Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Day 11 - Tuesday Oct. 11
Day 11 - Tuesday Oct. 11.
On Safari…
I’m sitting here on the back porch of Baknbung lodge looking out
on an African Elephant, a Rhinoceros, a hippo, several zebras and flocks of
black and white birds. The elephant was
at the watering hole getting a drink and spraying itself with muddy water to
cool itself against the bright sun.
Last evening when we arrived we were greeted by a bunch of Velvet
monkeys right outside our rooms. We had
to keep the doors closed or they would get into the rooms to take the cookies
and sugar packets off the desk. One of
the women in our group learned this firsthand!
This morning we got up before sunrise and left for a game drive at 5:30am. It was beautiful to watch
the sun rise while we were in the park. We’re
hoping to see the “Big Five,” which includes elephants, Lions, Cheetahs,
Hippos, and water buffalo. All we are
missing in the Cheetah and Water Buffalo.
This morning we saw the very elusive Black Rhino, which the guide said
he only sees about once every three weeks. We also saw a hippo, giraffes, white rhino’s, zebras, Springbok,
Impala, and lots of other small deer.
Day 10 – Monday Oct. 10th.
What a saintly man.
Today we visited with Bishop Kevin Dowling, the Roman
Catholic Bishop of the Rustenburg Diocese.
He is a Redemptorist which is the same religious order as Archbishop Tobin. He has been a leader in this area for 26
years. Much of his ministry has been
to defend this people against a harsh and corrupt local leader. He recalled the story of a protest march
which he and some other local pastors were leading in 199 that turned violent. The local police force opened fire on them
with tear-gas canisters and live bullets.
He escaped without being shot, but two of his community members were killed. Although terrified, he continued his
courageous work.
In 1992 AIDS became a huge issue in his township. He began a ministry known as Topologo, which
means “place of peace and rest,” for those infected and affected by AIDS. This township has the highest percentage of
AIDS cases in all of Africa. In South
Africa there are more than 6.2 million people infected with HIV, and 990,000
children have lost their parents to the disease. Bishop Dowling began a home nursing program
to help people infected by HIV to get proper education and medication, he also
started a hospice center to help people die with dignity. Unfortunately he had to close the hospice
last year, after 19 years, because of a lack of money.
Bishop Dowling was truly an inspiring man who continues the
important work with enthusiasm and joy, despite crushing poverty and intense personal
suffering in his community.
As we left he offered a blessing to each one of us, and asked
us for a blessing on him in return. May
God protect and strengthen Bishop Dowling.
After leaving Topologo, we traveled to a placed called Baknbung - "people of the Hippo" - for a couple days of Safari. It is set within an South African National Park with a huge wildlife preserve. We will go on four game drives to see if we can see any of Africa's exotic animals in their natural environment. Wish us luck....
Monday, October 10, 2016
Day 9 - Johannesburg
Day 9, Sunday Oct. 9th
This morning we celebrated Catholic Mass at the church of
Regina Mundi (Queen of the World). My
homilies have nothing on the Priests here!!!
Fr. Anthony’s homily was about 40 minutes and included singing and
dancing. He alternated between about
three languages so we could only understand parts of what he was saying.
The music was fantastic.
There was a choir of 20-30 people up front who sang in beautiful
harmony. Although there were no
instruments except the human voice, they filled the Church with music. In total the Mass lasted over 2 ½ hours. We were told that is very typical for a
Sunday mass.
After mass we ate lunch at a typical African
restaurant. I ate Chickens feet! I won’t say that they were delicious, but
they were alright. “When in Rome,” as
they say.
In the afternoon we toured many placed in Johannesburg. We prayed at the sight of a Student uprising
in 1976, where a young student named Hector Peterson was shot and killed by the
Police during a protest march. We
visited the home where Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie raised their family,
the finally the Apartheid Museum. The Museum
was an emotional journey through the history of South Africa for the past 100
years. Many photos and videos told the
grim tale of oppression and segregation, through to the liberation and election
of Nelson Mandela as the President of South Africa. It is a troubled history yet with many
inspiring people who gave everything they had to bring justice and peace to
their beloved country.
Sunday evening we were invited to the home of a man named Mbika
and his wife Selia for a “Brie” (cookout).
Mbika is a good friend of one of the Directors of the Wabash Pastoral
Leadership Program, and lived with her family in the United States during
college. He invited us to experience a
traditional home cooked African meal.
