A Fellow Traveler

One of the neat things about being a YASC missionary in South Africa is that there are two others in the country with me. That means I can make a domestic phone call and talk to two interesting and reflective people about the same sort of issues I’m facing. It’s been a great support so far and I count it a great blessing.

Of course, talking on the phone is one thing, talking in person is quite another. And I was fortunate to spend this past long weekend in Grahamstown, with my fellow YASCer Matt Kellen. Not only was Matt a great host but he let me plunder his library so I would have more books to fill my evenings.

Grahamstown is a world removed from Mthatha – the stoplights, for instance, work and there are several bookstores – but Matt and I found, I think, that we are dealing with a similar set of issues, like the isolation and loneliness that comes with moving to a new country on one’s own, the feelings that come with being a racial minority, the difficulty of learning a new language, and so on and so forth.

Here we are in front of a sculpture in Grahamstown called “Life Cycles.” (Another difference: Grahamstown has sculptures.)

We also visited the nearby Addo Elephant National Park. How come we don’t have cool animals like kudu in the U.S.?