January 7, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
By Annie SteginkHello to our friends and relatives back home. We miss you all very much, but we are also having an amazing time meeting people and seeing beautiful sights. Please keep our health and travel in your prayers.
Today we had the opportunity to worship at Saint George’s Cathedral in downtown Cape Town. It was the church of Desmond Tutu when he was archbishop. It was quite an interesting worship experience for all of us. It was quite a traditional service conducted in three languages- English, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. Thankfully, the sermon was delivered in English so we could actually understand.
After church, we divided up in groups to spend the afternoon with families of the church. We went in to the experience with nerves about carrying on small talk all afternoon, but we all emerged with new friends and stories. I think for many of us, these home visits showed us the extremes of the economic spectrum. The particular house I visited was in a fancy gated community and the place was full of expensive furnishings and beautiful decorations. It was a sharp contrast from the townships we saw just a few days ago. We were all greeted with warm hospitality and given tons of wonderful food. It was a nice change to eat in a home with a family and have conversation in a more intimate setting. You learn things in a home over a meal that it’s hard to learn in a museum.
Once we all gathered back at the church after our meals, we got a quick tour of the cathedral and it’s beautiful stained glass windows. We then headed down to the waterfront again to do some more shopping and sight seeing. At 10:00, we were all anxious to return and go to bed after a long day.
Blessings and love from all of us!
-Annie
P.S. … Happy 60th Birthday, Dad! Love, Emily
