Our day started with a meeting with African leaders and bishops of the Methodist Church. We met Bishop Zipho D Siwa, Rev. Dr. Kenaleone Ketshabile (shortened to KK), Bishop Themba Mntanbo and Bongin Kosi (Praise the Lord). They described the 11 countries they oversee as well as the challenges dealing with the political, social and economic issues in Southern Africa. In South Africa they have private (government) schools as well as the religious. There are more than 25,000 schools and 28,000 different churches which creates a challenge to reach a consensus on education methods and curriculum.
The bishop was very interested in hearing of the Russian churches, their needs as well as forming a relationship.
We returned to Mooiplaas and the Ditshego school where we played and interacted with the children. Synda painted super-sized sunflowers on a wall of the school that brings color, levity and fun to the school. We listened to the children sing and practice songs as they prepared a concert for their parents. Their energy and laughs are infectious.
Following our day at Ditshego, we went to Westview Methodist in Pretoria where we met members who prepared a pot luck dinner for us. Westview is a sponsor of Ditshego. In discussions with Westview members, we found the similarities of background, jobs and families among the people from three separate continents to be striking.