Rev. Mazingo

Stephen Mazingo, my fellow Young Adult Service Corps missionary, was ordained a priest this weekend in the Diocese of Matlosane, South Africa and I was there to celebrate with him. He will probably be posting more pictures and more reflections on the weekend so I’ll just say I had a great time seeing Stephen, meeting his colleagues in the Klerksdorp area (and his rector from home), learning more about Batswana culture (as opposed to the Xhosa culture in Mthatha), and being a part of the overwhelming worship at Stephen’s church. (With the 4½ hour ordination service on Saturday and the 3½ Eucharist on Sunday, I figure I’ve paid my dues for some time to come.) It was a 2300-kilometer round trip in our faithful VW and I was thankful for safe travel and the chance to see many different parts of this really beautiful and fantastically diverse country. Parts reminded me of bits of North America I’ve seen before and parts – like the lake full of flamingoes – were like nothing I was familiar with.

I was Stephen’s “official” photographer and, as there doesn’t seem to be any opprobrium attached to taking pictures in church in South Africa, I elbowed my way right into the mix.

The South Africa caucus of YASC 2007

Last time in a deacon’s stole

A deacon no longer

Bishop Stephen Diseko – note the sweat stain on the mitre

The newly-ordained blesses his fellow missionaries – actually this is staged; the real blessing happened a moment earlier but my face was obscured by his robes

The S.A. caucus with Bishop Diseko, who I really liked because he let us stay in his house and eat all his food.