“Every exit is an entry somewhere.”

This weekend I moved for the 4th time since coming to Cape Town 10 months ago! As you may recall from an earlier blog (“The Only Thing Constant is Change", February 2011) complications between my first flat mate and apartment complex resulted in my having to move out of my first South African home at the end of January. Since then I’ve relocated three additional times. After looking through past posts I realized I haven’t shared much about my various residences. So, here’s a break down of the places I’ve lived in Cape Town – geography, demographics, commute, etc.

Bellville
I stayed in Bellville from the end of August when I first arrived in the Mother City to the end of January. At a total stay of 5 months, it’s been my longest place of residence here. Bellville is located in the Northern Suburbs, which means it is north of the city center. I stayed on the third floor of the Tyger Valley Falls II Apartment Complex with my work colleague and friend Maropeng. The apartment was across the street from a LARGE shopping mall, the Tyger Valley Shopping Centre. I would escape to this mall regularly to do some people watching, indulge in a movie at the cinema, or if I was feeling very decadent I would eat a Cinnabun! My commute to work from Bellville included a 15-minute taxi ride, an hour train ride with a transfer to another train 45 minutes in and then a 20-minute walk.

The tall yellow apartment building on the left is Tyger Valley Falls,
my first South African home in Bellville.

Gordon’s Bay
I stayed in Gordon’s Bay February through mid-March. My work colleague and friend Richenda welcomed me into her apartment until HOPE Africa found a more semi-permanent living arrangement for me. Living with Richenda was a lot of fun as was living outside the city. Gordon’s Bay is not technically in the city of Cape Town. It is about an hour’s drive northwest of the city, just as you get to the Western Cape’s wine lands. It had a very different feel than city or suburb life. And as you can see from the picture below, it is a beach town. Richenda’s apartment was a mere 10-minute walk from this beach and I visited it almost daily! Gordon’s Bay was laid back and relaxed. People seemed less stressed there. It was a quaint town and very peaceful. For the month of February my commute to work from Gordon’s Bay included an hour ride with Richenda in her car. In March Richenda left HOPE Africa to pursue other interests at which point my commute morphed into an hour’s walk (3 miles) to the train station and then a 2-hour train ride, followed by another 10-minute walk.

If you rotate 180 degrees from the way this picture is facing,
that is where I stayed in Gordon's Bay.

Edgemead
I stayed in Edgemead mid-March through June. Eugene, a friend of my work colleague and friend Mari, kindly offered to let me stay in his home with him. His house is nestled in the heart of the suburban utopia that is Edgemead. Constructed in the late 1970’s this Northern Suburbs neighborhood is situated at the foot of the Durban Hills with a breath taking panoramic view of Table Mountain. The neighborhood felt very much like a community where everyone knew everyone else. And you could set your watch by people’s daily routines! For example, I knew that as I waited for the bus at 6:30am that I would see a certain group of joggers run by at 6:23am and that the lady with the poodle would walk by three minutes later! My daily commute into work included a 45-minute bus ride into the city center and then a 30-minute train ride, followed by a 10-minute walk.

Edgemead, suburbia at its best!

Rosebank
I will stay in Rosebank July through the end of August when I return to the US. My friend Mari (my coworker from Finland who had us over for Finnish Christmas dinner) and her husband Ari have opened their home to me for the remainder of my stay in Cape Town. They are traveling to Finland for the month of July and are letting me have free reign of their third story apartment in Rosebank. Rosebank is in the Southern Suburbs and is very close to both the city center and my work! My commute to work from Rosebank is a 2-minute walk followed by a 15-minute train ride and another 10-minute walk.

I am currently staying on the third floor of this building in Rosebank.

People always ask me if I’ve minded moving very much. At first I was not a huge fan of it. As you will see if you read the post from February, I don’t really like change so much and I like to be in control of what’s happening to me. That being said, this experience has been a positive one that has made me loosen up! I have enjoyed staying in different parts of the city and seeing what the various areas are like. I’ve also liked getting to know my different roomies on a deeper level. And I am blown away by people’s radical hospitality and their willingness to sacrifice their space and share with me. I am deeply grateful for the depths of kindness I have been party to. So all in all, my variety of residences has been a good opportunity and one that I am very appreciative of.

Serving at St. Faith’s Anglican Church

Since the beginning of April, I have been serving as a deacon in the local Anglican parish of St. Faith’s. St. Faith’s is located in Plumstead, a southern suburb of Cape Town. They have two services on Sunday morning with about 60-80 people attending the first service and 150-200 attending the second service. They are a vibrant and charismatic community of authentic individuals seeking to live as followers of Christ.

Prior to my ordination to the deaconate I met with Bishop Garth Counsel, the bishop of Cape Town, to discuss a placement where I could serve as a deacon for the remainder of my time in Cape Town. After my ordination and my return to South Africa the bishop informed me that he was placing me at St. Faith’s.

Bp. Garth licenses me to serve as a deacon in the Diocese of Cape Town
at a Eucharist on April 20, 2011.

I heard it through the grapevine that St. Faith’s was “conservative” and “evangelical.” This description made me a little apprehensive because conservative and evangelical are not terms that I easily identify with. At the same time, I was intrigued at what I saw as an opportunity to engage with a community I may not typically have much exposure to.

My first day at St. Faith’s was Wednesday, April 6. I preached at the parish’s 7:30pm Lenten Eucharist. Before the service I ate dinner with Basil, St. Faith’s rector, and Linda his wife. They prepared an excellent meal and eased my apprehension with their hospitality. From that first service I knew that St. Faith’s was going to be a place of authenticity and warmth.

Welcome basket from the Women’s Guild given to me on April 10, my 1st Sunday.

Over the past 3 months, God has been softening my heart and opening my eyes to God’s presence in St. Faith’s. Through my participation in lively worship services and in forming relationships with parishioners, God has been blowing my preconceived notions of “conservative” and “evangelical” out of the water. I have been witnessing and participating in a way to do church that I would never have done in the US. I hear God’s voice in the energetic preaching radiating from the pulpit Sunday after Sunday, I feel God’s touch in the warm embrace of faithful parishioners, I see God’s face in the children gazing up at me at the communion rail as I place bread in their hands or touch their foreheads in blessing, and I feel God’s Spirit resonate within me as we sing praise and worship music. God continues to reveal God’s self in unexpected ways.

Fr. Basil Davids, Rector St. Faith’s and Mentor Extraordinaire

I am truly blessed to be serving at St. Faith’s and look forward to continuing my journey with them for the final two months of my stay in South Africa.