Today may be considered a typical theme for Christians on Sunday. Lauren Paxton, another one of our amazing students, provides her reflection one week after leaving Nashville for our journey to South Africa.
"We were able to see more of South African culture and sights. This morning, we went to two church services; one was at King of Kings Baptist Centre, and the other was at Masiphumelele Church. Both were really great experiences, because we were able to see how South Africans from different cultures worshipped. King of Kings was similar to many Christian churches in America. We sang worship songs like "God of Wonders" with a praise band, prayed for various people, and enjoyed a service about preventing shipwrecks of the soul. Then, we went to Masiphumelele Church and had a completely different cultural experience. The people of Masi sang beautiful traditional songs without any instruments, often jumping in with any song they felt like singing at the time. They danced and swayed to every song, and none of us were able to resist doing the same. We were not able to stay for the sermon because we would not have understood it (they were kind enough to provide a translator for the first part), but we were all still amazed at the power of their worship service and especially the gorgeous music they created."
"Later, we had lunch with Pastor John Thomas and his wife Avril who founded Living Hope together. They told us the story of why they wanted to help the Masi community and how they were able to get everything started. We learned more of how the organization runs, gets funding, and examines the benefits gained from their efforts. It was interesting to hear about the organization and its inner workings from the founders' perspective."
"After lunch, we went to Cape Point which held spectacular views of the ocean and mountains, and then snapped a picture at the Cape of Good Hope. We ended the day by visiting the penguins on the beach. I think we all enjoyed the day because we were able to see some cultural differences within South Africa and even more magnificent scenery of the country."
Worship, Fellowship and Relaxation is how we hoped our loved ones and friends spent today. Please keep reading about our journey and of course praying for us.
Until next time.
Bernard
