January 13, 2007
Saturday, January 13, 2007
By Natalie WiersmaToday we traveled to Johannesburg. Before our departure at 2pm, we did last minute packing and cleaning. For some, I think, it was somewhat of a challenge to pack everything back into a suitcase. At least, I had a little trouble. Anyway, promptly at noon we left for the airport. Although the airport was just a short drive away, we arrived with just enough time to drop off the vans, check our luggage, and get past security to catch our flight. In comparison to the 26 some hours it took to arrive in South Africa, our two hour flight to Jo-burg went quickly. But as we were warned before coming on this interim, there would be a lot of downtime. While waiting for our rented vans, the guys kicked around a hackie sac, while the rest of us began catching up on our journaling.
The weather in Johannesburg is very different than that in Cape Town. Apparently a lot of rain in the afternoons is not unusual here and there was definitely a lot of rain to greet us on our arrival in Jo-burg. Our bed and breakfast, Emerald Guesthouse, is quite luxurious compared to the Cape Town seminary accommodations. Each of us has a half-kitchen in their rooms and more privacy than we're used to. In addition, attached to each of our room keys is a tv controller, so many of us were able to relax to some good American tv before reconvening for dinner. Although we were all impressed by the accommodations, the guys seem to have gotten the best deal with beautifully decorated patios and a much superior view from the car that sits out of my window.
Well, I think that about covers most of our day. We ate the dinner the bed and breakfast provided with no trouble at all, even if it was just a simple shepard's pie and salad. I think we're all extremely excited to be here and ready for tomorrow's activities.
Thanks for following our blogs everyone and good night!
P.S. Hey mom and dad, sorry I haven't emailed you yet. I've been having trouble using my email. Hope you're doing well.
Natalie Wiersma
January 12, 2007
Friday, January 12, 2007
By Joshua HarbertOur 6:00 wake up time was well worth it. We departed at 6:30 for the 7:00 Mass at St. Georges Cathedral. While we waited for the service to start I looked through some of the prayers and Psalms in the prayer book. There was a lovely one which first praised God, thanked Him for the gifts of grace and hope through Jesus, and concluded with a request for that we may show our thanksgiving not only with words but with service as well. It was a fine preparation for the service. When Desmond Tutu entered the first thing I noticed was his smile. The joy of the Lord filled his face. After an opening prayer, introductions were made of all the visiting people (including our group). Birthdays were also celebrated. When one person said he was turning 21, Tutu joked, "When did that happen to me?" Tutu is an extremely gracious and humble man, and he made everyone feel welcome. Yet at the same time it was evident that he was a man of strong faith. The rest of the service was full of prayers and Scripture readings. There were prayers of confession, praise and encouragement including the Lords Prayer and the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. The presence of the King of Kings filled the room as we fellowshipped together. Toward the end, we partook in communion as Tutu led us. He gave the bread and two others gave the wine. It was again a great honor to partake communion with brothers and sisters in South Africa. It was a lovely service. After the service we took a group photo with Tutu. May God continue to bless the work he is doing.
From there we headed to the Koeberg Nuclear Power plant. They showed us a brief introduction video of the plant. Our guide, Carin, then gave a short talk about the plant and the power situation in South Africa. An interesting fact was that South Africa produces 60 percent of Africa's power, but only 2% of power produced in South Africa is exported. Eskom is a state owned company that provides 95% of the nations power. Carin told us that they are the only nuclear power plant in Africa. She also told us of the effects of Apartheid and how fuel costs dropped 40% when South Africa opened for trade again in 1994.
After a brief tea we headed out to the actual plant. We were given a tour of the turbines (where the electricity is actually generated), the control room, pumping and filtering rooms, and the low-level radiation waste area. The shear size of the facility was outstanding. The walls shielding the reactor were one meter thick. The turbines, pipes and other equipment were all huge. Safety was heavily emphasized. The engineers working the control room had to be retested every 6 weeks. Security badges were required throughout the entire facility. It was fascinating to see what I'd learned in my classes at Calvin applied in a real situation. Once we were finished touring the plant, we returned for lunch at the visitors' center. On the way out information about the plant and about Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactors, which Eskom was investigating, was given out. Unsurprisingly, it was mainly the engineers that took the packets. The visit was something that would never have been done in the US and was quite a privilege.
When we got back to the seminary, most people took a short nap. Afterwards, we cleaned the common room, kitchens and started the bathrooms. We then had a short meeting and headed to the Waterfront. It was a beautiful evening and the Jazz Festival provided wonderful music. We had dinner there (some of us had brought sandwiches with us), walked around a bit, and enjoyed the music and each other's company. It was a fine conclusion to a very good day.
P.S. Grandma Heun says “hi” to everyone back home. She wants to make sure that all her friends back home don’t start to get worried because they haven’t heard from her for a while.
Special Update From South Africa
By Jeff GuerreroWe just wanted to give everybody a heads up about this weekend. Tomorrow (Saturday), January 13, our group will leave Cape Town and fly north to Johannesburg. We will be staying at a Bed & Breakfast, but we have no clue what the internet connection will be like. We may have luck on our side again and have a free wireless hookup, but we may be without a connection for a few days in which case we will do our best to find an internet cafe to keep you all updated. Thanks for all the comments - we enjoy reading them aloud and embarrassing everybody - and please keep us in your prayers as we travel.
Update from Mark
Thursday, January 11, 2007
By Mark Heun
Dear Friends,
I'm having a good time. The temperature is 70-80 F and it's quite sunny here. I'll be back soon.
Love,
Mark
January 11, 2007
By Angela LudemaToday was yet another wonderful day. We started out with our re-scheduled appointment to Parliament only to find that we again were not in the books. So things often go around here. So we made due and received a shortened version of the tour. Construction going on in the building, which also prevented us from seeing some of the common sites in the Parliament building. But while we were there, we were able to sit in the Old Assembly chamber where all the Apartheid laws were pasted under the Nationalist party regime. I don't know if playing with the microphones was allowed but a few decided to try it out.
Following our tour of Parliament we headed over to the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) arriving promptly on "African time" (30 minutes late). Here we sat in a conference room where we received a quick introduction by Charles Villevalencia, Executive Director of IJR and former Chief Researcher for the TRC (important guy we found out later). Following his intro, our guides Fannie Du Toit and Marian spoke to us about the IJR and the continued struggle for reconciliation we all face. The country of South Africa chose a revolutionary way to move forward from the hurtful past of the Apartheid through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and now through the continued work of the IJR.
Afterwards, we all stopped for lunch at the amazing elementary school where Mark will probably be attending when the Kuperus-Heun family moves to Cape Town in the next couple years.
Finally, we made it Boulders beach, which has just recently been added as a part of the Table Mountain National Park. Here we encountered tons of penguins, which have made this beach their home. We were supposed to remain 2 meters away from them but that didn't stop Jeremy when he touched one while it was cleaning its feathers. One life goal to check off the list. ? We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach sun bathing in the 30 C (86 F) weather and swimming in the 22 C (72 F) water. A couple of us joined some kids in jumping off a 20 foot rock into the water. We left the beach around 5:30 to return to the seminary for dinner and presentations.
We love and miss you all.
~Angela
