Out of Africa!

Monday, 16 August

All packed and ready to go, but there is one last engagement to attend in Uitenhage: the opening convocation for the high school at which Algie Boonzaaier teaches.  I wasn't looking forward to this.  It would make for a more rushed departure day (we had a 12:30 flight out of Port Elizabeth airport), and there had been little or no time to consider what I would say in a 10 minute "inspirational speech".

As it happened, however, I had a great time.  The learners were attentive and seemingly happy to be there. I spoke about choices (basing the talk on the passage Deuteronomy 30 where Moses passed on God's directive to the Israelites to make the choice between life and death.)  I spoke of the moments -- great and small -- in which we choose to do what's right or what is wrong, what builds up or what tears down.  We can honor and respect one another (the Protestant Christian bias was clear  when the Muslim students stood stone-faced and silent during the opening songs.  It was Ramadan.  I closed with the reading of Robert Frost's, "The Road Not Taken," and the two thumbs up, universal sign of best wishes and good feelings all around.

Then off to the mall wear the group was doing some last minute shopping.  We left by 10:45 to get to the airport.  The Germans weren't going to leave until 4:00.  However, they came with us early to say good bye.  Many of the Moravians also were there.  It was a very fond, teary farewell.  We went through security, waited for the plane at the gate, boarded and took off right on time.  And, it was over...kind of.  We had a six hour lay over in Johannesburg, long enough for a few of us to meet up with the Germans again before they flew off for Frankfurt.  The six of us Americans had a nice dinner at the airport in Johannesburg, recapping the trip.  Very nice!

The long flight to JFK from Joburg didn't seem as long to most of us.  There was a surprise for our flight home.  We stopped over in Dakar, Senegal.  Arriving there at 2:00 AM South African time, we had to stay in our seats while the plane was cleaned.  Then we had to clear out all of our luggage from the overhead compartments so that the security guards could inspect them.  That was fun!  We were off again within an hour.  I will say that we slept much better (except for Ben).   When we arrived at JFK a half hour early, around 7:00 AM, we all peered out the windows to see the approach.  It was interesting to hear the group all say how clean everything looked compared to all of the litter of the South African cities.

Ben's parents, Mark and Kate, met us at the airport.  They had kept my car at their house for the duration of our trip.  They drove my car and theirs to JFK so that they could take Ben home with them and leave me with my car to drive Alyse and Sarah back to Central New York.  Kristina flew to Buffalo later that day.  Ruby Wilson picked up Calvina.

And so, we were home.  What a trip!  An ecumenical witness that groups of young adults from three different countries, Protestant Christian denominations could work, play, worship, and travel together, learning and experiencing so much, including the call to love one another regardless of who we are or where we are on life's journey.

Thank you to the New York Conference, our local churches and associations, families and friends that supported us with prayers and monetary support for this wonderful experience. And many, many thanks to Dawn Barnes, our UCCNY Global Missionary Partner, who arranged the entire itinerary for the first two phases of our trip. She could not be there to physically host us (she, husband Jon and children Khaya and Ally are in the US doing mission interpretation), but she provided us with great guides, drivers and friends: Byron "Lucky Boy" Jonas and Nicholas "Monte" Meyers. Thanks guys, we wouldn't have made it without you!

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Worshiping with the Moravians: A Blessed Assurance

Sunday, 15 August

Ah!  Sunday morning.  Worship at Uitenage begins at 10:30.  No one (a.k.a. me) had anything to do before hand.  We can sleep in.  Well, we did sleep in a little, till 7:30.  But then Algie Boonzaaier had a plan for our morning activities.  He thought that it would be good for the two of us to go visit several housebound persons and others that had been through recent surgery or the loss of loved ones before the service.  I was a little uncomfortable because it became clear that none of the persons we visited knew we were coming in advance, and I wondered whether their pastor knew that I was doing pastoral visitation with her flock.

Regardless, off we went at 9:15.  We made 7 stops, finding 5 people in.  I chatted a little with each and said a short prayer.  (At least a couple of them we didn't see were on their way to church!)  When we arrived at church the pastor thanked me for going to see her parishioners.  We had a nice service.  I was asked to give greetings.  The congregation also has a tradition of honoring those celebrating special days.  They sing a hymn.   The people come forward and the pastor shakes their hand and blesses them.  Well, the lay leaders wanted me to do this.  I thought better of it, however.  On my way forward I went to the pastor and asked her to accompany me.  At first she declined, but when I told her that she was the pastor (and not I) she joined me.  Algie told me afterward that several people thought that it was a nice gesture.  In reply I explained that back home it is my job to lift up the work of the pastor.

