Robben Island

The visit to Robben Island was like coming up for a breath of fresh air after days of slowly sinking deeper into a sea of frustration. Not to say that my last few days here haven't been a blessing, but sometimes you have to suffer a lot to dig through the mines before you can find a diamond and, even if you gain a precious stone, you're still left with scars and wounds.

Robben Island is a lot like Alcatraz in that it was an island used only as a prison. It's the place where Nelson Mandela spent 19 years in the same prison cell and was often dragged out into the hot sun to work in tedious tasks used as torture. Several other political prisoners were sent to that island during the apartheid years because they were gathering support against apartheid laws and were encouraging black consciousness.

On the bus ride around the island I saw Penguin Crossing signs and, sure enough, there was a penguin crossing the road in front of the bus. We stood on the edge of the island and gazed across the 17 kilometers of water that separated us from Cape Town. Afterward, we walked through the cells and read several stories about men that were sentenced to prison in such unjust ways. All they wanted was freedom and peace in a world where they could be treated as humans and nothing less.

The ferry ride back to Cape Town was when I felt air rushing into my lungs again. It lasted about 30 minutes and I enjoyed every second. I stood there on the deck holding on to the edge so that I wouldn't lose my balance as the waves rocked our boat from side to side. I felt the salt water midst spraying into my face and when I smiled I could feel the wind pushing back my cheeks even further. As we moved away from Robben Island and watched it get smaller and smaller, I could see the buildings of Cape Town getting bigger and bigger, but all around me I could see water.

Something about it was so peaceful that I want to capture those 30 minutes in my head and remember them when I have to toil through 30 minutes of hard work or when I have to endure 30 minutes of things I wish could be different. Something about it made me feel like God is still holding on to me, God is still holding on to Africa, whether it's the townships or the cities, God is still holding on to us.