South Africa Easter: A Lesson in Prayer

[Editor's Note: Barbara (Bobbi) Mallace, the co-director of Golden Gate District lay speakers for the northern three counties, and her husband Fred toured South Africa during Lent. It led to a glorious Easter, but not as they would expect. Is that what Lent and Easter are? Excerpts from her sermon -- "Be Careful What You Ask For" -- at Willits UMC on April 15.]

By Bobbi Mallace

Willits -- April 17, 2007

In Johannesburg, we wanted to learn about apartheid and how it had affected the people. Our driver seemed to know all the right places to take us. We visited an area called "the ghetto," where people live who can't find work. The houses are made of boards and tin roofs. The people bathe by getting their water from a central tank, and putting it in a dish pan. They get hot water and TV, with the use of a car battery. Some offered crafts to sell. Even the man who showed us around explained that he has no money except what people like us will give him. This was a humbling experience...partly seeing that these people were not unhappy, because their basic needs were taken care of, and they had a roof over their heads...

We visited the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Hector Pieterson was a 13-year-old boy who became the first victim of the uprising of June 1976, when the blacks refused to comply with the rules laid out for them by the white minority. I had always wondered why apartheid happened, but I believe that God was trying to get people to look beyond their greed and realize that we are all His children. Thank God, that apartheid is now behind...

We then drove around Soweto, the township where all the blacks and colored people were made to live during apartheid. The groups are divided into blacks, people of all negro ancestry and colored, and people of mixed racial background. Today, it is still considered a township, not a city -- 4,000,000 people...

I was so grateful that God had allowed me to observe His creatures in their natural settings. I did learn this, though: Be careful what you pray for. Expect an answer and accept it, even if it's not exactly what you expect.

Sometimes we would get stopped in the road by an elephant or a rhinoceros, and basically had to wait until the animal decided to leave. A group of rhinos was crossing the road, and suddenly, one decided to come over and sniff our vehicle. The rhino was blind and just had to find out what was there. This was a bit of a tense moment for us, but our ranger was not concerned...

One day our driver was in a hurry. I saw a family of warthogs, but we were going too fast to snap a photo. I kept asking to take a photo. I did get my chance. But my warthog was in a leopard's mouth, having just been killed. I guess I need to be more specific when I pray...

We found a guide who would take us to see baboons -- once in danger of extinction from poaching. Unfortunately, that day the baboons were at the top of a mountain. We had not worn our hiking boots, but I had prayed about this and this was my answer. We started up the very steep slope -- sand and rocks under our feet. We tired quickly, but our guide kept saying, "We're almost there." About the fifth time he said this, we realized he was just keeping us going. An hour and a half later, we got to the top of the mountain.

I plopped down on a large rock to rest. Baboons were all around us. Our guide told us not to be upset because the baboons might brush by us, just checking us out. No sooner had I sat down than a young baboon sat on my lap, looked me in the eye, and proceeded to groom my hair. This went on for a while, partly because I was too tired to move. My baboon took my hand and gave me a hug, all of which the guide said is quite unusual.

On Easter Sunday, we went to a Methodist Church in Plumstead, a suburb of Cape Town. I had found this site on the internet, and it looked like it would be much like our UM church in the U.S. The service was wonderful. The pastor said, "I think we'll start by saying a prayer for our cricket team." I knew we would feel at home. They did a beautiful Easter cantata... I had prayed for a good church to go to for Easter, and it was very special, indeed.