Greetings from South Africa!
Despite some delays, everyone in the St. John’s team arrived safely in Cape Town. Already, we have been afforded so many life-altering experiences.
We started the first full day with a tour which gave us a general overview of the city and its rich history. We were led around by our spectacular tourguide, Siviwe. His tour introduced us to the District Six Museum which tells the stories of 60,000 largely black and colored residents who were forcefully and systematically removed from their homes during apartheid.
Our second day began with us seeing the truly breathtaking views of Table Mountain. The natural and diverse beauty of South Africa has been so incredible to experience.
For the second half of the day, Siviwe brought us to his home neighborhood, Langa Township. Langa was established by the oppressive government as a place to resettle some of the aforementioned Africans who had been removed from their homes. It was a place unlike any I had previously visited. Our guide explained that it was divided into three economic classes. The homes were placed with hardly any room between them, giving it a population density 50% greater than New York City. We were greeted warmly by the people of the community center, where our guide volunteered. It was established as a safe space for anyone in the community to come and work on creative projects. The stunning crafts created by these artisans were being sold to benefit their families. Siviwe brought us through the different areas of the township and some residents invited us into their homes. What struck me was the incredible faith and hope of every person with whom we interacted. Although underfunded, churches were present on every street, including Baptist, Catholic, and Anglican. Crosses were hung in a shipping container which housed four people. So many of the people we interacted with made comments such as “Praise God” or “God is good.” It was incredibly inspirational seeing the faith and thankfulness displayed by people who, although not rich with possessions, were rich in God. Siviwe explained that people in the township were called rich or poor, but that it related to their general attitude and not their wealth.
We concluded our trip in Langa by visiting Happy Feet. This is an afterschool dancing program our guide established to “improve educational opportunities and encourage a healthy lifestyle” among township youth. It is over one hundred members strong. The joy these kids radiated was infectious as they performed their dances for us and taught us other ones. As we prepared to leave them, we set down numerous donations to go towards their mission. Seeing the kids run around with a set of crayons while wearing their new hat and mittens was both humbling and inspirational. Happy feet was the first monetary donation we gave out in South Africa.
We ended our day at a traditional South African braai, which is their version of a barbeque. This was hosted by the church we partner with, Eternal Flame. It is a non-denominational church led by Pastors Charles and René White. The moment we disembarked from the bus, we were given the warmest greetings by dozens of parishioners. Here, the youth in the group met up with the homestay families with whom we would spend the next four nights. While we were certainly grateful for the space they gave us in their homes, I was much more thankful for the outpouring of love each of us received; it really did feel like we were family. After dinner, we attended “House Church,” which is a lay-led gathering meant to reflect on the message from the previous weeks’ sermon. This week, we discussed the laying on of hands and the importance of being available to support your brothers and sisters in Christ.
On the morning of the third day, our group was split up into three groups. The under-18 youth, which included Graeme, Dillon, Kaelan, Austin, and Annabelle, attended Bergvliet High, a well-resourced public school, with the youth they were staying with. Greg, Jacqui, and I attended Heathfield High, an under-resourced public school only one mile away from Bergvliet. We witnessed classrooms that should hold twenty kids instead being stuffed with fifty-six students with only one teacher. The remaining adults visited a dementia care center where they volunteered their time to give the employees a rest from their tiring work. In the afternoon, we went to the Pediatric Oncology Department at Tygerberg Hospital. The group heard from the president of Ari’s Cancer Foundation, which supplies cancer patients—mostly youth—with pain medications and other necessities that the hospital budget does not cover. He explained that the foundation was even more crucial now that some funding to the hospital from the United States had recently been, or will shortly be, suspended. After a presentation about the significant impact of the foundation, we volunteered our time by assisting with cooking, entertaining pediatric patients, and spending time with older patients. The joy and hope these patients radiated was unforgettable and truly inspiring. With the kids, we used toy cars, played air hockey, and colored. The older patients taught us how to play dominos, which may sound like a quiet way to spend the afternoon, but it got unbelievably competitive and loud in a flash! We ended our time there with many songs the patients sang for us with a guitar accompaniment. Ari’s Cancer Foundation was another recipient of one of our monetary donations.
On our fourth day, the youth attended Bergvliet High with the youth from their homestay for a full day of school. The adults were given a tour first of Parliament and then of the Stellenbosch region of South Africa, known for its vineyards and natural beauty. In the evening, everyone from the homestays attended a meeting of the youth group. After a brief unstructured time for social gathering, we gathered in their auditorium-style sanctuary for a game of trivia to bring us all closer together as a group. After, we heard a sermon-style message from the youth minister, Sean White, about false idols and ensuring God is the top priority. We were then split into groups and the leader of each group posed discussion questions stemming from the message we had just heard. After about three hours, everyone returned to their homestays.
On the fifth day, the entire group, along with the South African youth from the homestays embarked on a scenic ride to Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. The views of the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean were stunning the whole way along. On our journey, we spotted a few wild ostriches and a rarely seen eland antelope. On our way back we ventured to Boulder Beach on the east side of the peninsula where we spotted countless African Penguins. The natural landscape coupled with the crystal blue water and the diverse wildlife made it a wonderful day. Afterwards, the youth retired to their homestays and the adults to the hotel. Later in the evening, the youth all met up at one of the homestays where we played an intense South African board game and were treated to a Gatsby. A Gatsby is made up of various meats, salad, french fries, and ketchup all in one huge sandwich. That evening was great for the youth to get well acquainted with all of the other homestay families and with each other.
The sixth day was Sunday, so we all attended church at Eternal Flame. To give representation at the local Anglican church, I attended and it was basically a regular rite two Eucharist, like we would have at St. John’s. Eternal Flame was a whole new experience for many of us. Rather than worshiping from a set rite or prayer book, the instructions were displayed on a large projector screen behind the stage. To start, the worship band led us in song for about thirty minutes. A youth from the parish then summarized the previous youth group meeting. The “ministry,” which we would call a sermon, followed for the next hour. It was a timely and important message about listening to God for your call. Some of our youth stood up to explain our experiences in Cape Town and within the community. I believe it was Graeme who talked about how the people of Eternal Flame really strive to make God the center of every single thing they do. Austin touched on the importance of seeing how two communities could worship the same God so differently and carry such different beliefs with them. Twenty more minutes of worship songs closed out the service and everyone gathered for tea and donuts after. The goodbyes to our homestays followed, and, although we had never met these people five days ago, it was very emotional. The way they welcomed us was unlike anything I had experienced before. Many tears were shed on both sides as the bus pulled away.
The following morning we departed from Cape Town and landed safely in Johannesburg where we will visit another township and visit many important historical places.
Will Buckley