South Africa Awaits!

“Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’”  -John 9:39

Not too long ago I shoved my life into a bag of no more than fifty pounds and flew half way across the world.  My destination was South Africa.  For months I had been preparing for this journey, reading, seeking advice from friends, and trying to pack for a winter in Africa.  Through all of my preparations I found prayer the most difficult.  Despite all my research I found it hard to imagine the contours of life and church in this foreign land.

I oftentimes found myself drawn to the words of Jesus about sight, that he came that the blind might see.  A big part of this internship is learning to see the church and the world with new eyes.  If I couldn’t conceptualize ministry in South Africa before my travels, at least I could pray for eyes to see upon my arrival.

So after a brief ten thousand mile flight, I arrived at my destination.  South Africa is an exciting country. This is a place where people drive on the wrong side of the road, stoplights are robots, people say fun words like ‘dodgey,’ ‘bru,’ and ‘oak,’ and the weather is schizophrenic.  Most of all, this is a colorful place that lives up to the nickname the Rainbow Nation.  The population is a tapestry of Africans, Afrikaans, Indians, and Coloured* people, to name only a few.

Yet despite the novel experience of seeing a foreign land, I’m constantly reminded that there is so much I don’t see.  I notice the many people milling about directionless on the city streets, but I cannot see what it means to be among the 40% unemployed in this nation.  I have been called a pale face and a whitey, but I don’t understand the lingering wounds of a post-apartheid nation.  I have been warned about areas that are simply unsafe to travel to even during the day, but I have yet to see the full extent of fear caused by racism and xenophobia.   There is much here I don’t understand.

One of my favorite new words here is ‘Sawubona.’   This is a Zulu greeting that literally means “I see you.”  I find this a helpful word to reflect upon.  Rather than simply offer a superficial greeting, the statement acknowledges that you really see another.  My prayer for this experience is that I will have eyes to see beyond superficial boundaries to recognize the people that God loves.  Please pray that during this journey I will have eyes to really see people, the world around me, and the ways God is at work in South Africa.

*Coloured is a term used to refer to those of mixed racial background in South Africa.  Coloured peoples are considered a separate racial group.  In general, South Africans are more direct about racial terms than in the United States.