September 2024

Before I started seminary, I was interested in doing an internship at a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) like Good Samaritan in Denton. I thought I'd do Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at a CCRC and loved that UPSem had a relationship with a CCRC where I could do CPE. This was one of the pros in the UPSem column of my seminary research. I couldn't wait to go to UPSem and do CPE at a CCRC.

Well, even the best laid plans and ideas sometimes don't work out! Grace Presbytery's Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) suggested that I do CPE in a hospital where I could experience the full range of life. I took their suggestion (and am so glad that I did!) and did CPE at VCU's hospital, as y'all already know. So I'd completed my church internship, my CPE internship, and then had a dream to do a "for fun" internship at a CCRC. I wasn't sure how this would happen or when I'd do this "for fun" internship. But I still had this dream.

Thanks to a connection from a member of my church internship site, I connected with the Director of Spiritual Care at a local CCRC. The Director was about to retire but said he'd connect me with his successor. The new Director of Spiritual Care reached out to me in June 2024. I explained that I'd be doing CPE over the summer and that I'd love to meet with her in August. We met in August, I expressed interest in preaching at the CCRC's weekly Vespers service, and of volunteering. After our meeting, I was offered a monthly pulpit supply gig in addition to a Chaplaincy Internship at this CCRC. Wow!

Since the moment I felt called to attend seminary, I've had detailed ideas and plans. This summer and fall are a reminder to me of how God is present in my life and in all our lives. Plans are good. I love plans. AND...God's plan is not always my plan. God's plan isn't always our plan.

I need this reminder! 

In addition to interning and preaching monthly at the CCRC this school year, I'll also work as a PRN Chaplain at VCU's hospital. I'm thrilled to practice spiritual care in two different settings and to flex my preaching and worship planning muscles, too. I'm grateful for these opportunities and the ways that God continues to work through me. I'm also thankful for the many folks in my life who serve as connections, mentors, supporters, challengers, and encouragers.

God's plan is not always my plan. 

Here are some photos from September:

Classic "first day of school" photo --- it's the third and final year for me!

Live jazz music at Byrd Park with seminary friends

Some of the UPSem gals celebrating an upcoming wedding. 

This was a marathon day for Charles and me --- we drove to Arlington at 7am, met our friend's baby and spent time loving on her, went to a baby shower in Alexandria, VA, and then drove back to Chesterfield, VA for this wedding party. What a gift it is to have friends.

Charles and I had a day-date to Sweet Wynns where we tasted ice-cream and each made our own pint! This was a gift from my parents for Christmas last year and we had tons of fun.

Friday, September 27th arrived which means it was time to take the Theology Ordination Exam. I'm grateful for my sweet and funny husband who got us breakfast and then carried all of my exam materials to and from campus.

In my third and final year, Master of Divinity students are able to have reserved library carrels! How exciting. This is mine all set up for the Theology Ordination Exam. The exam was a long 9 hours and I have a feeling that I'll be taking the exam again in January. But I'm glad I gave it a try before I have even taken Theology class (I'm currently in week 5/24 of theology class at seminary).

Another UPSem outing --- this time to a concert by Flamy Grant and their openers.

Thanks for the continued prayers and support. 

Blessings from Richmond,

Caitlin

August 2024

I ended my summer by spending 10 days in Texas with my family and the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church community.

- What a gift to help with the preparation of the worship service, lead Sunday School, co-lead during worship, and preach a sermon on Psalm 84 at St. Andrew. I am grateful for the support and encouragement of St. Andrew and especially for the opportunity to teach there for my third time and preach there for my second time! I'm incredibly thankful.

- Another gift that August in Texas brings: I have a built-in Theology Ordination Exam "study buddy" in my dad who is on sabbatical. We've made it through almost 4 past exams together and I love to learn from him.

