Peter & Elizabeth Storey and the Mathers

June 23, 2007 Saturday

Today, we had lunch with Peter & Elizabeth Storey, and with Mike (minister from Indiana, also traveling on a grant), Kathy, Conor, and Jordan Mathers. (Peter recommended bobotie, a Malay dish, so that is what I had… Reminded me a bit of a light meatloaf. Then we all shared a lovely cinnamon-flavored, coconut-covered doughnut-type sweet that sounded like “cooks sista".)

I don’t know all their activities, but I do know that Peter and Elizabeth are long-time activists, and that Peter has been a pastor and Bishop, and that he has also spent time in the U.S. teaching at Duke University and Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

One theme I heard emphasized was listening for and articulating (succinctly) God’s call, in particular for justice for “the poor”, in the context of a respectful relationship.

Later, John and I spent more time with the Mather family (whom we just met, but with whom John had been in e-mail and phone contact). We explored the Alfred & Victoria Waterfront. In particular, I wanted to see the statues of South Africa’s four Nobel Peace Prize winners:
1) Albert Luthuli
2) Desmond Tutu
3) FW de Klerk
4) Nelson Mandela.

I hope it does not seem disrespectful, but it was a great photo-op.

Plus, the display quoted the Mandela words that Thando tried to teach us yesterday:
‘‘Umntu ungumntu ngabantu."
(“A person is a person through other people.”)