From Wilma

We're all here, safe and sound, and 2 quite amazing days into our journey. The unpredictable Cape Town weather co-operated to give us 2 fairly good days, and Table Mountain (aka 'the mountain') has shown us it's splendid beauty in different shades of light, covered in swirling clouds and not one but many rainbows as we had some rain showers today!

Day One

Beginnings
We began our trip at the District Six Museum, which used to be a Methodist church, and long, long ago, a wine cellar! Its an interactive museum that tells the painful, poignant story of the essential social, political,emotional wound of Cape Town - the forced removals in the 1960s, of people from an area which was multicultural, vibrant, and close to the city, into squalid townships far away with not much beauty or hope.

The guide was someone who grew up in District Six and was moved out - Joe told his story with grace and irony and sadness. A huge map on the floor outlines the various streets, and people who were moved out, have come back and signed their names on the streets where they lived. We will see this same story played out in the townships that we visit this trip.

An excellent way to catapult us into our journey - by listening to someone's story, and learning about the history that shaped this amazing place.

Orientation
Hope Africa introduced us to all their staff and Bishop Garth Counsell welcomed us to the Diocese of Cape Town and the Anglican Church in Southern Africa. We heard about the work of Hope Africa in different parts of Southern Africa, and were impressed to be in the powerhouse and nerve center of it all.

Party-time!
My friends had arranged a reception in celebration of my ordination anniversary. It was a great gathering of people, including John Allen, the biographer of Desmond Tutu, and Lavinia Browne, his personal assistant, and Michael Lapsley of the Institute for the Healing of Memories. No less than three previous chaplains to Desmond Tutu were present! Little did I know that my friends would roast me and let out many secrets that were little known over the years! Quite a joy to have so many friends present whom I have know for more than twenty years! Two of my former high school students from my early teaching days were there - they became friends over the years. We remembered stories, laughed and cried and were amazed at the rich events of the past 20 years.

My sister, niece and nephew were there, which made it even more special.

Mama Afrika!
Our dinner was at this great African restaurant, complete with a marimba band which is a project of Hope Africa.

Great music, good dancing! they gave the Pasadenans special treatment - on a break we were invited to try out the marimbas and drums. Hilda, Sally, Dale and I managed to get up a not-too-shabby sound!

Day Two

Robben Island
An early start to get the ferry to Robben Island! This trip is the story of South Africa. The island housed a leper colony before it was the home of maximum security prisoners. The tour guides are all ex-prisoners and told us their prison numbers. Our first guide grew up in District Six and told us that story and the story of his imprisonment. His name is Sadick Levy, a true product of multicultural District Six.

A bus trip took us around the island, to the leper graveyard, to the house of Robert Sobukwe, famous leader and prisoner, to the limestone quarry where Nelson Mandela and others did hard labor, to the little Anglican church of the Good Shepherd. The church is the only non-state owned property on the island. Another guide, Sipho Nkosi (which means gift king) took us around the prison, including the communal prison cell where he stayed. It was all profoundly emotional and there are some stories from the group we will share later.

Celebration Service
Today was also the celebration service at St George's Cathedral. A wonderful gathering of sixty people from all the different parishes I have worked in, plus all my family, made this a very special occasion. The priest who was ordained with me, Wilfred Meyer, was present and he and I shared the gospel reading and the dismissal.

We were 7 celebrants in all! Rowan Smith the dean, Michael Lapsley, Margaret Vertue who was the other woman ordained with me as a priest in 1992, Nangula Kathindi, a Namibian woman priest who is now holds a high office in the church structure, Gail Paulse, a young priest who was a highschool student in my first parish and found her vocation at that time, Wilfred Meyer and myself! That was quite something. Songs in Xhosa, (of course Siyahamba and Ukuthula) and hymns from my earlier ordination, lots of singing, and prayers in English and Xhosa, and the eucharistic prayer we used at All Saints on Pentecost Day, made this an occasion I will not forget.

Nomfundo Walaza
We enjoyed dinner with Nomfundo as our guest. Nomfundo directs the Desmond Tutu Peace Center and was a speaker at a Rector's Forum last year. She told us stories, helped us understand the current realities of Cape Town and South Africa and the refugee crisis. More about that later, but so many churches are housing people in their church halls and this has been a crisis that has pushed open people's hearts with compassion and support. Yet so difficult to deal with the issues.

Stay tuned!
Others from the group will write about their experiences as the days go by. There is more to come!