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RSSAugust 22 , Proper 16
by the Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton for ERD
8/22/2004
Isaiah 28:14-22
Psalm 46
Hebrews 12:18-19,22-29
Luke 13:22-30
"Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." -- Luke 13:30 (NRSV)
"We are here to fight the fight,î says Sabine. "We want to bridge the gap so that our children do not face the same difficulties in the future. That is what makes it all worthwhile."
Sabine lives in Lambert's Bay, in the Diocese of Cape Town, South Africa. But the fight she is talking about is not a violent fight. Sabine has no time for that. She's talking about her restaurant, a popular spot with tourists on Bird's Islandóand the first coloured-owned business there.
The legal victory has preceded the winning of hearts and minds in toppling the vicious apartheid system of South Africa -- hearts and minds take longer. Eight years after apartheid's dismantling, the black and coloured majorities continue to feel the sting of discrimination and exclusion from the mainstream economy.
A partnership between Episcopal Relief and Development and HOPE Africa, the social development arm of the Diocese of Cape Town, builds capacity of and helps people like Sabine. The partnership addresses the needs of people in the Diocese where great wealth sits incongruously side by side with terrible poverty. Sabine is one example of someone who understands very well that the only way around the difficulties ahead in South Africa is straight through them, and you need the determination and drive the journey requires. Decades of apartheid have made South Africa's black majority strong and tough, more than able to take what a dying prejudice can dish out.
Through ERD and HOPE Africa, Sabine received the training she needed to run her business. On the menu? Delicious grilled crayfish. A local specialty.
Episcopal Relief and Development saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times of disaster. When the immediate crisis is over, we rebuild devastated communities and offer long-term solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS.
