Post-Southern Africa Mission Pilgrimage Reflection #2

While in South Africa, I enjoyed seeing World Cup 2010 posters everywhere, stars as bright as light bulbs, wildlife in their natural habitat, and history living in the air. In Swaziland, it was a natural occurrence to see cows anywhere and everywhere, women carrying 4-foot long wooden logs on their heads on the side of the highway, and kids smiling and waving at our three kombies driving along. In South Africa, I felt very much a part of the country, like I could find some of my history in the people that lived there. In Swaziland, however, I felt like an outsider, looking in on someone else’s world.

It was challenging to see two countries that bordered each other to have such a different culture and landscape. One had gone through a terrible apartheid, while the other was still underneath a total monarchy (one of the last in the world). Yet the similarities between the two countries were startling. Each had a major problem with AIDS/HIV, as well as the overwhelming poverty. In South Africa especially, it was surprising to see the stark difference in the levels of poverty. We would be driving down the highway, seeing some very nice, large, comfortable houses (some nicer than our own), and then BAM! Shacks made of scrap metal as far as you could see lined the highway for miles.



While experiencing the love of all the people I met on this pilgrimage journey, I kept reminding myself, “These are my brothers and sisters.” Even through our differences of race, age, wealth, or political view, we knew we had the most important thing in common: a love of God. This fact made every experience and awkward first meeting seem a bit smoother, more comfortable, more holy.

The first thing I did when I got home (after looking at all my pictures) was go to my closet and take out everything I didn’t really wear or need. That day, I gave away 80 articles of clothing, as well as 8 pairs of shoes. From this experience (especially the part where we didn’t have our luggage for 4 days), I realized that my clothes and personal “necessities”, as I had once called them, were not the things I needed to worry about. The world is a big place and needs some attention, and I was standing in my closet trying to figure out what to wear that day. That has changed. I’ve also tried to become more hospitable with strangers that I encounter in my life on a daily basis. At every place on our pilgrimage, we felt fully and completely loved by the people we had met a few hours before. Their warm smiles and comforting hugs left our cups full daily. I now want all that I know and don’t know to experience that same feeling of comfort.

One thing I’m still pondering: what will my contribution to my global family will be? How can I live in a way that praises the God I love and the person I claim to be? These questions will probably follow me through my lifetime, and I welcome the struggle that they bring. They will help guide me and keep my priorities straight, no matter what comes my way.

Post-Reflection Southern Africa Reflection 1

I think that what I have most struggled with, in terms of understanding my South Africa experience, is how to make it meaningful. Certainly, it was an amazing experience, and I met and was in fellowship with so many beautiful people, but how do I make what I saw and felt and heard actually stick?

I know this much: I never want to forget the stars we admired in Swaziland and Kruger Park, I never want to forget how much I appreciate running water, I never want to forget the love with which I was welcomed. I could list hundreds of things that my experience in South Africa made me realize. Some of these memories were ground-breaking, others were small moments of comfort, but they all mesh together in a way that encapsulates my experience.

I hope that I never romanticize the trip, that I never forget the hard work, the exhaustion, or the uncertainties. Those things were as equally as important as the moments of comfort, if not more so. This was a challenging experience, but it was also a life-changing one. Through our interactions with the people of Come Back Mission and Lomgeletjane, I saw more gracious acts of kindness, humanity, and love than I ever could have hoped to see.

I continue to reflect over my time South Africa and Swaziland, in hopes that I will eventually understand how it will impact my life. To be truthful, I’m not yet sure, though I accept that this is part of the adventure.