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.
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