Mother Joan Sabbatical Blog

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SABBATICAL PRAYER

**Updated as of 7/27/10**

Monday June 21st

I am one week into the USA leg of the sabbatical. Ann and I left NYC
last week by train, first heading to Atlanta.

ATLANTA
Our first visit was to St. Lukes Episcopal Church. They have an
outreach program called Crossroads. I met with the Executive Director
of Crossroads. They do an amazing outreach to the homeless of Atlanta,
striving to form relationships. He said, "The Episcopal Church is not
good at relationship building. They will feed the hungry; they will
write checks, but they don't get at the most important thing." It was
interesting to see how they do what they do. They are a "day" service,
not a shelter. They offer a hot meal, a mailing address for each
homeless person, provide ID's for them, have a health care clinic on
site as well as several social workers.

I then met with the Board of "Standing Together," another ministry out
of St. Lukes. A previous priest stood in line with the homeless one
Lent and met a construction worker. This man had just lost his job
because his car broke down. The priest thought...."If this man only
had a family..." And from there "Standing Together" developed. They
match "church people" with the homeless to walk with them through their
trials and joys. It's sorta like a mentoring program. Quite
impressive.

Our next stop was Holy Comforter, Atlanta. Their outreach ministry is
to the mentally challenged and they bus them in for services and events
(the church has 4 vans/buses). Since the rector was going to be away
at a CREDO Conference, he had asked me in advance if I would celebrate
the Eucharist for them for the Wednesday evening service. I gladly did
so. There were about 60 people there. As I was celebating, I was
facing them and couldn't help but take notice. Most were smiling and
participating enthusiastically. One man knew every word of every
prayer AND song (and I mean even the 3rd verse of the songs). Others
were drooling. One stood up, turned around in place and calmly sat
down - several times. Another walked in and out with great intention.
Others offered a comment or 2 whenever they thought of something to
say. The deacon said that they come because this is a safe place for
them to be; no one is taking advantage of them. I thought that was so
sad. But they welcomed me, a stranger, so warmly. I suspect this will
be the only time I'm celebrating the Eucharist in the 4 months I'm
away, so it was quite a moving experience for me to celebrate it with
them.

Ann told me later that I missed the pre-service entertainment. One
person passed gas rather loudly and rather long. Everyone cracked up
laughing. Then someone hollered out that he could do that, and then
proceeded to duplicate the noise with his mouth. Lots more laughter.
I guess it got pretty raucous, but by the time the deacon and I arrived
at the back of the church, the entertainment had stopped. :-)

LOUISVILLE
We then drove to Lousiville to learn about UrbanSpirit. The Jubilee
Officer of the Episcopal Church told me this was a "must see." Indeed
so! This is a poverty immersion program; poverty simulation. Their
mission is faith based poverty education. It is a week-long program as
you actually experience life at the bottom of the poverty ladder. I
want to come back and do this. Maybe the youth group will want to do
it with me. Maybe others will want to come too. Even in the short time
we were there, it really had me looking at the life of privilege I
lead. And then in case I didn't get it, a "coincidence" followed.
When Ann and I left UrbanSpirit, we had to stop at Dick's to pick up
something. On entering the store, the music playing overhead was,
"Imagine no possessions; I wonder if you can; No need for greed or
hunger; a brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people, sharing all the
world...." OK, OK I get it!

We had a friend (actually friend of my mom and dad's) who lives in
Louisville. Her 2 nieces from Cranford were down visiting (Arlene and
Carol Fricke - friends of ours too). They had us over for dinner.
Nice. After dinner, as we were making our way back to our downtown
hotel, we come across a traffic jam. Turns out there was a parade
going on. So we just left the car and walked up to see what was going
on. Turns out it was Louisville's Gay Pride Parade and Festival. What
a hoot! We had so much fun.