- A final gift of August in Texas is my family. My niece entered the world just in time for my visit to Texas and she's already bringing so much light into our lives --- and I'm trying to carry that with me into the world! I can't wait to see all the light she'll continue to bring to our world. My Mom and I have enjoyed spending time with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece. Because this trip to Texas was longer than most, I was able to see my Grandmother and my Nana in addition to my other sister, brother-in-law, and some of my extended family, too. Also, I had the privilege of a long breakfast with my Session liaison, Julie. I'm grateful!

The last Fall semester of my seminary career begins on September 2nd. I'm enrolled in Theology and a Christian Education course. What I thought would be a relaxed final year seems like it will be busy, but filled with good things and great experiences. I'm taking my final ordination exam, Theology, at the end of September. So I spend a lot of time studying right now!

I'm excited to continue to see how God is at work in my life and discern where God might be calling me after seminary.

Blessings,

Caitlin

I attended a Centering Prayer group in Richmond, VA. As we concluded 20mins of quiet prayer time, I looked up and saw this. It was a "God moment" because I was in the middle of preparing a sermon on Psalm 84 and I was struggling with how to put it all together. God said "aha!"

Sunday morning at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. Thanks to Lisa for allowing me to borrow her black robe. Ginter Park Presbyterian Church bought the white alb (garment) for me, which I wore throughout my internship and will continue to wear. But it was nice to try out a black robe!

July 2024

Where to even begin?!

Do I begin with the ways I've felt God working within me? How I've seen God in patients? How I've witnessed God's Spirit at work in the trauma bay and in patient rooms? Or perhaps I begin with how I've gotten to know myself more deeply through the CPE class? Or how I've seen hospital staff show up for patients in beautiful ways? Maybe I could begin with naming the simultaneous anxiety, joy, and pain I feel after long hours in a Level I Trauma hospital?

I could begin in a number of ways, but the way I'll choose to begin is by naming the privilege I've been given to be in this space, at this time, and in this place; for the gift it is to be present alongside folks during the most vulnerable, traumatic, difficult, and sometimes euphoric moments of their lives.

When I tell people about CPE and the stories of the last 7 weeks, I emphasize my biggest learning so far. Every moment we're on this Earth is a gift and I want to remind myself of that as often as possible. At the hospital we see people who, just a few hours ago, were doing a mundane thing like cooking, barbecuing, boiling water, driving, walking home from work, etc. Then within an instant, their life goes  from "normal" to unimaginable. At first this made me fear everything. But then our CPE Educator challenged me to think about my theology of suffering. Where is God in our suffering? What does suffering say about God? I reflected on this for a while. I'm still marinating on this. But what I've concluded so far is that while I don't understand suffering, I do understand that God is always present with us. This was a "lightbulb moment" for me that began to shift everything. God is present with us. God is alongside us.

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As a Spiritual Care provider/Chaplain, I'm still identifying how I view our role but this is what I think about the job so far:

- We ensure that folks know that they are not alone.

- We support folks with identifying what grounds and connects them. This is the work of Spiritual Care, I think. For some, this looks like offering prayer. For others, it looks like being present in silence. The work of Spiritual Care is unique to each person and situation.

- We consistently reminds staff, patients, and families that we are here for them. When I walk up to someone in the trauma bay right before they're taken to get a CT scan, I bend down and look into their eyes (they normally have a neck collar on so in order for them to see me, I need to get close to their head). I say something like this (which I've made my own after shadowing other Chaplains) "I'm Caitlin, I'm a member of the Spiritual Care Team. I imagine this isn't where you expected to be tonight! I just want you to know that we're here for you. We're here for you."