We also were to have two services in the afternoon, a Love Feast and Holy Communion.  These services were also very nice.  The women all wore linen scarves with the Moravian logo embroidered on the back.  the liturgy is liberally infused with fine hymns and the wonderful litanies for which the Moravians are known. I was asked to give another greeting with the added request to witness to the joys and challenges of the churches that I serve in New York.

It was a fine afternoon.  After taking photos of the church leadership, I readied myself for the final get together (the last supper, if you will) of our group at a restaurant down by the beach. I couldn't wait to get together again.  I missed those guys!  Call me quixotic, but I have truly valued the way in which we came together and stayed together despite the challenges of culture, nationhood, gender, race, theology and generation.  When we were at Hobbiton, Julian our trainer spoke of what it took to build up a team: the commitment to keep everyone safe and to "be there" for one another, mutual trust, and thinking of the needs of others first.  In many ways we learned these lessons, and I remain very grateful.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Taking the Leap

Saturday, 14 August

What a day this was, especially for 3 of our group members (and all Americans at that!).  This was to be a holiday for us.  So, some of us wanted to go shopping and to beach at Jeffries Bay (mostly the Germans).  Four of our group really wanted to go bungee jumping at Storms River.

We thought we could do both.  However, a later than hoped for start, an earlier than anticipating closing of all the shops in Jeffries Bay, and a longer than realized trip to Storms River (200 km each way) really only allowed for one event.  We started off for the farthest spot on our day's itinerary (the bungee jumping) when we realized the folly of our plans.  Given my reports of some blips in our group spirit this could have been a disaster.  However, those that wanted to go shopping really wanted to stay to support those that wanted to go bungee jumping.  So, some good came of it all.  Plus, it was exciting to see the jumping.  Please check out the Facebook Walls of  Ben Lukens, Alyse Masterson and Kristina Frenette for videos and pics of their jumps (the other two pictured are Justin a teacher in the primary school in Enon in the center, and Jonathan Van Wyk, one of our Moravian group members on the far right).

We returned to Port Elizabeth in time for a nice barbecue at the Arcadia Moravian Church.  It was cold, but inside the food was good and the fellowship warm.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Uitenage: Putting Some Things into Perspective

Friday, 13 August

Yes, we did note that it was going to be Friday the 13th the night before.  And, yes we did joke about it.  What we woke up to find out is that our morning activity – a tour of the Volkswagen plant in Uitenage – was cancelled due to a labor strike called for that day!  This threw our host planning team off a bit.  We rearranged some of the schedule for the morning and afternoon.  However, some tensions that had been brewing began to surface.  Low energy levels, length of the trip, and gathering exhaustion are hard to overcome sometimes.

Our hosts decided to take us to a cemetery that held the mass grave of those that died in the Uitenage Massacre of 1985.  This was a year of growing unrest and demonstrations that spread throughout the country.  The Apartheid government reacted with swift and brutal countermeasures resulting in massacres in Uitenage, in the Duncan Village informal settlement in East London and many other places.  It was chilling to have the names of those that died and especially their ages so starkly listed before our eyes.

Next stop on our revamped schedule was a school for children with special needs.  Meeting with children and spending time with them is one of the favorite activities for the members of our group (including me).  However, we were on to tight of a schedule to stay very long.  Still, some of us made some meaningful contact with the children before we had to leave.

A Moravian Church in a very poor part of the city was expecting us.  Again the leaders of the congregation greeted us warmly.  They wanted to feed us lunch with traditional African food.  Unfortunately, we were scheduled to eat lunch at the other church in Uitenage.  Some of us did eat a little at the church (except for the tripe!).  Mostly, we dealt with some issues that were going on with the group.  One girl didn't feel comfortable staying in the household to which she was assigned.  The single, elderly woman is very poor and our group member didn't want to be a burden for her.  Neither did she want to hurt her.  Several people were unhappy with the organization of this part of the trip.  Tensions were beginning to heighten.

The Moravians pray and sing for everything.  Faithful Moravians begin each day with the daily "Watch Word", a devotional with a couple of passages from scripture and a prayer.  The leaders of the church wanted to begin their welcome of us with the day's "Watch Word" and asked that I read it.  I took the opportunity to address some of the tension that I felt among our group.  I talked about all the things we had done and experienced and spoke of how love is not easy, but it is something that we are called to share in relationship with others.  I then called the group together and asked them to go off by themselves (a kind of team meeting for just the "players") so that they could say whatever they wanted.  This they did.  It seemed to ease the tension level anyway.

We went to the Uitenage Moravian Church, had a presentation from some of the leaders about the various community ministries in which the church is involved: HIV/AIDS ministries and a food pantry.  And we had lunch along with some time to rest.

In the afternoon we went to a monument commemorating those that died in the Uitenage Massacre at the spot  of the killings.  Stationed there was a survivor of the event.  He gains most of his income through greeting visitors to the monument.  He told the story of the day and showed us where the pellets are still embedded in his shin.  We were all pretty impressed by the life long impact that one event had on the individuals involved as well as for an entire nation.

