It begins here...

This week we are starting the official 'work' of Ubuntu Sports Outreach. We're having a clinic each day in our 4 startup schools: Simon's Town, Kleinberg Primary, Ukhanyo Primary, and Marine Primary. We expected to do the clinics after school, but the schools have asked us to do them during school, b/c kids stopped showing up the last couple of weeks b/c they did exams a few weeks ago. (Don't ask me why it's done that way.)
We're really excited about the opportunity to 'introduce' ourselves to the communities, schools, and kids. Please be praying for our influence there, our relationships with the schools, and that kids would be excited to be with us.
You can follow up on all that happens at the clinics at www.ubuntusports.blogspot.com.

Casey

Desmond

Up in the Clouds and On the Ground

Hello friends and family,

A quick update for you today, I am in the second full day of this conference at UCT called 'Beyond Reconciliation.' It is an incredible meeting of scholars, teachers, and practitioners. I am FILLED with information, stories, and new heroes whom I deeply admire. After the first full day, I came home Thursday night completely exhausted and I could barely function! I am meeting incredible people and am prayerful about how this time of learning and enlightenment will lead to my next steps - but at the present I am not sure! For now, I am 'up in the clouds' in almost euphoria and the excitement of all I am taking in.

Down 'on the ground,' I would like to ask for your prayers, as Kieren has a bad stomach bug and isn't able to keep anything from running from one end of her body to the other. She was in a good mood yesterday, but over the night and today she is in obvious discomfort and even pain because of her stomach. We have gotten some medicine from the pharmacy and hope she will be on the path to healing and rest soon. Poor baby - please pray for her!

Lots of love,
Sarah

My New Friend

Okay, so maybe he is not my 'friend,' but I definitely did meet one of my heroes, Archbishop Desmond Tutu this morning. I am attending a conference at the University of Cape Town called 'Beyond Reconciliation' and today is the first full day of sessions and lectures. Desmond Tutu spoke this morning and received questions from a panel of incredible scholars. He was full of joy, wit, and deep grace. I was so amazed (but not surprised) at how he unashamedly brought up the power and love of God as our prime example in reconciliation and forgiveness time and time again. He told many poignant stories along with jokes and powerful teaching. It was remarkable. As soon as it ended, I noticed he wasn't being rushed off, so Andy and I decided to go down and meet him. Ha! We just walked right down there, waiting until he was finished talking to the other 'scholars' and introduced ourselves. I mentioned that I was here because of Peter Storey, the South African professor who taught me at Duke, who is also a colleague and friend of Desmond. We talked a bit about why we were here and he was so gracious. WOW! Just a dream come true of a day as this is a man whom I deeply admire and a person who informs and challenges my life as a pastor and social 'activist.' Nothing can top that, but the rest of the conference has been challenging and inspiring and I am meeting many incredible people from numerous fields. My mind is spinning and inside I am still giddy that I am even here to experience this. So many people to learn from and I hope to follow in their footsteps of teaching others about social justice and reconciliation.

I hope you are inspired today in some way too!
Blessings,
Sarah

Coming and Going

Hello friends and family!

We feel like we are WAY due for an update on what is going on in the Prince home - but things have been suddenly very busy around here, so we apologize for the lack of info! On Friday night, our friend Kate Berry flew in from our church in Raleigh to visit her son Matt who has been volunteering with Living Hope for 2 months (oh and she gets to see us too!!). It's been SO fun to host Kate, as she brings so much joy into this place and helps us process all we are seeing and experiencing - the highs and lows. And we were SO blessed to have her bring an extra suitcase filled with goodies from home - everything from a Christmas dress for Kieren, frosting for me, candy corns for Casey, and LOTS of cereal. Even just to get some handwritten cards was SUCH a treat!

Oh, by the way, we ARE getting mail now here from the States, it took less than 10 days for a letter. It's been so fun to get some Christmas cards already!!

Okay, so many things happening in the midst of our hosting Kate. We have been spending time with lots of friends and ministry things are also really picking up. There have been some highs and lows, as well. Yesterday, Living Hope held a rally in Ocean View for World AIDS day, and my friend Joanne, who is in my HIV support group, publicly spoke about her HIV status in order to encourage others to be tested. It was INCREDIBLE - people were cheering for her and others even then shared their HIV status with the crowd. It was so inspiring and I told Joanne after that she was my new hero! She has built a great life where she is choosing to be healthy and live even though she is HIV positive. It was a beautiful thing. Then shortly afterwards, Kate and I were thrust into a really intense situation. We met a young woman named Jakie who came to the clinic and wanted help because she was having a bad 'drug trip' on some 'tick' which is crystal meth in the States. She was prayed for, and then eventually brought in to see the doctor, and later taken to the hospital. She felt she was ready to try to get clean but was also scared and filled with so many emotions. Just before she was taken to the hospital, Kate and I went in to see her and she was crying and scared and sick, and I just trying to minister to her in a few moments. I prayed for her and tried to speak truth to her about the challenges ahead of getting clean but how it was worth it. I told her God brought her to us that day and that He saved her to make her new. She was filled with so many emotions but would stop and focus on what I was saying and smile. I have to believe she understood and I hope she follows a new path, but wow, it will be a mountain to climb ahead. It was very scary and emotional for both Kate and I, but we certainly saw God's presence in those moments.

