Some of you have asked what it is like living in Ocean View, the South African township that we now call our home. Here is a brief description of the area we live. We live on the corner of a street, and our house is on the property of the Methodist church. To the left of our house there are all other houses, and the neighbors we have met are so nice. People are always walking around, kids playing, people sitting outside their house, and they are very nice. To the right of our house are 'the flats' which would be the equivalent to the projects in the States. It can be a bit 'shady' over there, and you are often seeing people sitting out doing drugs, talking, listening to music, and just walking around outside yelling at each other. On weekend nights (Friday especially) it is very loud outside like there is a big party going on. It was a bit unnerving at first, but really we have found it to be safe. Our neighbors have even started to get protective of us, like shooing away some boys snooping around or reminding us to close our windows as we are leaving. We asked other friends who live in Ocean View about this and they said that people are very protective of each other and there will probably never be a problem while we are in the house, it's only when we are away that we have to be careful.
We haven't had many people over yet, but some. Our fiend Mike Jenkins has come to eat a few times, and last night we had a group of volunteers who are working with Living Hope (the AIDS organization I work for) over for a dinner, so that was fun. This week we are getting a bit more busy with Andy in our home, and we have dinners planned with other people at our house a couple other nights this week. We also have had a few people stop by to have tea or just visit. Hopefully we will have much more of that!
But honestly, we are REALLY excited to live in Ocean View for what happens on Friday nights. It basically turns into a party, which can be seen as good or bad, and we like to see the good. People are all over the streets talking, listening to music, eating food, and just catching up. A friend of mine, Bernedette, works for Living Hope as a support group leader but also has a 'take-away' business at her house - so she makes food and people pop in and buy it. We had some nibbles last Friday night, but this week we are going to save our appetites to have a 'gatsby' which is the three-foot long sub (not kidding) with french fries, hot dogs, steak, lettuce, tomatoes, and other fixins. It is 'hectic' as they would say here. Stomach aches here we come!
Lots of love,
Sarah
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Prayer Request
We’d like to ask you to join us in praying for our friends Kevin and Karen Bell. (These are special friends, Kevin was the best man in our wedding.) They are having lots of complications with their pregnancy. Karen has been on bed rest for a couple of weeks now, but is back in the hospital (UNC) for the remainder of her pregnancy. She’s about 30 weeks along now. Griffin, their little boy waiting inside, needs to stay put for about 6 more weeks. Please pray for the health, growth, and well being of both Griffin and Karen.
It’s obviously a really hard road to walk down, but I know that Kevin and Karen are trusting God to walk the road with them. Thanks for joining us in this prayer.
New Plans
This quote and scripture has encouraged me lately; hope it does the same for you.
Love,
Sarah
Love,
Sarah
If your every human plan and calculation has miscarried, if one by one, human props have been knocked out, and doors have shut in your face, take heart. God is trying to get a message through to you, and the message is: "Stop depending on inadequate human resources. Let me handle the matter." -Catherine Marshall
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." -2 Corinthians 12:9
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
welcome!
today we are welcoming andy chenlo, an 18 year old graduate of millbrook high school in raleigh who has come here through june to work with casey and ubuntu sports outreach. he got in last night and we ask for your prayers as he assimilates into this place and culture. we are very excited about what god will do as he serves here!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Getting Filled
This blog entry has a couple meanings. On a spiritual and emotional side, we are 'getting filled' up with some restful and enjoyable moments this week. On a baby side, Kieren literally 'filled' the tray on her stroller up with her own vomit. Twice. In public.
Since we were without a car for some of the week (don't worry, we did have the scooter, but just don't feel it's time yet for Kieren to join us on it...) we decided to take some walks and get out to see some people in our own community. At first, for me, it felt awkward to walk around, like we were obviously the only white people around and looking so different. But after a while we started to see some people we knew, and just relaxed and enjoyed our neighbors. I don't know if it's how they do it here, but we just say hello and talk to everyone around, and it's really fun. Bringing a piece of the 'South' over to Africa :) On Tuesday, Casey, Kieren, and I went to the support group for persons living with HIV that I helped lead last year. I told my friend, Bernadette, who lives in Ocean View and now leads the group, that I would be coming, but we surprised the rest of them. It was awesome and they grabbed up Kieren and passed her around. It was such a beautiful moment and I was so proud to share her with them and to begin a new way of life where she has many different kinds of friends. The reunion was wonderful and I hope to help lead that group again for this coming year to share time with those friends.
Kieren has been a bit sick with a stomach bug and fever and decided to share the contents of her stomach with us in two different public places on Wednesday. Since we were at the beginning of a busy day of errands and furniture shopping, we decided to bring our naked baby with us (okay, she did have a diaper, shoes, and bib on!). Memories. Kieren's stomach is a bit more settled today but she was still feverish and fussy. Prayers for her, but I'm sure she will be fine soon.
We look forward to connecting on Friday with some more people we working with at the AIDS organization, Living Hope, as they have training in the morning. It's so wonderful to reconnect with these friends, even if we won't be working alongside all of them anymore. This weekend we have a few different plans with friends and some fun stuff. We are blessed to have people we really love being with here, and they have been so gracious and loving to us through this transition – always asking how we are doing and praying for us!
