Labyrinths and more...

Labyrinths and more…

Those who know me have a sense of my love of Labyrinths.  On that walking prayer path, I find peace, clarity and blessing beyond measure.  But the greatest gift of the Labyrinth for me is to share this spiritual practice with others.  So imagine my joy as I walked the stunning new Labyrinth that has recently been built at Tony and Cammy Brantzeg’s South Africa home.  But greater still was my joy when I had the opportunity to introduce the teens from the MOSAIC after-school program to the practice when they came to spend time with us at the Brantzeg’s last week.

That afternoon, we divided our group into two small groups:  Amy and Michele in the back yard with one group, enjoying a crazy fun game called BeanBoozled; Cammy and me in the front yard at the Labyrinth with the others.  After a bit of time, we switched out our groups.  

As Cammy and I spoke to these young people about our own experiences with this unique prayer practice, they listened intently and respectfully.  That in and of itself was a beautiful thing.  Add to that, the day was stunning, birds were all around us (including the peacocks across the street!), and the sky was the brightest blue I’ve ever seen.  So there’s the setting.  

And then, and then, the kids walked and prayed on the Labyrinth.  I will hold that picture in my heart forever.  I knew at then and there that these amazing young people were/are seeking God.  When the walk(s) ended, we took time for reflection and some shared what they experienced.  One girl said, “I just want to do it again and again!”  A guy said, “I felt peace.”  And another said, “I felt God.”  

After that, we allowed time for the teens to share privately with us their prayer requests.  Those requests were honest, heartfelt and sometimes pain-filled.  We SA travelers surely feel so privileged to continue to lift up those needs to God on behalf of our young friends.  

Our time together ended with the blessing of anointing and then we had to say our final good-byes.  It was a precious and bittersweet time.  May God bless and keep these young people we came to love.

We are not able to share pictures of the Mosaic kids on social media due to Mosaic's social media policy to protect the children in their programs.  Cammy took a picture of the kid's name tags in the center of the labyrinth as a way to share a little piece of our connection with them.