A visit not a ‘trip’-Rose Saturday 18th February



Preparing kebabs



Last night we had a braii (BBQ) with Bishop Steve, Brenda, Letlotlo, Leruo and Gnata. We talked and listened to each other as the meat cooked in the garden and later continued to talk as we ate in the dining room.



Looking after the braii



It struck me how different this sort of visit is from a trip or holiday. The conversation covered politics, history and church life but we kept coming back to relationships. We are not just observing each other. To simply observe would suggest a degree of distance or detachment. Instead we are trying to engage fully with each other and in this way we are being challenged.

I am reading a book by Stephen Cherry called “Barefoot Disciple”. In it he encourages adults to step into the unknown and to become learners again. Many of us  might avoid this sort of experience because there is pain in learning. When we are in the position of the learner we put ourselves in a very vulnerable position. Sometimes what we will see and hear will be bewildering to us. The writer believes that talking followed by reflection and then writing helps us to deepen our involvement in what we experience. This process may not result in us making sense of what we see. Instead we may learn to accept that we may never fully understand.

As a family we feel so privileged to be staying in the homes of the people we meet. We believe that we are learning about how strange we must appear to others! Brenda used the word ‘surrender’; to live with another family is to surrender yourself. You can no longer choose what to eat, when to eat, where to go. I believe that this submission is needed in order to grow into a deeper relationship with God. What I hadn’t realised is that this sort of visit is an opportunity for that sort of growth.

I feel deeply committed to encouraging others in both Matlosane and Lichfield to become involved in this link. I feel that this should not only be for those who can afford the cost of visiting but that we should be investigating the possibility of funding visits both ways for all our benefit and for the growth of God’s kingdom.

I didn’t know I would feel like this. Before leaving the UK I had said something like; “We are hoping to develop links with people in order to share our Christian journey”. However it is only as I have experienced these thoughts and feelings for myself, that I have begun to feel challenged and changed. I can now see how helpful it can be to have a partnership with people from other cultures who are trying to follow the Lord Jesus –

Rose