Lots of love,
Sarah
Since we were without a car for some of the week (don't worry, we did have the scooter, but just don't feel it's time yet for Kieren to join us on it...) we decided to take some walks and get out to see some people in our own community. At first, for me, it felt awkward to walk around, like we were obviously the only white people around and looking so different. But after a while we started to see some people we knew, and just relaxed and enjoyed our neighbors. I don't know if it's how they do it here, but we just say hello and talk to everyone around, and it's really fun. Bringing a piece of the 'South' over to Africa :) On Tuesday, Casey, Kieren, and I went to the support group for persons living with HIV that I helped lead last year. I told my friend, Bernadette, who lives in Ocean View and now leads the group, that I would be coming, but we surprised the rest of them. It was awesome and they grabbed up Kieren and passed her around. It was such a beautiful moment and I was so proud to share her with them and to begin a new way of life where she has many different kinds of friends. The reunion was wonderful and I hope to help lead that group again for this coming year to share time with those friends.
Kieren has been a bit sick with a stomach bug and fever and decided to share the contents of her stomach with us in two different public places on Wednesday. Since we were at the beginning of a busy day of errands and furniture shopping, we decided to bring our naked baby with us (okay, she did have a diaper, shoes, and bib on!). Memories. Kieren's stomach is a bit more settled today but she was still feverish and fussy. Prayers for her, but I'm sure she will be fine soon.
We look forward to connecting on Friday with some more people we working with at the AIDS organization, Living Hope, as they have training in the morning. It's so wonderful to reconnect with these friends, even if we won't be working alongside all of them anymore. This weekend we have a few different plans with friends and some fun stuff. We are blessed to have people we really love being with here, and they have been so gracious and loving to us through this transition – always asking how we are doing and praying for us!
Lots of love,
Sarah
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Jeremiah's words for us...
I’ve been reading through Jeremiah for a while now. He’s really giving it to the people of God for their disobedience. Later he’s telling the people about their impending exile in Babylon and he’s describing two types of figs, the good and the bad. The bad will be thrown out, but he says this about the good ripe figs,
That’s what I’m praying for our family right now. We aren’t really in exile the way the Israelites were, but we are away from our homes and community for a period of time.
Casey
“My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.“
That’s what I’m praying for our family right now. We aren’t really in exile the way the Israelites were, but we are away from our homes and community for a period of time.
Casey
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A few pics of the House
This is the Lounge! Have a TV cabinet, but no TV!!
This is our bedroom. Pretty much done in here, just need dressers.
Wish we could add more, but the internet is SO slow and my battery is about to die.
Casey
This is our bedroom. Pretty much done in here, just need dressers.
Wish we could add more, but the internet is SO slow and my battery is about to die.
Casey
Monday, October 19, 2009
Weekend Update
Hello family and friends,
Well it is the beginning of another week, and it feels so strange that it is Monday because we don't have a 'rhythm of life' yet here, so Monday really looks a lot like every other day. We have tasks, things to do, people to call and see, and more stuff to get for our house. I am sitting in our 'lounge' (what they call the family room) writing as Kieren talks, plays, and crawls all over the floor. She sure loves her mornings!
It was a good weekend at the end of a hard week, and I am mostly thankful for the clarity I found. I had been struggling with migraines all week and also just feeling very restless. Through talking over the weekend with some new and old friends, I realized that there is just a sadness that I have in this time. It's not really a homesickness, because although I do miss our incredible family and friends, that is not the feeling. I don't miss my old life, but I think I am uncomfortable now in the new life because we are so unsettled and really don't have an identity or 'place' here. And so often, we define ourselves by what we DO, and here we definitely aren't doing anything. At night, the house is ultra quiet (except on the weekend nights, as we have realized it is party time in our neighborhood until the late hours as people hang all over the streets...) and without a tv or computers, our lives have become so much slower and quieter. It is all very unsettling, and makes me realize how much I replaced busyness in life with a true peace in my soul. I have found here in the quiet moments that I am farther from my God than I realized and less in touch with my self than I knew. So there are many hard feelings, and there is no easy fix for any of this. However, sharing this out loud with people, although making me feel really vulnerable, was also freeing and began to help make space for healing. Also, we went to a big church here on Sunday night, called Hillsong Church Cape Town (planted and associated with Hillsong in Australia) and the worship and message really touched me. The message was about being a follower of Jesus Christ and how we have to make ourselves follow and imitate Christ, and as we do that, He MAKES us. He makes us into who we are supposed to be, but it all begins with being close to Him. So simple, so difficult, so true. I am encouraged and feel like I am on a good path. Casey and I also took Kieren on a hike up a nearby mountain on a beautiful Sunday morning reminding us of the simple beauty in life, creation, and being together.
The mission is drastically different already here then I thought it would be. I imagined it would be so easy to come back because of our time here a year ago, and that we would jump right back in where we left off. Well this is completely different because it is our home now, we have Kieren, we live among people we serve, and WE are in a different place. The first mission, I have found, is to get ourselves settled, and to a peaceful and whole place. I hate not being 'together' and feel so needy at this time, but I recognize this must be a space in our lives where we take care of ourselves first and then begin to look outward. We are on the right path and doing it together, so what more can you ask for?
Thanks so much for all your encouragement and prayers. We apologize if we aren't in touch very much, but we don't have internet at our house yet (and probably won't for a while still) so it is difficult to keep in touch that way. HOWEVER, Casey and I both get our emails on our phones, so although we can't email you back much, we would LOVE to hear from you and what is happening in your world. We are thinking and praying for you, and so thankful that we aren't walking this road alone.
