South Africa

It has been over a month since I last posted, and much has happened. I was able to visit South Africa. MCC hosted its regional retreat for Southern Africa just outside Durban December 13-19th. Currently MCC has workers in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia. Those of us at retreat came from 13 different countries on 5 different continents, our ages ranged from 3 months to 60+ and I can't begin to count the number of languages spoken between us. We would have bible study and workshops half of each day and then free time the other half. Most people spent their free time at the beach. There were a handful of us who were birders and went to a local golf course/birding area nearby several times. We all went to a local community Christmas caroling event one evening. The odd thing to me is how often I hear songs with cold and snow mentioned in them over here in Africa. In the evenings we would play games or watch movies. The last night we had our own services of carols followed by communion. It was good to step away from the grinds of daily life and reflect on the reasons we feel called to service. I shared a room with four other women, so there was not much personal space, but it was good to compare stories with others dealing with similar challenges and struggles that come with working and living in the region.

Prior to retreat, I traveled to Cape Town for a few days of vacation. That was lovely. There was so much to see and do and I had only three full days. I climbed Table Mountain and visited Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. I visited the V&A waterfront and the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. There are inexpensive tour buses (with headset commentaries in 9 or so different languages) that take you all about town and beyond. You can hop on and off at different sites as they run on a schedule and pick up at designated sites like a city bus would. I also walked along the shore line several times. Cape Town is a beautiful place with lots of history and a friendly feel. To me it felt like a wealthy version of Havana (shore line, historical architecture, political history of struggle, diversity of people) with a sprinkle of Portland's community spirit (taking care of the earth, sensitivity to homeless people, local cultural events). Considering that less than 20 years ago black Africans could not even vote and political apartheid and was still the norm, it is amazing where this country is today. I hope to get back to Cape Town again and see and learn more.

I returned from South Africa (with a head cold) in time to celebrate my birthday in Lusaka with this year's four SALTers (one year service workers in their 20s). Traveling on the buses around the holidays can be hectic, and with my cold I didn't know if I was up for the task, but I wanted to be back in Macha for Christmas. Thankfully my trip back went smoothly and I was able to settle in to my own space and see friends over the weekend before starting back to work on Monday.

Christmas day I went to church in the morning. It was raining hard, and people must walk. I was 15 minutes late and the second person there. An hour after the service was to start, we were posting notes that the service was cancelled when people started coming. So into the church we went to hold the service. An hour later we actually started with two men on the altar, two men and five women in the pews along with 30 or so children (our choir and skit producers).  By the end of the service an hour and a half later, there were perhaps 50 adults and 50 children. It was a small service, but full of heart.

That afternoon I gathered with 7 others. There were 4 from the US (one Jewish), three from the Netherlands and one from Zambia. We had a wonderful potluck feast and then some stayed around to play games.



I hope your celebrations with family and friends are blessed this season.