Sunday - Day Off - Kaapschoep

A new day dawns and already it's Sunday... we've been here now for a whole full week.  Up early again  but not as early as yesterday(!) so we can leave at 8.00 for Church in White River, led there by Cat who is one of the Youth/Sunday school leaders.  We were warmly welcomed at St George's, the Anglican Parish Church which has a lovely village feel to it, and which, along with a smaller group from the African School of Mission, we helped to fill. We had a good sing with some lovely modern hymns and really enjoyed the connections the readings and sermon made with our mission.

 We all felt that the whole service spoke to us individually and as a group; the readings and the sermon were so apposite. The preacher focussed on the importance of relationships, illustrating it by referring to himself as a wilful child increasingly ignoring the well meant advice of his loving parents

Hosea chapter 11 (verses 1-11) was the first passage:
"When Israel was a child I loved him and I called my son out of Egypt.
"But the more I called him the further he moved from me..."
such a move away from God leading to disastrous results both then and now. Hosea goes on to recount God's drawing back from punishment, stressing forgiveness and the chance to start again. We are given that chance again and again... and have it now here in our work to support the most vulnerable children and their carers.

The psalm was 107 (verses 1-9 & verse 43).
"Some wandered in the wilderness lost and homeless. 
"Hungry and thirsty they nearly died...
"For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things...
"Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

The gospel reading, from Luke 12 (verses 13-21), was the parable of the rich fool and his storage of worldly goods .
"Beware! guard against any kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own...
So the preacher encouraged us to focus more firmly on what is really important. Often we are over concerned not only with our own worldly needs, but also allow these to lead to an inappropriate use of power, even in the church; he then extended this to include the dangers of corruption and linked it to forthcoming elections.
"Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."

The final prayers included the following:
    God bless Africa
    Protect our children
    Transform our leaders
    Heal our communities
    Restore our dignity
    And give us peace
    For the sake of Jesus Christ, Amen

After this wonderful time of worship and further prayer and reflection, we set off to replenish supplies and then head towards the nearest 'mountain' to climb... at Kaapschoep, reaching there about 11:30. Half an hour or so to purchase souvenirs was followed by a substantial lunch of both savoury and sweet pancakes.

A short hike was then suggested, so we walked through a pavement of sandstone boulders and shrub land, which led to an escarpment with extensive views over the surrounding countryside. Vaughan was given a free geological tutorial by Christine as they clambered up the occasionally steep pathways. This chance to learn from each other is another great aspect of the teamwork.

To complete our day of rest we enjoyed a super home-made meal of chicken korma followed by meringue nests and fruit salad. We then embarked on a reflective discussion to allow us to refocus on the challenges of the week to come. This included thinking about the surprises, the challenges, the things we had learnt and the things we are looking forward to. We then summarised by thinking about the things that we may take home from our time here and in the communities.


On completion of the refocus session we prayed for:

Our last few days in the community, for a successful and happy week; that we can be helpful and bring support to the care workers and care givers in the communities that we are visiting, seeing and working with...

For Africa and all its vulnerable children...the children that we have met, that they will learn to grow into independent and successful adults and that they may have a brighter future...

The faith of the care workers and the care givers and give them the strength to continue with their wonderful work...

For our continuing health, strength and understanding to be able to give of our best in the week to come, so that we can do our best for the really needy...

For all the communities that we have visited and will visit. We pray for a cohesive team that will be supportive and encouraging to all. We pray that our experiences and challenges will help us to grow as people and that we are able to share these with others back home. We thank you for our team leaders and that you will give them the strength to continue to lead us effectively...

We pray that God will give guidance to each of us, challenge us, and give us greater emotional strength and understanding, for less frustration and more ability to let some things go more easily.

Blogged by Clive and Vaughan