Dear friends and family,
 |
Photo taken at Lookout Hill
viewing deck in Khayelitsha
|
September was a very busy month for us, and we were
stretched out of our comfort zones by trying new things. We’ve just finished
the boys’ spring break and are settling in for the last term of the year.
First, I joined my MMN colleague, Miriam, for a women’s
retreat in Northern Cape. Grace Community Churches are five churches associated
with the Mennonite Church, and twenty-four women, all members and leaders in
their churches, came together as “just women” for the first time. I thought
this was a unique opportunity to talk about our bodies, health and well-being –
women rarely get to focus on themselves. I’m not medically trained, but I have
decades of experience with different chiropractors, physical therapists, yoga,
Tai Chi, Feldenkrais, Alexander technique and now osteopaths. And everywhere I
go, I end up sharing information with friends who have similar ailments, but no
access to therapy. This seemed like peace-work of another level, and Miriam
agreed to let me try it.
 |
| Those who attended the women's retreat doing neck stretches |
I thought the women might laugh at me as I planned a simple
head-to-toe stretching routine one can do in one’s living room in a long skirt.
The scourge of lower-middle income living can be a career of back-breaking
labour followed by bad couches and too much TV – a brutal combination. I
learned that many women take strong pain-killers daily to treat their symptoms.
We talked about awareness in the body, thinking about symptoms and causes of
pain, simple changes that can make a difference, such as lightening one’s
shoulder bag and shifting it between shoulders. I shared about the importance
of nutrition, as well as ergonomics in the workplace, and we did trigger point
therapy on each other and exercises from my osteopath for the sciatica and lower
back health. OK, they did laugh as I demonstrated “pigeon pose,” but otherwise
I was pleased with the seriousness they showed and impressed with the feedback
I got. One woman about my age is a housekeeper, and she has had shoulder pain
for years – her employer has just told her to take more pills. The morning
after our simple Feldenkrais shoulder work she came to me, excited that her
shoulder felt better than it had in a long time. This was a great affirmation
for me that this kind of work is valued and needed, and since then my yoga
teacher and osteopath here are interested in helping should there be other
opportunities. Great connections!
 |
| With Pastor Lawrence Coetzee and his wife Juanita from Cradock Grace Community Church |
Then Dan and I visited the Grace Community Church in
Cradock, Eastern Cape. Outside Cape Town, we can really only do work together during
our boys’ school breaks, so we plan carefully for those. Brother Lawrence Coetzee,
pastor of this congregation, has been a friend and partner to MMN for a long
time, and he was happy to have us do trainings. In addition to his church
leadership, Lawrence also works at the local juvenile prison and is responsible
for the spiritual and moral programming for the boys there. He invited us to
plan and present a workshop there. There were 60 youth in attendance and we
chose to focus on healthy understanding of masculinity and fatherhood. It was
too short to get to know them, but we were impressed with their respectful
attention and eager engagement with the
material. Considering two-thirds of
these young men grew up without a father living at home, the topic was very
relevant.
 |
| Kathryn facilitating the workshop for church leaders |
Later Lawrence had us lead a training with leadership from
his church. There we concentrated on elements of understanding conflict and
responses to conflict. The conversations got into roles and responsibilities in
their community and how they as church leaders affect positive change. It was a
valuable discussion, as many processed their personal stories of trauma, and we
hope that our contribution has encouraged them in a way forward.
 |
| Kathryn monitoring an election station in Nyanga |
This month we did some election monitoring in the community
of Nyanga, one of the older, black townships in Cape Town. It was a
by-election, meaning a seat had vacated for some reason or other and they
needed to fill it with a newly elected person. Many people fear going into
Nyanga, as it’s been a leading murder zone within South Africa for years.
 |
| Pastor B with his wife and SADRA Administrator, Noncedo |
We
traveled around with our friend, Nkosinathi Ngo'bo, aka Pastor B, who knows the area
well. We’re happy to say that the day was very positive. There will be another
by-election in November which is even more politically contentious, which we’ll
again take part in monitoring. Providing neutral support to the democratic
election process here helps legitimate results and avoid potentially violent
outcomes.
October was also busy preparing for a very full November. We
have a mediation training with a pastors group next week, and another one with
community leaders near the end of the month. In the middle is the by-election,
a second political roundtable hosted by SADRA, and continued connecting with
schools, other organizations, supporters, etc. Meanwhile, the university
protesting has ramped up again now that exams are in session, and we’re being
called upon to help with the Peace Justice Witness work like last year,
monitoring the protests to help deter and diffuse violence. As you can see,
this all keeps us quite busy.
 |
| Jacob and John-Clair with Pastor Lawrence's daughter Emilysia |
Blessings to each of you. Thank you for your continued interest, prayers and support. As always, we love hearing from you, and are happy to answer any questions you may have. Until next time…
Shalom.
Kathryn and Dan
