“Our international immersion day showed me that one individual’s passion for people can change the entire dynamic of a country’s future.” – Jacob Hadden
On our first full day in Cape Town, we spent our day immersing ourselves in South African culture. We began the day by writing an “I Am From…” poem which helped us reflect on how the cultures we grew up in have shaped the people we are today. We were challenged during the poem writing to consider the background and stories of the South African people we met throughout our day.
We then toured Cape Town by van with our teams, each with a South African guide. Stopping at important landmarks and districts, we learned about the city we will be serving in for the next two weeks. Once we reached the heart of the city, we visited several historical sites on foot. Once done with the tour, we stopped for lunch in Cape Town Gardens and played games with local kids.
I was so encouraged that despite all the cultural differences I observed throughout our day, it was so easy to relate to local kids with just a hacky sack and a rugby ball. For a lot of us, it was our favorite part of the day! Several of us also had the opportunity to distribute the group’s leftover sandwiches to people in need around the Gardens. It provided a door to have spiritual conversations and pray with a lot of locals!
Our final stop of the day was a tour of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Museum exhibit. Desmond Tutu, a revolutionary religious figure during the time of Apartheid in South Africa, is highly respected among Christians in Cape Town. Learning about Tutu’s legacy provided us with an additional layer of background knowledge about South African culture. Many of us were challenged by how prevalent liberation theology is in South African culture often putting everything in terms of ‘oppressors’ and ‘oppressed.’ We took the opportunity to ask our museum guide clarifying questions about the different beliefs we encountered.
We finished out our day with free time around our hotel. Many of us visited coffee shops, local stores, and spent time on the beach, getting further acquainted with the area we are staying at for the next few weeks. During our debrief at the end of the day, we recalled our “I Am From…” poems and spent time reflecting on how culture affects worldview, both for us and the people we met.
Overall, we were encouraged to see God’s presence on the other side of the world is the same as His presence in the States. I am excited to continue this experience of cultural immersion as we serve with different ministries for the remainder of our time in South Africa!
Bella Higman
South Africa Team #3