I first want to start by giving a special
shout out to my friend Ryan who came and visited on his way to start a 40-day
tour of Africa. It was an absolute blast
having him out here, and I was excited it worked out for us to squeeze so much
in this weekend. On Friday, Ryan and I
carried out our tradition of playing basketball. We played at a random park in Camps Bay and
then got to jump in the ocean. I’ll
admit, he beat me, so I’ll have to start practicing for the next time we cross
paths in some random place of the world.
On Saturday I met him at Old Biscuit Mill and then those from our group not on the
homestay, Becca, Ryan, and I all went on a 6-hour hike. We were trying to find caves and ended up
hiking Newlands Ravine, but there was something peculiarly exciting about just
hiking in the woods, being lost, and not really worrying about whether or not
we would make it to the caves.
Afterwards, we came home and had a community dinner! On Sunday, Ryan and
I went to church then just hung out until night when we met Anna (the girl he
stayed with while he was here) who picked us up and took us to Kirstenbosch for
the summer concert. Afterwards Ryan and
I went out to dinner near the hostel he was staying at for the night to cap out
the weekend.
For
me, this weekend was a fresh reminder that it is often the people you do things
with not necessarily what you do that come to shape your experiences and what
you remember. Ryan and I hadn’t seen
each other in a little under a year, as he moved out to California about a year
after graduating high school. It
certainly was fun to be reunited in a new country and on a different
continent. As always, we picked up right
where we left off as we worked each other to the ground physically and engaged
in some deep and impactful conversations.
Ryan left at 6:30am to start his 40-day tour of Africa, and I wish him
all the best on this next journey of life.
I
also wanted to briefly describe my experiences Friday evening. On Friday evening I was able to accompany
Marco, Rene, Joe, and one other German man for the first time to do “street
talking”. This was the first time I
started my activist project, and it was certainly an experience and I look
forward to more.
The
evening started at around 7pm when we went to the base of Lion’s Head to look
out over the city. As we watched the
city, we began to discuss a plan of where we were going to go/how we wanted to
approach the night. As we prayed looking
over the city, one thing was clear – we wanted to go onto the streets and when
dealing with the drug dealers, gangsters, prostitutes, etc. we didn’t want to
see anyone for their filth or outer appearance, but we wanted to see people for
their hearts and allow our actions and words to reflect that. I was grateful to have Marco a man who has
been doing this on the streets of Cape Town for 10 years, and Rene who has been
doing it for the past several years as well, there so that I could watch and
learn from them.
We
started off the night at the Parade.
Where to my surprise, many people knew Marco and Rene. As a white man coming into a place
predominantly occupied by colored and black men, women, and teenagers, never
once did I feel uncomfortable. The way
Marco and Rene warmly greeted and embraced the people of Cape Town living on
the streets showed their love for them.
There was one man who had suffered a stroke and now walks with a
limp. We prayed for him and encouraged
him to believe that he could remove the limp if he had faith. There was one
woman in a group of three who was suffering from pain in her jaw. We prayed and encouraged the woman. After praying for her, she said she no longer
had any pain – God healed her.
After
the parade, we transitioned to the back of the train station where people often
go to consume the drugs. When walking to
the train station, Marco told me that many of the people on the streets are in
the city of Cape Town seeking refuge from gangs or from abuse in their
homes. We then ran into a woman who had
a growing tumor in her thyroid who Rene and Marco knew. They encouraged her to seek medical treatment. Unfortunately, she has had the cancerous
tumor for quite some time and even when Rene, Marco, and her boyfriend have
offered and urged her to go seek medical treatment, she refuses.
At
the train station, I sat next to a young man, a few years younger than myself,
who was consuming drugs. As he sat
there, he watched Rene and Marco talk to and pray for two other young men. It was his first time seeing Marco or Rene
and I was able to talk to him and give him a handshake when we left just like I
would any other friend.
Later
I met an informal “car watcher” who was formerly imprisoned at one of the jails
Rene does outreach to. He gave me a
brief overview of what he’s been doing since then. He also told me a little about human
trafficking even within Cape Town and how there are people who go to foreign
countries saying there is work in South Africa.
After helping the people who sign up for jobs in the foreign countries
with Visas, transportation cost, etc. upon their arrival the traffickers steal
their passports and forms of documentation and force them into prostitution,
some forced labor, etc. I was previously
unaware of this and it was heart breaking to hear that it happens even within
the city.
The
part of the night that left the greatest impact on me was when I was told about
one of the programs the City of Cape Town offers to those living on the
streets. A young man told me about his
experience with the program. The City of
Cape Town would deliver blankets one night for all the people living on the
streets. However, before the city of Cape
Town officials came to deliver those blankets, law enforcement agents would
pepper spray people living on the street and kick them off the street. Then after blankets were delivered, the law
enforcement agents would take the blankets and use them for themselves or
resell them. Hearing that and
seeing/hearing stories from some of the people on the streets deepened my
passion for economic development.
Throughout
the night Marco highlighted that he and Rene often question whether or not
their work is impactful? In all his
years he has only seen a few people get off the streets and has seen many more
die due to gang-related violence. But
for me, coming in for my first time as an outsider, I saw people flock to Marco
and Rene and ask for prayer, a hug, encouragement, etc. with smiles on their faces. And if for nothing else, the embraces,
prayers, and encouragement offered are leaving a clear impact. I look forward to returning to hear more
stories and to continue to learn through
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