“You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1960

This past week I spent a few days in Cape Town South Africa, a city full of breathtaking beauty and heartbreaking sorrow. I went to be inspired and encouraged and to spend some time with 4000 other women attending the Hillsong Colour Conference for women. This fabulous event did inspire and challenge me even more to expand my heart to God's amazing love for his women around the world, but in the midst of the heart pounding worship and frenetic if not expectant crowds God gave me a glimpse into some inspiring lives as we sat and had tea!

Coffee/Tea is the equalizer of women. One of my dreams is to have coffee or tea with women all over the world, When we women sit together over this simple ritual, barriers no longer exist and a common sisterhood emerges. This trip I had several opportunities to sip exquisitely made lattes and cappuccinos, to sit in a fabulously decorated lobby of a grand hotel tasting wonderful Robois tea but my absolute highlight was the incredible privilege of being invited into the home of a women know as Auntie Baby. Auntie is an 83yr old colored woman who has lived her whole life in Cape Town South Africa.

Auntiebaby

Neatly kept small homes surrounded by gates greeted us as we entered the township of Ladismith, a couple of turns and we pulled in front of a small perfectly kept home. We were ushered in with hugs and kisses by several beautiful women. There were cousins, nieces and aunts and great nieces all speaking at once to one another, My friend Theresa who brought me explained that they had not seen each other in many years. Though I am not fluent in Africans ( in fact only know one word) I was keenly aware of what they were saying,, as all women of the world their conversation centered around how family was,who had gotten married, who had had babies and who had passed. As the pleasantries turned to a deeper conversation Auntie Baby prepared the tea and brought it out in her beautiful yellow and green tea set and served it with mouth watering homemade coconut  biscuits. It was at this point that they began to go between English and Africans so I picked up on the seriousness of the conversation.

Theresa and I

The history of South Africa and Cape Town in particular is not always a glorious one and there are several distinct classes of people.During the Apartheid Era blacks were evicted from properties that were in areas designated as "white only" and forced to move into segregated townships. Separate townships were established for each of the three designated non-white race groups (blacks, coloureds and Indians) These distinct classes still exists and unfortunately the coloureds are still marginalized.

My new friends were discussing the challenges that they faced with lack of education and the fact many young coloureds have little or no desire for change. These women had seen so much in their lifetime and could have easily come to the conclusion their job was done but discussion heated up as they discussed how things must change and the only way change could come would be for this generation to see how valuable they were and the only way was for them to realize they had purpose was through a relationship with Jesus. I could not help but think of the young women in the US who face a similar challenge. Women who do not understand how precious they are in God's eyes.

Humbled and honored to have been allowed into what I felt was a sacred circle of women that day, we left but not without Auntie Baby giving me a gift of a beautiful table cloth she had hand sewn, the gift will always be a treasure to me but the greatest gift of all was just for a moment I was allowed into her home and heart to hear and know that women truly are the same all over the world.

My friend Theresa let me know that more than likely I was the only white woman who had been into Aunties home. WOW tears still spring to my eyes as I know these are moments I will treasure for the rest of my life