Our first full day dawns in South Africa, and I step outside to drink in the morning air, hoping it is redolent with coffee and bananas. Instead, I smell nothing at all, but hear the sounds (sometimes shrieks) of native birds announcing a new day. It is a busy day, and Karen and I are dressed and breakfasted before 9am (that's 2am for VA Beach!) and meet the genial John Jones, a graduate from GLE's MOL program. John has helped plan nearly all of our meetings in South Africa, and this morning he will give us a brief tour of Pretoria, South Africa's de facto national capital, and John's home of many years.
We stop for a brief walk at the Union Buildings, which house the president of South Africa. We look out over very English-looking gardens, wonderfully manicured, and to the bustling city below. The silence starkly contrasts the jarring of cultures that is linked to South Africa's colonial past. Can Christianity continue to bridge cultures and bring healing to this land? Can a region with such ethnic diversity and religious pluralism find common ground to move this great country forward? What role might Regent University play in answering these questions as we learn from this land and its people? Interesting questions for the days ahead.
We stop for a brief walk at the Union Buildings, which house the president of South Africa. We look out over very English-looking gardens, wonderfully manicured, and to the bustling city below. The silence starkly contrasts the jarring of cultures that is linked to South Africa's colonial past. Can Christianity continue to bridge cultures and bring healing to this land? Can a region with such ethnic diversity and religious pluralism find common ground to move this great country forward? What role might Regent University play in answering these questions as we learn from this land and its people? Interesting questions for the days ahead.
1 comment:
Thank you for representing Regent so brilliantly "to the ends of the earth." Very excited for you and Dr. Bekker
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