Lots of love,
Sarah
Well it is the beginning of another week, and it feels so strange that it is Monday because we don't have a 'rhythm of life' yet here, so Monday really looks a lot like every other day. We have tasks, things to do, people to call and see, and more stuff to get for our house. I am sitting in our 'lounge' (what they call the family room) writing as Kieren talks, plays, and crawls all over the floor. She sure loves her mornings!
It was a good weekend at the end of a hard week, and I am mostly thankful for the clarity I found. I had been struggling with migraines all week and also just feeling very restless. Through talking over the weekend with some new and old friends, I realized that there is just a sadness that I have in this time. It's not really a homesickness, because although I do miss our incredible family and friends, that is not the feeling. I don't miss my old life, but I think I am uncomfortable now in the new life because we are so unsettled and really don't have an identity or 'place' here. And so often, we define ourselves by what we DO, and here we definitely aren't doing anything. At night, the house is ultra quiet (except on the weekend nights, as we have realized it is party time in our neighborhood until the late hours as people hang all over the streets...) and without a tv or computers, our lives have become so much slower and quieter. It is all very unsettling, and makes me realize how much I replaced busyness in life with a true peace in my soul. I have found here in the quiet moments that I am farther from my God than I realized and less in touch with my self than I knew. So there are many hard feelings, and there is no easy fix for any of this. However, sharing this out loud with people, although making me feel really vulnerable, was also freeing and began to help make space for healing. Also, we went to a big church here on Sunday night, called Hillsong Church Cape Town (planted and associated with Hillsong in Australia) and the worship and message really touched me. The message was about being a follower of Jesus Christ and how we have to make ourselves follow and imitate Christ, and as we do that, He MAKES us. He makes us into who we are supposed to be, but it all begins with being close to Him. So simple, so difficult, so true. I am encouraged and feel like I am on a good path. Casey and I also took Kieren on a hike up a nearby mountain on a beautiful Sunday morning reminding us of the simple beauty in life, creation, and being together.
The mission is drastically different already here then I thought it would be. I imagined it would be so easy to come back because of our time here a year ago, and that we would jump right back in where we left off. Well this is completely different because it is our home now, we have Kieren, we live among people we serve, and WE are in a different place. The first mission, I have found, is to get ourselves settled, and to a peaceful and whole place. I hate not being 'together' and feel so needy at this time, but I recognize this must be a space in our lives where we take care of ourselves first and then begin to look outward. We are on the right path and doing it together, so what more can you ask for?
Thanks so much for all your encouragement and prayers. We apologize if we aren't in touch very much, but we don't have internet at our house yet (and probably won't for a while still) so it is difficult to keep in touch that way. HOWEVER, Casey and I both get our emails on our phones, so although we can't email you back much, we would LOVE to hear from you and what is happening in your world. We are thinking and praying for you, and so thankful that we aren't walking this road alone.
Lots of love,
Sarah
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Moving Along...
Hey friends and family,
Just a quick update from our Friday morning. We are sitting at the 'Mug and Bean' in the mall getting on our internet (will still be a few weeks until we have it at our house). It's turned out to be a week of some great progress on getting our lives settled here. We both have cell phones, we have most of the furniture we need for the house, and I even learned to drive stick shift! Most cars here are stick so it was time to learn, and we only had a few crazy moments where I stalled the car a few (or ten) times as people waited behind. I had a first meeting with my supervisor, Avril, at Living Hope Community Center about my work with the support groups. Avril would like to work with all the group leaders but specifically begin a program for mothers with HIV. For these moms, if they take certain drugs during their pregnancy and then when feeding their babies either solely breastfeed or solely use formula, the HIV rate is SIGNIFICANTLY low. It's just a matter of education and empowering these women to care for their children. So I will be praying through this opportunity in the next couple weeks and begin working on this project in November. It sounds like a great opportunity and something wonderful as I am also a new mom. My prayers about it are to be cautious and make sure I don't take on too much as I will also be working with the church.
Our time in our new home has been great so far. We are feeling more and more settled and love the new space. It is VERY cold at night but we are working on it with heaters and new blankets. We feel safe and are slowly meeting some neighbors and people at the church.
Prayers for me, I Have been having some bad migraine headaches this week. I think it is a mix of some sinus pressure as the weather changes drastically each day, but also just the stress I put on myself in this new place. So pray that I would be at peace but that my body could also be relaxed and healthy.
We are looking forward to a beautiful Cape Town weekend. We hope to hang out with some friends, Casey is going to a rugby game on Saturday, and we are going to try out a new Hillsong church on Sunday. And I hope to get some walks in to enjoy this beautiful city!
Lots of love,
Sarah
Just a quick update from our Friday morning. We are sitting at the 'Mug and Bean' in the mall getting on our internet (will still be a few weeks until we have it at our house). It's turned out to be a week of some great progress on getting our lives settled here. We both have cell phones, we have most of the furniture we need for the house, and I even learned to drive stick shift! Most cars here are stick so it was time to learn, and we only had a few crazy moments where I stalled the car a few (or ten) times as people waited behind. I had a first meeting with my supervisor, Avril, at Living Hope Community Center about my work with the support groups. Avril would like to work with all the group leaders but specifically begin a program for mothers with HIV. For these moms, if they take certain drugs during their pregnancy and then when feeding their babies either solely breastfeed or solely use formula, the HIV rate is SIGNIFICANTLY low. It's just a matter of education and empowering these women to care for their children. So I will be praying through this opportunity in the next couple weeks and begin working on this project in November. It sounds like a great opportunity and something wonderful as I am also a new mom. My prayers about it are to be cautious and make sure I don't take on too much as I will also be working with the church.
