Studying: On my first week back in Cape Town I had the privilege to attend a course in Christian Social Transformation, taught by the Warehouse's training department. The course's purpose is to equip people working in communities with appropriate skills, knowledge and attitudes for effective Christian social development. There were 25 students in my class, from all over the country (even 5 fellow Americans). Those who attended work with various churches, ministries and non-profit organizations around the city. I attended under the umbrella of the Warehouse and was joined by 4 other staff members who had not yet taken the course. Our group became a real family in that week, learning together and sharing our hearts.The course was fascinating, and I was most intrigued to learn about the process of moving from relief, to rehabilitation, to development and then to transformation (a visual known as the Valley of Transformation). How often do we come in to help others, but keep them dependent in the relief stage, without the process of encouraging self-sufficiency & true transformation? These basic concepts have further opened my eyes to some of dynamics in the communities I am currently working in, especially the Pre-School I volunteer at in Khayelitsha. Over the next ten weeks I will be implementing some of the specific techniques that I learned on the first stage of the course, in the form of a focused, supervised project, and then return for the second week module in mid-October.
We also learned a lot about how to appropriately enter and research communities, before coming in to offer relief. My teachers used the phrase “what's in the basket?”...meaning what are the customs, traditions, mindsets, and historical backgrounds that are present before we arrive. The most difficult day of the week was when we focused on what is in South Africa's 'basket'...and one cannot deny the difficult and unjust past of Apartheid. We did a lot of sharing that day and telling of personal stories. Our group was racially diverse and everyone was deeply effected by the evils of the Apartheid in some way or another. There is healing in honesty, sharing and forgiveness...and I continue to learn so much from my brothers and sisters here in South Africa as they seek God to redeem and heal this devastating past.
Celebrating: On August 9th, South Africa celebrated one of its many national holidays - Women's Day. My church, Khanyisa, put on a special celebration the Saturday before. Women of all ages and races, true to the diversity of the church, sat at beautifully decorated tables for an afternoon of tea and entertainment. There were traditional songs by the 'Mamas', modern dances from the youth and a great talk about finding our identity as women in Christ. Its a joy for me to be back with my lovely church community and to celebrate with these women. Many of them have faced hardships that I have never known. There is an almost epidemic absence of men in the lives of these women, whether those raising children alone or those who have grown up fatherless, but it is amazing to see them love each other and proclaim the goodness of the Lord (their Heavenly Father) in each others lives. Their faith reminds me of Proverbs 31:25, “she is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” That is what I believe so many of these fearless women are doing..standing tall and pioneering paths of HOPE towards the future.
Bon Appetit: Part of being in a new culture is trying new things, especially food. I am proud to say that within my first week back I had the privilege to try a very fine delicatessen...chicken feet! Ok, I wasn't that brave and didn't eat a whole foot...but I did try a toe...mainly consisting of cooked skin and cartilage!