Many ministry opportunities are popping up lately for Casey and I, and we continue to grow deeper in love with this community. Casey is preparing, with Andy Chenlo, for the Ubunutu clinics in the schools next week and getting very excited. And I look ahead for today and the rest of the week for my incredible conference at UCT. So much happening! We are on quite a ride right now and truly enjoying it! Pray that we will have times to process, rest in the Lord and each other, and enjoy all God is doing.

Lots of love,
Sarah

Upcoming Event!

Hello everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know of something extraordinary and wonderful that I have the privilege of attending this week. It's a conference at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that is called 'Beyond Reconciliation.' In short, it is 5 days of seminars, sessions, and lectures concerning all the justice issues I am really passionate about. I am SO excited about this and also will be seeking out people and contacts for possible further study at UCT, which has been an interest of mine for some time. The conference info is at the link www.beyondreconciliation.co.za, feel free to check it out, and I would love your prayers beginning on Wednesday as I soak up all this knowledge, wisdom, and experience!

Love,
Sarah

Prince Family Hello

Today Was the Day

Today was the day. Our shipped items from the US finally arrived at our house.

It's so hard to describe the emotions I am feeling, but you know that I'll enjoy trying :)

So this process of shipping our stuff here, emotionally, has taken us on a roller-coaster. First, we knew we wanted to ship stuff because we figured we had to. We had two suitcases each that we could bring on the plane and needed more than that because of Kieren and her stuff. We have been living out of four suitcases (between all three of us) for 10 weeks now. When we started to pack stuff to ship, it was first Kieren's stuff, then books, then towels and sheets (expensive to buy, easy to ship), then kitchen stuff, then clothes, then shoes, then clothes, then more clothes, then I went on come insane Target runs trying to get ANYTHING I would need (I was in a manic state at this point). We also shipped bikes, Kieren's stroller, and a couple other bigger items. It was annoying even at the time because I KNEW we would be annoyed that we had it all once it arrived in South Africa because we wouldn't need it all and then be living a simpler life in Africa. At the end of the day, we shipped stuff knowing we might even give it away, but knew it would go to grateful people.

Once we got here, we first greatly longed for our missed items. My 'Scrubs' TV show DVDs (WHY did I ship them?!? I needed them those first weeks...), maybe ONE hammer or screwdriver, a nice pair of shoes for church, little things from our house. Then, we began to furnish our home here and I realized we had shipped WAY too much and just HAD too much. Uugghh. Why do we have to be so 'American' and have so much??!? Then I began again to long for our things, the Scrubs DVDs, just little things for the house, etc.

Today our boxes were dropped off. We were jumping around and hugging each other when they called this morning to say today was the day. Casey is out now running a couple errands, so I have opened by myself four boxes and feel like I'm moving through the stages of grief or something. Denial (it's not that much), happiness (oh this stuff is so nice to have again!), upset stomach (oh no, only through four boxes and the house is full.... can we send it back?), and major REALITY CHECK (our stuff is here, now we live here FOR REAL).

So yeah, we will now spend the next week unpacking, joyously celebrating things we have missed, giving away things we know we don't need, making our home totally OURS now and settling in for good. The strangest emotion I feel is one that is mixed with peace, sadness, and joy at the realization that this is now our home. Permanently. It's so right but there is still a twinge of mourning. But it's so right. I am thinking a bike ride along the beach on this beautiful 75 degree day might help ease the pain :)

Lots of love,
Sarah

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Hello friends and family,

It is so unbelievable that this is the week of Thanksgiving because it is not celebrated at all here in Africa (the pilgrims didn't make it over here on their journey...). One of those things that of course makes sense, but I would love to see a cartoon turkey this week! We will be celebrating with a feast and football on Thursday with a group of American missionaries, so don't worry, we will be getting started on our pre-Christmas weight gain too :) Around here, the build up for Christmas very muted compared to what you are experiencing in the States, but there are echos of the season approaching. The main problem is that it is HOT right now – I sing the song mentioned in this blog title to say it is frightfully summery here. I found it notably odd that I finally noticed Christmas trees at the mall yesterday as I was wiping the sweat from my brow from the walk from car to mall entrance. Hopefully one day our little mall will get air conditioning....

In other Prince news, baby Kieren is back to her old self and seemingly feeling all better. You could tell she was on the mend by about Friday when she was again overly 'talkative' and bouncing all around the house. I have been still struggling with cough and migraines, but went AGAIN to a doctor yesterday and hope to be on the road towards health. It has been frustrating and depressing working through these past weeks as many days I can't make it through the whole day because of migraines and am forced to rest often. It's not that I mind resting, it's that I would rather sleep at night and be active in the day. So I would love prayers as I continue to try to get healthy; I know it will happen eventually.

