Day 2

Day 2

//Sunday 8.6.17//

Our day began the same as before- breakfast at 8AM and then a van ride. But instead of sightseeing, we spent half of ur day culture experiencing. Dr. Meekins took us to a local church where we got to experience a South African Sunday service. It was quite different from what we were used to, but we really enjoyed it.

Something that we were told and learned quickly is that in America, our space bubble is a lot bigger. Here there is still personal space, but it is much tinier, and we got to experience that first hand as we waited for the church doors to open. We were greeted with big smiles and friendly words and the service began with 12 women on stage singing a worship song that the congregation soon followed suit in singing. How do I describe the feeling of hearing those first chords? It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I have heard in my life. As soon as the song was in full swing, the women onstage as well as the congregation were dancing to the music and rising their voices in unhindered worship. I remember my first thought during that was “Man, I can’t wait to worship with them in Heaven where language will not be a barrier.”

The service lasted about 2 and half hours and the pastor preached a message on fellowship. Although this message of fellowship was unlike any I had heard in the US. A comparison was drawn between a lion and a zebra (when in Africa, it makes more sense). The scripture was 1 Peter 5, a piece of scripture that compares Satan to a lion, waiting to strike. And a lion in real life preys on the young, the weak, the wounded, and the isolated. The pastor told us that we need to look out for each other, and if we are wounded, we need to get healed. The thing that really stood out to me, was the way the congregation interpreted the message. In America, we read the Bible or go to church and ask “How does this apply to me?”. In South Africa, they hear the message and ask, “How does this apply to us?” The culture hear is much more group oriented, something that is really refreshing after living in a society that elevates individualism.

Another part of the service that was different from home was the way offering was taken. Instead of passing a bucket or plate or basket, they had bowls up on the stage and the people danced their way up to it and put in their offering. It was such a jubilant time where people who have hardly anything joyfully give what they can. It was a scene that mirrored the widow in Mark 12:41.

After the service we met with 5 members of the church that were our age and had conversations with them about South Africa, Education, America, and what it is like growing up post-apartheid. It was so interesting and informative. I found my eyes welling up with tears as they described the struggle of sharing the gospel with others in their communities when a lifestyle of crime, drugs and alcohol was cool and Christianity was and is viewed as the white man’s religion and is associated wth oppression and colonialism. It struck a cord in me as I thought about the issues and barriers created due to some well-intentioned missionaries who had terrible ways of going about evangelizing. It gave me a lot to think about.

After our time at the church was over, we went to a mall. It was, well, a mall almost exactly like ones we have in America, except for the stores. Some were well-known brands in America and Europe. Many were stores I have never heard of but were cool to look in.

Now I am half asleep and having a conversation with my roommate Megan about the things we learned today and the conversations we had. Tomorrow is our first day of class at the Bible Institute and we move to our new location where we will have wifi (praise!) so posts will be more updated!

#InAfrica #CapeTown #SouthAfrica #Africa #CapeTown #SASA