the garden. Today Jamison and myself even had the chance to work in the garden.
Everyday one of the women who worked there name Busi made us authentic South Africa meals. These consisted of chicken curry, a type of collard greens, beans, butternut squash, mashed potatoes with maize, and homemade bread; it was delicious. It was even more special because Busi lives in the township and does not have much to live off of, but she gave what she had to feed us. Hospitality is very important in South Africa, something America could learn a lot from.
We also took a tour of Impophemene while we were there and learned a lot about the area. During the apartheid there was a lot of fighting in the town due a political divide surrounding labor strikes. During one of the riots a police car that was trying to separate the rioters and ran over a 5 year old girl and killed her. This event was a rallying moment for both groups and a wall was built to commemorate the girl and all who died during the riots. The wall was donated at the time by Jacob Zuma, who is now the president of South Africa.
We will return Monday and Tuesday to Impophomene, but we will be working with a different agency. So now on to the story of our random road trip. On Wednesday, Deanna and Edgar were going to be taken to their placements in Durban and Pinetown, and we thought this would take place while we were at Impophemene, but when we returned to the flats, they were just about to leave. Jamison had the great idea to join them so we could see Durban. Durban in a very large city, not necessarily in terms of skyscrapers, but as we approached Durban all you could see were rolling hills of lights in the darkness of the night; it was quite a site to see. After dropping Edgar and Deanna off, Korabo, our fearless driver, drove us ocean front in Durban so that we could see the Indian Ocean. It was so dark it was hard to see, but we could see the white caps of the waves crashing into the shore. It was a very exciting trip.
Wow, I think I am finally caught up with where I am now. Korabo, Jamison, John and I are about to go into the city to grab something to eat. It already been a week, and it has only been a week. That's amazing because it has gone so fast and I feel like I have done so much already. I can't wait to see what else this trip entails. God Bless.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
So Much to Say so Little Time Part II
Ok so after technical difficulties I have been able to post my previous post. I now will try to type as quickly as can and as much as I can because I have tea time in 15 minutes with John and Jamison (isn't South Africa great!). Wednesday we started our first day of work up in the township of Mpopomeni. So I realized that not everyone understands may know the history behind townships so I will briefly explain them. During the Apartheid, blacks worked in the cities but were not allowed to live in the cities, in fact after nightfall they weren't even allowed to be in the cities. Townships are communities that are on the outskirts of the city where the blacks would stay. Each township is different, but overall most are very poor, with the better houses being the size of a storage shed with a tin roof on top. After the apartheid ended blacks were allowed to move into the city legally, but financially many were still unable to leave the townships.
Mpopomeni is a township in the mountains outside of Pietermaritzburg, that has an unemployment rate of over 80 percent and a HIV rate of over 50 percent. We are working with Masibumbane to help out the community. The thing about HIV and AIDS that is different here than in the states is that it is almost too late to worry about prevention. When over half of the population of the township has HIV trying to prevent the spread will end up in the destruction of a village because it would require over 50 percent of the community not to have sex and therefore not reproduce.
Masibumbane is a Methodist center that works with HIV/AIDs patients in order to help them empower themselves. It is not a clinic, and is not a free charity, it is an organization that helps people help themselves. They do this through meeting with the people of the commmunity and helping them apply for government grants, help them receive medical help, help them learn how to manage a budget, help them find jobs, and help them grow gardens for self sustaining. The goal of the program is that after four months the people who come will be able to take care of themselves.
Ok, it's tea time, I wish I could have written more but at least you now know about the organization that I am working with at the moment. I will soon follow up with more details on my personal experiences as well as tell you about spontaneous road trip we went on (How is that for a teaser?) God bless.
Mpopomeni is a township in the mountains outside of Pietermaritzburg, that has an unemployment rate of over 80 percent and a HIV rate of over 50 percent. We are working with Masibumbane to help out the community. The thing about HIV and AIDS that is different here than in the states is that it is almost too late to worry about prevention. When over half of the population of the township has HIV trying to prevent the spread will end up in the destruction of a village because it would require over 50 percent of the community not to have sex and therefore not reproduce.
Masibumbane is a Methodist center that works with HIV/AIDs patients in order to help them empower themselves. It is not a clinic, and is not a free charity, it is an organization that helps people help themselves. They do this through meeting with the people of the commmunity and helping them apply for government grants, help them receive medical help, help them learn how to manage a budget, help them find jobs, and help them grow gardens for self sustaining. The goal of the program is that after four months the people who come will be able to take care of themselves.