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I don't know about you, but I find deep connection and power in knowing that someone is alongside me, that someone is there for me. As Chaplains/Spiritual Care Providers, we have a responsibility to show up and be alongside folks. That work never ends. And we can't do that work unless we care for ourselves. That part right there --- the one about caring for myself --- that's one of my takeaways from this summer -- when I was assigned to the NICU, I panicked. All I could think about was what I would get wrong, what I would say that wasn't helpful, and what I would do when I didn't know what to do. I was nervous about this for all parts of the hospital, but especially in the NICU where we're working with families and newborn babies. What I've learned, though, is that while there are "wrong" things that I can say, there isn't one "right" thing to say. There's a gray area. And y'all, I don't love gray areas! But what a life lesson this is for me. We can't always get it right. But we can show up. We can show up authentically, compassionately, thoughtfully, and intentionally. And often that's all that people need from the Spiritual Care Providers/Chaplains.

God shows up for us. God works in mysterious ways. And like my colleague, Basem, likes to say, God has our backs. God isn't looking for us to do the one "right" thing. God just wants us to be with people in their joy, their grief, their disbelief, their lament, in all the ways, because God meets us in all those places. So this is part of my growth in CPE.

As my Spiritual Director stated a few weeks ago, I'm cultivating my spiritual rhythm. And that spiritual rhythm is where I enable myself to feel God's Spirit working through me. My spiritual rhythm is where I invite myself to feel God's presence --- to feel God in the midst of every moment, in every place, and most especially in those gray areas where I seem to call on God the most these days. When I open myself to God's presence, I notice where and how God shows up for me and how God shows up for everyone in the hospital. 

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Peace and blessings to each of you. And for my St. Andrew family, I'm excited to see y'all at the end of August when I am the guest preacher 💗

Ethiopian food with my favorite Biblical languages scholar after CPE class one day.

Post-12hr shift with Basem. We've worked together twice on Saturdays from 8am-8pm. Our energy as a team is unmatchable. I am grateful for Basem's encouragement, support, and all the ways that I've learned from him and from our other colleagues. It's such a gift to DYAD alongside my cohort members (this is when we work 12hr shifts on duty throughout the entire hospital and we take turns leading visits and managing the duty pager).

Post-12hr overnight shift with my fellow Women's Health teammate! I am grateful for her calm and steady presence.

I worked my first overnight shift on a Thursday at 9pm-Friday at 8am to cover the shift for a staff chaplain who was on vacation. Again, what a gift it is to DYAD with colleagues and learn from each other.

In June, Papa visited during his Sabbatical. We hiked in the Shenandoah Valley and visited the resting place of so many of our ancestors in Culpeper, VA. I love hearing family stories, reminiscing together, and being connected to our family's history. We loved showing Charles around, too...he got to hear a lot about our ancestors at the cemetery!

We also got to catch a Richmond Ivy FC game, which is Richmond's new women's soccer team.

And of course I had to bring Papa to the hospital to see our office. He and Elizabeth Smith-Bartlett also got to to see each other for the first time in over 5 years. St. Andrew's connections live on!

June 2024

Monday, June 17th at 7:30am - Today marks the start of week 3 of my CPE internship. CPE stands for Clinical Pastoral Education and is a training program that prepares theological students (or other folks who feel called to chaplaincy) for providing spiritual care. Spiritual care is similar to pastoral care except that it is more expansive; spiritual care empowers chaplains and patients to recall what spirituality means to them, what brings them hope, peace, joy, and meaning. Of course my faith and my beliefs are rooted in my PCUSA, Christian theology, and that informs how I provide spiritual. But as a chaplain in a public setting, I provide spiritual care to/for/with people across the spirituality spectrum. My CPE preceptor's (which seems to be the medical-setting word for "supervisor") goal for CPE interns is that we discern what "spirituality" means to us. My preceptor believes that by knowing what "spirituality" means to us, we'll be able to serve with and alongside anyone --- to help them uncover and unpack what spirituality looks like for them.

