Someday.....

 Someday I will post about the beautiful Victoria Falls. Because right now, I cannot access the files in my camera until I find a part that plugs into the computer and reads the SD file.

I can tell you that the wind sends the mist from the falling water many feet into the air and it comes back down as rain while walking the path next to the falls. My rain coat was totally inadequate and water dripped off my nose and lips while I watched other visitors walking by with umbrellas. 

Beautiful, beautiful place!

Ah, cute!

 I learned something while talking to the staff today at breakfast. The monkeys who come around for handouts (especially the sugar packets in bowls on the table) target women more than men. I thought about it, and yes, Jeffrey wouldn't stand for a monkey by his table while I would say, "he is cute!"

I have been told they will take things out of your pocket if you are not aware.

Bold monkey who steals the sugar packs off the table

ACLARS insights

 I have been spending time at the ACLARS (African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies) conference in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe this week. There are some amazing perspectives and ideas that I have learned about and come to understand. 

For example, Molly told us about the terrible effects of Colonization that have gone on for years. When I talked to her at dinner, we had a conversation regarding my observations that the falls have been here for many hundreds of years, but when Livingstone came along and "discovered" them, they became known as Victoria Falls. In fact there is a big statue of Livingstone where they show that he came in November of 1855 at the beginning of the trail along the falls. That is no time at all in the history of Africa's ancient age and civilizations. (And pretty presumptuous of the English to be the ones to 'discover' something that has been with other people for hundreds of years) Maybe a little like Columbus discovering the Americas when people already lived there.

Molly told me the real name though I cannot pronounce or remember it. She told me it was problematic to change names and places back to before the British and French "settled" Africa. The poorest parts of the community around the falls depend on tourists for their livelihoods. It would have ramifications to change back again to the former name. In fact those people's who once lived and used the falls have been displaced by many others. 

It is like when a ship sinks into the sea and slams onto the bottom of the sea. It will displace and destroy what used to be there. But after years, life grows around it and makes a habitat for other species. 

Though in Africa the colonization has created a poorer and less hospitable place over the long run.

Molly Manyonganise and I at ACLARS

Another class I attended brought up the fact that religion is not taught by religious leaders as much as it was in earlier days. Tic Tok, instagram, Facebook and many other social media markets have a much bigger role in the morals and attitudes than the traditional age and wisdom, or leader roles of 30 or 40 years ago (personal computers were invented in the 80's, the breeding ground for social media to grow).

The first presenter told us about sangomas (Highly respected healer among the Zulu people of South Africa. A sangoma (diagnoses, prescribes, and often performs the rituals to heal a person) and how the spirituality and religion or elder leaders are now in conflict with the miraculous stories and those taking advantage of poverty and who is looking for answers. Where is the influence for spiritual answers and truth coming from. She asked who is the puppet master?

The next presenter (a friend I met in Kenya two years ago) made her point with a story about a rapper who dressed as a muslim leader and videoed his rap song in front of a mosque. It created an uproar. 

And the fallout showed how impressions on social media could be louder than those religious leaders he was slamming. 

The rapper has a bigger following now than he did before.

This was so very insightful for me as I suddenly understood where some of my children were coming from and why they have the views they do. I did not grow up like they did and they all have a much broader and larger fields to draw information from - I was aware of this previously, but now my awareness is acute. 

Thanks to Lee-Shae Scharnick-Udemans from South Africa who made this point clear and understandable to me. I am so glad that I came today to her class.

Jeffrey and I with Lee-Shae

Seventeen Ladies on tour

 

The Tower Gate

Buckingham Palace

Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abby

Herding cats or guiding a tour?

 When we set off in the morning to catch the tour bus, we met a very nice man who showed us different famous places in London (or the city of Westminster actually). We saw the Westminster Abby - though we didn't go in it, and the courts, St Paul's cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the Gate Tower and a few others that have since slipped my mind.....ah like Downing Street as we drove by. I was a little overwhelmed by the history and all the stories that he told. Hundreds of years of history. It will take me some time to sort it all out.

It was fun to watch him direct the ladies. He was making sure we didn't wander across a street as we kept looking the wrong way first. But at every stop there were signs on the road top telling us which way to look. Convenient as the English have odd turns and angles flowing off of streets. The guide made sure we watched the walk lights and only went over when the green walking man lit up. Every time we set out, he would herd us back together and tell us something more. The only times we actually stayed together was when Sister Van Woerkom (Heidi) took a picture of all of us. 

Men and wives have a different schedule

 The real reason we are in London is for the cluster meetings where all the men in charge of the legal work for the church in various countries get together and update all that is going on. Jeffrey went to meetings and stayed in one or two rooms for two days while their wives went out to explore and enjoy the town.

We met up Sharon Kwaw who is now a legal coordinator in London. But she had to stay in the meetings because she is part of the London team and didn't get to go out and play with the rest of the ladies. There may have been a few other ladies who stayed to work also. 

But the rest of us had a great time on  tour busses, walking around sight seeing, going out to lunch and tea, touring Windsor Castle and the National Gallery. At night we would have dinner with the men. The last night we had a dinner cruise down the Thames and watched the sights at sunset. Very nice. 

I enjoyed being the non-worker this week. I have had so much fun getting to know London and meeting lots of new friends.

I and Sharon Kwaw just outside of the meeting room

Though this is a nice room, I felt a little bad that the men had to stay there for two days.

First day out touring when we all wore name tags while we got to know each other

Day with a Barrister

 On Saturday after Jeffrey's cluster meetings were over, we got to have a tour of the Inns of Court with an English barrister who is a member of the church.   Christian Taylor and his son Daniel came on a train for over an hour (maybe an hour and a half) to meet with us. 150 miles away!

He showed us the place where he got his education by staying with other professionals to learn the ways of the courts and such. It was a little different for me to learn that the solicitors and barristers are different  in England than an attorney or lawyer in America as their duties are divided. If you want to know the differences here is a good link. Only barristers appear before the court. Sometimes dressed in robes and wig, though not as often anymore and it depends on the judge.  Solicitors talk to and aide the clients.

I believe he said there were four Inns of Court where the students take pupilage or training for England and Wales. Scotland has their own law courts.  He studied here at Lincoln's Inn. 

Christian Taylor showed us all around the sites of different places that the law works in England. 

Royal Courts of Justice

Christian Taylor explaining how things work in the Courts and systems, Jay Pimentel ALC in Central Europe, and David Stanford ALC in Africa Central

Joshua Randall ALC over Eastern Europe (started in Russia but all the church has pulled all offices out), Daniel Taylor and his dad.

Jeffrey probably really enjoyed this day as he could relate to some of the things going on. I enjoyed the beautiful day and walking around London.

This is where the solicitors are. The building has the list of solicitors on the outside.

This is a very old and historic building that the Knights Templar stored treasures in. I think he said it had been a church also. I do not know which is the old part and which is "new". 

It is located close to the Middle Temple

We walked through a courtyard and then to the next street which had the Middle Temple Hall (another Inns of Court. 

It was closed for the day, but Brother Taylor took us to the other side of the building to talk to the security at the front desk. They let us in to see where our constitution was hanging on the wall. Daniel noticed how old some of the books were.

 

Christian Taylor talked to the security - who called back to the security on the other side. He let us in and gave us a tour. This is a place where barrister are "called to the bar" so they can practice law.

Then Dave Stanford, the Taylors, with Jeffrey and I went to lunch. Good day all around.