The afternoon's activities ended with a visit to a nursery school run by the Moravians in Port Elizabeth. After this the group dispersed to their host homes to get changed in order to go to the Boardwalk, a tourist location down by the ocean.  Talk about a culture shift.  Walking into this mecca of shops, casinos and restaurants I thought I was in Florida.  I did buy a few things.  But mostly, I walked around with Walter and two of the leaders of the Hosting Committee, Sylvia Roussouw and Jeni Johnson.

It was a disorienting day, a fine Friday the 13th!  I was glad to go home to the Boonzaaiers in Uitenage.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Trip Phase Three: Port Elizabeth

Thursday, 12 August and Friday, 13 August

Our trip to South Africa neatly fell into three distinct phases: the five days in and around East London, seven days on the road in the mountains, valleys and plains between East London and Port Elizabeth, and the last five days in Port Elizabeth.  The first two phases were all about transforming a 22 strangers  from three different countries, Protestant denominations and cultures into a group that cared about each other, learned of and from one others while sharing some life changing experiences.  The Port Elizabeth phase was about strengthening the Ecumenical Partnership between the Moravian Church of South Africa and the Evangelical Church in Hessen and Nassau.

It was difficult to make the transition to this last phase.  We had been together for 12 days, we were tired, and we had already gone through a lot of changes.  So, it was hard to make yet another transition.  In addition the Moravians in our group were back home again.  Several had never been away from home before (not even to East London).  In addition our Moravian hosts were experiencing a unique group of visitors.  We were an ecumenical group of young adults (not older church folks!) and we were not only German, but also UCC's from the USA.

That said, our hosts were diligent in offering us a warm welcome and hospitality.  We greeted our host families  with whom we'd be staying for the last five days at the Ebenhaeser Church in Port Elizabeth.  This church was to become our connection point for the remainder of the trip.  We were to go home for supper with our host families and then join Moravians gathered from all of the congregations at the Bloemendal Church for an evening worship and official welcome at 7:00 that night.  So, I went with my host, Algernon Boonzaaier, to the neighboring city of Uitenhage (pronounced YOU-tin-egg) for a nice fried fish dinner.  Upon completion of the dinner we scurried off to the evening service.

It was a nice service.  We sang.  Everyone always sings not matter where one goes in South Africa, it seems. People have hymn books but seldom seem to need them.  People know the music by heart and they sing.  How refreshing...and inspiring!  Moravians are known for their brass choirs.  The Port Elizabeth Moravians are no exception to this rule.  Walter and I greeted the gathered congregation.  We introduced our delegation.  We had tea, juice and cookies afterward, had good conversation with those present and went home.


Algie's wife, Gilda, had tea and sweets awaiting our arrival.  We stayed up for a little while and chatted. Then to bed.

It was good to get to know the Boonzaaiers and their sons, Devandre and Gershwin over the course of my stay.  Devandre is a graduate student at the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth.  He is pursuing a degree in Music Education with an emphasis in organ and choral direction.  Gershwin is about the finish high school.  He will begin his studies in the law school at Nelson Mandela University in the near future.

Blessings,


Rick Cowles

Enon: A Moravian Mission Station

Wednesday 10 August and Tuesday 11 August

Over the years that I have served as a Regional Conference Minister in the New York Conference I have often speculated with congregations about what it might mean if all of our local churches would take on the identity and calling of being a mission station.  How would that change our outlook on ministry?  How would our programs, our budgets, our worship and ministries of Christian education and nurture change?  All of these questions remain conjecture in New York.  But on these days I was happy to experience a community that began as and remains a Moravian Mission Station: Enon a village located about an hour northeast of Port Elizabeth.

The Moravian Church is a pre-Reformation Protestant Church with its roots in present day Czechoslovakia.  Moravian communities were founded in Pennsylvania (around Bethlehem), in North Carolina (Winston Salem) and across the upper mid west of the USA.  Always a small denomination, the Moravians have had an historic concern for mission, establishing churches, schools and hospitals around the world.

There are eight Moravian Churches in an around the port city of Port Elizabeth.  Each of these congregations sent a representative to be part of our delegation.  It was fitting for us to begin our experience of their life and ministry by spending parts of two days and a night in Enon.  Moravian missionaries traveled to the valley in which Enon is located to set up a mission in 1829.  They built a church and a school in 1821 and set apart a village for Moravians.  It was a purely Moravian community until the turn of the 20th century.

We were greeted warmly by the pastor and several members who gave us lunch and offered the official welcome in the sanctuary by the Moravian, Congregational and Pentecostal pastors.  We also had dinner at the church followed by a most wonderful musical presentation by various community groups and choirs.  They also invited our delegation to sing.  We sang our signature song, "Siyahamb ekukhanyen kwenkos" (We are marching in the light of God).  We had fun and the entire congregation of well over 100 joined in.  We all applauded each other afterward.