Our time in our new home has been great so far. We are feeling more and more settled and love the new space. It is VERY cold at night but we are working on it with heaters and new blankets. We feel safe and are slowly meeting some neighbors and people at the church.
Prayers for me, I Have been having some bad migraine headaches this week. I think it is a mix of some sinus pressure as the weather changes drastically each day, but also just the stress I put on myself in this new place. So pray that I would be at peace but that my body could also be relaxed and healthy.
We are looking forward to a beautiful Cape Town weekend. We hope to hang out with some friends, Casey is going to a rugby game on Saturday, and we are going to try out a new Hillsong church on Sunday. And I hope to get some walks in to enjoy this beautiful city!
Lots of love,
Sarah
Really Fun Moment
I had a really fun moment this morning (Wednesday). There is a gate that closes off the church property. We try to close it each night just to discourage people from visiting the yard. At 8am this morning I was on my way out to open the gate, when I noticed two girls walking towards the high school, which is probably closer to our house now then Millbrook was from our house at home. They started walking slower and sort of staring at me.
Now, let’s stop right there and get something clear. We’ve been getting a lot of that lately. People still aren’t sure what to think about us being here in “The View”. So, we are getting pretty used to the staring.
Back to my story. So, these girls were walking slowly and looking at me, when I realized that they were two of the girls from Red Hillthat I had spent lots of time with last time we were here. I had been tasked to train them, and a few of their friends, to be leaders for the Red Hill Holiday Club (basically, Easter time VBS). When I realized that’s who they were I pointed at them, anything to make it awkward! Then, I went to them on the street, embraced, explained that we were living there, and invited them to visit with us someday after school. Our neighbor told us that they already came by today! (Addendum: I wrote this Wednesday night, on Thursday morning they came by at 8am before school!!)
It was really funny because they played it so cool when I tried to talk to them. They did the same thing to me last time. Acted really shy and like they didn’t really understand what I was saying. But they were clearly excited, as was I. I look forward to lots of moments like that where we see people we served before, who are really surprised to see us back.
THIS IS THE GIRLS RIGHT BEFORE WE LEFT ON OUR LAST TRIP
AND, TODAY, WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE REST OF THAT FURNITURE WE BOUGHT!! A bed, two loveseats, and some other decorations. The couple is moving on Friday (and the woman is having twins in 8 weeks) and they are busy packing up, so she just started giving us stuff!! A table and chairs, outdoor chairs, a home telephone, among others. It was awesome!
Casey
Now, let’s stop right there and get something clear. We’ve been getting a lot of that lately. People still aren’t sure what to think about us being here in “The View”. So, we are getting pretty used to the staring.
Back to my story. So, these girls were walking slowly and looking at me, when I realized that they were two of the girls from Red Hillthat I had spent lots of time with last time we were here. I had been tasked to train them, and a few of their friends, to be leaders for the Red Hill Holiday Club (basically, Easter time VBS). When I realized that’s who they were I pointed at them, anything to make it awkward! Then, I went to them on the street, embraced, explained that we were living there, and invited them to visit with us someday after school. Our neighbor told us that they already came by today! (Addendum: I wrote this Wednesday night, on Thursday morning they came by at 8am before school!!)
It was really funny because they played it so cool when I tried to talk to them. They did the same thing to me last time. Acted really shy and like they didn’t really understand what I was saying. But they were clearly excited, as was I. I look forward to lots of moments like that where we see people we served before, who are really surprised to see us back.
THIS IS THE GIRLS RIGHT BEFORE WE LEFT ON OUR LAST TRIP
AND, TODAY, WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE REST OF THAT FURNITURE WE BOUGHT!! A bed, two loveseats, and some other decorations. The couple is moving on Friday (and the woman is having twins in 8 weeks) and they are busy packing up, so she just started giving us stuff!! A table and chairs, outdoor chairs, a home telephone, among others. It was awesome!
Casey
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thoughts from Casey
It's really amazing to be back here, especially after a week of seeing people. The crazy thing is that we still have SO many people to see. We've seen practically none of the people that we served with and for when we were here before. We haven't even had the time to show up there. Hopefully later this week we will.
For me it's frustrating with how American I am. As Americans, we just have no idea how amazing our infrastructure, systems, and businesses are. We assume the rest of the world is like that. Well, it's not! And because I've been raised in the system where things work beautifully 95% of the time, I get so impatient and frustrated with the things here that work 36.75% of the time. We sort of skirted the system to get cell phones last week because we didn't want to wait 3 months. (My ministry partner Mike got them for us, his new employees!) They weren't ready the day we were at the cell shop, even though we spent over 2 hours there. Mike went back the next day only to find out that my phone wasn't ready because they ran out of them. After a few days, we figured out that Sarah's phone wasn't receiving calls or text messages. Then, when she tried to use the gift cards that she had been given as a promotion for selecting the phone she picked, they didn't work either!! We phoned trying to fix her phone over the weekend, that didn't work. We've now spent hours at the cell shop on Monday and Tuesday trying to get her phone fixed and me a loaner until one comes in.
It's hilarious, because NOBODY has ever had an experience like that in the States. I have had to work really hard to fight my self-consumed, entitled, American nature. I have to allow this thing to run its course and trust that, eventually, we will get phones, a bank account, internet, a TV, etc. The more freaked out and frustrated I get the worse it feels. The last couple of days, I've just been really relaxed about it (at least the phone) and it's not bothering me anymore. A novel concept, I know!