Ok, it's tea time, I wish I could have written more but at least you now know about the organization that I am working with at the moment. I will soon follow up with more details on my personal experiences as well as tell you about spontaneous road trip we went on (How is that for a teaser?) God bless.
So much to say so little time Part I
So I am finding that it is hard to keep up with this blog because of the hectic schedule, but because I have experienced so much I must write it now before I forget something important. Tuesday we went to a place in the mountains called Edendale and met with Vuyo, the equivalent of the district superintendent for the area. Then one of his friends Earnest took us around the surrounding areas of Edendale to show us some of the "societies" in the area. A society is pretty much a local church in the townships where people worship, most of the times they are buildings no bigger than a rail car. The area of Edendale has 44 societies, and only two preachers. It was very exciting to hear how the church worked in the rural areas because it is so similar to how the church worked in early America. The preachers have a circuit where they visit each society about 6 times a year so that they can do communion and baptisms. In the time between a local preacher who is not ordained fills in as the leader of worship.
When we got to the top of the mountain we met one of the preachers in the circuit and saw his house. Right behind his house was a "crash" (day care) that the Methodist Church ran. There were about 30 kids there from preschool to second grade. They were a first afraid to see us, especially Jamison the giant and me the ginger. After a while though the started waving to us, and then one of the teachers got them to sing a song for us, in Zulu because the kids have not yet learned English, which is a whole other story that I will talk about sometime later. After singing one brave girl did come up to me and hold my hand, it was adorable.
We then left the top of the mountain to go to the site of the former seminary for the area called Federal Theological Seminary (FETSEM). The seminary was placed in the midst of a township surrounded by small houses, some only made of rocks, sticks, and mud. The seminary lies in ruins now, because in the early 90's right before the end of the Apartheid, political reasons as well as increased violence in the area caused the seminary to be deserted. Now the buildings stands in ruins, and people use parts of the building for their own housing.
Later that night we went back to the seminary for a community worship service that the seminary does every Tuesday night. This was quite an amazing experience. Songs were accompanied by drums and whistles and were sung in multiple languages including English, Zulu, Afrikaans, and Xhosa. People were moving and dancing, and it was quite a remarkable sight. What was most amazing, is that the whole group sang in four part harmonies without the use of any music, and most likely without ever looking at a piece of music in their entire life. Prayers were held in other languages as well, I'm not sure what all of them where but I was told one of them was in Xhosa. Although I could not understand the prayers I could feel them; the speakers often prayed themselves to tears. The sermon was in English and was actually given by someone who was born in Texas. As we ended, just as we did at Wesley on Sunday, everyone held hands during the benediction and held each other's hand high, but was made this even more exciting was that everyone said the benediction in their own native tongue. It was as if I was there with Peter at Pentecost.
There is so much more to say and so many great experiences I have already have, but I have to run to a Bible study now. I hope to post the rest later. God Bless.
When we got to the top of the mountain we met one of the preachers in the circuit and saw his house. Right behind his house was a "crash" (day care) that the Methodist Church ran. There were about 30 kids there from preschool to second grade. They were a first afraid to see us, especially Jamison the giant and me the ginger. After a while though the started waving to us, and then one of the teachers got them to sing a song for us, in Zulu because the kids have not yet learned English, which is a whole other story that I will talk about sometime later. After singing one brave girl did come up to me and hold my hand, it was adorable.
We then left the top of the mountain to go to the site of the former seminary for the area called Federal Theological Seminary (FETSEM). The seminary was placed in the midst of a township surrounded by small houses, some only made of rocks, sticks, and mud. The seminary lies in ruins now, because in the early 90's right before the end of the Apartheid, political reasons as well as increased violence in the area caused the seminary to be deserted. Now the buildings stands in ruins, and people use parts of the building for their own housing.
Later that night we went back to the seminary for a community worship service that the seminary does every Tuesday night. This was quite an amazing experience. Songs were accompanied by drums and whistles and were sung in multiple languages including English, Zulu, Afrikaans, and Xhosa. People were moving and dancing, and it was quite a remarkable sight. What was most amazing, is that the whole group sang in four part harmonies without the use of any music, and most likely without ever looking at a piece of music in their entire life. Prayers were held in other languages as well, I'm not sure what all of them where but I was told one of them was in Xhosa. Although I could not understand the prayers I could feel them; the speakers often prayed themselves to tears. The sermon was in English and was actually given by someone who was born in Texas. As we ended, just as we did at Wesley on Sunday, everyone held hands during the benediction and held each other's hand high, but was made this even more exciting was that everyone said the benediction in their own native tongue. It was as if I was there with Peter at Pentecost.