CHICAGO
Then it was off to Chicago so we could pick up Amtrak again. We're
only in Chicago for one night and let me tell you about the coincidence
that happened here. (btw, I'm only telling you some of the amazing,
coincidental things that have happened on this trip cause I simply
don't have the room to tell them all to you now). Ann and I had talked
weeks ago about maybe seeing if there was a Broadway show we could see
while in Chicago. Advance tickets were too expensive. We asked at the
hotel when we checked in. They looked for us but said none were
available. So we talked about maybe seeing Toy Story 3. While out
walking downtown Chicago (beautiful afternoon), we happened past the
theater for Billy Elliott. I said, "let's just go check." Sure
enough, they had 2 tickets. Yea! In our seats, we peruse the
playbill, and there listed as "George' one of the key characters, was
Jim Ortlieb -- a friend of ours from high school days. We practically
fell off our seats. We'd last seen him in 'Guys and Dolls' in NYC, but
didn't even know he was in Chicago or in Billy Elliott for that matter.
Make a long story short, we met up after the show; got a backstage
tour; attended a cast party in the dressing rooms; and talked for hours
and hours. It was so much fun and just one of those unbelievable
coincidences.

DENVER
The train ride was great. The weather was not. Because of severe
weather conditions, they actually had to stop the train sometime during
the night. We arrived in Denver quite late this morning, but all is
well. The appointment today was with the 32nd Avenue Jubilee Ministry
at The Episcopal Church of the Merciful Savior. I learned as much as I
could about being a Jubilee Center of the Episcopal Church. I think
this is something we could do at Christ Church.

Tomorrow we head off by train for the West Coast -- San Francisco and
then LA. Ann and I will be seeing our cousin, Richard, while in San
Fran. He is homeless and lives on the streets of SF (last I heard).
It'll be good to see him and see how he's doing, especially in relation
to the data (and experience) gathering I'm doing on this sabbatical.
What does it look like from his eyes?

I'll save up my experiences and will blog again when I can. I miss you
all.
Blessings and love,
Joan+
 

Wednesday May 26th

Well yes, yesterday's second blog did indeed get lost and I had no time
to re-type the whole thing. So good morning today and we start anew!

Did you know that Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) has 240 staff? Simply
amazing. One of the purposes of coming to London was to immerse myself
into HTB for a week. Today we are spending the day with their Social
Transformation department (outreach). We will be visiting an Estate
(their word for a Project where people live in poverty), as well as
volunteering at a drop-in center they run. I have also picked up a lot
of information about various Family Life courses they run (Marriage,
Marriage Prep, God at Work, Parenting, and on and on). Lacy and I
attended one evening of the Marriage Course just to see it. One of
Lacy's comments after: "I really liked it. I bet most people would
not know this kind of information to help them with their marriage." I
agree it is a wonderful resource, so I'm bringing home lots of info.

Lacy and I are also being tourists in this beautiful town. We have
toured many of the famous sites, climbed the 500+ stairs to the top of
St. Paul's Cathedral, seen a Broadway show on the London stage, eaten
as many fish and chips dinners as we could at the great English pubs,
and lots more. We are having a wonderful time.

I am praying for you all.
Blessings and love,
Joan
 

Tuesday May 25th - #1

We're in London!! Some very amazing things have happened. I chose the
2 weeks to be in London sometime ago and made reservations. My
intention was to immerse myself for one week into the community of Holy
Trinity Brompton (HTB) which is where the Alpha Course originated.
Nicky Gumbel is the vicar (same as rector) of HTB. After I chose the
dates of the London stay, the staff at HTB informed me about a
Conference that was being held at HTB one of the weeks. It was called
"The Holy Spirit in the World Today" and there would be presentations
by well known theologians from across the world, including the
Archbishop of Canterbury, The Rt Rev Rowan Williams. I could not
believe this "coincidence." At Christ Church we had declared this the
Year of the Spirit. And here it was happening, that I could have a
chance to participate in a once in a lifetime opportunity about the
Holy Spirit!! To make a long story short.... I did attend this
conference last Thursday and Friday. It was tremendous. The purpose
of the conference was to bring heart and mind together in the
revelation of the Holy Spirit. In other words, to learn with our minds
and to experience with our hearts. It was fabulous. And Lacy served as
a volunteer. They were so grateful to have her help. She worked in
the kitchen, setting out tea and lunches and dinners. She also got
"back pass" information, so we had early morning access before any
other conference attendees could enter. Plus we learned where the
secret restroom was so we didn't have to stand in the cues. Cool, eh?

I have learned some very exciting things at this Conference that I
think apply quite precisely to Christ Church. I can't wait to share
them with you all and to discover together what God may be asking of us.

