by Emma
On Sunday afternoon, we left the IASYM conference in Pretoria and made our way north to the Pilanesburg Game Reserve. Faced with a good hour of heavy rainfall as we left the city, the prospect of a solid game drive seemed dismal. As we drew nearer to our destination, however, we could see clear, blue skies waiting for us in the distance. Unlike the city skyline or the well-kept terrain of the lodge at the conference we’d seen previously, this drive took us through very rural parts of South Africa, complete with cows and goats walking freely along the side of the road and sometimes across the road, and people living in scattered shacks made out of long metal pieces. I have been continually surprised not only at how quickly the topography of the country changes, but also the lives of the people that live across South Africa. We drove past some of the wealthiest parts of Pretoria and Johannesburg, and with in moments we could see squatters camps packed together on the outskirts of the city. For me, it serves as a continual reminder that although South Africa has made many miraculous strides in the post-Apartheid years, there is still much more work to be done.
We arrived at the game park in the late afternoon, and almost immediately we were whisked off, along with our guide Themba, in an open vehicle into the game reserve. We watched carefully for animals to cross our path, hoping desperately to cross a few of the “Big 5” off our lists. The Big 5 refers to water buffalo, elephants, lions, cheetahs, and rhinos, which are a “must see” for any game drives in South Africa. Our group came across countess impala, dozens of zebra and wildebeests, a pair of rhinos (check 1), a hard-working dung beetle, two lionesses, one that passed by rather close to our vehicle (check 2), South Africa’s national animal (and the namesake of the rugby team), the springbok, two elephants (check 3), and some far off giraffes. We then stopped somewhere in the middle of the reserve to have a traditional South African braai, which is like a barbecue. We sat around the table, enjoying great food, great conversation, and great surroundings. Reggie Nel, a South African pastor, led us in a discussion around a campfire as the sun set to discuss issues facing youth ministry in his country and the work he is doing in his context.
Our drive back to our rooms included some of the most amazing stars that any of us have ever, ever seen. I am a serious sucker for the outdoors and star-gazing, but the South African night sky puts anything I have ever seen to shame. I sat back in my seat, staring into the sky peppered with millions of tiny lights, imaging what it really means to be a beloved part of God’s creation in a universe so vast. It’s in moments like that, when I feel the most small and insignificant, that I appreciate God’s active and redemptive love for us most. When it seems impossible that we could be more than a blip on the radar, that God continues to work in our lives in love. Amazing.
My love for the outdoors and my ability to feel God in creation was further fed when we went on our 5:00am game drive. Watching the sun come up over the mountains, coloring the sky pink and orange, while hippos dozed in the lake and zebras were grazing with their babies, gave me a sense of wholeness. We are apart of this massive creation, full of beauty and mystery and life. Africa has taught me so many things over the course of this trip, but one thing I will certainly carry with me is our interconnectedness with all things, particularly between all people across racial lines. God has created us, whether we are black or white or mixed, just like that sunrise, those stars, the dung beetle, the mountains, and the animals we encountered. It’s like the ubuntu theology here in South Africa – I in you and you in me. I look forward to what the rest of our journey holds for us, and what Africa can continue to teach us. I laughed when a dear friend, a well-seasoned traveler, told me that I would kiss the ground when I landed in Africa because it is “God’s country.” And you know what, I think he is right.
Beautiful!
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