Holy Week has been kept in true anglican style with a service each evening at 6pm , consisting of evensong followed by Stations of the Cross using the liturgy in the South African English Prayer Book. Some of the pictures have at some stage been stolen from St Thomas' so one's imagination had to come into play. Numbers attending gradually rose as the days went by and on Thursday about 40 were at the Maunday Thursday service which included Tom washing people's feet. Confirmation candidates are expected to come to these services so that helped swell the numbers.
St Thomas'church
Our young American friend Lindsey stayed the week until she left to return to Cape Town where she is running a half marathon tomorrow. She and I were both sad to have to say goodbye to the kids at the FAS house whom we have got to know and love. We'd enjoyed being part of an Easter Egg hunt one afternoon followed by some amusing singing games where the children stood in a circle on the grass, singing and dancing different rap-like songs, with english words which we struggled to pick out properly but which were quite saucy in a sweet way. They move their tiny bodies so cutely, as Lindsey kept saying! The house is closed next week as there are 2 public holidays and then I shall be gone. It has been great for me to go over twice a week in the afternoon and play board games or whatever with them. And I have got to know the other staff and we all had lunch out together on Monday, courtesy of Lindsey.
Lian invited me to spend a morning there too this week to see one of the sessions with pregnant mums. She was showing ingenious ways to make simple baby toys, giving each of the 11 mums a foot massage (I helped do that a bit, very appropriate in Holy Week) and one of the helpers gave a talk to reinforce the message of not drinking alcohol, of any sort, to avoid risk to their baby. The long holiday weekend will see many people getting drunk in and around the town.
We woke to our first frost this morning, and a cloudless blue sky which lasted all day. The sun grew hot but the air temperature in the middle of the day was only in the low 20s, so it depends whether you are in the sun or not as to how warm you feel. The evening temperature falls rapidly with the clear sky and as we have no fire in the house of any sort a hot bath before bed is welcome. We gather you have warmer temperatures than us in the UK now.
Our Good Friday service was held at Britstown, one of the chapelries. The idea is that it moves round each year and we join together. In fact two churches were not represented but distances are large and transport expensive. Three languages are used across the churches but most of the readings and the talks were in Afrikaans. The Litany was said in English and hymns too were from our A&M. I feel considerable frustration when I don't understand what is being said but it makes me realise what everyone in this country of 11 official languages must often feel. It brings home too the power of the Pentecost experience with the joy people must have felt at being able to understand what was said even though many languages were being used by the early Christians..
I think our difficulty in communicating easily with people has been the hardest part of our stay here. Afrikaans is such a difficult language to pronounce. All the vowels and their combinations are so different to english that we still only have very few simple phrases we can say. I can now pick out and understand a very few words and obviously if we stayed longer that would continue. Although most people here do understand a bit of english when it comes to reading it out loud as in church it is much more difficult. And speaking socially is even more difficult except for a few phrases. So it stops easy discussions except with those who have a very good grasp. However that doesn't stop frienships being made and we shall be sad to leave our new friends.
The Good Friday service went on for over 3 hours, with no silence at all as they don't do silence here. A bunch of kids sat at the front as usual and they barely stirred, seemingly enjoying all that was said and sung. The two priests and many lay minsters did the varipous readings, prayers from the litany and talks, with hymns interspersed. Afterwards when we all burst out into the sunshine, plates of pickled fish in a curry sauce were given to everyone, though I refrained having just eaten a marshmallow chocolate egg I was offered.
Tonight, Holy Saturday, there is a 10.30pm service of light and Easter communion here at St Thomas with an 8am one tomorrow which will be quiet we suspect. We will be at Britstown again for a 5.30am service as dawn breaks and back for 8am. Then Tom will go to Nonzwakazi but our farewell there will be on May 1st so I can miss that.
Then we set off after lunch to Kimberley for two nights so that we can meet other clergy at a service of renewal of vows in the Cathedral on Monday. On Tuesday we drive northwards to the Moffat Mission which is a very special place, founded by Robert Moffat (not a forebear but of the same clan surely) in the 1820s. Nearby is Batlharos where we have had a link with the Newbury deanery for a few years and where I spent 10 days a couple of years ago. So we shall stay in a rather african style lodge and meet up with their new priest and the group of 18 who are coming to vist Newbury this June. On our return journey on Thursday we hope to visit the Mary Moffat museum at Griquatown; she was Robert's daughter and married David Livingstone. And so back here to pack up and after a final service on Sunday May 1st to make our way to Johannesburg and home to our family and friends. Laura's baby is due the day before we leave so we have that excitement as well as the move into our house in Tysoe. Emails will be sent with our address and phone details once we are sure of them.
Meanwhile have a very happy and joyful Easter!
