Visiting a Khoi church and Cape Point

In South Africa there is a distinction between black, white, and colored people. One thrust of our venture is aimed at effecting a reconciliation between the Khoi people and other peoples. They are the original people residing in the cape area of South Africa and were exploited when the first European settlers arrived. While most cultures exhibit some measure of xenophobia, the Khoi at the time actually embraced foreigners and were willing to serve as guides for settlers as they journeyed north. This brought them into contact with Zulu and Xhosa tribes migrating in from the north and inevitably led to warfare. Over time they diminished in numbers due to plagues and diseases until they eventually sought work at various mission stations and farms, becoming slaves in the process. In fact, our venture work is located at the historic Knorhoek farm where Khoi were forced into labor. In our conference room is a grind wheel for grain, serving as a constant reminder of past history.

Several of the ventures are aimed at a Khoi people restoration effort aimed at heritage preservation and creation of jobs for people. Involved in the efforts is a local Khoi pastor. Today we visited his church and I slow danced with him while praying for him.

We traveled a ways away from our lodgings, skirting the oceanside. Along the way, we saw shantytowns in the vicinity of nice beaches graduating to colorful housing reminiscent of the pastel housing dotting the San Francisco landscape. These houses blurred into newer cookie cutter housing reminiscent of the gated communities in California. One house even had an advertisement spray-painted on the side: "C&N Taxi services XXX-XXXX-XXX".

As we made our way to the church, we started driving into poorer communities where we'd see people walking around and dogs sniffing around on the sidewalks. We'd stare at them in the passing as they stared back. Unfamiliar expressions abound. One kid in particular had a half confused, half painful expression on his face. When we got to the church, we looked around at all the faces shuffling in. I sort of wish now that we had mixed in with the normal members just to be able to interact more with them. Instead, we sat together on one side of the church and looked on as the worship team got started.

The worship style is different. At my church, we generally have more dynamic contrast between songs ranging from the intimate to the energetic. At this church, that range gets shifted upward. The lead songbird is singing her heart out, doubled over in joyous agony to belt out the music. Though there are 3 backup singers, the congregation seems to know all the harmonies requisite to becoming a gospel choir. All of a sudden, this guy busts out a bunch of flags and prompts us to start waving them around. One of my teammates is waving around one red and one purple flag and I'm waving a blue one. Another one is hopping around with her flag and I wish that I could move around to get the proper angle for some shots on my film camera. We're singing our hearts out and I'm even feeling a little light-headed from all the exertion. Anointed with joy perhaps?

In any case, as the music ends one of our fellow South African consultants is invited up to give the message. He invites all the kids below 16 to come up and oil is brought out for them to be anointed. It is a declaration of the power of the Holy Spirit over their lives and a call to them for their purpose in God. And yet, traces of humanity creep out as a boy goes up into the circle to be anointed but he is holding his face in his hands. His expression tells that not all is well with him and he looks like he is struggling with something. Suddenly, he bolts out of the group to go sit down in the congregation. One of the adults moves toward him to shepherd him back into the anointing but he shies away as if he is afraid of something. What is he afraid of?

After the message, the worship team busts out into song again and we are asked to pray over the congregation in small groups. I am humbled as I am asked to pray for the church pastor. I put my hands on his shoulders and begin to pray to a background of worship music somehow we start rocking back and forth in prayer. I prayed for the pastor, I prayed for the Khoi nation, I prayed for whatever came to mind...more stream of consciousness rather than eloquence. I finish the prayer and I'm left wondering what else I could pray for. When I go back to our seats, we again are asked to pray for the worship team and again I go up. I start heading over to the guitarists since I know a little more about playing than I do singing but then it looks like other people are praying for them and I end up walking to the female vocalists. Again, I am humbled as I try to pray for them to find their purpose and calling, thanks for their gifts, and that they would continue to be songbirds for God and help facilitate a connection between the congregation and God through their worship.

I wish I were better at prayer and it is something I will continue to work on. I hope that with continued effort at praying out aloud that I might become more open to expressing whatever I feel and learn better what to ask for. I grew up in a Lutheran church and while we grew up with some standard prayers, it was also common for people to pray freely. Some people pray with a more formal language and others pray as if they are having a normal conversation.

In any case, after an intense session of prayer, the congregation proceeds to offering. Joyful offering. Again the worship team starts playing some music and people start going up in a line and circling the donation basket. After a while it gets a little more lively and people start dancing a bit while circling and circling and circling. It's not quite a conga line but there is a definite mood of joy in giving.

Service concludes with a lot of hugging and handshaking. Acting like a bunch of tourists, we proceed to take a whole bunch of photos with everyone before we head out to Cape Point. There are good opportunities for taking pictures as I am able to catch more people in natural candid shots. We'll see how the photos turn out.

Cape Point. There is an abundance of clouds along the way again offering a lot of contrasts in lighting for pictures. Along the way, I realize that I left my camera in the trunk and at a traffic stoppage, I run out back to get it and start snapping pics along the way. We stop alongside the road to examine the view out at sea contrasting with the waters closer to shore. There is a lot of seaweed and in places where the water becomes shallow, it takes on a beautiful emerald hue. Along the way, we traverse several seaside towns and stop for lunch at Kalky's, a seaside fish & chips joint. The former British influence in South Africa definitely paved the way for awesome fish & chips. The portions are generous and banter fun as we get taken care of by our server who we start calling mama. The batter is crispy and flavorful, the Hake is flaky, the yellowtail is grilled, the snoek is mouthwatering, and the calamari is tender. Damn...I'm hungry now.

As we close in on Cape Point, the cars slow down. Someone has been feeding the baboons as we see a family of baboons feasting on food on the highway. All the cars are slowing down and taking numerous pictures and I just know that some of the girls in our group want to get out the cars and go pet the baby baboons. We had already been warned that baboons are dangerous.

We come upon a parking area and are confronted with decision on whether to take a tram up or walk up to the scenic viewpoint area. I opt to walk up and am greeted by the sight of my teammate Helen walking upon the trail in boots with heels. It is not the easiest trail but we all make it up to the lighthouse area to be greeted by more stairs. We walk around and start taking pics of scenery, pics of us in the scenery, pics of us posing like we're some band for a covershoot, silhouette pics against the setting sun, action pics of people jumping, and action silhouette pics of us pretending to be in an Hong Kong martial arts action movie. So by now, tourists in South Africa think that asians all know martial arts and like to do flying jump kicks for fun.

Massive clouds, secluded beaches, the sun glinting off mountains. We see all these things but the cape is also a unique view in that it is the best place to view the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans together. The air is gusty up at the lighthouse and numerous photos are taken...I don't know how we'll be able to sort through them all. Some of us even jump the wall to get better pics of them taken against a backdrop of ocean and cliffs. We head back to the souvenir shop and load up on some more stuff to take back home.