Tuesday, April 5, 2016

On A Wall Far Away

I was surprised to find, on a wall in a township far, far away, this photograph, taken in my old Church in Cape Town. The photo is, needless to say, a little worse for the ravages of time. I know who the girl is on the right: she is Elsie Draai, a woman with an extraordinarily energetic and outgoing personality -- someone you couldn't miss, who brought smiles everywhere. The photo was taken before the time of my own ministry, perhaps around 1990. Under my ministry, many years later, Elsie complained one Sunday morning at the end of the service: "I can't see!" We led her to a transept, where she sat down in a pew. Then we took her to hospital, where she died. It was tuberculous meningitis. I am told that this is a photo of the confirmation of her baptism.

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