Our big need now is to find one/two car/s. The car that we stole from the Torrance's will be needed by them again soon. So, just pray that God would lead us to great deals on great cars that we can actually afford. Turns out our friend Andy Duncan, who came to visit us today, might just have both of the cars we need within his family. So, we should have just asked Andy from the beginning!
So, just pray that we would continue to get settled. We should pick up the last of a group of furniture we bought from a couple over the weekend, which should be a great addition to our home (the ATM will only allow us to get out a small amount each day, so we've had to wait until we could accumulate enough).
Sarah has her first meeting with Avril Thomas, her supervisor at Living Hope, tomorrow morning. I had a great meeting with some people at the International Sports Coalition on Monday, which you can read about real soon @ ubuntusports.blogspot.com.
Thanks for all your support! We feel your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Casey
P.S. Was thinking while running this morning that things could be a lot more challenging. I could be some place where the only hope of communicating is a satellite phone that you get to use every couple of weeks. At least I have the opportunity to even have a cell phone. This all came to me as I ran down a beautiful road on a cloudless, 70 degree morning, with mountains all around me. So things could definitely be worse!! When I complain I'm often reminded of my friend Nathan's time in Sudan. That was some serious hardship.
For me it's frustrating with how American I am. As Americans, we just have no idea how amazing our infrastructure, systems, and businesses are. We assume the rest of the world is like that. Well, it's not! And because I've been raised in the system where things work beautifully 95% of the time, I get so impatient and frustrated with the things here that work 36.75% of the time. We sort of skirted the system to get cell phones last week because we didn't want to wait 3 months. (My ministry partner Mike got them for us, his new employees!) They weren't ready the day we were at the cell shop, even though we spent over 2 hours there. Mike went back the next day only to find out that my phone wasn't ready because they ran out of them. After a few days, we figured out that Sarah's phone wasn't receiving calls or text messages. Then, when she tried to use the gift cards that she had been given as a promotion for selecting the phone she picked, they didn't work either!! We phoned trying to fix her phone over the weekend, that didn't work. We've now spent hours at the cell shop on Monday and Tuesday trying to get her phone fixed and me a loaner until one comes in.
It's hilarious, because NOBODY has ever had an experience like that in the States. I have had to work really hard to fight my self-consumed, entitled, American nature. I have to allow this thing to run its course and trust that, eventually, we will get phones, a bank account, internet, a TV, etc. The more freaked out and frustrated I get the worse it feels. The last couple of days, I've just been really relaxed about it (at least the phone) and it's not bothering me anymore. A novel concept, I know!
Our big need now is to find one/two car/s. The car that we stole from the Torrance's will be needed by them again soon. So, just pray that God would lead us to great deals on great cars that we can actually afford. Turns out our friend Andy Duncan, who came to visit us today, might just have both of the cars we need within his family. So, we should have just asked Andy from the beginning!
So, just pray that we would continue to get settled. We should pick up the last of a group of furniture we bought from a couple over the weekend, which should be a great addition to our home (the ATM will only allow us to get out a small amount each day, so we've had to wait until we could accumulate enough).
Sarah has her first meeting with Avril Thomas, her supervisor at Living Hope, tomorrow morning. I had a great meeting with some people at the International Sports Coalition on Monday, which you can read about real soon @ ubuntusports.blogspot.com.
Thanks for all your support! We feel your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Casey
P.S. Was thinking while running this morning that things could be a lot more challenging. I could be some place where the only hope of communicating is a satellite phone that you get to use every couple of weeks. At least I have the opportunity to even have a cell phone. This all came to me as I ran down a beautiful road on a cloudless, 70 degree morning, with mountains all around me. So things could definitely be worse!! When I complain I'm often reminded of my friend Nathan's time in Sudan. That was some serious hardship.
Kieren Update!
Today Kieren turns 9 months old and I wanted to share what is going on in her world! She continues to get both longer and wider :) but is overall loving her new life in South Africa. Since we have been on-the-go every day here trying to get our lives settled here, Kieren has been taking naps often in strollers and cars, but she handles it all very well. There have been many new people for Kieren to meet here and she loves them all. A couple of her favorites are our friend Mike Jenkins (who is starting Ubuntu Sports with Casey) who we have been spending a great deal of time with. Mike has become her 'snuggle buddy' which has made Casey very jealous! Kieren never snuggles but somehow loves to do it with 'Jenks' – that girl is such a flirt! Also, friends of ours Bijou and Mel have a daughter, Lana, who is 2 years old and they are already fast friends.
Kieren did break through her first tooth this week (as captured by the photo in our previous blog) and is about to break through another. Both are on the bottom and so we get to see them every time she smiles or shouts! Proving to be very 'American,' Kieren is continuing to babble more and more and has lots to share about. Another noteworthy piece is that she really enjoys playing in our new 'lounge' (what they call the family room, and is entertained there with her toys for long periods of time. She also feels at home already! She is still sleeping in a 'pack-n-play' that we are borrowing from our friends Evan and Kerryn Torrance, but we hope to borrow a REAL crib sometime soon – she has never had one of those yet! Big things ahead!
To answer your questions, she is not crawling yet, but is learning to do her own scoot. She gets on one knee and then pushes herself with the other foot to move around and get to where she needs to be. It is so cute! She also loves to pull herself up and stand holding anything around. Really, she is just loving life and continues to live out her middle name - Joy!