Love and blessings,
Joan+
 

Tuesday May 18th Part 2

Our guide is amazing. On entering the Highlands, she asked us to all
be quiet. She put on some wonderful Celtic tunes, and we rode for 30
minutes in absolute quiet, taking in the amazing mountains and the
austere yet beautiful sights before our eyes. You know how music
touches me. Our guide has used music so often on this tour to express
much more than can be said only with words. Sometimes it evokes
laughter or I may find myself filling up. But a reaction is almost
always forthcoming. As we're riding through Isle of Skye today, she
chose bagpipe music. It just fit the scenery so well. Awe-inspiring.
I often have noticed so many times over the last two days, I have
closed my eyes and just thanked God; for the beauty before me; and just
for being here. It's a wow experience. [I only keep them closed for a
very short time -- too much to see].

The treks have been fun. Rarely are we in the bus for more than 30
minutes. And I'm happy to say I am clearly the oldest one on the tour
and I've been able to keep up with all the young-uns. In many cases,
I'm even out in front. Not aching at all either as each morning
begins. Thank God for Toms River Fitness!

We have another day tomorrow in Scotland and then fly to London late
tomorrow evening. So I'll send more updates, assuming I can easily
find a computer and internet access.

Love and blessings,
Joan+
 

Tuesday May  18th

We're at the hostel in the highlands of Scotland. I had no idea that
Edinburgh was on the same latitude as Moscow and the Highlands the same
at Alaska. The Gulf Stream keeps it warmer, but the daylight extends
way into the night. It was still light at 10pm last night. Cool! We
started this trip with several days in Edinburgh (they pronounce it
Add' - da - burr). Beautiful city with lots of hills. We did a lot of
walking. Joanne Gwin has been making all our travel arrangements and
she found us a great hotel right in the midst of everything. We could
walk to all the wonderful sites in this town. Thanks Joanne!! We
walked into a Church on Sunday morning called the Cathedral of St.
Giles. What a gorgeous cathedral - built in the 13th century. It did
not advertise outside what denomination. When I asked, the lady at the
entrance looked sorta surprised. "This is the Church of Scotland!"
When i asked for further clarification, she said Presbyterian. OK
then. Actually it could have been in an Episcopal service. Many of
the words were identical to Rite I. And then when the choir sang...
Wow! An old English choir. Absolutely beautiful. I could have stayed
and listened to them all day.

Got to go. Bus is ready to leave for the day. Off to the Isle of
Skye. Supposed to be gorgeous. And the sun is out. They say that is
a rarity in these parts...

Love and blessings,
Joan
 

Wednesday May 5, 2010

Today we traveled from Cape Town to Jo'burg. We have all day in
Jo'burg tomorrow before we leave at midnight for the flight home.
Tomorrow we are planning to visit the Apartheid Museum and will take a
tour of the Township of Soweto.

A couple of reflections as this trip comes to an end:
1. We were particularly aware of how people received Jackie and me as
we walked together in South Africa. We got many curious stares. It
was very rare that I saw people of different races together. As we
walked through airports, public places, restaurants and the like, I
only remember two instances of seeing different races socializing
together. So we were a rarity. But we anticipated that; and thought
that possibly it would be a good example. We hope that it was.

2. I am quite amazed at the hospitality shown to us even before people
knew we were Americans; even before they knew we were priests. And
then once we were introduced, we were treated as family. The welcome
has been far beyond what I would have expected. As an example, many
efforts were made for wherever it was we were going next -- phone calls
made to arrange airport pick-ups; to arrange tours of significant
ministries; etc. This is a huge country and the range of contacts
seemed unending. For example, people from East London (far from
Jo'burg) have arranged for someone to pick us up tomorrow at our hotel
for the Apartheid Museum tour. I guess the Museum is far from the
airport where we are staying, and the East London friends did not want
us to have to travel that far by taxi. A Soweto tour was set up the
same way. It is just amazing to me to see the effort made to take such
good care of visitors. Jackie and I are so grateful.

