Open my eyes, Lord!

Dear Family of St John’s

I think that everyone knows that I love doing road trips, and the coffee that goes along with those road trips! Well, during my leave earlier in January, my husband and I set off on another road trip.

We had 10 days before I had to be back at work, and no plans. We set ourselves a few ‘rules’. We were heading west. I hoped to read the West Coast and explore that area a little, but wasn’t going to be disappointed if we didn’t get that far. We wouldn’t travel on the main coastal road, the N2, unless absolutely necessary. We also didn’t plan where we were going until the day before. We’d then decide if we wanted to stay where we were for another night or move on. And we’d only look for accommodation once we’d decided, the day before!

Now, something else you might know about me is that I like to have a plan and know what’s happening. So, this kind of holiday isn’t always easy for me. But, we’d tried it out last year on our trip to Mozambique and back, and had loved it. So, I planned to have no plans – and that was enough of a plan to keep me happy!

We found some absolute gems on our meanderings! Did you know that there’s a museum in Moorreesburg dedicated to the Wheat Industry? I hadn’t heard of Moorreesburg, let alone the museum. It was fascinating. Did you know that Bokomo was the first milling company in South Africa? It stands for De Boeren Ko-operatieve Molen Maatschappij Beperkt. Huh! Who knew? And the lady behind the reception desk was incredibly friendly and welcoming.

At the CP Nel Museum in Oudtshoorn, which we visited to learn more about the Ostrich Feather industry, we discovered another snippet of information we didn’t know. Oudtshoorn was home to 500 Polish orphans who lived there for four and a half years during the second world war. I never knew that.

We stayed at a fabulous B&B in Barrydale, owned by a German couple. They still had all their Christmas decorations up, an exquisite collection that they’ve been building for over forty years. I also discovered a variety of agapanthus in their garden that I’d like to hunt down, it’s a deep purple/black colour and absolutely stunning. It’s called Black Jack, let me know if you see it! Breakfast was served ‘family-style’ at their large dining room table. We chatted over coffee for ages, with the hosts and another family of five who were vising South Africa from Germany. What a wonderful conversation sharing viewpoints and history about our respective countries.

In Riebeek-Kasteel we stayed in a ‘tiny house’ in an olive orchard and learnt more about the olive industry in South Africa. We visited a spot that sold every olive product you could possibly dream of – and they had tasters of everything! My husband developed a slightly panicked look when he noticed that I’d picked up a basket and was rapidly filling it with all the wonderful smoked olives, dried olives, olive pastes, 3kg tubs of olives… he dragged me our of there far too soon.

We stopped at a very random looking farmstall on the way out of Clanwilliam heading to Lambert’s Bay (photo above). A young farmer was manning the shop and told us all about the potato industry in the area while making me coffee with condensed milk. The coffee was lovely, and we hadn’t known that potatoes grew in the area. The landscape seemed so dry and quite barren in places. But, then we’d come across a massive field of green – potatoes. Apparently, there’s a lot of underground water there.

On our way from Langebaan to Paternoster we stopped in at the West Coast Fossil Park. If you’re ever in the area, it’s well-worth a stop. I didn’t know that the area was home to the short-necked long-horned giraffe and African bears (that stood up to 3m tall) 5 million years ago. On our tour we saw a section of the excavation that has been preserved, and all the fossilised remains that are still there.

We wound our back home remarking on the wonderful little places we had seen, the friendly people we had met, and everything we had learned at our various stops.

I thought about how lovely the 10 days away had been, living at a slower pace. Having the time to engage in the random conversations with people we’d never met and learn from them.

I thought about how much God had shown me in our time away. I saw more of His beautiful creation, I have hundreds of photos of gorgeous landscapes and sunsets. But, I saw more in the people I encountered. I had time to see more within myself.

I have come back with renewed determination to see more. Life passes so quickly. I can’t believe I am now in my third year as your Rector. There are parts of the last two years that happened so fast I barely have any memory of it. I’m sure we can all relate to that in some way or another.

But, what if we asked God each morning to open our eyes. That we might see the people He needs us to love, that we might see the areas He needs us to focus on, that we might see His beauty round us.

What if we tried to slow down, just a fraction, and take in the wonderful people we live alongside, the beautiful country we call our home, and the amazing hope we have in our Lord.

What if?

Open my eyes, Lord, that I might truly see.

With love
Your friend and rector,
Claire

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