It was a beautiful day today so we decided to spend the Sabbath resting beside the Umtuvuna River which is the dividing line between the two provinces and distinguishes the more developed area from the tribal land on the other side where our ministry is. The spot where we went is actually a Caravan (RV) Park. We had a picnic, played along the river and enjoyed the spectacular views.
One view though, startled and amazed me. Toward the end of the day, I kept seeing groundskeepers and maintenance workers disappear into the reeds along the water. Somewhat alarmed, I went over to where they were disappearing and I found two rowboats full of people. They had finished their workday and were heading home. Now the typical 'commute' of the less materially affluent in Africa is challenging enough with long walks or rides in crowded taxi's but what I saw unfold was amazing.
The two rowboats made their way across the wide river with a fair amount of current. It took some time to cross and then as they approached the opposite bank I noticed that the next step in their commute was
probably worse. You see, the side of the river that we were on had a gentle slope and rolling hills but the side they headed to was a bluff. Their path would take them up a rather steep ascent with numerous switchbacks to scale the perhaps 100 meters or so of the bluff. And then when they got to the top their journey would continue.What a commute! I suspect they may have been looking at those bluffs high above the river in a far different way than I had - perhaps they did not see them as spectacular scenery!
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