Walter Schneider, the German delegation leader, our two drivers (Byron and Monte) and I stayed at the home of Tyron and Levi Closson.  Tyron is a former principal of the village school and Levi teaches in a neighboring village.  Tyron, Byron, Monte and I stayed up talking in the Closson home when the community program ended.  We spoke about life in the village, it's history (Tyron is a lifelong resident), and broader topics of mutual interest.  As the only white person present during this conversation I asked if I would have been able to stay in that house during Apartheid.  All said, "No, I would have been put under surveillance as a potential troublemaker and they would have been arrested."  What a difference 16 years has made.

Sleep came quickly that night.  I don't think I stirred at all till the alarm went off the next morning.

On Thursday we took a walking tour of the village of Enon.  The Moravian Pastor and one of the Town Councilors led the tour past the Congregational Church, the village offices and day care center, and out to Beersheba, an outpost village of Enon.  Along the way we stopped on a hillside between the two villages used as a place for the surrounding communities to come and pray in times of drought or other kinds of trouble as well as joys.  We enjoyed visiting the school in Beersheba where the daughter of one of our group members, Pumza attends, and of which Pumza is an alumna.

After lunch we said good bye to Enon enroute to Port Elizabeth.  On our way out of the area we stopped by a citrus plant for a tour.  We arrived just at the mid-afternoon break, allowing the workers to greet us with smiles and poses for our cameras.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

And the lion shall lie down with the lamb (but not yet in Schotia!)

Tuesday 10 August and Wednesday 11 August.

With great and almost universal anticipation (one of our group members, Donovan, doesn't like animals of any kind or than stuffed!) we went to the Addo Elephant Park and Schotia Game Reserve.  Over a 20 hour period the park rangers would take us on five excursions to see the animals, provide us with lunch, afternoon tea, a very  nice barbecue, rooms with electric blankets and breakfast.  What an experience!  It was also quite cold!  A cold front had come through the area on Sunday morning and remained through Wednesday noon.  So, the temperatures that had been in the 70's and 80's during our first week in South Africa were in the 40's and 50's at the beginning of our second week!

We began our safari in Addo.  We saw elephants galore feeding in the bush.  We also saw a buffalo (so, we could notch 2 of the big 5 off our list!).  We also saw many other animals in Addo over the 2 hours of our time there.  After lunch we entered Schotia for the remainder of our "safari experience".  There we saw heard of wildebeests, springbok, wild boars, zebras, giraffes and other prey that the pride of 7 lions, the stars of the Reserve, love to eat.  We also saw a couple of rhinos grazing in the lawn next to where we were staying.

Quite an experience, complete with being greeted with the glorious morning sun gleeming off the coating of frost.  We ended up seeing 4 of the big 5 while we were there.  We were also "treated" to the lions' "kill" of a wildebeest.  The four youngest lions of the pride had just captured the wildebeest and were voraciously getting as much as they could before their father and older brother arrived.  We were able to get within 25 yards of them.  Amazing!  (Now I'm a person that normally looks away during such scenes when watching a nature program on TV, but this was sickeningly fascinating nonetheless.  So, I watched.)  Eventually, the father did come and chased all of the others away, including the eldest son who got none of the feast.  The father was still hovered over the remains of the wildebeest the next morning when we drove by.

On a more peacefully majestic line we were happy to turn our attention to the giraffe grazing on the hillside above the killing field.  And, to cap things off, next to the pavilion where we were to eat our breakfast lay two crocodiles sunning themselves on the edge of a small pond.

Back to the ongoing reality of our trip, when breakfast was done we hopped into the conveys (vans) again and headed to the Moravian mission post in the village of Enon.  More later!

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

An Ivory Tower Experience in Grahamstown

Monday, 9 August

After a whirlwind week of touring the 3rd largest Township in the country, including a chat and a dance with traditional healers; experiencing some of the tragedy, hardship and hope of some schools, orphanages and palliative care centers in Informal Settlements; learning of the history of liberation from Apartheid at the Biko Center; living with the families and children of several schools in the mountains northwest of East London; and the wonderful, beautiful outdoor education center at Hobbiton on Hogsback Mountain, suddenly we found ourselves entering the university city of Grahamstown.

This proved to be a respite, transitional day for us.  We had an appointment to visit with Bill Demeris of the Center of the Transfiguration, an Anglican theological seminary in a lovely residential area of Grahamstown.  It felt like we were in driving through the campus of Hamilton College or Colgate University.  We were to meet with the seminarians at the school to talk with them about some of the projects in which they are involved around the city.

