Revisiting home from home. The places of my heart.

 

 We have lived in Cape Town for 17 years now and we love it. Cape Town is the home city of our children; the home built for and from their experiences and memories. But it is not the place of my birth. Cape Town is not my home town; the home of my heart.

Johannesburg ; EGoli - the city of gold . That is where is was born in 1969 and where I grew up and when to school and studied. having lived away from JHB for almost half my life I think it should not just be called the City of Gold- and it is that indeed for the wealth and spending on life is evident in most of the big centers. from the huge, carefully constructed and thought through shopping malls to the houses that have been built in every nook and cranny; and because of its wealth , I think it is the city of change and so it should be called The City of Change. Nothing stays the same. It is hardly the city . and yet.......

My father lives in Diepsloot on a farm -  small holding . From his patio  stretches out a beautiful view of Johannesburg and we can see the tower in the far off distance standing tall and obvious. Behind us is a very different Diepsloot , about 5 Km away. The one that grew up from the dust and dirt as Apartheid fell. That ever growing town of shanty and brick building alike. It holds the rape capital in its belly. As we drive in from Lanseria, we pass the hustle and bustle of that Dipesloot on the corner. It is huge and busy and full. Welcome to JHB. A place of huge wealth  and of course the harsh realities of post Apartheid SA. and yet......

Sunday and we decide to visit one of our churches in JHB. Christ Church Midrand. It is quite near to Diepsloot which is saying something in JHB. We rush because are late but we really should not have. Christ Church Midrand is a church we have longed to visit for a while now.  It is a church much like our own and we have links to it in many ways. It is also the church that has been tackling issues on diversity and culture in our denom and so we were quite excited. It is a beautiful , fresh, airy and  welcoming building. People were friendly but of course this is JHB after all, everyone is friendly and it is full  of black and white people. It was a refreshing and looking back obvious experience. I say this because, the City of Change has embraced and succeeded in doing something that we in Cape Town can not get right. it has embraced diversity and culture. It is no longer the white city of my youth but it is the beautiful city of the new South Africa. We loved it. It felt like home.

 Gods word was taught and we heard from him and were encouraged and challenged. It was good!  We looked out for old and new friends and found one. 

 After church we visited The Mall of Africa.  Once again, this confirmed all I have said about the city of Change. People of all colours , shopping before Christmas ; enjoying the day; eating alongside one another. living life -- together. On the outside at east because this experience does not really say much about the deepening of relationships for people in SA however the opportunities to do so are obvious.

 This is a photo of us outside Christ Church. That Joburg light  shines bright.

 We set off from Joburg to travel through Gauteng into Mpumelanga and on to The Kruger National park. Through White River and passed the coal industry of sA. The back bone of our electricity and of our pollution problem. A complex issue when seeing it up close. We must have passed 100 coal trucks in that one journey representing employment on a very large scale. This is a photo of a coal mine and the coal cleaning and sorting plant.

The far right photo is an electricity plant doing its thing.




 On and on we traveled o the many Toll roads  and through all that controversy. We stumbled upon the new university of Mpumalanga and here are some of the photos.

The farmlands of SA are also in part in these parts. Mangoes , bananas, avos , and earlier on mielies and cabbages. Row upon row of the food that feeds this country. 

 And finally at the park. 42 degrees and counting. The last time we visited the park, Doug and I, was about 20 years ago. Our kids had never been. We had an excellent time as a family and we enjoyed the many, many animals hiding in that enormous National asset. Another part of our country where change has not remained a distant friend. The park has not really changed from the point of view of the nature but in many ways; good ways ; it has changed a great deal. All the old style , Apartheid rangers  and people working behind all the desks are gone. All the rangers and park workers are from the area around The Park,

 The shops have freshened up and sell interesting South African creations although marketed for foreigners unfortunately. People were all friendly and well informed and it was an excellent and true SA experience. The picnic spots have turned into huge , bushveld eating areas with bathrooms and coffee bars and of course some bushveld meals. This was a big change from the " bring your own food" vibe. The other big change is the the blocking of all the smaller sandy roads. These are now private entries into private lodges which was annoying and which we did not always avoid. These are the really interesting roads and now they are out of bounds.

We saw almost every kind of baby  which was really special. this elephant was a tiny one and the one a leopard sort to get. This heard was having none of that.

 Traveling with teens through the park, I think we were the only lot rocking the roads to rap and the like . What a fun time.

