Home again

Capetown, South Africa with Table Mountain.
Picture is from Robben Island.

After our travels through southern Tanzania, we were blessed with the opportunity to take a few days for vacation in South Africa. The initial reason for the trip was to attend part of a training at the AllNations training center in Capetown. But at that point we were ready for a break so we stayed an extra week.

Chapman's Peak Coastal Highway

Capetown is a beautiful city though windy, and the surrounding countryside and coast line is very scenic. We drove to the Cape of Good Hope, visited Aghulas Point (southernmost point of Africa), went up Table Mountain, drove the Chapman’s Peak coastal highway, visited Robben Island, visited Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, took a boat trip to Seal Island, drove through the vineyard country, and saw the penguins.

Penguin colony at Simonstown, near Capetown

Cape of Good Hope

Aghulas Point, southernmost point in Africa.

On the less positive side is the difference between the “European” side of Capetown and the townships, where the “coloreds” and “blacks” live. There is an economic divide that seems difficult to cross. But there is also optimism among South Africans since the end of apartheid about 20 years ago.

When we arrived back in Tanzania, we held a training in Morogoro before traveling to Mombasa, on the Kenya coast, where there is small Mennonite congregation just 3 years old.

Pastor Michael Lubingu of Morogoro Mennonite Church, and his mother,
 who gave land for the new Mt. of Olives Mennonite Church.

The temporary shelter for Mt. of Olives Mennonite Church,  a new congregation in the mountains above Morogoro.
 In the foreground is Genetha Rwangoga, lay pastor of the new congregation.

From there we passed through Nairobi and on to Kisumu for our last training of the trip. Now we are home, working on more study materials and “keeping the home fires burning.” We are grateful for the varied experiences we had, for the chance to see the beauty of the Tanzanian countryside, for the many committed people we met, and for safety in travel.

Elias Obuya, lay pastor of Mombasa Mennonite Church, outside the classroom where Sunday worship is held.