It was a beautiful but cold and windy day for a walk.  But walk we did around the seminary campus and then through the campus of neighboring Rhodes University, named after the famous British explorer and empire builder of the nineteenth century.  Again, we could have been walking through any campus in New England or New York.  It felt so different from the South Africa that we had been experiencing.

We had lunch at the seminary and toured a couple of the projects in which the seminarians are involved: a school and orphanage for boys.  As it turned out, the available seminary students and the tour of the projects were limited because it was Women's Day in South Africa, a national holiday.  This meant that many students were away and projects were on holiday staffing mode.  We were happy to learn about Women's Day from the leader of the Moravian contingent of our Group, Frances Titus.

Frances shared some background with us that she found on Wikipedia.

On 9 august 1956, 20,000 women staged a march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act of 1950.  They left bundles of petitions containing more than 100,000 signatures at prime minister J.G. Strijdom's office doors.  Outside they stood silently for 30 minutes, many with their children on their backs.  Those who were working for whites as nannies were carrying their white charges with them.  Women sang the protest song, composed for the occasion, "Now you have struck the women, your have struck a rock."  In the 54 years since, the phrase "you strike a woman, you strike a rock" has come to represent women's courage and strength in South Africa.  Since 9 August 1994, the day has been commemorated annually and is known as Women's Day in South Africa.

During our tour of Grahamstown we also went to the museum commemorating the British takeover of the city during the reign of King George IV.  There is a fort next to the museum with the cannon pointing down the steep promontory commanding the city.  One South African pointed out that his ancestors that fought the British artillery with spears didn't stand a chance.

That night we were glad to accept the peaceful and beautiful hospitality of a community of Benedictine monks at their monastery.  The rooms were lovely, complete with windows overlooking a beautiful valley and the best showers we had experienced to date!  We shared dinner with them that night (delicious soup, bread and salad) and breakfast (in silence) with them on Tuesday.  We were not able to share in worship with them.  Women's Day was a holiday for them, too.  So, they were did not follow the normal schedule of "offices".

We did have a group meeting that night to prepare for our upcoming visit to the Scotia and Addo Game Reserves and the subsequent visit to the Moravians in the Port Elizabeth area.  Afterward I posted some overdue blogs about our trip.  Internet access is less available in South African than in the USA.  Fortunately, the monastery had it!

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

In the Shire

Saturday, August 7 and Sunday August 8

We spent the weekend in Hobbiton an outdoor educational center on Hogsback Mountain.  Hobbiton was founded in 1944.  A couple of years after they started some counselor decided to read J.R.R. Tolkiens' book, The Hobbit, to the children at the camp.  From that reading came the name for the camp.

Hobbiton is a camp  We slept in dormitories in two rooms filled with double bunk beds.  (Actually, the older adults had their own bedrooms.)  The camp specializes in team building and personal development through rope courses, rappeling, hiking  to the Madonna and Child waterfall and other such activities.  Our group tried some of these both on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

We have been fortunate with the weather.  The sky has been almost a clear blue with temperatures in the 70's and 80's throughout.  One Saturday night the weather began to change.  The temperature began dropping as the winds picked up.  On Sunday morning we worshiped in the Newtown United Congregational Church.  I preached.  Walter Schneider, the chaperone from the EKHN celebrated communion, and members of the group sang a song, led prayers and read the scriptures.  Driving to and from Newtown and walking to and from the vans into the church was an exercise in fighting a very stiff breeze.  Still, this was nothing to the misty rain that began falling Sunday night and the very chilly temperatures that ensued thereafter.

On Sunday night our driver, Monte, arranged a nice gathering at the home of his sister in law, on the mountain near Hobbiton.  She had two roaring fires going and some nice refreshments.  Still we were very cold.  We had gotten spoiled by all of the nice weather to the point the we had forgotten that it is winter in South Africa!

Hobbiton was a perfect respite for us.  We were able to relax and have fun as a group.  It was wonderful!

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Looking to the Hills, Part Two

Friday, August 6

After a good night's sleep in Hopefield, we awoke to the sounds of the morning, roosters crowing, people going off to work.  We also readied ourselves for another day at the school.  The day before we were asked by Headmaster Koti to prepare and opening devotional ceremony complete with an inspirational speech.  I agreed to do the devotional.  Ben Lukens and Kristina Frenette agreed to do the speech.

Only one portion of our group arrived on time for the opening devotional (the group of which I was a part).  Not even the headmaster nor most of the teachers were there.  But I led the devotional and we sent the children to their classrooms.  Those of us that were present also went into the classes with the children.

The older Hopefield learners and our group were scheduled to go to a neighboring school to meet with the students and recruit them to come to Hopefield when they reached the older grade levels. 

We had an assembly in the school yard.  Ben and Kristina did they speech.   Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Some of the learners did some skits, and the Hopefield Choir performed some songs.