3. I have been reflecting on my trip. The level of poverty and
illenss in this Country is beyond words or descriptions. The Church's
efforts to confront these problems are great, but like a drop in the
bucket. HIV/Aids is such a pandemic. And what is so sad is that
people are dying unnecessarily. There are anti-viral drugs that will
stop the spread of this disease but there are some crucial problems.
a- We were told there is enough of the drug, but it is not available
consistently everywhere it is needed (many reasons for that). b- the
drug must be taken 2 times a day at exactly the same time each day or
else the person becomes resistant to it. There are many reasons why
people who are struggling with life in general do not take the pills as
needed. c- the drug must be taken with food. Many do not have access
to enough food. There are effective Church HIV/Aids ministries trying
to confront these 3 problems and it is not enough. There are huge
"Townships" or "Locations" outside every City that house thousands of
people who are doing without. And when I say without, it is without
most of the things you and I take for granted -- Food, medical access,
employment, water in some cases, education, shelter (altho many would
say they have shelter. I would not call a put-together shack an
adequate shelter). Apartheid may indeed be over, but why are there
still such delineations of where people live, and how well they live,
based on race?

I've seen, heard, learned so much more than I have been able to
document through this Blog, and seen how the Anglican Church in South
Africa is serving the poorest of the poor. But I am now led to some
personal questions: What now God? Why are you showing me so much
suffering and pain? What would you have me do? What would you have
Christ Church do? I have to say that I am not physically tired, but I
am emotionaly exhausted. The suffering is so great. I woke up most of
last night just weeping. The tears still come today. How can we as
Christians allow others to live in such despair without acting? What
indeed would God have us do? We can't do everything. We can't solve
everything. But we can do something. We know the commandment is to
love our neighbor as ourselves. What is the responsibility as a
Christian? As the Church? So I ask again, now what God? What!!?

In Christ's love,
Joan+

Tuesday May 4, 2010

Today was our meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu!!! It was such an
honor to be in his presence. What a man of God! And what a busy man
of God. We were able to get some pictures and have some discussion
with him. But it was totally inappropriate to ask him to sign the
several books we brought with us that he had authored. Oh well. The
"Arch" as he is called (but we didn't call him that), spoke to us of
prayer, offered us lunch, sat with us in his private office. He was
very generous to spend time with us alone, just the two of us, chatting
with us as if we were old friends. He was very, very generous to us.
And he even giggled several times with us. He has a marvelous sense of
humor; he cracked a couple of jokes. It was wonderful! From having
spent some time with him, we felt the power of the Spirit of God, just
by being in close proximity with him.

We then met with Ms. Nomfundo Walaza, Chief Executive Officer of the
Desmond Tutu Peace Center. This was also wonderful. She gave us an
outline of the focus of the Center. #1: Inspiring young people to work
for peace. #2: creating a platform for voices of the marginalized to be
heard (landlessness, homelessness, women, homosexuals, disabled,
refugees were some she mentioned). #3: training leadership to be
accountable. #4: collaboration for peace with universities and
churches. (Note: I previously mentioned meeting Ms. Walaza at the
Cathedral. She is a member of the Anglican Consultative Council - see
write up from Sunday).

Later today we met with the Rev Dr Dion Forster of the Methodist
Church, previous dean of the Methodist seminary in South Africa. He
was personally very much in the forefront of the anti-Apartheid
movement through the years in SA, and is active now with affluent
change-makers to use their resources for transformatiion in South
Africa, as well as the country of Africa, and the world today.

Did I tell you about yesterday? We met with Rachael Mash, Executive
Director for Fikelela, the Diocese of Cape Town ministry for HIV/Aids.
Rachael was very generous with her time. She is doing wonderful work
with the children of HIV affected children; wonderful youth education
programs in the churches and the communities; that are not just
abstinence, but educational programs that allow youth to train other
youth; to frankly speak of their questions and their concerns; going to
a week long seminar in order to be confirmed by the Bishopor
Confirmation classes. In order to be confirmed by the Bishop, the
youth have to had attended HIV/Aids and sex education. Then they
become the leaders and go out into the community to do peer training.
Some of the facts about HIV/Aids: 1000 people die a day here. Today
Archbishop Tutu described this pandemic as 3 jumbo jets a day crashing.
Bishop Rubin Philips told us that 1.3 million people have fallen off
the election rolls since the last election. We have heard on our
travels that 1/3 of the entire population of the Eastern Cape has
HIV/Aids. This is a HUGE tragedy in this country. Archbishop Tutu
reported that there is a comdeian who said, "HIV/Aids is going to
succeed where Apartheid failed." In other words, this is dividing and
destroying the country along color lines. Back to the interview with
Rachael Mash: We had an exciting discussion about the future direction
of this important ministry. Rachael was excited about ideas that
flowed forth from our discussion. She is excited that Christ Church
might want to be a site that may desire a continued ministry to help
the children who are affected by HIV/Aids. I can see how that may be
possible. There could be some direct contact between us and the people
of Africa using our resources. So we'll see....