 This dark photo is one from a night drive we did. It was brilliant. A busload of foreigners and a smattering of local SA people.

 We exited The Park via another gate and so got to see another part of the country. These are photos from the roadside shops as we zoomed by on route to catch our plane back to CT.

 Fields that carpeted the valley with bananas. As far as the eye could see.

 Beautiful Mpumelanga we miss you already and you gave my heart a zing. You are welcoming, extraordinary in all ways and you were a delight to enjoy. What a treat and encouragement.  As we left we saw local B&B and back packers  as people have grabbed opportunities for business that living on the border of The Park offers. So encouraging.

As we journeyed on singing and enjoying the trip, we chatted about what an encouragement our trip had been in terms of seeing our beautiful country again. Being stuck in the lovely CT kind of gives a skew view of things. This is an amazing country with amazing people and with good change happening and working. The fields are full, the rain was falling, the ground was bearing much fruit and change is ... it just is and that was so encouraging. This is not a country in collapse as many want to believe. It is a country full of real hope and many blessings . Of course we have many real issues but the South Africans we met are getting on with life despite it all. We have come back to the tip of our country after visiting the far corner and we are full. Thank you Lord.

No Longer Slaves

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Phew. 

What interesting times we live in. 

Chaos seemingly reigns.

Every news item is an article on some big happening. North Korea, Syria and the like. Here, at home in South Africa we have some enormous obstacles to navigate. 

Obstacles of the heart.

 Of all the beautifully, painful things that are slowly emerging, among the many, this one stands out as most useful. 

Honesty.

Hard, real and vocal. 

People in South Africa of all cultures and colours are publicly beginning to share what is truly on their hearts. 

What is truly IN their hearts. 

Social media is alive with honest reflections both helpful and unhelpful. 

Some kind and others cutting. 

From deep anger through pain and frustration and of course the old friends.... guilt, shame. 

Our attitudes of the heart are being exposed. 

Including the racist heart. 

In truth, those who are the children from Apartheid, sit somewhere on the racist spetrum. 

We may not be hard core but every now and again, it's ugly head shows itself. We may never show it outwardly, but oh boy it lerks inwardly.

It is time to take a long, hard look at yourself. 

Face it, own it and deal with it. 

In Christ we can do this well, with his help. If we are in Christ we MUST do this. 

In Christ we are free and we are able to live lives that are ever changing. 

Free from the bondage of sin. Free to live for Jesus. 

This new found honesty is, I think,is a good thing. It has created a space for white South Africans to really challenge one another. 

With patient kindness but with honesty we can call one another on our racist attitudes and actions. 

Let us hold one another accountable. 

We have to face up to the reality which exists where white South Africans live on the fruits of Apartheid. We need to think through social justice and creative, sustainable ways to be a part of the solution that redresses the wrongs set up by our past.. We may not have been perpetrators but we are benifitiaries. 

The long legs of the result of apartheid live on today. 

So, if we call ourselves a Christ follower what are to do. 

Trust in Christ

Pray 

Ask for forgiveness

Repent 

Live in step with Gods word by his spirit

Live in the freedom Christ has bought for you.

Act justly. 

I think that really learning to listen to the stories of people who lived life under Apartheid and who suffer now as a result, is an excellent way to start understsnding. 

Developing empathy and kindness towards those who suffer daily is part of the good works God has planned for us to do. 

True Christ followers are actually able to get this right. Why would I say this? Well, we have been set free from bondage to self and sin and have Gods spirit within us. We CAN and MUST patiently listen to the OTHER voices. The voices of the broken and angry who have been left out in the cold. 

We are also set free to pray. And on our knees is where we need to be. Pleading before the father for his work to change our hearts and our minds.

To root out racism in our own hearts that may lurk there. 

Why do we need a mind change? 

In relation to ourselves we need to change and in relation to how we thing about others, we need to change

South Africa is a deeply divided country. Divided in any and every way possible. We do division really well. We were taught well. To change this narrative seems impossible. In Christ we can be part of the solution. We must be part of the solution. 

Seemingly insurmountable barriers to relationships exist. Colour, class, gender, culture. You name it. We have it. 

And even in the church , among Gods people, we are divided. 

Should we march or should we not?

Should we travel to Bloemfontein to join in the giant prayer meeting or should we not?

My feeling on these issues is this...

In Christ we are free. Free to march and free not to. Free to travel and free not to. However, the issue for me is HOW we march and HOW we pray and what good works that leads us to do.

