Wow! I can’t believe I am finally here in Soweto sitting in the flat in which I’ll be living for the next 11 months or so. The last three weeks have been incredible, enlightening, inspiring, frustrating, and hectic, just to throw out the first few of the many adjectives that come into my mind as I reflect. It began with the buzzing of my alarm clock at 5 am on the morning of August 19, three weeks ago to the day! After a sleepy car ride and some teary goodbyes to my parents, I was off to Chicago for in-country orientation. As the plane touched down in the Windy City, I was eager to collect my luggage and race through the airport to see the familiar faces of those I had grown close to in the relatively short span of four days at the Discernment, Interview, and Placement event in April. It’s amazing how close you can get to someone when connected with the common bond of having a life-changing year impending. The week in Chicago served as not only a jumping-off point for the journey ahead, but as a time to learn, grow in faith, and spend time as a group where the question was no longer “Why are you going?” but instead “Where are you going?” (DMB reference not intended). For we no longer had to explain why we made the choice to engage in global mission, instead we could spend time in fellowship with those who really understand what the year is all about. We stayed at the University of Chicago not far from the Obama’s house where, of course, we made a pilgrimage. We had plenty of free time to explore the city. I was able to take in a White Sox game, see the works of Van Gough, Picasso, Matisse, and others at the Art Institute of Chicago, swing dance to live music in the park, watch the waves (yes, waves) crash against the shores of Lake Michigan, among other activities. I was able to learn what it means to be a missionary in the context of ELCA Global Mission. The term “missionary” carries such a crippling negative connotation that many of us, myself included, often steer clear of the word instead saying, “I’m going to do volunteer work overseas.” However, ELCA Global Mission seeks to practice what is called the “Accompaniment Model” which means, “Walking together in solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. In this walk, gifts, resources, an experiences are shared with mutual advice and admonition deepen and expand our work within God’s world.” It’s not about what we have to offer those in the countries we are traveling. Instead, it about what we can accomplish alongside those individuals. It was often said that the real mission work begins not when arriving in our countries or our mission sites, rather it begins when returning to the United States with the stories of those whose voices might not otherwise be heard. I could talk at great length about this idea but I shall move on. Overall, Chicago was a great experience; a much needed one considering what was about to take place. We packed our bags and after some difficult goodbyes to our dear friends going to other countries, it was the South Africa group’s turn to head to the airport. It was and odd feeling as the plane took off and I realized that I wouldn’t be setting foot on American soil for quite some time. We had an eight-hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany, so we left the airport and did some exploring around the city. After a train ride, some walking, some sausage and German beer, a few beautiful cathedrals, a lovely walk by the river, and another train ride back to the airport, we boarded the plane once again for another long flight. We arrived in Johannesburg sleepy, dirty, and a bit grumpy after two consecutive overnight flights, but we soon were rallied as we were greeted by our beloved country coordinators, Brian and Kristen Konkol. They wasted no time in getting us moving around the city. After a quick shower, we went to the Apartheid Museum where we were bombarded with powerful images and stories from the atrocities that occurred in this very country not so long ago, and the aftermath is still strongly apparent. We spent the next two days in Johannesburg sampling local cuisine, attending the Saturday market, and getting a tour of the township of Alexandra, Johannesburg’s oldest township. Although much of the area looked like the pictures we see from home; shacks, overcrowding, poverty, what was also apparent is the sense of life and community that can only be observed if you get out of the car and speak with the people. It’s difficult to explain but it certainly was a powerful experience. The next day was Sunday and we attended church in Alexandra. The church experience here is such that I think I’ll make it a blog topic of its own in the future. Following church we loaded into the van and drove six hours to Pietermaritzburg in the kwaZulu-Natal province (Jo-burg is in the Gauteng province), which is where the Konkol’s reside. We spent the week there, usually meeting in the morning for sessions where we discussed many topics related to our stays in South Africa. One of my fellow volunteers and I stayed with a host family for the week where we entertained the children of the household with Frisbees, guitars, harmonicas, and the like. It’s amazing how much in common one can have with children that live halfway across the world. It was an enjoyable week in that regard, with the exception of a few awkward moments of miscommunication with our host mother and other family members. In the afternoons we would travel as a group and do some sightseeing. One day we went to Durban and splashed around in the Indian Ocean. We went hiking on a few occasions where we saw giraffes, zebras, antelope, wildebeest, and monkeys. It was a surreal experience to see these animals in their natural habitats. We just kept saying, “Wow! We’re in Africa!” Our week in Pietermaritzburg ended with a night spent at the Konkol’s house where we were just able to be together as a group for the last time until our November retreat. It was an evening of fun and relaxation and, yes, we watched “The Lion King” to really get into the spirit of Africa. On Monday morning I boarded the bus back to Jo-burg. I was greeted by Reverend Mughivi, who is the coordinator of the Diakonia AIDS Ministry where I will be working for the next 11 months. He took me to the place where I will be both living and working. My place is plenty roomy for one person and it is about 30 feet from the office. There is also a church here and the Bishop’s office. So far everyone has been really friendly. I’m sure the year will bring plenty of challenges but it will all be worth it. At this point, I’m just sort of getting to know the place and learning about what they do here. Once I get and idea of the different programs, I will be able to decide where my interests are and then I’ll focus on that particular program. Well now this entry is becoming quite long so I think I’ll wrap it up. This is only a fraction of all the things I wish I could say. Sorry for the long time between entries. I hope this message finds everyone well at home. God’s blessings.