We also met yesterday with Michael Weeder, archdeacon and rector of St.
Philip the Deacon. He was generous with his time; shared his
experience in the Apartheid area. His greatest fear at that time as a
"colored man" was not that he would be arrested or jailed, but for this
happening away from Table Mountain; away from the protection of his
community. Indeed, we can see the Mountain almost any where we go --
its grandeur and its protection. In Exodus, you will remember the
story of God's presence in the cloud. Every day we've seen a cloud
hovering over Table Mountain and can imagine the sense of protection it
could provide just knowing its presence.

Tomorrow we fly to Jo'burg.
Blessings and love,
Jackie and Joan

Sunday May 2, 2010

We walked the 10 minute walk to the Cathedral of St. George in Cape
Town for the 10am service. It was what they call "a typical Cathedral
service" here: Incense, good liturgy, music and preaching - all well
done. The congregation is quite diverse (everything is in 3 languages
- English, isiXhosa, Afrikaans). After service they had a party in the
Hall for 2 men who had a civil union this past month. We all were
invited. The congregation wanted to honor them. Jerry and Walter had
been together for 53 years, and now because South Africa has made it
legal, they could have a Civil Union. Gifts, pictures, champagne - the
Cathedral went all out! At the reception we met the retired Bishop of
Grahamstown (where we have spent quite a bit of our time this trip).
And we met a woman who is a member of the Anglican Consultative Council
(ACC). This is one of the international Anglican groups working on the
Anglican Covenant and striving to hold the Anglican Communion together.
The ACC is the only group that includes lay people on its membership.
This was a lay woman we met today. It is very rare to come upon
someone with that level of responsibility. For a reference point, there
are only 2 members for the entire USA appointed to the ACC - The Rev.
Dr. Ian Douglass in Massachusetts is one of them. You never know who
you will run into while worshipping at a Cathedral.

After morning worship, we went to the waterfront district for some
shopping before getting on the ferry for the tour of Robben Island.
FYI, this is the island where Nelson Mandella was held prisoner for 18
of his 25 years of imprisonment. This was a difficult tour to take.
The level of injustice, discrimination and pain suffered by so many
people simply because of the color of their skin is inconceivable for
me to imagine. Another emotional day for me learning about the reality
of the history of this nation.

Blessings and love,
Joan+

Saturday May 1, 2010

This past Wednesday, the Bishop of Grahamstown, the Rt Rev Ebenezer
Ntali, gave us a personal tour of the Diocese as he outlined his vision
for the future of the diocese. It was a fun day. We were supposed to
meet the Prime Minister of the country, but at last minute she couldn't
make it. The day culminated with tea at the archdeacon's home. I
expected tea to be, well.... tea and maybe a cookie or something. But
no! It was a full 5 course meal. By that time, we were starved, so it
was such a welcomed and delicious sight.

Thursday was a travel day to Cape Town by car and airplane.

Friday we attended the 7:15am service at the Cathedral so we could see
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (and of course to worship). We had breakfast
afterwards with him. Exciting!! Took pictures - but they can't come
to you yet. Once I leave country, they will come. We were later
picked up by the Rev Jeremy Dobling, rector in Kenilworth and assistant
at an outreach center called "The Warehouse". He gave us a tour of one
of the Townships (that's the name for the poorest of the poor areas in
town). We joined a support group meeting for HIV/Aids women. The
stories were heart-wrenching. Tears again. But we ended in prayer.
Then we grabbed a bite to eat in one of the Township's well known
eating spots called Mosli's Meats. You pick out your meat choice; it
is grilled for you on an open pit; then you eat it with your hands.
Messy but boy was it good.