The attitude of our hearts is where we need to be challenged. Talking and sharing and really listening so that we can grow in our understanding of poor people and their issues or students and their point of view. :middle class black people and their view. 

We, dare I say , white Christians have an obligation , in our freedom, to not be sloppy with our thinking. Nor to be complacent in our living out of the gospel. If Jesus loves us into death, and he did, then we must love generously, sacraficially,, a costly kind of love.. A love that counts. 

Let's begin. 

Cry that Day, our Beloved Country

What did the young teenagers of Soweto most desire on that day ?

What were their collective heart longing  on THAT  day..

June 16th, 1976!

 I live with a home full of teenagers and pre- teens. I love spending time with them just chatting.  It is interesting sharing this part of our South African experience with them - its joys, frustrations and heartaches. The broken reality in which our children are growing up in modern, post-Apartheid South Africa is a far cry from the devastating experience of young people 40 years ago.

We have enormous obstacles to navigate as a country still divided by wealth, culture and language and indeed colour.  

And yet, if we dare to take an honest look back to those "40 years ago days", we will find a nation at war with itself in a very different way.

There is something particularly evil with a government that rules its people with tyranny.

 It was a very, very different South Africa in 1976. 

http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/june-16-soweto-youth-uprising

On this day, 40 years ago, black teenagers decided to do something that would change their course and indeed the whole course of our country. They decided to stand up and say NO!

Full of courage and unity and hope, they set off on their protest.

They were met with the full force o and brutality of the governments evil who did not hold back in killing again, even killing  children.

Many people joined the protests that spanned the days that followed. Soweto was locked down. No one knows how many people died but 176 is the number given. ( it is thought to be closer to 800)

Today we look back and remember their bravery- for it is a very, very brave thing to stand up in the face of violence and death. 

We look back and say salute that youth of 1976.  I was a little girl of 6 on that day. White South Africans carried on with life as if nothing was happening. We were "shielded" from the hell that was.

But I would hope that we would also look forward 

with a greater vision. 

I pray we would somehow find a common purpose to build a new and better South Africa.

Lets pull up our sleeves and each of us do what we can to build into the youth of today so that we can have a just South Africa  for tomorrow.

Xenophobia - real lives , real people

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Today I spoke to X. He works at our one of our local shopping centres. he is a teacher by profession but in South Africa, he is a car guard. He has left his country of Burundi and come to "find a better life" in our country. He asked me to pray for the xenophobia. We chatted and my empty words hung in the air as he told me some of his story. 

Meet X - the man who works in our garden. He is a young Malawian. Malawi is the poorest country in Africa. He has come, with his wife to find a better life. He has a child at home in Malawi and his wife has just given birth to a baby boy. I asked him how he was. He replied that he is scared. 

Honestly , I am afraid for him too. The queues of people leaving SA back to Zimbabwe and Mozambique are further pictures of people who are afraid. 

In the news today. 7 people dead in the current wave of violence against foreigners in our country.

Our shame!!

# say not to xenophobia

# we are one

The power of our words and the death of 5 foreigners, our shame.

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Yesterday, once again, I feel the shame of being a South African.

I heard the news throughout the day in which we were privy to the encouraging words from our president, Jacob Zuma, who in a speech this past weekend, strongly asked for young South African graduates, to not leave SA but rather to remain here and to " give back". While I think this is a great encouragement, his very encouragement involved the word patriotism. He spoke very clearly about us being patriotic and therefore, making life decisions that will include building our country. 

On the surface of things I think that these sorts of encouragements are not far of the mark.

However, the irony was stark because on the very same day that we, the public were given insight into our presidents ideas on patriotism, Kwazulu Natal erupted into violent attack and chaos. This very unpatriotic, shameful behaviour that does not build but destroys.

I grew up in Johnnesburg in Gauteng and my grandparents lived for the last part of their lives, in Durban. We spent many holidays sharing Durban beachfront and all the fun Durbanish activities. My memories of those holidays are really beautiful.

I, therefore , have a very clear picture of the city, the streets, the area around Point Rd where people decided to brutalise one another yesterday.

My heart aches today.

5 people have died since King Goodwell Zwelithini gave us his speech where he strongly encouraged all foreigners in Durban to return to their countries. He has since backtracked and said he was quoted out of context. Be that as it may, his words have struck a match underneath the waiting box of anger, resentment and hatred towards foreigners in our country. 

Who are these foreigners?