After another enjoyable morning, we returned to Hopefield and had lunch.  By then it was time for adjournment.  School usually adjourns around 1:00 on Fridays.  It was then after 2:00. 

Not having any more students to went to a near  by reservoir and then into town to pick up some sodas and snacks.  We then returned to our host families for a good night of fellowship and sleep.

These "home stays" are very enjoyable.  Life is at once different and the same.  Most of us in New York do have indoor plumbing with sinks and showers and toilets.  The household in which I stayed had none of these.  There was an outhouse with a flush toilet.  But we didn't go out there after the house was locked up by our host.  We washed in a basin with water heated on the stove.  (It was interesting shaving this way.)  So life is somewhat different than that to which we are used.  But much is the same.  We can talk about the world cup.  They watch a South African soap opera on TV.  Children go to school.  Parents work.  And we all are blessed.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Looking to the Hills

Wednesday, August 5

Today is a traveling day.  Up for breakfast at 6:00 in order to get on the road by 7:00 (quite a feat for a group of 22).  We did it, though.  We needed to be in Fort Beaufort by 9:00 to start our work in some rural schools.  Actually, we divided our group so that half of us would work in the Newtown Township primary school (outside of Fort Beaufort) and in the village of Hopefield (about a 50 minute drive from Fort Beaufort).

Even though we got started on time, we ended up being 30 minutes late in Newtown and then an hour late in Hopefield.  Headmaster Neville McDonald greeted us warmly in Newtown.  He quickly gathered the entire student body to greet us.  A choir of the older learners (they do not call them students) regaled us with song.  Those of us that were going on to Hopefield then piled into our van and headed farther up into the hills.

The Hopefield group was greeted by the leader of the student body, 13 year old Sibonekuhle Mabandla.  She took us to greet the headmaster Xolani Koti and his staff of teachers.  Since we were late, classes were well under way.  Therefore, we filtered into different classrooms.  Of course, our relationship with the children and teachers was a little stilted at first.  But soon everyone seemed to get used to being together.  After lunch, we became much more adept at relating to the children.

I walked into a room to pick up my backpack that I had left when we met the teachers.  It was quiet and dark, so I was surprised to see about 10 learners sitting there. They were waiting for their teacher.  So, I sat down and we started to chat.  They asked me questions about New York and the US.  I also asked them about their life. 

One of our group, Kristina Frenette from Amherst also came in and joined the conversation.  She asked them what they wanted to be when they left school.  Each of them had a ready answer (they had obviously been thinking about it).  Two said they wanted to be nurses, two more said they wanted to be social workers, another wanted to be a policeman, another a journalist, another a veteranarian and the last an attorney.  Later, I asked their teacher about the chances of them realizing their dreams.  He said that a couple of them might be successful.  I still had hope that more than some would become the people about whom they dreamed.

This small country school has a great choir, well rehearsed in the songs that they sing and in the dances that accompany the singing.  We were given many examples of their work.  And were amazed and grateful.

Our group of 12 (including our driver, Monte) then divided up again to go with our hosts for the night.  Supper was to be with our hosts.  My group of four (two Germans -- Josephin and Isabelle -- Sarah and I) stayed with one of the teachers.  We were so exhausted by the time we arrived at dusk that we were all falling asleep before supper.  We ate, then went right to our rooms by 8:00.  Everyone, host family and guests were in bed with the lights out by 9:00.

What a great day!

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

"I write what I want"

Steve Biko was a great and inspirational leader of the anti-apartheid movement.  He grew up in a township outside of King Williams Town (about an hour's drive from East London).  He was killed in prison in 1989 at the age of 30.  We visited the Steve Biko Foundation in King Williams Town, learned of his life, visited his grave and the last house in which he was place on house arrest.

In a book of lectures on Biko's life and works Chinua Achebe wrote of Biko, "A young man with a sharp intellect and a flair for organization and leadership, Biko realised the need to raise the sagging morale of black people, to raise their consciousness and self-esteem; in his own words to 'overcome the psychological oppression of black people by whites.'"

It was an honor to get to know more about this courageous and brilliant man who wrote what he wanted in trying to lift the sense of self worth and determination of the black majority in South Africa.

This was a good but tiring day.  After a late lunch we were scheduled to go the "Great House" a museum of indigenous tribal life at the site of the "Great House" of a King of the area members of a Xhosa tribe.  It was interesting, but we were too exhausted to pay attention.  We did not stay long.

One of our drives, Byron Jonas, invited us back to his house for a cookout.  We agreed to go out of obligation to him.  Afterall, we were exhausted.  As it turned out it was one of the best things we did.  We had a great time, got to be with his family (wife Yolanda, his daughter and son).  It was our last night in East London, and even though we had to get up early the next morning we stayed until 11:00.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Never Give Up

Tuesday, August 2

It was a day of beginnings and endings for us in East London.  On the docket were visits to the Samaritan Care Centre, a palliative care clinic and outreach program supported by Common Global Ministries, and Isiah 58 a school and orphanage.  We split up the group between the two places in the morning, ate lunch at the Samaritan Care Centre then swapped in the afternoon.