There have been moments as we are running around this city, in and out of stores, driving everywhere, where I think of how it might be easier to get some of this done if we didn't have a child. However, having Kieren here enriches every friend we reunite with and brings us so much joy and laughter. It is going to be a beautiful new life here with Kieren because she is a BLAST to be around! I can't wait until she is leading her pack of friends all over town – because you KNOW she is going to be boss :)
Lots of love,
Sarah
Monday, October 12, 2009
It's time to stop being polite...
It's 5:20am here in South Africa, and the Muslim call to prayer woke me up at 5, so I thought I would use my busy and awake mind for something useful and share with you all the events of our first weekend here. It is evident that God is trying to teach us patience as a first lesson, and He teaches this lesson through circumstance. It seems like every single step we try to make here has to turn into 5 more, and even then we often still do not accomplish our goals. We can't get a bank account yet, in trying to get phones only I have one that doesn't receive calls but only makes them, our credit cards keep freezing, we can't find a car yet, we have bought some furniture and house items from a family here but can't find a truck to move them nor can we get the cash out of our bank to pay for them, and the list could go on. It can be incredibly frustrating and it's been a challenge for us to remain positive when we can't even set up our lives here in the most basic of ways. HOWEVER, one important task, moving into our new home in the Oceanview community, has been accomplished successfully. We finally brought some of our things over on Friday and Saturday and last night (Sunday) was our first night to stay in the house. Even though we are surrounded here by the strong smells of newly varnished wood and paint, the sounds of dogs barking and people walking around, and the strong Cape Town wind that creaks this house with unfamiliar groans, there is an underlying peace and contentment about being in this place. It feels like home.
The Kitchen, all the bedrooms are down that hall. The lounge is where the pic was taken from.
Now don't get me wrong, this isn't the only feeling we have about living in this place. This piece of my writing begins with a warning: do not continue unless you really want to know our thoughts and emotions as we venture on this journey here in South Africa. This past week has been one of the most challenging times for both of us in our faith walks to date. So often we talk about following God and living out our faith, but God has really put us to the test. First, without a doubt, we know we are in the right place, that God has called us to move to South Africa, and that He desires for us to live in the township of Oceanview among the people we serve. However, we really were naive about how difficult it would be, especially emotionally. Just the build-up alone of moving into our house has been enormous, as our reason has kicked in and we have realized how crazy it is for us to be moving into such a poor area. The dangers are real and there is a possibility that the community (or parts of it) will not welcome or accept us. We have had many moments of anxiety and fear about this week. The truly strange part of it has been that when we have visited the house, and even staying in it last night for our first night, it truly feels like home and we know it's exactly where we are supposed to be. Casey has found himself greatly frustrated at the difficulties in setting up our lives here with phones. We each find ourselves in moments where we think, “Are we sure?” “Who let us do this?” “Why is this so hard?”
Kieren loves the Lounge (Den) already!
In the midst of this, GOD IS FAITHFUL. Whenever one of us is at the end of our rope, the other is always completely calm and helps to talk through the problem or feelings. Our house is perfect for us and the church has done a TON of work getting it ready (and is going to continue to help us settle in this week). We have already found a great deal of the things we need and each day get more settled. God has given us seriously AMAZING friends here who are so gracious and help us at each step. God's spirit is evident in each day and He is continually helping us to persevere and endure.
It's real life here, folks. It's not a mission trip and there is no Chris Sasser to help organize it all and take us to a fun meal at the end of the day. Our life here is rocky, unpredictable, and frustrating, but again, it's exactly where we are supposed to be. We are so thankful for all your thoughts and prayers - and so many of you have been reaching out to us – thank you and keep doing it! Our prayers are to continue to settle in here and find ways to get the 'details' done. Also, we hope to see more of our friends in our community where we live, Oceanview, and meet our new neighbors soon. Most of all, pray that we have peace, endurance, and joy in the midst of this challenging new chapter in our lives.
Thanks for walking it with us,
Sarah (Casey and Kieren)
Kieren's 1st Tooth!
The Kitchen, all the bedrooms are down that hall. The lounge is where the pic was taken from.
Now don't get me wrong, this isn't the only feeling we have about living in this place. This piece of my writing begins with a warning: do not continue unless you really want to know our thoughts and emotions as we venture on this journey here in South Africa. This past week has been one of the most challenging times for both of us in our faith walks to date. So often we talk about following God and living out our faith, but God has really put us to the test. First, without a doubt, we know we are in the right place, that God has called us to move to South Africa, and that He desires for us to live in the township of Oceanview among the people we serve. However, we really were naive about how difficult it would be, especially emotionally. Just the build-up alone of moving into our house has been enormous, as our reason has kicked in and we have realized how crazy it is for us to be moving into such a poor area. The dangers are real and there is a possibility that the community (or parts of it) will not welcome or accept us. We have had many moments of anxiety and fear about this week. The truly strange part of it has been that when we have visited the house, and even staying in it last night for our first night, it truly feels like home and we know it's exactly where we are supposed to be. Casey has found himself greatly frustrated at the difficulties in setting up our lives here with phones. We each find ourselves in moments where we think, “Are we sure?” “Who let us do this?” “Why is this so hard?”
Kieren loves the Lounge (Den) already!
