Filed under: church, food, garden, harvest, Kwazamohkuhle, repairs, South Africa, travel | Tags: children, Corn, ELCA, ELCSA, Food, friends, harvest, South Africa, tomatoes
Fifteen people from the Shetek conference of the ELCA flew to South Africa on an agricultural mission that departed on January 31, 2011. Today we start our work at the Kwazamokuhle center.
Up with the sun, what else is new. I get some journal time in as I wait for breakfast. I’m used to doing breakfast alone, so I go bother the cooks for some hot water for tea. I’m not a coffee drinker, and the juice is not yet on the table, so it will have to be tea.
Breakfast is tea, coffee, Milo (the South African version of hot chocolate), scrambled eggs, bread, oatmeal and corn flakes. What a spread.
A sample of our breakfast choices during our stay.
Breakfast at 7:00, chapel at 8:00, then we get a tour of the place.
At Breakfast
Inside the chapel
The chapel is a round cinder block building with a grass roof and lots of windows. With us plus the staff in it, it was quite cozy. The staff enjoyed having us there. Some other visitors would go to chapel on their own, but we charged right in, tried to follow along in Zulu, and experienced the local way of doing things.
The high tunnel
The high tunnel greenhouse is a special project of Paul and Barb’s. It was supposed to be put up last time they were here but did not arrive on time. An inspection of the high tunnel showed that some things had not been done right. Paul would spend as much of his time as possible getting it ready while we were there.
The sewing area
A tour of the sewing area got Ted interested in the gear for clergy.
Baking communion wafers
Punching out communion wafers
Producing communion wafers for area churches is one way that the center helps pay it’s way. We took what they had on hand home for our congregations. Price, R50 for 500 wafers, about $6.90 a box.
Beadwork for sale
The beadwork caught the eye of the ladies.
Baskets on display
The large supply of basket work caught everyones eye. They even had a basket work baptismal font.
digging potatoes
After tea we dug a few potatoes and helped put up a trampoline. Selling garden produce is one way the center helps to pay the salaries of local preachers.
Our lunch was rice, potatoes, a chicken stew which we used like a gravy, lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad, squash cubes, tea and coffee.
Trampoline construction
When you are halfway around the globe, and out in a remote area, the last thing you expect is to see someone you know. The only other American in the guest house was a classmate of Amanda’s. Josh was spending the year working at the Kwazamokuhle center and in the schools nearby. He is part of a program of Lutheran Youth in World Mission. Of course they had to have a picture of the Gustavus college alumni.
Gusties in South Africa
Ted and Marcia were also Gusties. Josh had the GAC flag in his stuff.
The day was turning out to be a hot, humid one but we still had lots to do.
At 4:00 we went to the official welcome service. We sang our song, and got to try lots of Zulu music.
A Zulu welcome
We went outside for the Zulu singing greeting.
Zulu receiving line.
After the welcome we went to visit the Kwazamokuhle School for the disabled where we would be doing a bible school program on Saturday.
Checking out the hall.
We also got to meet our helpers for the program. It was really great to have some Zulu speakers there to help out.
The girls get to know each other
Dinner was rice, potatoes, mutton stew, bread, a lettuce, tomato, carrot and cucumber salad, tea and coffee.
We spent the evening tending to our sunburns, talking about the day and getting ready for tomorrow. After popcorn and devotions we went off to fight mosquitos and the hot humid night to try and get some sleep. Tomorrow the real work would begin.
I hope you will continue to follow our South African journey as we get to know the wonderful people of the Ondini circuit of the ELCSA.
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