These are Zimbabweans, Malawians, Nigerians, Somalians and the like. People from Africa.

Need I say, fellow Africans.

During Apartheid, when our leaders of the ANC and the other liberation organisations looked outside of our borders for help, exile, assistance, we did not have very far to look. African countries were more than willing to lend a hand. 

The irony of this is that at a time in our modern day history, when statues are being destroyed and vandalised, we really are reminded that history and the telling of it matters. I say this because it would seem to me that many young black South Africans have either forgotten our past helpers or simply do not know. I guess a third option is that they might not care. 

And so the fire of xenophobic violence has once again been ignited in our beloved country. It is burning like the fires that destroyed the Cape Mountains a few weeks ago. Hatred is alive and well in the hearts of fellow man and 5 people are dead because of it.  

I am reminded of the verses in the bible .

 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

These true words from the bible remind us that all people are precious to God because he made them. Precious people, made to carry his very likeness, his image. We are to be living breathing God representatives on earth. 

I pray that in our shame God might forgive us. That we would turn to him and find forgiveness and find purpose in this life as individual South Africans and as a nation. I pray for revival and for people, men and omen to speak a word of reason in all this chaos.  Father will you restore calm and peace but more than that bring real peace between  all South Africans. Help us who are called by your name, to be the salt and light ; the peacemakers .
At Escom today, where SA workers are striking because they want foreigners to be fired..... in the city streets of beautiful Durban... across our land. Father will you move by your spirit and through your true word. Help reason and truth to rule our hearts and replace anger, bitterness , vengeance and hatred with your forgiving love for one another.

Life indeed does matter

Life Matters is one of the many organisations who work with children in our South African Schools. I have recently been privileged to join them with one of their schools in our local area. The setting is a primary school in a part of Cape Town. People who live here are just like you and just like me. But their lives are quite different. Turning off the main road I take the most direct route. Remnants of the days of Apartheid are evident in the response of the residence to this white woman driving up this street. Everyone notices.

Life continues as normal it is just a very different normal from the one I am used to. 

For one, the church and school windows are all covered with thick, heavy grates. The entrance to the school via the foyer, is locked with a security gate. Access is limited although it is very busy. 

The school has few plants and little or now green, lush grass. 

The homes that surround the school are neat and tidy . A little shop operating from one and a crèche from another.  

residence take care of the little they have.

The school itself is nice enough. It is need but it gets by.

The classrooms are small and the children and many. The classes are full of busy, chattering children. 

And so it begins. The journey of stepping out one comfort zone and becoming comfortable in another. The reminder that I live amongst the privileged and to be thankful. We have so much. More than we need. We all know this but stepping out and stepping up to the call to love has reminded me practically of this reality. 

Lets take books for example. The children in the programme can borrow a book to take home. Many homes have no books. In our home we have more books than I care to count. 

I gathered some from the many and shared them with LM the next week. What happened then just blew my mind. 

These two little boys I am getting to share time with, threw themselves upon these books and in sheer delight began to glean. 

"What does this say?" and "this" and "Here"

More and more... like a sponge just soaking up the water. 

They drank and drank and drank.

I leave that little school each week, thankful for the time I spent with these children. I leave heavy hearted and yet full. I leave with prayers spilling out. 

The need is great.

The harvest is plenty.

The workers are few.

Lord have mercy!!

The door of hope

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I love a good story. 

I enjoy listening to what people have to share about their life and the experiences they have.

This has been a week of story listening. 

We each have a story to tell. Our story is unique and belongs to us.

Some of the stories I heard this weekend were uplifting and good. 

Like the ones about the gangsters who are set free by hearing about Jesus and what he has done for them , on the cross.

 Prison ministry is alive and well and brings real hope for people who are right at the bottom of life.

The stories people shared with gratitude of one of our teachers who has written personal, individual letters to each of his team members he coached, was a delight.

The effort and hard work that some parents sweat at to help their child pass. The sms that brought the news that indeed he had and much more than that, he had passed excellently.

Stories of hope.

Stories of love.

But then...there are also those stories, the ones that break a heart.

Living in the South African context there are many of these kinds. The ones that break the heart.

The Door of Hope is one such story. The excellent and loving work that this NGO does in JHB, taking in those abandoned babies. The ones no one wants. 

The interview highlighted for me, the facts of baby abandonment in SA. It is catastrophic and deeply saddening. It is overwhelming!!

Living in SA is often both deeply saddening and overwhelming.

Lord, please give us grace.