In the midst of this, GOD IS FAITHFUL. Whenever one of us is at the end of our rope, the other is always completely calm and helps to talk through the problem or feelings. Our house is perfect for us and the church has done a TON of work getting it ready (and is going to continue to help us settle in this week). We have already found a great deal of the things we need and each day get more settled. God has given us seriously AMAZING friends here who are so gracious and help us at each step. God's spirit is evident in each day and He is continually helping us to persevere and endure.
It's real life here, folks. It's not a mission trip and there is no Chris Sasser to help organize it all and take us to a fun meal at the end of the day. Our life here is rocky, unpredictable, and frustrating, but again, it's exactly where we are supposed to be. We are so thankful for all your thoughts and prayers - and so many of you have been reaching out to us – thank you and keep doing it! Our prayers are to continue to settle in here and find ways to get the 'details' done. Also, we hope to see more of our friends in our community where we live, Oceanview, and meet our new neighbors soon. Most of all, pray that we have peace, endurance, and joy in the midst of this challenging new chapter in our lives.
Thanks for walking it with us,
Sarah (Casey and Kieren)
Kieren's 1st Tooth!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Movin Time
Hello friends and family,
Well it's Friday morning here and we are gearing up for a big day. The week has been really good. I think we are finally over our jet-lag and are on this new time zone. Kieren was great adjusting, it took us longer. And you just feel dizzy and 'drugged' for a while, but not the good kind of drugged... We have seen many friends and already met some new ones. What a HUGE blessing - God has already reminded us of some of the GREAT people we get to share life with here. And, of course, they LOVE meeting Kieren who is being the cutie we are so proud to show off. We have been staying at the home of our friends Evan and Kerryn Torrance (who are actually in the States visiting their parents) as we transition into our home, and that has been wonderful because their home feels so nice and familiar to us. Today, however, we think we are going to move into our home in the Oceanview township. We will be meeting the pastor I am working with, Kyle Woodrow, at some point today, and either moving into our house or at least seeing the inside of it. This is definitely Africa, people, so every single plan we make here is changed or slowed down in some way. I just got off the phone with Kyle and it looks like we now might not be able to get the truck to move our furniture into the house today, but you never know! He did say that the church came together and has done a ton of work on the house and even wants to buy us a brand new stove. It's so humbling because they haven't even met us yet! There are many feelings as we think about this new move and we wonder how the community there is going to accept us, since we will probably be the only white people living there. This is something we have given over to prayer countless times, and even this week as we pray about it we KNOW it is what we want to do and feel led by God to do. So here we go! We would love your prayers and PROMISE to get picture and video updates of our new 'diggs very soon!
Love you all!
Sarah
Well it's Friday morning here and we are gearing up for a big day. The week has been really good. I think we are finally over our jet-lag and are on this new time zone. Kieren was great adjusting, it took us longer. And you just feel dizzy and 'drugged' for a while, but not the good kind of drugged... We have seen many friends and already met some new ones. What a HUGE blessing - God has already reminded us of some of the GREAT people we get to share life with here. And, of course, they LOVE meeting Kieren who is being the cutie we are so proud to show off. We have been staying at the home of our friends Evan and Kerryn Torrance (who are actually in the States visiting their parents) as we transition into our home, and that has been wonderful because their home feels so nice and familiar to us. Today, however, we think we are going to move into our home in the Oceanview township. We will be meeting the pastor I am working with, Kyle Woodrow, at some point today, and either moving into our house or at least seeing the inside of it. This is definitely Africa, people, so every single plan we make here is changed or slowed down in some way. I just got off the phone with Kyle and it looks like we now might not be able to get the truck to move our furniture into the house today, but you never know! He did say that the church came together and has done a ton of work on the house and even wants to buy us a brand new stove. It's so humbling because they haven't even met us yet! There are many feelings as we think about this new move and we wonder how the community there is going to accept us, since we will probably be the only white people living there. This is something we have given over to prayer countless times, and even this week as we pray about it we KNOW it is what we want to do and feel led by God to do. So here we go! We would love your prayers and PROMISE to get picture and video updates of our new 'diggs very soon!
Love you all!
Sarah
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Newspaper Article About our Journey
Check this out - the Raleigh News and Observer did an article about our move to Cape Town and Casey's work of starting Ubuntu Sports Outreach. It's crazy! Check it out at this link:
http://www.northraleighnews.com/columns/teri_saylor/story/1502.html
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Our New World
Hello friends and family!
Well it is the beginning of our second day here at our new home in Cape Town. I am up early with Kieren just hanging out - somehow she has managed to get right back on schedule, waking up exactly at 7:30am both mornings here! Her parents have not felt as 'on schedule' but I certainly feel better after another night of sleep. We spent our first day yesterday jumping in very slowly as we had some serious jetlag. We met our friend Mike Jenkins (who is starting Ubuntu with Casey) for lunch at this cool place called 'Grean Beans.' It was so wonderful to catch up and hear about what God is doing in his life. And he invited us to a small group of sorts at a friends house for Wednesday night to meet some new friends and see some old. It doesn't take long to be quickly reminded of how open and hospitable South Africans are and we look forward to meeting many new people in the coming weeks. We then tried to begin looking for a phone which turned out to be not an easy task, so I decided to make a smaller goal of getting my favorite shortbread cookies and diet coke from the Woolworth food store. Success! We then met up later with our flat-mate from last year, Mandy and had dinner with her. It's so fun already to introduce these great friends to little Kieren! She is mostly in a good mood and is just a bit 'clingy' at times. Many of you heard via-facebook that she broke her first tooth out somewhere in transit to Africa - it's so strange to see it in her mouth now!
