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Marina Jessop

Day 11

Flight Home/Reflections
As we head home I can't help but feel sadness. I'm of course excited to see my family, but I just experienced something huge—South Africa! Before I came, I wanted to know the story of South Africa. This is what I've learned:
  • South Africa is the story of people in oppression fighting to rise above.
  • It's the story of cruelty fighting to be freed from the chains that bind. It's the story of diverse cultures trying to live in harmony with one another.
  • It's the story of forgiveness.
  • It's the story of deep humility and long suffering.
  • Yet it's also the story of people standing up for themselves, saying, "We will not be treated like this anymore!"
Thank you for opening my eyes so I could see what I couldn't see before. Thank you for allowing me to hear with my ears the story this nation has to tell. Thank you for allowing my heart to have the opportunity to feel like it never felt before. Now I know! This was the trip and the experience of a lifetime!