Often, CPE is conducted in healthcare settings like hospitals, which is where my CPE program takes place. Over 10 weeks, I will complete 300 clinical hours (in the hospital), attend 12 hours of class per week, and read and write quite a bit as I complete homework for two classes. At my CPE program, we are assigned a unit where we will spend 220 out of our 300 hours over the summer. My assigned unit is the Neonatology ICU (NICU) and the Birther-Infant unit, which is for both people who are on bedrest before giving birth and for postpartum care. For the other 80 clinical hours, I will be on duty (which is like being on-call except it's 12 hour shifts at the hospital where you are awake and actively working) throughout the entire hospital. At VCU Health, my CPE site, the Spiritual Care Team (chaplains) responds to all traumas (we're a Trauma Level 1 hospital), all deaths, all code blues, and are available 24/7 by request. We engage in spiritual care with patients, families, and all hospital staff. 

For my St. Andrew Presbyterian family, you'll probably find this fact about my CPE program to be the neatest of all --- Every day at CPE, I work alongside Elizabeth Smith-Bartlett, who grew up at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. Elizabeth is not my preceptor so I don't spend a ton of time with her, but I see her almost daily. It's a joy to have a connection to St. Andrew and to work alongside someone who knows my home church so well. Just last week Elizabeth and I had lunch and I asked if I could adopt her as a Mentor. What a gift!

The time is 8:00am so I am headed to class at the College of Health Professions, which is just a 10 minute walk from the hospital. We have class on Mondays and Wednesdays and do clinicals on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and weekends. I have more to say about where I've seen God at the hospital (which is everywhere!) and all that I've already learned. So I'll work on another blog post soon. 

For now, let this be your reminder that you are beloved. CPE is teaching me a ton. One thing that keeps coming up is the reminder that each day on this Earth is a gift from God. Thank y'all for the unconditional love and support. I appreciate your prayers always, but especially for me during this emotionally, mentally, and physically intense summer of my CPE internship, and for all the folks at the hospital.

Blessings,

Caitlin

As chaplains, we can wear scrubs or business clothing. I'm choosing to wear scrubs because it's great to have so many pockets and they're comfortable for long hours (plus I can wear my tennis shoes!). It has been fun to wear hand-me-down scrubs from my mom, too. Scrubs also help signal to patients and families that chaplains at VCU Health are considered part of a patient's Care Team. My favorite part of scrub and badge-wearing is that everyone has a badge so I can always see people's names and their roles.

This is our CPE cohort for Summer 2024. 6 of us are students at UPSem and 2 of us are students at Episcopalian seminaries.

May 2024 - South Africa Part III

 Photos and reflections from the second half of our trip:

Day 6

Saturday, day 6, was mostly a day of rest and class preparation. I enjoyed a homemade chai latte at a cafe while I read for class. A group of us ate Indian food on Saturday night with our classmate, Deepthi, as our guide. There are many Indian folks in South Africa so there's a prevalence of Indian food.

Day 7

The "welcome" sign at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town.

On day 7, we worshipped at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, which is an Anglican church. St. George's is the church where Archbishop Desmond Tutu presided. Tutu was elected the first Black archbishop of Cape Town in 1986. The worship service was beautiful and I loved observing the various liturgical elements that are different from the PCUSA. The worship was extra special because the guest preacher was Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac who is a Palestinian Christian theologian and pastor.

St. George's Cathedral's labyrinth serves as a reminder of the many pilgrimages of which we are a part.

After church, we traveled back to Stellenbosch where we enjoyed "Sunday Stellenbosch," which is a market of local vendors along one of the town's main streets.

After the market, my classmate and I went for a run along the Stellenbosch "bike path" and around a neighborhood in the mountains.

Day 8

Day 8 began our 4-day class, Contemporary Confessions, at the Stellenbosch University’s School of Theology, which is one of the top 100 theology schools in the world. Our professor, Dr. Rachel Baard, co-taught the class with Dr. Sipho Mahokoto. We studied The Barmen Declaration, the Confession of Belhar, The Accra Confession, and The Kairos Document.