There is so much more to say and so many great experiences I have already have, but I have to run to a Bible study now. I hope to post the rest later. God Bless.
Monday, May 23, 2011
New Experiences
So I must start by saying that I have never blogged before, nor have I ever had such a desire. My trip to South Africa has presented me with many new experiences, including the chance to blog about my trip. I had planned on just using facebook to communicate with those who told me they are interested, however for some reason facebook is blocked here at the seminary so now I must resort to other mediums. I apologize for the cheezy name of the blog, but it's the best I could come up with, but that enough with the formalities, now on to my trip.
I arrived in Johannesburg airport early Saturday morning after a long flight with very little sleep. After passing customs very quickly I was told that all passengers must pick up their checked bag and recheck it. So I waited for my bag and it never came so I filed a missing bag report. I then got on the smallest plane I have ever been on in my life and headed for Pietermaritzburg. The plane was a propeller plane that fit no more than 30 people, however the advantage was that it flew at a lower altitude allowing for us to see the terrain of South Africa as we flew. We arrived at the airport which consisted of one runway which after landing the plane had to make a uturn and come back to the terminal. The terminal itself was not much bigger than a walgreens store. To my surprise as the luggage was unloaded, there sat my beautiful blue bag with the bandanna my mom tied around it; I was so relieved.
We were then taken to the "flats" (apartments) that we are staying at which is a residential community for the seminary students about a mile from the seminary. The accommodations were much nicer than I was expecting, with 4 us the Duke students (technically 3 Duke students and 1 wife) with John and Joan (the married couple), Jamison, and I living in one apartment but having separate rooms, and even a kitchen. The others students Deanna and Edgar share another apartment but will be leaving for the Durban area on Wednesday. After putting our stuff down we went out to dinner with our supervisors Doug and Cheri. There I tried my first new thing, Ginger beer, which is not actually beer but more in the same vain as Root Beer. It was very good, it like Ginger Ale with a kick. We then we back to the flats where Jamison, Deanna and I went to the apartment of one of the seminarians John and his wife Carmen. They are the most friendly couple in the world and they offered us Rooibos tea which was delicious. Also milk in tea is amazing, get with it America. We were still very jet lagged and crashed early that night.
The next morning Doug and Cheri took us to Wesley Methodist Church for service. The service was very similar to a blended service in America and it felt very natural. The pastor Delme, who is also a professor at the seminary, was excellent. At the end of the service I really enjoyed a moment where the whole congregation held hands while saying a prayer and then sang raising each others hands in the air. It was a very simple but powerful symbolic expression. After church we were served tea (once again tea+milk=yum) and talked to some of the members of the congregation.
After the service, John and Carmen brought us to the mall with their kids Nathan and Matthew so that we could buy disposable cell phones to call back to the states. The mall was actually very nice. For people in the Richmond area it was almost the size of Virgina Center Commons and for those in Durham it was almost the size of Northgate. We got our cell phone set up and now I can occasionally call my beautiful girlfriend, and family. After dinner, Edgar and I joined a couple young boys living at the flats named Luko and Kawe in kicking around a soccer ball. I am really rusty, but it was a lot of fun and the boys seemed to enjoy it.
That leads to today, Monday in which we woke up bright and early 6:30, (hey stop laughing that is really early for me) and went to the seminary for the first time. The seminary is very small but beautiful. Besides the chapel, which stands behind two of the largest doors I have ever seen, and the classrooms and library, most of the seminary is open air. It is nice to actually see the sky at school (hint hint Duke). We took a tour around the seminary, ate with some of the seminarians, and talked to the Sox, the dean of students, and Ross the president of the seminary. We then joined in on one of the classes, which was taught by Delme, the pastor from the day before. It was a Church history class, and though it was very interesting it brought back memories of my church history class that I would have rather forgotten (my seminary friends know what I mean).We returned to the flats and on the way home were serenaded by the seminarians in the van singing praise songs in their native tongue; I'm not sure if it was Zulu or not but it was beautiful. When we returned to the flats we each joined a small group of seminarians who meet every Monday in what they call cell group which is pretty much a covenant group to keep them spiritually fed. It was very interesting to hear that many of the things that they struggle with are the same things that seminarians struggle with in the states.
