Cape Town-Day 1

It's been a few days since my last post. Some late nights and early mornings is the reason. We've been in Cape Town since Friday evening and what a full two days it has been! When we got here on Friday Peter Story met us at the gate and one of the first things he told us what that Cape Town was a city with two cities, really. What he was alluding to was the extremes of wealth and poverty and the unjust inequality. We met with the leadership of this district of the to hear about all the ministries taking place here and I got to talk at length with just the second female clergy we have met on our journey.

Yesterday we woke early to make our way to the harbor for a trip out to Robben Island. We rode on the ferry that Peter took on his first trip out there, as a chaplain to the prisoners. The most touching thing about it was that our guide was an ex-prisoner. This country, while they haven't perfected it, have done a beautiful job of seeking to bring about reconciliation, by holding tight to forgiveness and let the past shape them for the better. We went to the lime quarry where Mandela worked while on he island and I imagined the conversations that took place between him and the other ANC leaders as they sought to continue to fight for their cause, seeking to allow the expereince of their imprisonment not shape them negatively. 

From there we drove to Simonstown, where Peter and his wife Elizabeth live, got to walk among South African penguins on the beach, only feet away, close enough to touch, and stick our feet in the Indian Ocean. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done!

We had a lovely, traditional South African dinner Peter and Elizabeth in their home where we practically sat at Peter's feet to gleam from him as much as we could, as he encouraged us in our journey and challenged us in our way of thinking. Just a wise, gentle man and a modern-day prophet. 

This is the first leg of the trip where we have been trying to get ourselves around town, but Clark has done a fabulous job driving us around in a huge, straight-drive van, on the left side of the road.