This lunch was one of our best. We had the privilege of dining with Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak who co-authored The Belhar Confession and who is a well-known prophetic, anti-apartheid, pro-justice, public theology voice in South Africa and across the globe.

After lunch, we attended a panel discussion at the School of Theology. The panelists were Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak, and Rev. Rene August. The panel was titled "South African Faith Communities and Justice in the Context of Zionism Today."

Day 9

On day 9, we had class again and it was such a joy and a privilege to be in class with South African Master of Divinity students. Not only did we learn about each other's church contexts but we had tons of fun comparing and contrasting our seminary experiences and lives. We also engaged in powerful conversations about race and class and the impact of inequitable social structures on our societies.

After class, we had lunch with Rev. Laurie Gaum, LGBTQ activist, and Dr. Lisel Joubert, Church History professor, both of whom were classmates of our professor. Afterwards we met with Dr. Julie Claassens, Professor of Old Testament, for a film screening on housing and land ownership in South Africa. 

Most of our group enjoyed dinner at a Lebanese restaurant and then some of us went to karaoke with one of our professors and a couple of the South African students. We were surprised that we knew every song that was sung and that they were all American.

Day 10

After another great class, we had lunch with two professors from the School of Theology. We enjoyed hearing their perspectives as women of color and learning from their wisdom. How lucky are we to be surrounded by strong, intelligent, passionate women theologians?!

This is the stained-glass window outside of the School of Theology's chapel. "Ubuntu" is at the top and means “A person is person through other persons." Ubuntu is a traditional African concept that emphasizes belonging to a community of people, and the corresponding idea that the path to authentic humanness lies in one’s relationship with others. Desmond Tutu said the way to exhibit Ubuntu is: “I participate, I share.” Tutu used Ubuntu in his anti-apartheid theology. Through Tutu’s Ubuntu theology, we see an authentic African Christian theology.

In the afternoon, my classmate and I ran 4 miles around the Stellenbosch University track. Check out that view!

Day 11

Stellenbosch United Church, which is the town's Presbyterian church

Part of the University of Stellenbosch campus

Visiting the Beyers Naude Centre for Public Theology at the School of Theology

Our classmate cooked on the braai while we socialized. The sausage, known as Boerewors, was my favorite!

On day 11, we had our last day of class, which we began by singing two worship songs. The unity of our voices is something I'll never forget. After class, we walked to our classmates' apartment where the South African students hosted a braai for us. A braai is a South African barbecue and includes a bunch of different meats + a cheese, tomato, onion sandwich also made on the braai.

After a wonderful time of fellowship, we all took off in separate directions. I enjoyed walking through town, picking up last-minute souvenirs, and eating dessert for dinner on the hotel's patio. After dinner, a few of us went to Stellenbosch United Church, which is the Presbyterian church in town. We attended the Ascension Day service with my new friend, Panda, from Angola. Panda is a Presbyterian minister, is married to a PhD student, and is getting his Masters in Theology currently. I'm always amazed how Presbyterian churches immediately feel like home.

As I reflect on the last 11 days, I am tired, humbled, full of new information, still processing all of the connections, and I feel incredibly grateful.

On Day 12, we'll spend time in Stellenbosch before heading to the airport in the afternoon. We'll fly overnight and arrive in the USA midday on Day 13 (technically day 14 but day 13 in terms of full days!) of our trip. Thank you all for the prayers, love, and support from a distance!

Much Love,

Caitlin

May 2024 - South Africa Part II - God's Creation

This post is about God's creation, specifically the land and the earth. The South Africa travel seminar has enabled me to see a whole different part of God's creation. I've found myself reflecting and making connections about God's creation.

"The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too."

