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reflections and rantings

I have thought about what I wrote day before last since I wrote it. Whatever I said about my church and race needs to have this added to it: our church chose to to be muticultural/multi racial before the end of Apartheid in 1994. We have received so much love across the race lines. Our closest friends here are all different colours. For what is not working there is life coming in. And boo to me. I really want to be choosing peace and love. I should have written from a place of peace and love previously.

South Africa is a country whose history is so entwined with racial tension. The cover of one of our papers had a story about really inflammatory flyers in a hugely popular shopping centre that advocated genocide against whites. It was put there by young black people. I remember a church service where it was announced that a really harsh white South African who had been involved in some really racially motivated attacks in the past was murdered. Something was said about the nature of this man, it obviuosly offended an older white couple who stood up and walked out. My own beloved granny referred to our garderner as boy. My siblings and I would plead with her to change, but at 84 she said it was impossible. Jeesh, just read up on Cecil John Rhodes. What he did for business and his pocket was really shocking. I had a coloured friend in college who was umcomfortable with the idea of staying with her white friends. This came after dealing with ridicule and chastisment for having white friends. My youngest sister is a delicous dark chocolate brown. When she was a baby we would walk through the mall white people would stare and whisper. It made us very angry. When we went on holiday to other parts of our country black people stared and asked questions. I hate this race thing because it is evil. It burns, it divides.

My little sister's best friend is also black in a white family. Her closest friends at school are two germans, both white, another white child and a muslim child. She sees the colour but sees the person behind the colour. Children seem to be able to do things differently. Did I mention her closest guy friend is white afrikaans which historically speaking should not be the case.

This is me. I am oppinionated (and maybe i can't spell), but I am willing to learn and to change. More than anything I want to live as Christ.

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