Day 2 - Sunday October 2nd

This morning we worshipped with the JL Zwane Presbyterian church in the township of Gugulethu in Cape Town.   Townships are neighborhoods were during Apartheid, laws were made that forcibly removed many blacks from their homes and settled them in other areas.   Gugulethu was one such neighborhood.

The JL Zwane community is very vibrant now, but the Pastor said that when he first arrived the community was very small and the people has almost lost all hope of anything getting better.   His philosophy is to support already existing programs instead of trying to start lots of new ones.  His church works with lots of non-profit groups, Christian and non-Christian, to help bring about positive change.

At lunch I sat with a husband and wife who work in the Juvenile prison.  They told me about many young people who get caught up in a life of drugs and gangs, who feel they have little hope of improving their lives.   They work with the juveniles, some as young as 14, to give them a sense that things can be better.   One young man told his story that when he was 14 he attacked his teacher with a hammer.   He was sent to prison for 5 years.  When he was released his family didn’t want to have anything to do with him, so he was left abandoned.  He had a dream of being a professional In-line skater, and so he went to the Presbyterian Church and talked to the Pastor about his dream.   After some time, the Pastor made a deal with him.  He said that if he came to Church, studied with the other youth people there, and remained part of the community, that he would buy him the In-line skates.  With that small motivation and faith in him, the young man turned his life around.  He finished college and started a small Technology company that designs App’s, Websites, and IT services.   He is now recognized as one of the most promising young entrepreneurs in Cape Town.   This is one of many examples that were shared of the power of faith…in yourself and in others.

Opening to the Atlantic Ocean, with Table Mountain as the backdrop, Cape Town harbor is absolutely beautiful!    The city of Cape Town has a very large shipping port and is also the top tourist destination in South Africa.    This evening we spent time as a group at the harbor enjoying the nightlife and delicious seafood.