Today we started our day at the Cathedral for a service of Thanksgiving
for Fr. Michael Lapsley. The Diocese was celebrating the 20th
anniversary of the day he opened a letter bomb and lost 2 hands and 1
eye. He since has done much, including starting the Center for the
Healing of Memories. It was a moving service, with Tutu as celebrant
(2 days in a row we see Tutu!!), and the current Archbishop, Thabo
Magkoba, as preacher. The music was provided by the Pro Cantu Youth
Choir, an award winning and internationally renowed group. Music is
often a way that God reaches me to the depths of my core and that
happened today. At one point, I sensed my dad present with us. We
spent the rest of the afternoon with the Rev. Sarah Jones, Archbishop
Thabo's Research and Ecumenical Advisor. In addition to hearty
conversation, we enjoyed a South African glass of wine while sitting on
the wharf at the waterfront of Cape Town. Absolutely gorgeous. Huge
mountains in the distance, sailboats and ferry boats of all kinds on
the water, inpromptu entertainment at spots around us - picturesque and
relaxing.
Blessings and love,
Joan+
 

Tuesday April 27th

I'll need to back up a couple of days. It's been a whirlwind. There
are photos from the Synod now posted on the Diocese of Grahamstown
website. Take a look. Mother Jacquelyn and I are in several of them.
www.diocesegrahamstown.co.za
 You can also read the actual resolution they passed about the Vision under the Minutes of Synod.

Sunday, Mother Jacquelyn was invited to preach at St. Albans and me at
St. Marks both in East London. Both services were glorious and we had
a great time meeting the people of the parishes. Immediately from
services we were whisked to the airport for transport to Durban (via
Jo'burg - that's what they call Johannesburg).

Monday we had a most amazing meeting with the Bishop of Natal, Rubin
Phillip, diocesan offices located in Durban. His vision for the people
of his diocese involves his immersion into their lives so he can truly
understand what they are going through - spending a week living in a
shack in Stoppeltown with no running water or electricity; the poorest
of the poor. When asked to list the challenges faced by his people, #1
was HIV Aids; #2 Poverty; #3 Gender and race; #4 Crime. He is a
compassionate man who advocates for them in the trenches as well as on
the highest governmental boards and commissions. (Lots more about this
meeting later)

We were picked up from Diocesan Offices and taken to Hillcrest, a major
HIV Aids respite center. It is here where we learned the saddest piece
of information. The voting rolls of SA have decreased by 1.4 million
people in the last 2 years. They are dying. Almost all from HIV Aids.
The middle generation is no longer there. There are so many orphans.
Grannies are taking them under their wing, either adopting or foster
care. But with an entire generation gone, there will be no leadership
for the future. And what will happen when the Grannies die? It is
heart breaking. Hillcrest is doing very important work: providing home
based care as well as in-patient care, offering training for jobs, food
and clothing for those who have nothing. The Director of Hillcrest
took us home for dinner with her and her family. Delicious!

Tuesday we flew to Port Elizabeth and took a 1 and 1/2 hour shuttle
ride to the Order of Holy Cross Monastery in Grahamstown. Imagine the
smallest car you've ever seen in your life. Driver in front seat,
sitting on right side of course. Passenger front seat full of
suitcases, strapped in with seat belt and floor loaded with more
luggage. Back seat crammed with 3 people, including Mother Jackie and
me. No trunk. Ha! I could not imagine that they could transport 3
people with all our luggage in this tiny car. But they did and it
worked. I took pics - sorry the pics just aren't coming to you from SA.
I've sent them, they just don't go. So you'll see them all when i get
back in the States. The monastery is peaceful. The most beautiful
mountain scenes you can imagine. Restful. Relaxing.

We've been invited to join the Bishop of Grahamstown and his staff for
the Eucharist tomorrow at 8:30am. I was going to close but just have
to tell you about this.... We have no way to get into town for this.
We happened to run into the Bishop's driver while on a walk to look at
the property around the monastery. He usually rides his motorcycle to
town and then has use of the Bishop's car. So once we're there, he can
bring us back to the monastery after, but no way to get both of us with
him to town (if thre was only one of us, he says he could take one on
the back of the cycle - Jackie and I are very glad we always travel
together!!) So he offered to walk with us to the location. The
streets are not paved until we are much closer to town. He figures it
will take us 1 hour and 40 minutes to get there. Then he came up with
the idea of hopping on the taxi (I can only imagine what that will be
like) that picks up the children to take them to school in the morning.
Maybe like a bus? I'll try to take a photo. Jackie and I figured
this might be the best option. But they can't really tell you what
time it might show up. Could be 6:30, or 7:00, or 7:15am. So we are
clearly going with the flow. This is described to us by the monks as
a truly African experience -- it might show up or might not, it might
be on time or might not, it may take us where we need to go or might
not -- but with the Bishop's driver with us and lots of children on the
taxi, we have nothing to worry about. A great adventure. Stay tuned
for next installment.
Love you all and miss you.
Joan+
 

Friday April 23rd

Dear Christ Church,
God is so amazing. We came to South Africa with the intention of being open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

I said I was coming with an open mind to what God wanted to show me. And oh boy, did God ever. Our
first stay was in East London. I thought we would be here a couple of days and then move onto our next location.

