The week we were waiting for finally arrived! We started it off by going to church, where we would meet the families we would stay with and experience a service in Afrikaans. We spent the week learning about the Afrikaner people’s experiences as one of the minorities in South Africa by making relationships with our Afrikaner families that graciously hosted us. We visited locations that are important to them, such as the Voortrekker Monument and the Union Buildings. We also learned about the importance of animal preservation through a speaker.
We were challenged to keep our minds open to new ideas as our speaker Nicholas Southey spoke to us about the history of the Afrikaner people. He focused on Afrikaner pride as he spoke of their trek to where they are settled now, and took us to the Voortrekker Monument. During our visit to AfriForum we were again challenged to remember that the Afrikaner people, who once held political and social power in the country, are one of the minorities and many Afrikaners are passionate about advocating for their own rights. It was eye-opening to remember that there are always two sides to a story, and the importance of listening to both sides.
This week we also focused a lot on South Africa’s nature. We started the week by going to a nature reserve where we could walk through the reserve and were graced with the presence of plenty of zebras, ostriches, and springbok. Later on in the week, we were fascinated by Professer Wouter van Hoven’s amazing story of how he restored a national reserve in Angola. We learned that, unlike many African nations, South Africa is actually full of animals as it holds around 80% of the worlds rhinos, is overpopulated with elephants, and is home to many other animals. Then it was time for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with lion cubs. We did see many other animals at the lion park, but we were captivated by the overwhelming cuteness of the cubs as we spent time playing with them. 
On Friday, Piet Meiring came in to teach us about the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa. As a Reformed minister, Piet Meiring was invited to be a representative on the commission. He spoke of how having one’s story heard has a tremendous impact and significant on the healing process. We learned about the three commissions: Human Rights Violations, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation, and Amnesty, and how these commissions all worked towards forgiveness and healing. Meiring was a good friend of Nelson Mandela and still is a friend of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, so we heard many stories of both men that normally aren’t told. Hearing about these two incredible men in the perspective of a friend made us realize that there is more to a person than what media makes them out to be and that the little things they have done also make them who they are.
In the evenings we got the opportunity to get to know our host families. We had some great conversations about their culture and learned some Afrikaans over the dinner 
table. We were treated to an Afrikaner ‘braii’ and tried South Africa’s famous ‘fat cakes’, which for the Mennonites out there could be described as sloppy Joe’s with rollkuchen as the bun. On Saturday we got to spend the whole day with our families. Many of us went to the market, toured Pretoria, and went to nature reserves.
Saying goodbye to our families and homes for the week was difficult. We will miss the people we got to know and will remember them for a long time, even as we arrive in Cape Town and spend some time relaxing on the beach. Thank you for all of the support and prayers.
Sincerely,
Carolyn
Outtatown South Africa 