Psalm 24:1 from the Common English Bible

    In April 2024, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church hosted Dr. Nancy Stockdale, Associate Professor at the University of North Texas, for a lecture about Palestinian culture and identity. I was lucky enough to attend the lecture in-person and learned about the history of Palestinian people and about Palestinians in our modern world. One of my main takeaways from the lecture was the importance of land. As people who have been displaced for generations, Palestinians have a strong connection with creation. Olive trees and other plants are vital to families' histories and livelihoods. For the last 7 months, an ecocide (click here to learn more about ecocide) has been enacted on Palestinian land. Olive trees and indigenous plants that have been in families for hundreds of years are now destroyed. The Palestinian people have been on my heart and mind this week especially because of the many ways that Palestinians and South Africans relate to each other. Before this week, I had not though of South Africa's apartheid and the genocide in Palestine as being such strong points of solidarity for the Palestinian and South African peoples. So as I reflect on the lecture from Dr. Stockdale, my time learning in South Africa, and the importance of land to Palestinian peoples, I see the direct connection to Psalm 24:1. 

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, too." 

    The connection to Psalm 24:1 resurfaced for me when our travel seminar group visited the District 6 Museum last week. In my previous blog post, I wrote a bit about District 6, but this is just a reminder that District 6 is one of the hundreds of neighborhoods in South Africa where people were forcibly removed from their homes during apartheid. At the District 6 Museum, we had a guided tour led by a woman named Faranaaz whose family was forcibly removed from their home when she was a teenager. Faranaaz began the tour by telling us the history of South Africa's Western Cape/Cape Point (which is the southwestern-most point of Africa). The Khoi people are the indigenous people to South Africa. They lived between the mountains and the ocean. The Khoi people used waterfalls/water passages in the mountains for drinking, cooking, etc. When the first colonizers stopped at Cape Point as their "pit stop" on a long journey, the Khoi people shared their drinking water with them. The Khoi people lived off the land and they passed this tradition to their descendants. The people who lived in District 6 had a connection to the land from their Khoi ancestors. So when the residents of District 6 were forcibly removed from their homes to places behind the mountains and away from the water, they lost this connection to their ancestors. Faranaaz said her family always felt connected to the mountains and the ocean and then suddenly, they lost that direct connection.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, too." 

    Earlier this week we had the privilege to watch a 45min documentary about housing inequalities in South Africa. We learned about a resident of Langa, which is the Black township we visited last week, who has an organization in his neighborhood. The organization is mainly an art gallery but it also has a community garden and a tree-planting ministry. The founder of the organization emphasized the importance for all people to live in places with green spaces and trees. Green space, trees, and gardens improve the quality of life for people physically, mentally, and emotionally. The poorest areas of Cape Town do not have trees or green spaces; I think this is the same for urban areas in the USA, too. There is a noticeable difference between the number of trees in wealthier areas of cities than in poorer areas of cities and often this difference falls along the lines of race.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, too." 

     We're taking a class this week with students at the University of Stellenbosch and it's about contemporary confessions. We are learning about the Barmen Declaration, The Belhar Confession, The Accra Confession, and the Kairos Document. The Accra Confession of 2004 is focused on the tension between economy and ecology. It's based on the theological conviction that economic and ecological injustices require the Reformed family to respond as a matter of faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our professor, Dr. Mahokoto, emphasizes that climate change threatens the environment, disrupts communities, and destroys livelihoods. Thus, climate change impacts the economy and vice versa. Wendell Berry describes the connection between ecology and economy this way: "Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do." As God's people who are part of God's creation, we are called and required to treat God's creation with justice and respect. 

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, too." 

    The land of the Palestinian peoples is the Lord's. As Christians, we're called and required to treat the Palestinian people and their land justly and respectfully.

    The land of the Khoi people and the land of the residents of District 6 is the Lord's. As Christians, we're called and required to treat the land of District 6, the land of the Khoi people, and the people of District 6 (and all areas of the world) justly and respectfully.

    The land of Langa is the Lord's. As Christians, we're called and required to treat the land in Langa with justice and respect.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, too." 

