Day 4: 'We have worshipped!'

We have been to church and we have WORSHIPED!!!  Pastor Eugene Maqwelana and his amazing congregation welcomed us with open arms and drew us into their world of song, prayer, the Word, and message.  Strains of “Oh, come let us adore Him, oh, come let us adore Him, oh come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!” were woven through the two hours of worship and we all agreed that the song should not be reserved for the Christmas season!  It felt so perfect to sing those words as an act of worship in August.

Living Hope Community Church designated this month to honor women, so the worship focus continually came back around to mothers, grandmothers, and children and families, also challenging men to step up to parenting leadership.  Pastor Eugene’s message (delivered in English, which was a gift to us Americans!) was anchored in the text of Matthew’s first chapter- the angel’s call to Mary and to Joseph, the Chosen, to bear and raise God’s son.  He then reminded each one of us that we, too, are ‘chosen’ by God’ for his purposes.  Worship ended with the dedication of the children of the congregation.  Each little child was anointed and given a certificate.  Added to these highlights were precious moments where we all had the opportunity to hug and be hugged.  Suffice it to say that the Holy Spirit was so very present and many tears were shed.  It was a powerful, powerful time of fellowship.

From there we stepped out into the bright South African sun and a temperature of probably 63%- just a stunning day.  We made our way to the brand new Mbekweni Youth Center, a Place of Hope, that had just opened a couple of weeks ago!   A former ‘beer hall’ of days gone by, Mbekweni was the vision of Pastor Eugene, a former professional rugby player who then enlisted businesses who agreed to fund the project.  It is bright, spacious, well-equipped and inviting- surely a Place of Hope for the youth of this very poor community.  We were treated to a beautiful traditional South African lunch, lovingly prepared by the women of the church.

From there we traveled over hill and dale, through the quaint town of Paarl and out into countryside to tour Spice Route, a brewery and chocolate factory.  The views from the top of the hill were just stunning…  Following that, some of our team members headed back to the guest house for a little downtime, while others went to the harbor in Cape Town to enjoy dinner and experience a bit of the excitement that is the waterfront there.  At the end of each day we are humbled by it all and we praise God for the opportunity to be here, to serve here and to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves.
Pastor Vicki Pry

Pastor Vicki spoke on behalf of the Hopewell team during worship.

Living Hope Pastor Eugene Maqwelana and Nielen Bekker, Manager of Mosaic, Paarl Valley.

Nelson Mandela mural at Mbekweni Youth Center.