Today was spent in Koolenhof which is 40 minutes from Cape Town and meet the oblate sisters. When we arrived, the oblate sisters received us with a warm welcome! They came to greet us with a song and we joined along!
Sister John Marie was so happy to see us once again and share her experience. She has been looking forward to this day for months and is happy to see and spend time with the oblate sisters.
The sisters took us to Wallacedene which is a township they service. They have their church there and help the residents of the township.
This is the church the oblate sisters service. It also houses the catechism classes for the children.
The sisters told us they have had many hardships with the church and are proud to announce their start of a new construction site for a new church building!
We then went to a market for a visit. We saw the many vendors as well as live chickens! We were able to see their supermarkets there as well. The line was extremely long! Many families have one day off of work and Saturdays are it. They must form a line to use an ATM which can also take many hours to reach the machine and then form a line to enter the store. Many attempt to arrive before the store opens and be able to have a chance to get their groceries before the food stock is gone. We were surprised to see such a line because we have so many stores in America and waiting for an hour is more likely to happen of its a holiday. But on a regular basis, this would be unheard of!
When we returned, the sisters had prepared a lunch for us and decorated the area where we were gathering together. It was such a beautiful arrangement.
The sisters prepared lunch when we arrived! They really put a lot of effort in preparing it for us. We were so thankful!
We couldn't wait to try the food! It all looked so good! Just look how excited we are!
We were really enjoying the food!
As we were eating, the sisters talked to us about apartheid and what that meant for many of them. One sister said she remembers she wasn't able to go take a bus with a white sister and was ordered to get off the bus and stand in the cold until someone picked her up. Luckily, inside the convent the sisters would not be segregated and enjoyed the company of each other regardless of color.
We learned so much. We were able to define what colored and black meant in South Africa. For Americans, both words are similar yet in South Africa colored means a mixed blood line, white and black parents. A black person would mean both parents are black.
The sisters wanted to show us a PowerPoint but they experienced some technical difficulties. So they decided to sing and dance!
Sister John Marie even joined in on the dancing! She was enjoying herself! Just look at her smile! We were so happy to share such happiness with the sisters.
Have you ever seen Sister John Marie so happy!? We have many photos of her dancing, laughing and smiling. After all the goals she reached, we are so happy to see Sister happy. We really are lucky to have her be a part of our team!
We are in South Africa and again we see the joy that many have singing and dancing! It's a cultural thing we must take to America!
We finally were able to get the PowerPoint working. We learned of the mission in South Africa and what they have accomplished. They have done amazing work. They have helped their community and reached out to each member. We are blessed to have meet them and see those who have created a better South Africa.
Sister could not leave without a last dance. We think she had more fun than anyone else! We will have to return again soon!
We left Koolenhof with a blessed heart. We had such a wonderful day with the oblate sisters and could not have asked for more. We will always remember them and share the visions they have for a better South Africa and world.
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