God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

08/31/2009 • 11:00 am Comments Off on 31.08.2009 A normal Monday…

31.08.2009 A normal Monday…

What do priests do on a normal weekday, as they normally only work on a Sunday, as I hear again and again.  Well, just to tell – at the office at 7 am – reading all emails and answering most of them – then at 8 am brief meeting with the secretary to oversee the work to be accomplished today. After that some phone calls, and the preparation of a talk, I have to give in two weeks time in Durban about “lay piety and religious discipline”. That takes me almost to the middle of the day. In front of me still the first sketches of the sermon for next Sunday, where I have to preach @ the Lutheran Church. HOPE Cape Town also requires still some attention and two meetings outside the office are still due to take place this afternoon. In between some unannounced visitors and the day is complete.

Leaves me at the end of the day with a brief lookout for tomorrow – meetings the whole morning with different people – and giving a talk to a visiting group in the afternoon, followed by a dinner with the group in the evening.


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08/29/2009 • 9:38 pm Comments Off on 29.08.2009 Sometimes I ask me…

29.08.2009 Sometimes I ask me…

.. why I really want to live in South Africa… Seriously, then my bloodpressure is going up. And it is not only the traffic, those impossible ways of driving a car, especially while raining…
This morning I wanted to buy a desk for my new home – went to a furniture store – Lifestyle living –  in Claremont – got my desk, all forms filled out, delivery agreed.. and then the company refused to take my European credit card from LH Miles & More. Their policy, so the manager and later the lady from the headquarter in Ottery, would say: no European credit cards.
I will on Monday contact my lawyer to get this company….  Why do I have a credit card? To pay worldwide without needing cash. What does MasterCard advertise? Being able to shop worldwide without hard cash. Why the hell do South African companies discriminate against European cards? It is a chip card, the most secure system we have in the moment.

I also heard today, that DSTV is refusing payment via internet with a foreign credit card. Computermania has the same policy. It is time to stop that. I guess,  I lawsuit and a nice compensation, payed towards a charity like HOPE Cape Town teaches those companies a lesson.  The arrogance and ignorance of those companies, managers etc is incredible. Which reminds me that Incredible Connection also has the policy to photocopy all foreign credit cards – both sides… nice way of opening fraud all doors.

And LH Callcenter South Africa does the same. I spoke to the LH Miles and More Credit Card legal department and they confirmed that the practice of Lufthansa Callcenter Cape Town is unlawful. Nevertheless, the call center continues to act in this way.

I must admit that I am sick and tired of such attitude and unlawful behavior, but first this furniture company on Monday..  time to stop that nonsense.

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08/29/2009 • 1:37 am Comments Off on 29.08.2009 It feels good…

29.08.2009 It feels good…

It simply feels good to know where you are heading. And I feel good because I know that I can continue to work in a field which is close to my heart and I guess I collected some expertise. And I am also happy because this shows that even in our church, we can find ways after a disaster, which benefits all parties concerned.It feels good to know that I can remain in this church and serve this church and the people in the fields of HIV and AIDS. I feel, it is a privilege to be able to do so. After 12 years of the privilege to be a chaplain to German speaking Communities abroad the next privilege. Or should I call it blessings?

This blog will accompany me in my new chapter of life – and it will continue to report about my work, my life, my thoughts – I hope it will be a good way in keeping in touch with many people I have learned to know in the last years and kept contact. It should stimulate discussion – and I already can see that it serves the purpose of getting in touch with people all over the world with similar or other thoughts.

I am grateful for everybody who gave me feedback so far or encouraged me to continue writing. Modern media and modern communication is indeed so helpful to exchange ideas and to meet people, one otherwise would never meet in a lifetime.

Five more Sunday services as the chaplain of a German speaking Catholic Community – the last being the farewell one. Besides all the good feelings I just described there is also sadness – of leaving this communities. For me, the personal contact with people of different back ground as you find them in a Catholic parish abroad was indeed a blessing. I learned so much – yes, I would say, that I learned more from all those who crossed my way in the last 12 years than they could learn from me… 🙂

It is 1.30 am in the morning, time to go to bed and I hope that today will be another splendid Capetonian winter day: 28 Degree Celsius, blue sky and no wind..  Another blessing…

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08/28/2009 • 9:04 am Comments Off on 28.08.2009 Light at the end of the tunnel…

28.08.2009 Light at the end of the tunnel…

Friday morning, a new day and slowly but surely the clouds of uncertainty are fading away. As it looks in the moment, I will stay in Cape Town to continue my work in the fields of HIV and AIDS with HOPE Cape Town and the Catholic AIDS Network (CAN) of the Archdiocese of Cape Town. This would enable me to built on the last more than 8 years of work in this portfolio. I must admit that I would be very happy to dedicate my time and energy for this cause and to create, develop and foster relationships in this field between Europe and South Africa.

Regarding the German speaking Catholic Communities in Cape Town and Durban the future is now also decided. I accept the fact that there is a termination of contract and I will not take the matter for a juridical review within the church. It would damage the church, waste a lot of energies and I cannot see the need to fight those, who decided to get me out of this portfolio. I don’t feel any need to have a dependency of any kind to them. My farewell in Cape Town will be on the 4th of October 2009, in Durban on the 13.9.2009.
I feel sad about leaving the communities – I felt home with the people in the last 12 years, but I guess, for a priest it is normal to change positions – and in our days, it applies for a lot of professions. The good old times, where priests where sitting for ages in one little village are gone….

But I am also looking forward to the new challenge and I know that I can continue to build on a good foundation – life is good and at the end, the bible is right:  God can write straight on twisted lines. Light at the end of the tunnel…

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08/27/2009 • 7:35 am Comments Off on 27.08.2009 Decisions

27.08.2009 Decisions

It is a beautiful morning, blue sky – seems to be a perfect day. Today, the consultors of the local Archbishop of Cape Town meet and amongst all the topics one can find also my future to be finally determined. So somehow it is an important day – and as it started perfectly I hope and expect it will go on like that..  :-).

I know that quite some candles are burning, some prayers are said – and I strongly believe in destiny – and I can sense and feel that my destiny is Africa. I want to live and to die here on this continent. Having lived in South Africa now for more than 12 years, I cannot deny the beauty of the county and the continent, as far as I have seen it. I also cannot deny the brutality of life and death, the immediateness of life, the beauty of nature, which leaves one breathless at times, the pride of people and tribes, which unfortunately has also its downsides by killing each other. Nevertheless, the thin layer of “First world culture”, we have in Europe, is missing – and you know what: Most times I appreciate this very much so. Africa is not the lost continent but the most promising one…

I never have been more happy and content as in South Africa, working here means to be able to make a real difference. Something, all the DIN-A-something norms in Europe make almost impossible. So I hope for a working and living future in South Africa and Africa and that I am able to make a difference in the lives of people living with the HI virus as I tried to do in the last years.

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