Delivery to Umzumbe

(Thursday, 17th May 2007)

Text of report letter to Athol church:

Sanibona, Athol!

Thursday was a long, tiring but worthwhile day, with three deliveries of material from Massachusetts i3L churches to their KZN counterparts arranged, and another task picked up along the way. A portion of the 375 km circuit of the southern part of the province began with the visit to Umzumbe, which went like this:

We headed off early down the coast, the hour and a half or so to Umzumbe, in order to meet Claudia Cele at the church, to see her before the Isililo activities commenced for the day. We got there in good time, and there was a fond, smiling-and-teary greeting, as we saw once more this great and good woman who’s one of the mainstays of the connections as they relate to Umzumbe.

We handed over the large zip-bag of items from Judy Wirth and the Athol church, and one of the maps. Attached is a photo of Claudia getting a first look at the new album pages that were included in the package. We learned that the binder into which the scrapbook pages were intended to be placed has for some weeks been stuck down in Port Shepstone with Mr. Gumede, the Secretary, who had taken it to use it for reference for something or t’other that had been included in the Easter services; a great mystery. But we pushed hard for Claudia to insist that the binder come back to the church for all to enjoy, and for the new items to be added (and that she use our inquiry as a particular excuse, if as seemed the case it was difficult sometimes to make requests in the nature of demands of the very busy and status-ed man; as to which, see further below).

Claudia confessed to us that she had received additional scrapbook pages from Judy Wirth a few months ago, and had neglected to write to let Judy know that she had received these. The package was too large to be left in Claudia's post office box, and she had to travel to the main Umzumbe post office (a place, towards the coast, we have never seen; the old Umzumbe mission is now a place called Morrisons) to pick up the package. And then, she handed the pages to Mr. Gumede, who never showed them to the congregation but took them to his home in Port Shepstone (a recurring theme, that). So, we urged Claudia to also get these additional pages back from Port Shepstone so that the congregation can see the scrapbook in its entirety.

We had a good, though short, time with Claudia reviewing the Athol offerings -- the kids' letters and drawings were a special delight--, talking about their generating responses from the Sunday school kids to their pen-pal letters as quickly as possible, and so on. Hugs on the way out.

By arrangement, we were met at the Umzumbe Mission church by Thembeke, the niece of Goodness Jeza, the main contact for the Odeke church in the relationship with Royalston. Thembeke, who lives and is studying in Durban, was home at Odeke for a few days, and so would be available to guide us to the school where Goodness teaches (and where she stays during the week due to transportation difficulties since she has no car), and where we would meet her to deliver the items from Royalston.
Ruthann had thought to ask whether Thembeke could also show us to Mrs. Dlamini's house, so that we could greet her? You will remember that Mrs. Dlamini, as the widow of the former minister, continues as the "Mother of the Church". When Ruthann spoke to Mrs. Dlamini a few days ago about the prayer connection, there was a request to see us, if possible. Thembeke was able to easily direct us, as for the first time we took the short jaunt, one turn from the center of the community there below the site of the mission, where behind the clinic (where Sister Eugenia would have been working until about a year ago) is the drive back to the enclosure for the house. As Thembeke waited in the car, we did have the chance to greet Mrs. Dlamini, and during this discussion mentioned the items we’d delivered from Athol and that we understood the folder into which the scrapbook pages were supposed to be placed was with Mr. Gumede, and could she also ask him to bring that back to Umzumbe? She said, yes, she would speak with him about this, as the binder should be there at the church. (This is bringing out the big gun, in effect, and that should get it done.)

We appreciate the efforts you're making to help this effort to bridge the several divides, of time and space and other things, between Athol and Umzumbe, as you and they reclaim the sense of being 'fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,' of the family of the one church and truly known to each other as such. God bless your and their efforts in this mission.

We'll keep you posted as things develop here. Keep trying from your side as well!

Best, Jan and Ruthann.

Pick-up from Umzumbe

(Thursday, 2nd August 2007)

See a description of this visit as part of the 'general communication' about the 'South Coast pick-up run' of this date.  Photos from the Umzumbe portion of that day are in the following gallery: