After Ds. Petrus Carstens had blessed us with words from Psalm 121 (“I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth….”) and with the church bells ringing, four of us left the beautiful old church in Uniondale for a two-week pilgrimage on the recently established Garden Route Camino. We walked along the Kammanassie and Outeniqua mountains, through rural farmlands – enjoying the wheat fields and orchards as well as the many animals including ostriches. We crossed mountains via two spectacular historical passes: the Prince Alfred and Montagu. All-in-alI the scenery was breath-taking and the weather also played along well.
I undertook this journey together with my brother-in-law, Rolf Tönsing, from Worcester, to reflect again on my current phase in life and to experience something new. Our two fellow companions, whom we did not know before, were two Dutch Reformed (DR) ministers with whom we got along extremely well. We had very interesting and in-depth discussions on a wide variety of topics along the route and learnt a great deal from one another. On average, we covered about 20 km per day and stayed over with local folk, who provided food and accommodation, and above all their unmatched hospitality which was so heart-warming and genuine. During the day we were either supplied with food parcels or given brunches – also from the local inhabitants.
What I appreciated most on this pilgrimage was the caring and openness con- veyed to us by the people with whom we interacted and the fellowship we had with our two DR brothers. We commenced each day with a devotion and when we met people, we inquired about their joys and concerns and anxie- ties. One of the recurring topics was the drought, which has now prevailed for almost 8 years and which caused a great deal of anxiety. Fortunately, there was some recent rain which brought welcome relief. I was also impressed to learn that the relationship between employer and employees in the region is very healthy which is so important for human communication and co- existence. Our two brothers always made a point to conclude the open- hearted discussions we shared with a prayer which touched us all deeply and was greatly appreciated by the local folk. At times I felt that Heaven and Earth came together in a very special way which was very special.
Rolf and I concluded our walk in George, while the other two continued their pilgrimage to Mosselbay where the Camino ends at the light-house. To me this ten-day walk was very blessed and enriching.
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Ernst-G. Brunke