  Friends, I'm not exactly sure what my next steps are in relation to ecology, our earth, and our land. I don't have all the answers for what I can do next. But I plan to continue learning, praying, and finding ways to embody God's love and justice --- with people and with our whole earth. If there's one thing I've learned this week (beyond the original confession of the church, which is "Jesus is Lord"), it's that confessions serve not just as a a response to a particular crisis but as our beliefs that we are called and required to embody through our actions, not just our words.

With Love and Gratitude, 

Caitlin

    

May 2024 - South Africa Part I

Today is our 5th full day in South Africa and we've covered a lot of ground! We've done some touristy things as you can see in photos below. But we've also done a great deal of learning about South Africa --- the country's ancient history, its people, its languages, its more recent history of apartheid, its animals, and its ability to reconcile, converse, and pursue dignity for all people. We are staying in the West Cape so we're only seeing a small part of the country but we've met folks from all over. We're here with UPSem's Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics and Director of the Master of Arts in Public Theology Program who is a South African feminist scholar. She is our guide alongside our tour guide, Ronald, who cared for us all week, and UPSem's Associate Professor of Bible and Director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation. In addition to our two professors and tour guide, there are 8 students. We're all women and a mix students in the Master of Divinity, Master in Public Theology, Master in Christian Education, and Doctor of Ministry programs. 

Below are photos from the week with reflections listed below some of the photos.

Day 1

We got settled in our hotel and neighborhood and enjoyed the hotel's complimentary breakfast. Then, we headed out for a driving tour of the Stellenbosch area, which included a wine tour. Stellenbosch is known for a climate similar to Napa Valley, thus there are countless wineries. After a quick wine tour, we visited Cheetah Outreach, which is an organization that provides rehabilitation for cheetahs and other animals in addition to doing educational and conservation work. Our group loved learning from the employee who explained her relationships with each cheetah who lives at Cheetah Outreach and taught us about the beautiful, wild creatures. Day 1 was the perfect way to start our time in South Africa and included plenty of rest to help us get over the jetlag.

 

Day 2 

We rode in the van and passed through Khayelitsha, which is a Black township outside of the major city of Cape Town. Khayelitsha is known as a "shanty town" and consists of thousands of homes that are made from scrap materials. The homes look more like what we might call "shacks" in the USA. As we drove past the township, our tour guide and professor talked to us about the effects of not just apartheid but also poverty and racism more broadly. 5 million people live in Cape Town and that number includes 1 million people who live in Khayelitsha. We discussed the impacts of government, economy, lack of affordable housing, and racism.

The drive took us to Table Mountain National Park where we visited Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, which are the Southwestern-most points of Africa. I hiked up to the top of Cape Point and had an incredible view of the point where the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet each other. During our visit to Cape Point, we ran into a baboon along the side of the road! Then we headed to an area of Cape Town that's known for its penguins. We spent time watching the penguins and were in awe that we could be that close to them.

At the end of the day, we spent time together and engaged in group processing. We had tough conversations about how the day's experiences impacted each of us. We discussed liberation vs. equality, apartheid and its affect on South Africa but also the economy of the nation, and what we're observing and learning here and how we take that back home with us.

Day 3

We began our day at the District 6 Museum in Cape Town. District 6 was a thriving interracial community in Cape Town up until 1966 when the apartheid government of South Africa announced that they would force everyone out of the accessible, loving, diverse, and close-knit neighborhood of District 6 (they forced them to move out of their homes and used military vehicles to move them) to areas further from the city center where they were divided by the color of their skin (click here for information about how the apartheid government classified people). Not only were people forced to move further away but all non-white people were forced to move from places with views of the ocean, access to the mountains, and gorgeous views to places tucked behind the mountains and in areas with no pretty views. The neighbors of District 6 had been living together for decades when suddenly their own government forced them out. Today, the District 6 Museum is inside of a former-Methodist Church in District 6. District 6 sits mostly empty because even though the government forced everyone to move out, no private white people felt they could purchase land in District 6.