I spent the morning with the Samaritan Care Centre.  We toured the building, met the staff and the patients and walked around the neighborhood to see several of the people suffering from HIV/AIDS that the Centre treats.  Such visits are heartrending and hard.  The patients rarely have anything to say.  They are sick!  And, we are strangers.  Plus they live in such horribly foreign conditions to us that it is difficult to stay very long.

In one home that we visited the patient was out doing something.  He was a man of 40 suffering from AIDS.  We spoke with his mother, father and sister and prayed with them.  The caregivers also need much prayer.  This household had already lost one son.  Now, another seemed well on the way.

In the afternoon we visited Isaiah 58.  What a contrast this school and orphanage was to the others that we had seen.  It was established about 30 years ago by Christians with an established mind for how to run a business.  The buildings, all donated by various international service organizations, were in good repair, and the interiors were clean.

The executive director runs a tight ship.  When he speaks the children jump.  Still it is obvious that he adores the children.  We spent nearly two hours playing with the children. They also sang for us.  One of these was the school song, entitled, "We will never give up."  Knowing the poverty and the hardships whence they came, the song was quite moving.

It was hard to leave, but leave we must.  And so, we returned to the hotel, went out to dinner at Guidos again, then back to the hotel and bed.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

When Separate is Not Equal

Monday, August 2

The affects of apartheid remain in the Townships and "Informal Settlements" on the outskirts of cities and towns throughout the country.

Today we took a tour of Mdantsane Township outside of East London. Mdantsane is the 3rd largest township in South Africa.  Mdantsane is located about 5 km outside of the city.  Closer in is the Informal Settlement of Duncan Village.  It is a horrible warren of tin and scrap wood and cardboard shacks crowded in every available knook and cranny between more conventional neighborhoods.

In the Village we first stopped at a Creche(a nursery school)  The school "campus" consisted of four steel storage bins that had been brightly paintede inside and out that served as classrooms.  These housed four classes of about 100 children total.  They crowded around us when we stepped inside their classrooms.  They love to have their photos taken, especially when we can show the photos to them immediately from our digital cameras.  They sang their "ABC's" and we all sang, "Jesus love me". It was very hard to leave.  In fact many of us were wiping tears from our eyes.

The tears continued to flow as we then went to an orphanage in the Village.  A woman living there looked around her and saw the great needs of the children in her neighborhood.  So many were victims of abusive, drug addicted and/or HIV/AIDS infected parents.  She decided to do something about it.  She started an orphanage.  It was a pretty downtrodden place.  The one building was under construction, but had hit a "funding snag".  So the construction had stopped.  They have four walls and a roof, but little else in the main dormitory.  There is an adjacent building that serves as a classroom. The children sleep on small plastic mats on dusty floors.  It was very sad.  One of our group walked away shaking her head saying, "We take so much for granted."  I thought how even this ramshackle place was better than those places whence those children came.

The Township was the foundation of Apartheid South Africa.  Blacks, coloreds and Indians were each provided separate sections of these townships.  The townships were placed far out of town.  Most of these had one road leading to them.  It was a fine way of controlling any potential disturbances among the inhabitants.  Of course, the whites lived in the cities. 

Apartheid, like Jim Crow laws in the United States were insidious means of disenfranchising and keeping entire segments of the population in poverty.  Even with Apartheid ended, the Townships and the poverty remain.  In part this is due to the pretty steady improvements in the lives of those living in the townships.  There are now shopping malls in the Townships.  New houses are also being built.

Life in the Informal Settlements seems to remain in rather constant misery.  But at least there is some improvement in the Townships.

One of the fascinating parts of our "Township Tour" was our visit to a cluster of Natural Healers.  We spent about an hour with them, learning about what it takes to train to become a healer, what is involved in the healing process, as well as a time to ask questions.  Some interest learnings about the Natural Healers is that theirs is a mixture of the indigenous worship of the ancestors along with Christianity.  We were told that each member of the healing clan was a Christian.  They also said that most of them served on the boards of the local health clinic.

Quite a day followed by a good dinner at an Italian bistro, then off to our rooms.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

It's Nice to Worship God!

Sunday, August 1.

We decided to have our breakfast together. The young women of suite 25 set forth a great spread of breads, cereals, fruit juices and cheese for all of us. They have a great room with a porch overlooking the ocean. What a beautiful morning it was – the beginning of a beautiful day.

