Final Reflections from Jeff and Rita

Arm in Arm in Africa: Our Thoughts... So Far

A note from Jeff:

Rita and I feel very blessed to have been part of the Arm In Arm In Africa trip. What an amazing experience. What is also astounding is that a group of near strangers could make such an arduous journey and arrive home as good friends. Each person enriched our experience in their own unique ways. We send thanks to each of them for allowing us to bask in their light.

It is also important that we recognize the stewardship and spiritual focus that Fr. Jim Cassidy provided to everyone involved. It was Fr. Jim’s vision that brought each of us together, with varied talents and objectives, to make the journey. He inspired us to use our "uniqueness". Where ever we went his presence provided hope, joy, faith and love. We will never forget the many times Fr. Jim touched us and those around us with his gentle inspiration.

The trip could not have been possible without the efforts of the many people from St. Joan who traveled before us. Return travelers Fr. Jim, Pat, Kate, Charlie and Becky really made the experience much richer for those of us making our first trip. I want to make sure to especially recognize all the work that Pat Murphy did in coordinating travel arrangements, finances, contingency details, etc. You can tell she does this work with a love for all the people involved. We could not have done it without her. We hope our web reports helped bring you closer to the people of South Africa and the important work being done there. While we did our best to gather information and find internet connections, Jeff Rholl worked all the magic back home on the St. Joan website to make it possible for people to get regular updates. Thanks Jeff for your great work.

Special thanks go to our South African brothers and sisters who opened their hearts and homes for us to share. While we only visit, others must face the day-to-day realities of the work being done. We send our continued thanks and prayers to Rev. Spiwo Xapile of J. L. Zwane, Zethu Xapile of Brown’s Farm Clinic, and Professors Jan Du Toit and Johan Augustyn of Stellenbosh University.

The efforts of our twelve are amplified by the hundreds who prayed, wrote, contributed and supported in other ways. God bless you all.

A note from Rita:

I would like to take a few minutes to summarize what this trip meant; however, that is an impossible task. A few minutes will never be sufficient to sum up the past two weeks in South Africa. I personally can only offer up the stories submitted during the course of the trip and attest to the fact that they captured just a small part of the emotions and experiences of our group.

Please realize that those stories, some mine and some Jeff’s, are the reflections of two individuals in a group of twelve, and are based on interactions with a limited number of people in a very large country. The stories I wrote were highly personal and, therefore, may not reflect the experiences of everyone in our group. I encourage everyone reading this to talk with the other members of our band of travelers. Ask them about what the trip meant to them, what they brought back and what they left behind. But be patient. For many of us the processing has just begun. It may be some time before we can begin to sort out the full meaning of this experience, and it may take even longer before we can put it into words that adequately convey the intensity of the trip.

As we prayed the Prayer of St. Francis at St. Joan of Arc this morning, I was struck once again by how perfectly this most beautiful prayer expresses what this trip meant to me:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, your pardon Lord; where there is doubt, true faith in you. Where there is despair, let me bring hope; in darkness, let me bring light; and where there is sadness, let me bring joy. Oh divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love with all my soul. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Welcome Home!

Jeff and Rita Nohner have volunteered to act as scribe and shutterbug for this journey to South Africa. Jeff is also the designer of the www.ArmInArmInAfrica.org website which we encourage you to visit.


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