Sunday came, and I had to honor a promise I had made earlier in the week. On Wednesday, I had had a wonderful conversation with Sister Maureen, and as we disembarked from the bus, she asked me if I was going to come to church in Sunday. How could I say “no” to a nun?

Sister Maureen said she would be at the 10:00 am Mass. I showed up around 9:40 because it was a shorter taxi ride than I had anticipated. The previous Mass was still in session, so I was offered a plastic chair in the courtyard, where the overflow crowd sat. The African hymns that were sung by the children’s choir were beautiful.

I was the only white person there, but the congregation was welcoming and friendly, especially during the exchange of peaceful intentions. A number of people came over to shake my hand.

Sister Maureen arrived in the back of the courtyard and I went over to chat with her for a while. It was wonderful to see her again. While we were chatting, a gentleman in khakis and and African designed shirt approached us. Sister Maureen introduced him as the Archbishop. Yes, I got to meet an Archbishop. He was a very nice man.

The previous Mass ran until 10:30. Sister Maureen thanked me for coming, and I didn’t really feel like spending another hour plus there, so I said my goodbyes.

Sister Maureen leaving church. 

Later in the day, I joined four other Jollyboys guests in visiting a local orphanage. The hostel arranges a weekly soccer game for the kids and encourages the guests to come play.

My futbol cohorts were Ed & Matt, two brothers from England who in addition to traveling the continent, brought 100 regulation soccer balls to distribute to orphanages. Ed had raised money to buy the balls. His brother Matt has lived in China for the last seven years, working as an English teacher.

The other couple in my group were Daniel and Keelin, a darling pair who were exploring Africa. Daniel is a tall, long-haired Korean Australian who gained the nickname John Lennon because of his Lennon-esque glasses and long hair. Keelin is also Australian and brings such a wonderfully calm presence to any group she joins.

Team Muzungu (white person in Swahili) arrived at the orphanage and Ed presented ten soccer balls to the orphanage. He asked if we could get pictures of the kids with the balls, but unfortunately their policy is not to allow the kids to be photographed. Completely understandable.

Ed (from England) presenting ten futbols to the women who run the orphanage.

Then, as we prepared to go outside to play, we were advised that the orphanage team has consistently destroyed the visitors. We had a feeling it was going to be a long, very hot afternoon on the pitch.

Since we only had four players (Keelin ended up hanging out with the girls, talking about boys all afternoon), the kids have our team a few extra players.

The game started and it was tightly fought for a while. Team Muzungu was able to score the opening goal. We were fortunate in that two of the kids on our team were very good players, and Ed was also able to hold his own on the pitch and scored three goals. With these superstars, we were able to build an 8-0 lead on the kids. Amazing.

The field was a partially barren, dirt area with the sidelines delineated by where the grass had been recently cut. There were stones, some the size of golf balls, in the dirt. The kids played barefooted and were amazingly agile. I was wearing my hiking boots (the only laced shoes I have on the trip), and I couldn’t help wonder how much pain I would be in if I ran onto one of those stones in my bare feet.

We decided to wrap up the game and announced that the next goal would win. After a few minutes of intense play, the kids scored their first (and winning) goal. They were ecstatic. It was fun to be a part of such a fun game.

As we said goodbye, the kids were all very polite and friendly. It was a great pleasure to have been a part of their day.

That night, one of the orphanage alums, Anxious (yes, that’s his real name), joined us for dinner. Anxious got his name from his father, who anxiously awaited his arrival in the day he was born.

Sarah (from Germany ), you’re truly and Anxious enjoying a Springbok Shooter.

He is a tremendously nice gentleman, and we had a wonderful time with him. He is currently in university and would like to be involved in the running of an orphanage in the future.

All in all, it was a fantastic Sunday, and it was a nice break from my travels and all the activities I’ve been pursuing.