Byron and Monte picked us up at a little after 9:00 AM and took us to the Volks Kirk United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA), in the Parkside section of East London. We were greeted by the Rev. Sippo Makuseni, retired pastor of the nearby Brownsback UCCSA. The 9:30 service began promptly at around 9:45. The sanctuary was filled to overflowing. The Volks Kirk congregation had invited the neighboring congregations of Dunn Asher and the Parkside UCCSA to join them (an us) in worship.

Each visiting pastor gave a word of greetings on behalf of their congregations. Walter and I each gave greetings from our group also. There was much singing. As the congregation awaited the start of worship, they sang chorus after chorus as a congregation. Someone would start singing and everyone joined in, and heartily. No need for hymn books or worship leaders…just the faithful praising God in song.

The pastor began worship with the declaration, “It’s nice to worship God.” To which the congregation responded, “It’s good to worship God.” This went on for two or three more rounds, when the pastor asked, “Are you happy to be here today?” And we all shouted, “Yes.” (I couldn’t help but wonder what the response would be in our churches if the pastor dared to asked such a question!)

Worship went along in a similar fashion to our services. There was more music (2 or 3 church choirs needed to be included as well as 5 visiting pastors). Most inspiring to me was the leadership of the liturgy of the Eucharist by the Rev. Dr. Colin Joosty.

Dr. Joosty was a freedom fighter during the apartheid years. He also was forced into exile during those years. He came to the US and studied in our seminaries. He came to know of the United Church of Christ and worked with the Board for World Ministries (now Common Global Ministries). And, for our liturgy he used the UCC Book of Worship. Why? Because as he said, “Freedom also requires and equality of gender as well as that of race.” And the use of inclusive language in the UCC Book of Worship witnesses to this truth.

It was an honor for Walter and me to be included in administering communion at the service.

When the service was finished we moved a couple of blocks away to have a fine luncheon at the Dunn Asher parish hall. I was a fine time for fellowship with the gathered congregations. We felt very welcomed indeed.

We returned to the hotel in time to take in the flee market and side walk tables of treasures set up on the beach road. A few of us went swimming in the Indian Ocean. Most of us just shopped. By 4:30 we were on our way back to Dunn Asher for an evening program of praise music, scriptures and prayer. The choirs were wonderful, especially the dance ensembles of children and youth.

At the close of the service our group was invited to the dais to receive glasses with the engraved logo and name of the church. One of our group members from Port Elizabeth , Jonathon, presented each of us with “ubuntu” bracelets to witness to our one-ness. And, Kristina Frenette thanked the congregation on behalf of the group.

Back at the hotel, we gathered in the one of our rooms to get to know each other in a more intentional way. We went around the room with introductions, saying our name, where we were from, our ages, and what we like about our home churches. I distributed a packet of personal devotional pages, including a listing of song lyrics for us to rehearse. The song on which we spent most of our time was “Siyahamb’ ekukanyen kwenkos” (We are marching in the light of God). We sang it several times, then decided to translate the English lyrics into Xhosa, Africans and German. It was fun.

What a wonderful group we have. I feel very blest to travel with them.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Coming Together

Saturday, July 31

Airports are wonderful places. Sometimes planes are on time. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes one’s luggage arrives when one arrives. And sometimes it does not. Our flights were all on time. The connection from Johannesburg to East London was actually early. Unfortunately, not all of the luggage arrived with us. Sarah’s luggage remained in Johannesburg. This occasioned a quick trip to a soon-to-close clothing store in order to have clothes to attend church the next morning.

We were met on time by Byron Jonas, owner operator of the transportation company, and our guide. Byron and his cousin Monte are wonderful: very accommodating and friendly. We were also greeted by Katherine Beckett, a UCC chaplain from Ohio who has spent her three month sabbatical leave from the palliative care department of a hospital outside of Columbus, to work with the Samaritan Care Center in East London, that provides palliative care for the residents of the neighboring “temporary settlement” that suffer from HIV/AIDS and other ailments. It was nice to meet and to share a meal with her

We were very happy to get to our hotel, overlooking the Indian Ocean, and to meet our German and South African fellow trippers. We were the last to arrive. Walter Schneider, known to many New Yorkers that have been involved with our Conference partnership with the EKHN in Germany, organized a crew from our group to walk the 1 ½ miles to the nearest supermarket to buy groceries for our breakfast in our hotel rooms. We’ve rented 4 suites capable of accommodating 6 persons in each. Each has a kitchenette and plenty of room to gather as a large group.

With the gradual arrivals and other errands that needed accomplishing, we didn’t go out to eat dinner until 8:00. We found a place overlooking the ocean, the Terraza Restaurant that provided a nice meal for us. After a very long series of days and a good meal, we walked back to the hotel, dispersed to our rooms and promptly fell fast asleep (after a very refreshing shower, for me, at least!).

Blessings,

Rick Cowles