God had other plans. East London was where we were invited to address the Synod of Grahamstown
(which we did on Wednesday). They we were due to leave. But as it turns out, we remained in East London

through the end of the Synod and the Holy Spirit moved in very powerful ways --- not only in how the
Lord ended up keeping us here (a separate story), but what happened after that. The Lord gave to

Mother Jackie the vision for the future of this Diocese. Without hearing this in advance, Bishop Ebenezer asked
us to present this to the Synod this morning. We did. Then he told all of Synod that this confirms the vision he

received 2 years ago and had only shared with one other staff person -- the same exact vision.
I could not believe it. Tears started leaking out of my eyes. He asked us to write this up, which we did. It was

this same paper that then came forward to the Synod today as a motion. It was unanimously
approved. And from that time till the end of the Synod, the Bishop and all others referred to all actions

as "Now with the new direction you have given us for the Diocese of Grahamstown..."

It is amazing. The people are encouraged and energized; ready to do this work; ready to live into this

vision which is truly the vision of Bishop Ebenezer. It is a privilege to be here at this time; to see God
working through us and through the people of South Africa.

I thought you'd enjoy a message from Mother Jacquelyn as well as
messages of greeting from the children at the home where we are
staying. They know they are speaking to you at Christ Church.....

It is obvious to me now why the Lord changed our itinerary so that we
would stay in East London
Love, Joan+

Greetings from Mother Jacquelyn
It was wonderful to be back at Christ Church on Saturday for the 5pm
service. I'm grateful to Fr. Tim who greeted me with a hug and for all
my brothers and sisters at Christ Church. I'm sorry we had to leave on
Sunday and so did not get to see the rest of you. I'm looking forward
to being back in Toms River so that we can worship together.

I feel that in Africa we are witnessing the miraculous movement of the
Holy Spriit in East London at the Synod of Grahamstown. That Spirit is
evident in every part of the liturgy, every human interaction, every
greeting, and certainly in the hospitality we've been shown. And
actually we feel like we've been here for a very long tiome. There is
a special gift that this diocese seems to have of hospitality --
showing love to the stranger -- and it seems to be part of their DNA
(so to speak). From the youngest person we have met, whose name is
Keren to her sister whose name is Jessica, to their wonderful parents
who have hosted us (Mark and Simone). They have shown the love of
Christ in every action. And we see this as an example of Christian
Agape love; the kind of love that puts us in mind of the meaning of the
Holy Eucharist in so many ways. I'd love to talk to you longer but
there is so much to do and many places to go. I'll guess I'll have to
say, "to be continued...."
Blessings,
Mother Jackie

Hi from Keren (age 6. in kindergarden called grade 0 in Clareden Prep).
I like going to school and all I do is doing art, and play. We play
lines and lions, and we also play "baby, baby, mommy, mommy, sister,
sister." I also like fairies. I also like mermaids. But most of all,
I like pop stars. My favorite is Hanna Montana.

Hi from Jessica (age 13, in grade 7 at Clarendon Primary). I love dogs.
My favorite place to be is at my friend's house. I love spending
time with my friends, as well as drawing, baking, reading and climbing. I
climb walls and trees and, if I have the chance, on the rocks at the
beach. I might go to the movies tonight. I like going to the movies.
My favorite subject at school is English even though I don't like my
English teacher. [You don't have to say that]. I like poetry and art.
I like the poem called the "Sea". It starts with "The Sea is an
hungry dog...."

April 22nd

On arriving in East London, on the southern most coast of the continent, we found some quite amazing things that

the Holy Spirit is doing. Yesterday we visited a private non-profit called CMR (translated to mean Christian Social

Services). They are doing life-changing work for the poorest of the poor. The social workers said that their main concern

now is child traffiking, which is for purposes of the sex trade or for body parts. Details are too sad to share here; but

needless to say, the inroads they are making in this area are indeed life-changing, life-saving! They also have developed a garden program that is feeding thousands, and offer counseling and more. See photos for pics of their offices.