The meal was great and the conversation with he and his wife and friends
was very nice. The people of Africa
have been extremely gracious and hospitable.
Day 8 - Free day in Cape Town
Day 8 – Saturday Oct.
8th
Today was a free day to explore Cape Town on our own. We didn’t have any scheduled conversations
with leaders. A group of us went to
the heart of Downtown Cape Town to the District 6 museum, which used to be a
Methodist Church. Pastor Peter Story,
who we met with yesterday, used to be the Pastor of the Church. District 6 was one of the communities at
the heart of the Apartheid controversy.
Before 1966 it was a multi-ethnic neighborhood with immigrants from
India, Europe, and several African countries living as neighbors. In February 1966 the regime government moved
all the people to the Cape Flats area about 50 miles away and began tearing
down all the houses and businesses. The
only thing that remained standing were the churches. There was so much protest by the churches
that the Government didn’t dare to destroy them.
Our tour guide at the Museum lived in District 6 with his
family. He was 22 when they were forced
to move. It was a great perspective to
have someone who had lived through the struggle to guide us through the museum.
Later we wandered through an artist market and saw beautiful
hand made arts.
In the afternoon we headed to the airport to fly to
Johannesburg. We will be in
Johannesburg for a couple of days before heading to the Game Preserve to see
some wild animals.
Hope you are having a good weekend. Peace,
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Day 7 – Friday Oct. 7th
What a day!!!
Someone in our group commented in the evening reflection that 6 of the top 10 hours
of his life have been today!
We started the day at St. Georges Anglican Cathedral in
downtown Cape Town for a Mass presided over by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond
Tutu. Besides being a very special day
to celebrate mass with him, it was also his 85th Birthday. He has been very sick and in the hospital
recently, so it was a great surprise to learn that he was able to preside at
the Mass. One of the things Archbishop
Tutu is known for is his infectious laugh.
Before the mass began, his mic was on as he prepared in the
Sacristy. The congregation could hear
him laughing and talking with the other people with him. We could hear as they prayed a beautiful
prayer in preparation for the service.
Archbishop Tutu was so grateful for all the people who joined him for
mass and his birthday that he must have said “thank you” about 50 times. At one point he was so overcome with
emotion that he wept at the altar, but then quickly recovered and within a few
moments was laughing again.
After mass we learned that he was recently diagnosed with
Prostate Cancer that has spread, so he may not be healthy enough to celebrate
mass much longer. I believe we have been
part of history.
After mass we drove to Simon Town to meet with Pastor Peter
Story, a Methodist Pastor who was an outspoken critic of the Apartheid regime
in the 60’s and 70’s. His church had
been located in “District 6” in Cape Town, which was forcibly segregated into
an all white area in 1966. His stories
and passion were moving. His son Alan
Story also a Methodist Pastor in Cape Town.
Later we went to a land-based Penguin colony in Simon
Town. There were dozens of Penguins
only yards from the walking paths.
After that we visited the South-Western most point of Africa
at the Point of Good Hope. This is the
point where the Indian and Atlantic oceans come together, so the water is often
very turbulent. The waters off the
point are littered with shipwrecks dating back hundreds of years. The original European inhabitants of South
Africa were traders from northern Europe who used South Africa as a stopping
point on their way to India.
Quite a day!!!
Day 6 - Thursday Oct.
6th
Stellenbosch is a beautiful town in the wine region of South
Africa, about an hour from Cape Town.
Stellenbosch is famous for the University of the same name that dates
back to 1685. It was central to the
anti-apartheid movement in the 60’s and 70’s.
One of the speakers spoke about some of the problems that
continue to exist in South Africa. One
of the most challenging issues they face is economic inequality. The majority of South African’s live in
poverty while a very very small minority have nearly all the wealth. As an example, he said that there are two
people living in the city of Stellenbosch that have as much wealth as 50% of
all of the rest of the people in South Africa! Besides Brazil, South Africa has the worst
economic disparity of any nation on earth.
There is a student protest movement right now in South
Africa called “Fee’s Must Fall.” The
students are protesting rising tuition costs and are demanding that the
government do something to make University education affordable for all young
people in South Africa. We heard from
some of the Student leaders who are working on the protest.
On the way back to Cape Town we visited one of the many
Wineries in the region to “experience” some of the local flavors J.
The weather continues to be beautiful and springlike. No rain!!! I hope the weather in Indy has been good.
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