History and “Edu-tain-ment”

Today the South Africa team acquainted ourselves with Johannesburg and its surrounding townships. We opened our day with an orientation and review, led by Karl and Jenny Teichert, of activities we will be participating in over the next four days.

After our orientation meeting and devotional we gathered up in the van and headed to Soweto which stands for South West Township, the largest township in Johannesburg. We stopped at Wandi’s Restaurant for lunch. What a treat!

Wandi’s was established as the first restaurant in Soweto in 1981. Famous for the local cuisine buffet, the hospitality and the staff, it has been frequented by such famous people as Richard Branson, Evander Holyfield, Quincy Jones and Chris Rock. While we enjoyed the wonderful food, we were entertained – or should we say – “edu-tained” by a local guitarist who played a number of internationally popular South African songs while mixing in the history and culture of Soweto. Education and entertainment equals “edu-tain-ment”.

At the end of our meal, we signed our names on the walls of the restaurant to show our appreciation; just as thousands of patrons before us have done.

Wandi is truly an inspiration of perseverance. He started the restaurant and continues to run it because of his desire to be a mentor and example to the youth in the community by encouraging them to work hard for their dreams.

From Wandi’s, we traveled to the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum.

The museum is named in remembrance of Hector Pieterson, the first and youngest casualty of the 1976 Soweto Uprising. The iconic photo of Hector being carried through the streets of Soweto was published throughout the world and became a symbol of the struggle against Apartheid school restrictions led by the Soweto students. It brought the Apartheid struggle to the world’s attention. It was a great historical lesson for the SA team.

After dinner, the team gathered together to organize our supplies and prepare for our upcoming VBS style program in the morning at Finetown. Finetown is one of the poorest informal settlements in the Soweto Township. We will be leading the “Zinzele Fun Day” for 150 local Finetown children. After the Fun Day, we will be helping with a feeding program for 400 students and visiting other projects in the area.

Please pray for stamina, enthusiasm, flexibility and joyful interaction for our team members. And pray that our interaction with build relationships with those we encounter along the way.