We aren't quite sure what today holds yet, but our biggest goal is to meet up with the pastor I will be working with, Kyle, and see if we can go to our house to begin the move-in process. Coming back here is such a strange mix of familiarity and newness all at the same time. We know exactly where we are but it feels SO different because this is now our home. I feel ready to move into our new house and begin to settle in - I feel like that will help me to find our 'place' here. So keep the prayers coming! There is so much to get adjusted to in this new world!
Love you all,
Sarah
Well it is the beginning of our second day here at our new home in Cape Town. I am up early with Kieren just hanging out - somehow she has managed to get right back on schedule, waking up exactly at 7:30am both mornings here! Her parents have not felt as 'on schedule' but I certainly feel better after another night of sleep. We spent our first day yesterday jumping in very slowly as we had some serious jetlag. We met our friend Mike Jenkins (who is starting Ubuntu with Casey) for lunch at this cool place called 'Grean Beans.' It was so wonderful to catch up and hear about what God is doing in his life. And he invited us to a small group of sorts at a friends house for Wednesday night to meet some new friends and see some old. It doesn't take long to be quickly reminded of how open and hospitable South Africans are and we look forward to meeting many new people in the coming weeks. We then tried to begin looking for a phone which turned out to be not an easy task, so I decided to make a smaller goal of getting my favorite shortbread cookies and diet coke from the Woolworth food store. Success! We then met up later with our flat-mate from last year, Mandy and had dinner with her. It's so fun already to introduce these great friends to little Kieren! She is mostly in a good mood and is just a bit 'clingy' at times. Many of you heard via-facebook that she broke her first tooth out somewhere in transit to Africa - it's so strange to see it in her mouth now!
We aren't quite sure what today holds yet, but our biggest goal is to meet up with the pastor I will be working with, Kyle, and see if we can go to our house to begin the move-in process. Coming back here is such a strange mix of familiarity and newness all at the same time. We know exactly where we are but it feels SO different because this is now our home. I feel ready to move into our new house and begin to settle in - I feel like that will help me to find our 'place' here. So keep the prayers coming! There is so much to get adjusted to in this new world!
Love you all,
Sarah
Monday, October 5, 2009
We're Here
We're here!! Flights were good. Got all of our luggage. Kieren was a trooper. She just hasn't slept for one really long stretch yet. Hoping she will now. We're all just Really tired now! Settled @ Torrance's house for the night. Thanks so much for them allowing us to stay at their house and for their friend Craig picking us up. Excited to get some serious sleep.
One quick fun story. We met the coolest guy on our plane today and hung out with him a lot. He was sitting with us on our first flight. Turns out he was on his way to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilamanjaro!! That's extreme! We'll he's a physician, owns a bunch of urgent care centers in the triangle area and beyond, has done a lot of medical missions in Burkina Faso, and to top it all off played soccer at Methodist College. We hung out with him in Detroit, he was in the row behind us on the way to Amsterdam, and then we hung out for a few hours there together. It was so nice to have a friend and he was gracious to help us schlep all of Kieren's stuff around. He was also just so encouraging about what we're on our way here to do. So that was a nice bit of "ubuntu" happening in the midst of our day.
We so appreciate your prayers. Tomorrow we'll start trying to get settled. Get a bank account, looking for a car, finding a phone, making contact with Kyle (the pastor of the Methodist church), and hopefully going to see our house! We just totally can't believe we are HERE! It's totally unbelievable!
Please keep praying for us and pray specifically that Kieren would SLEEP! It's midnight here and she needs a good night of it.
CASEY
One quick fun story. We met the coolest guy on our plane today and hung out with him a lot. He was sitting with us on our first flight. Turns out he was on his way to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilamanjaro!! That's extreme! We'll he's a physician, owns a bunch of urgent care centers in the triangle area and beyond, has done a lot of medical missions in Burkina Faso, and to top it all off played soccer at Methodist College. We hung out with him in Detroit, he was in the row behind us on the way to Amsterdam, and then we hung out for a few hours there together. It was so nice to have a friend and he was gracious to help us schlep all of Kieren's stuff around. He was also just so encouraging about what we're on our way here to do. So that was a nice bit of "ubuntu" happening in the midst of our day.
We so appreciate your prayers. Tomorrow we'll start trying to get settled. Get a bank account, looking for a car, finding a phone, making contact with Kyle (the pastor of the Methodist church), and hopefully going to see our house! We just totally can't believe we are HERE! It's totally unbelievable!
Please keep praying for us and pray specifically that Kieren would SLEEP! It's midnight here and she needs a good night of it.
CASEY
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Hope Crap, it's time!
We leave tomorrow morning!!!! We got our visas on Friday. We're packed. Saw U2 tonight!! That was incredible. And our boy Desmond Tutu was there on video (look him up if you don't know him) and he said, "Casey and Sarah, welcome to South Africa." He didn't really say that, but he did to us!
Just can't believe that this moment is finally here. We've been talking about it and planning it for so long. Please be praying for us so much! We'll update here when we get there!!
Please also follow Ubuntu Sports Outreach @ www.ubuntusports.blogspot.com.
Talk to you from Cape Town!!
Casey
Just can't believe that this moment is finally here. We've been talking about it and planning it for so long. Please be praying for us so much! We'll update here when we get there!!
Please also follow Ubuntu Sports Outreach @ www.ubuntusports.blogspot.com.
Talk to you from Cape Town!!
Casey
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