We have changed our itinerary to stay in East London for a couple more days. We have discerned that is the movement

of the Holy Spirit.
There are conversations we are having with the attendees of the Synod, including the Bishop. Plus, as it happens, there

is a Christian healing conference being held in this town today and tomorrow. We are attending.
 

April 21st

Arrival in South Africa was smooth and uneventful. The flight was not nearly as onerous as I thought it might be.

In addition to whatever books or magazines people brought, there was so much entertainment
programmed on the screen right in front of you --- tons of movies, a huge variety of TV shows, music of all kinds,

games to play. Plus of course, trying to sleep. So the time went much faster than I expected  (15.5 hours from

Atlanta to Jo'burg). We are now in a town called East London at the home of the rector of St Alban's Anglican

Church where the Synod of Grahamstown is meeting. This is equivalent to our Diocesan Convention.

Yesterday Mother Jackie and I addressed the Synod. Yes, we sang to them -- spontaneous and in harmony. It was
fun. We received quite a warm welcome. Bishop Ebenezer and the clergy are so hospitable. The Lord is doing some

amazing things with us already. I came to South Africa with a totally open mind as to what God may be teaching me

through this experience. I am already seeing amazing signs and wonders. We are changing some of our plans to fit
what we perceive God wants us to see and learn. Stay tuned!!
Blessings,
Joan+

Saturday April 17th

Mother Jacquelyn and I depart for South Africa in the morning.  We are SO excited!!  Once we get to Atlanta and change planes, we have an 18-hour flight to Johannesburg.  Whew!  But it's all part of the adventure.  The last two weeks I have been winding down, planning the various trips for this sabbatical, reading, hanging with family.  Tomorrow, though, it all changes as I leave town, leave the country - hey, leave the continent! 

        I am convinced that God has given this sabbatical to us at Christ Church so that we can learn something God has planned for us to learn; something very specific for the ministry we do or will be doing.  Isn't it exciting to wonder what that might be, or how it will look different for us down the road?  For now I am keeping my mind open to possibilities and trying to get myself out of the way so I can hear and see God.  I pray you are doing the same.

     You won't hear from me for a couple of days now.  I am praying for you.  Love, Mother Joan

part 2

I forgot to tell you what I'm reading this week.  Great book by Stephanie Spellers called "Radical Welcome: Embracing God, The Other, and the Spirit of Transformation."  She challenges churches to move beyond being inviting and inclusive, and move toward a radical welcome.  If you have a chance to read it, let me know what you think.

Day 9 of Sabbatical: 

I received the best news today.  I saw my oncologist (for those who don't know what I'm talking about - I had Stage 1 breast cancer).  I have reached my 5-year mark cancer free.  All medications now stop.  And best news:  She says I am released; don't need to come back to her; just follow up with primary.  I am now considered "low risk" along with the rest of the population.  Woo-hoo!!  What a great way to start the sabbatical.

Going into the City tomorrow (day 10) and will spend some time with my nephew Vinnie who attends FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) for jewelry design; and some time with my niece Leah who works in the City.  Clay is coming along, so should be a great day!  Maybe pics will follow.

Day 3 of sabbatical. 

 I did an interview of an exciting program at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Geneva,NY.  They have a program they developed called "Neighbors Night". 

Day 2 of sabbatical -- catching up with old friends.  Check the Sabbatical website picture section.  In photo is my sister, Ann, our friend Paul Birkby and me.  Paul literally saved my life when I was 8 (and he was 8).  A huge tombstone fell on me and believe it or not, he lifted it off of me.  I only ended up with broken ankles.  Doctors were surprised.  Headlines in paper said, "Boy 8 saves girl."  We've been friends since then.

Monday April 5, 2010

The sabbatical has begun.  I'm in Geneva NY with my mom at Ann's home (my sister).  We are spending time relaxing and doing some additional planning for the USA part of the sabbatical (on which my sister will be going with me). 

I have set up my first interview.  St. Peter's Episcopal Church here in Geneva has an interesting program for the neighborhood children.  I've made an appointment for Wednesday morning to interview them using the sabbatical matrix.  I look forward to learning more about it.

I am missing you all already.  A blessed Easter to you!

Love,Joan+

Send Mother Joan your Sabbatical thoughts and well wishes!!