That has been my experience so far, which has been amazing. We don't actually start work until Wednesday, and we still don't really know what we are going to be doing, but that's one thing that I'll have to get used to over here. It's not as structured or organized as it is in America, which I'm sure is very liberating, but as an American it can be frustrating. All I know is that on Wednesday we will be in one of the townships nearby. I don't know often I will be able to update this blog but I will do it as often as I can. Also I am lazy and tired so I am not going to edit this before posting so if there are typos or if I say something stupid please forgive me. God Bless.
I arrived in Johannesburg airport early Saturday morning after a long flight with very little sleep. After passing customs very quickly I was told that all passengers must pick up their checked bag and recheck it. So I waited for my bag and it never came so I filed a missing bag report. I then got on the smallest plane I have ever been on in my life and headed for Pietermaritzburg. The plane was a propeller plane that fit no more than 30 people, however the advantage was that it flew at a lower altitude allowing for us to see the terrain of South Africa as we flew. We arrived at the airport which consisted of one runway which after landing the plane had to make a uturn and come back to the terminal. The terminal itself was not much bigger than a walgreens store. To my surprise as the luggage was unloaded, there sat my beautiful blue bag with the bandanna my mom tied around it; I was so relieved.
We were then taken to the "flats" (apartments) that we are staying at which is a residential community for the seminary students about a mile from the seminary. The accommodations were much nicer than I was expecting, with 4 us the Duke students (technically 3 Duke students and 1 wife) with John and Joan (the married couple), Jamison, and I living in one apartment but having separate rooms, and even a kitchen. The others students Deanna and Edgar share another apartment but will be leaving for the Durban area on Wednesday. After putting our stuff down we went out to dinner with our supervisors Doug and Cheri. There I tried my first new thing, Ginger beer, which is not actually beer but more in the same vain as Root Beer. It was very good, it like Ginger Ale with a kick. We then we back to the flats where Jamison, Deanna and I went to the apartment of one of the seminarians John and his wife Carmen. They are the most friendly couple in the world and they offered us Rooibos tea which was delicious. Also milk in tea is amazing, get with it America. We were still very jet lagged and crashed early that night.
The next morning Doug and Cheri took us to Wesley Methodist Church for service. The service was very similar to a blended service in America and it felt very natural. The pastor Delme, who is also a professor at the seminary, was excellent. At the end of the service I really enjoyed a moment where the whole congregation held hands while saying a prayer and then sang raising each others hands in the air. It was a very simple but powerful symbolic expression. After church we were served tea (once again tea+milk=yum) and talked to some of the members of the congregation.
After the service, John and Carmen brought us to the mall with their kids Nathan and Matthew so that we could buy disposable cell phones to call back to the states. The mall was actually very nice. For people in the Richmond area it was almost the size of Virgina Center Commons and for those in Durham it was almost the size of Northgate. We got our cell phone set up and now I can occasionally call my beautiful girlfriend, and family. After dinner, Edgar and I joined a couple young boys living at the flats named Luko and Kawe in kicking around a soccer ball. I am really rusty, but it was a lot of fun and the boys seemed to enjoy it.
That leads to today, Monday in which we woke up bright and early 6:30, (hey stop laughing that is really early for me) and went to the seminary for the first time. The seminary is very small but beautiful. Besides the chapel, which stands behind two of the largest doors I have ever seen, and the classrooms and library, most of the seminary is open air. It is nice to actually see the sky at school (hint hint Duke). We took a tour around the seminary, ate with some of the seminarians, and talked to the Sox, the dean of students, and Ross the president of the seminary. We then joined in on one of the classes, which was taught by Delme, the pastor from the day before. It was a Church history class, and though it was very interesting it brought back memories of my church history class that I would have rather forgotten (my seminary friends know what I mean).We returned to the flats and on the way home were serenaded by the seminarians in the van singing praise songs in their native tongue; I'm not sure if it was Zulu or not but it was beautiful. When we returned to the flats we each joined a small group of seminarians who meet every Monday in what they call cell group which is pretty much a covenant group to keep them spiritually fed. It was very interesting to hear that many of the things that they struggle with are the same things that seminarians struggle with in the states.
That has been my experience so far, which has been amazing. We don't actually start work until Wednesday, and we still don't really know what we are going to be doing, but that's one thing that I'll have to get used to over here. It's not as structured or organized as it is in America, which I'm sure is very liberating, but as an American it can be frustrating. All I know is that on Wednesday we will be in one of the townships nearby. I don't know often I will be able to update this blog but I will do it as often as I can. Also I am lazy and tired so I am not going to edit this before posting so if there are typos or if I say something stupid please forgive me. God Bless.
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