Monday, March 17, 2008

We started our day at the top of Table Mountain. The view defies description. It is as if the mountain is sheltering the city of Cape Town as it is tucked into a bay looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean. The cable car ride to the top is a breath-taking experience, as it appears that we were scaling the shear face of the mountain. The cable car ascended 1,036 meters in about five minutes. Nothing prepared us for the view the harbor and of Robbin Island from the top. The look out over Lion's Head Peak toward the Atlantic Ocean was like the lion was almost watching the mountain protectively. Now we know why the local people call this God's country. Only God could endow a location with such majestic beauty.

It was hard to follow such an act, but we enjoyed the scenic trip to the Cape of Good Hope, the Southwestern most point of the continent of Africa - facing the Atlantic Ocean. Not much farther away is where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. To mark the occasions we took a picture at Cape Good Hope, and enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant.

 

The tour to the Cape of Good Hope was highlighted by views of Ostriches, Baboons, and a fascinating visit to a colony of African Penguins. Perhaps, like me, you probably never thought of Penguins in Africa. This was the highlight of the animal life we encountered without visiting a wild game reservation.

Our evening ended with a wonderful visit to a restaurant in Cape Town - Mama

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Today was a full day of enriching experiences. We started the day worshipping with the Athlone Church of Christ. Athlone is a former Colored Township outside Cape Town. The minister there is Peter Manuel. We were honored guests for the worship services there, and Ernest Cato, the minister traveling with us, was the guest speaker. We enjoyed the singing and fellowship tremendously. I met Peter Manuel in 1995. He has worked diligently with this congregation and it has grown into a very strong and active congregation with many outreach programs in the local community. The most ambitious work that they are engaged in is a missionary outreach to the nation of Namibia.

Namibia is an almost forgotten country bordering South Africa to the Northwest on the Atlantic Ocean. It has a small population and is relatively poor. They gained their independence from South Africa in 1990 and its capital city is Windhoek. It is named after the Namib Desert.

 

Following worship services, we took a ferry to Robbin Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 17 of his 27 years in prison. We had the unique experience of visiting the cell where he stayed, and I was able to actually enter and close the bars in one of the single cells. The brief experience of such a small space with no toilet or other amenities except a thin mattress on the floor was quite chilling. We toured the group cells, and our tour guide was a former prisoner who told us about the harsh

South Africa is the Land of Ubuntu. When challenged to build a new nation following the end of Apartheid, Nelson Mandela challenged the nation to embrace the spirit of Ubuntu. This challenged all people Black and White to work together to craft a better future for everyone. The result is that the people of South Africa ask all visitors with a warm smile, "How do you like our new South Africa?"

Our community at iZania is inspired by the spirit of Ubuntu - an African concept of unity and sharing with other people that celebrates the success of others because I can only become the person I am because of who you are. This concept is important in a highly connected world built on the kindness of strangers. Ubuntu refers to the spirit of our community.

For the next ten days I will be traveling with a group of people from the USA representing the South Africa Outreach Program, a missionary outreach group formed by my wife and me in 1996, during the three years that we lived in South Africa. We have been helping disadvantaged people in South Africa and assisting with cultural exchange visits and church growth for over 12 years. This is the 4^th group that we have hosted on a trip to the motherland of Africa. I will be sharing our experiences in my blog post. Please check daily, or subscribe to this blog to receive my daily updates .

Friday, March 14 

                                         

We gathered from places far and near at our rendezvous at Dulles International Airport in