The journey continues...

The journey continues...

As we started 2010 we had to look back on last year and see where we have come from. At the beginning of 2009 there were just a few friends dreaming of drawing a diverse group of people together to talk, learn and engage with the struggle of racial reconciliation in our country.

It has been amazing to see what God has done through these weekly discussion meetings of honesty and learning. By reflecting on the journey we are on we get to see what God is doing and how we can continue to grow.

We end the the year with a braai (BBQ), with the hope of celebrating together. We had some fun but we also defaulted into the places and groups that we were most comfortable.

We took some time to start this year by debriefing the braai.

Here's what we learned and expressed to each other...a testament to God growing us together and through the interaction with each other.

We learned about how we do food differently, how we socialize differently, interact differently and relax differently... and that when we don't understand these differences...our tendency is to assume the worst of the other and withdraw to our comfort zones and thus segregation.

Here are some things we learned and discovered through reflecting together:
- We are dissatisfied with segregation
- We want more unity
- We desire more togetherness and understanding
- We are realizing out own part in it
- We were able to be honest and share our short comings
- We were able to apologise to each other
- We are gaining an awareness of our differences
- We are working on our assumptions
- We are realizing our need to move out of our comfort zones
- We see the need for initiative with each other

We learned a lot from a braai, about each other, cultures and ways of doing things.

Now we have to ask:
How do we build something together?
What ways can we respect and celebrate each others cultures?
How do we need to compromise and create something new?

It is an art, a journey, a creative exercise....it is building the Kingdom of God.

What defines a Man?

What defines a man?
What are the characteristics of a man?
Does wealth have an effect on what defines a man?

The are many definitions on what defines a man?
Society has taught me that a man is one that doesn't
show any signs of hurt,that a man should never cry
even if the hardships that he encounters give him a reason
to cry,he should just keep on a straight face because that's what
he is suppose to do.Is this what really defines a man?

Why is it that a man is not suppose to have any sort of connection
with what brings tears to his eyes? Does pretending to be strong
prove that i'm strong or does feeling sad or even crying make me less
of a man?I Don't know maybe we should give the word[ man] a new definition
maybe a man is one that is honest with himself,one that can be vulnerable and
admit that he is going through a tough time and acknowledges that he needs help
and he needs people around him,people that won't help him vent but will actually help him realise that it is okay to feel down and out but there is always hope for every dark cloud has a silver lining.So maybe yall can help me in your own words what does being a man mean to you

Ayobanisms

Ayobaness is when we have great food from different cultures together....

Sharing lives…reclaiming our humanity

Sharing lives…reclaiming our humanity

Last night at our discussion group where we are crossing racial, economic, gender and age boundaries we stopped to reflect on what God has done and what we have learnt so far. We stopped to remember that 6 months ago most of us didn’t know each other and many of us were living the usual South Africa story of division and separateness. We are starting to slowly tell a different, new story…

From the voices of the people:
I have learned to face conflict and not shy away from difficult conversations.
I am finding my voice, this is a safe space to speak up.
People are speaking their minds and not holding back, learning to be real.
I am learning that the wounds of the past go very deep.
I am grateful that I am accepted for who I am.
This is my support group.
This is my second family.
I have learned to not treat all people of a particular race the same. Not just "those people" but individuals.
I am learning to trust those of different races and backgrounds, to share my life.
I have a place to share frustrations and struggles that I have bottled up my whole life.
I can be proud of my African name and don’t need a white name.
Hearing others stories has allowed me to have more compassion, to understand better.
Honored to be together. Privileged to share this journey.
Dissatisfaction with Church and segregation, wish there were places like this in the Church where we could talk about real issues.
Realize there are issues we need to work on amongst our own people.
Have been challenged to work on our friendship outside this group.
Helped us talk about real things in our friendships.
We are meeting each others families.
Wished we could bring colleagues and other Church members to this group.
Grateful for peoples generosity as I take small steps.
Blessed by opportunity to relate cross culturally.
Learned to respect other opinions even if I don’t agree.

We are on a journey and a different story is unfolding…we have taken small steps…and we have many more to take together. We are recovering our humanity. 


God is at work and restoring his people.