These are the street signs from the District 6 neighborhood.

This is our group with our tour guide, Ronald, at the District 6 Museum. We had a private tour of the museum from a woman who grew up in District 6 and was a teenager when her family was forced to move out of the neighborhood.

These tiles are people's stories that they wrote and they are now part of the floor at the District 6 Museum.

This room serves as a memorial to District 6 in hopes that a memorial will one day be constructed outside of the church building in the main area of District 6.

This plaque is mounted on the outside of the District 6 Museum and has been there for at least 40 years. The plaque was added to the building when it was the Methodist church in District 6 and it was the first monument to honor people impacted by apartheid in the country of South Africa.

The minister of the Methodist church at the time when this plaque was placed was Rev. Dr. Peter Storey. Dr. Storey is a South African Methodist minister, the former president of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA), and of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), and a  Professor Emeritus of the Practice of Christian Ministry at Duke University Divinity School. Dr. Storey was the minister at the Methodist church in the loving, diverse District 6 when the apartheid government announced their plans for forced displacement of all people living in District 6.

Our group had the pleasure to meet with Dr. Storey on the 4th day of our trip which is when he preached to us over dinner --- really, it was just a conversation. But, it was a prophetic conversation and one which I am continuing to process. I'll post more on that later but you can purchase his memoir here if you're interested in learning more about this incredible man.

We ended our day in Cape Town by visiting the Bo-Kaap neighborhood, which is formerly known as the Malay Quarter. It's a former racially segregated area and is a historical center of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town. Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly colored homes and cobblestoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighborhood, and 56.9% of its population identify as Muslim. Bo-Kaap has brightly colored houses, which signify an expression of freedom by the new homeowners because all the houses were painted white while on lease. 

Day 4 

Our first stop of the day was Table Mountain, which is located within Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town (we visited the opposite side of the national park on day 2 when we went to Cape Point). We took a cable car up the mountain, took photos quickly, and went right back down the mountain because we had to make it to the next item on our agenda, which was a ferry ride to Robben Island.

We took the ferry, via the Nelson Mandela Gateway, to Robben Island. Robben Island is a World Heritage Site. Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, and dozens of other political prisoners were held for years during the apartheid government. We toured the island and learned about the conditions of the prison for the political protesters of the apartheid government. It was a powerful experience that made me curious about our prisons in the USA. Ministry with folks who are imprisoned is something about which I'd like to learn more.

We had the BEST end to our day at dinner with Dr. Peter Storey. As I wrote in the day 3 post, I am still gathering my notes from our conversation with Dr. Storey. I'll ruminate on those and put together a separate post (or maybe a sermon!) at some point. I felt God's Spirit moving among us and felt God calling me to more immediate action as a member of a mainline church in the USA. Dr. Storey is the embodiment of public theology and prophetic protesting and proclamation/preaching.

Day 5

Today was a slower day than the last 4 days. We only visited one place and it was the Langa township, which is the first Black township in South Africa. We had a local guide who taught us about the history of Langa and the surrounding "mixed race/colored" townships. We supported the local economy by purchasing all sorts of souvenirs and artwork from local artists!

I find myself constantly thinking about the USA and our big cities, and even small ones, that are often still segregated like many of our churches, because of intentional things like urbanization and gentrification which South Africa has experienced, too. 

Today marked the end of our tours around the West Cape, South Africa. For the next week we'll be staying in the university area (besides when we go to church in Cape Town on Sunday) because we have class and meetings from Monday-Thursday of this coming week. I'll spend tomorrow doing the last of my homework for class and journaling some more about my learnings on this trip so far. I'm grateful for UPSem and the opportunity to travel to South Africa where we're able to learn about and experience public theology.

Blessings to each of you from the complex, reconciling, and beautiful country of South Africa. Email me if you have any questions, thoughts, concerns, or anything that you'd like me to check out for you while I'm here.

Peace, 

Caitlin