We are relatively busy around here with many different things going on. I am visiting various support group meetings and functions for Living Hope and trying to get a feel for how things have been running here so I can lead and mentor these friends well. It really is inspiring to see how sacrificially these people support and lead others in their community – it is so much more than just a job for them. Also, EVERY staff member at Living Hope will receive a 15% pay cut in the new year, as much of Living Hope's funding was cut because PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) in Obama's new budget. It's a real shame, but these people are having such a positive attitude about it and even will be helping to raise money for the organization in the new year. I think will eventually be a good thing as it will help Living Hope to not be reliant on our government, but it's hard right now. Also, I helped on Sunday night with a church service we held – it was a service of 'Remembrance and Light' to remember those who had passed this year. It was particularly meaningful for Casey as he had some time to give thanks for Patrick Looney, who passed last week. For me, it was special because I got to assist in serving Holy Communion for the first time to my new congregation – which is always such a gift! This week I will assist Kyle, the pastor, in bringing communion to some church members who are home-bound, so I look forward to that, as well.

Casey is keeping busy with making plans for December as he will hold some soccer clinics at local schools for Ubuntu Sports Outreach. We are so excited to be taking our first steps – and would love your prayers as Casey decides how to navigate in these early months.

Oh, and PRAISE – our shipped items from home are being delivered on WEDNESDAY! We are excited!

Well, that's all for now, have a great day!
Lots of love,
Sarah

Some pics...

Thought we'd add some more pics to help tell our story...

This is our very good friend Bernadette's daughter, Amy. She LOVES Kieren!


This is Marleen. She is in Sarah's support group. She also LOVES Kieren. She always brings her gifts. She has started doing some 'gardening' for us.


She is a 'chip off the old block'. We even have the same hairline and style! Yes, I do look tired, it was early!

Praise

This was my devotional time this morning and it is so hopeful as well as a great vision for our time here. Thought I would share!
Love,
Sarah

Isaiah 12

Songs of Praise

1 In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O
LORD.
Although you were angry with
me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be
afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my
strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call
on his name;
make known among the nations
what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is
exalted.
5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the
world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of
Israel among you."

Loss of a Mentor

I just received an email that has wrecked me to my core. Patrick Looney, a beloved mentor and friend died on Tuesday. Patrick was the Student and Associate Pastor at Millbrook Methodist Church during my middle school and high school years. For those of you that knew me then, you will remember him, but those who didn’t know me missed out.

He had an enormous influence on my spiritual life. No other man, outside of my own dad, had as much influence during those years than Patrick. He was there at some massively shaping moments.

He was the one that took me (with John Massey and Susan Massey Resar) to the Franklin Graham Youth Rally when I was a 10^th grader where I heard the Gospel in a new way and fully committed my life to following Jesus.

He was in the hospital with my Mom at the moment that she had to decide to turn off the machines that were keeping my Dad alive. And he was with her when they came back to the house to tell me. He walked the road closely with us.

And he again walked the road with me as my Mother died about a year and a half later. Patrick was available, loyal, and loving to me during the most important times in my life.

But he was also there in some really great moments where he displayed his sense of humor and sensitivity. He once took Mikey Resar and I to an Acquire the Fire conference and explained the charismatic world to us when the girl in front us “fell out.” We were young spiritually, but he helped us understand it. He was always reminding me what an accomplished baseball player he once was, which I didn’t believe. J He also tried to make a point of telling me how good the Georgia Bulldogs were. He would try to come watch me play soccer, but we began to notice a pattern of us losing when he came. So, he thought he was cursed, but he still wanted to support me, so he would stand outside the gates thinking that somehow that didn’t bring on the curse. Patrick, in this great sense of humor, is the one that said of my Dad, at his funeral, “Wilbur could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves on a hot summer day.” I wonder what funny line will be crafted to describe him on Friday?

Patrick and I had spoken some this summer as I shared with him what our family was about to do. And then I got to see him in late August at an anniversary celebration at Millbrook Methodist. I hope that he had a little pride in knowing that the seeds he planted in me all those years ago were still being harvested and now planted into others.

Though I am completely broken-hearted today I know that when Patrick entered Heaven that many people greeted him that have been touched and influenced by his life. I now look forward to him greeting me there one day and me getting to thank him for what he has done in me.

Casey

Back to the Doctor

Would love your prayers today as the Prince's went again to the doctor in Ocean View today, but this time for me. I have had a sore throat for days, and fever and body aches and finally relented to go to see doctor. It's nothing major, slight case of strep throat and I got some medicine for it. WOW, the private doctor was SUCH a different experience – I was in and out this morning in literally 15 minutes! So just laying low this week trying to get our family healthy so we can embrace our always busy weekend that is coming up!

Thanks for the love and prayers!
Sarah

Today's Lesson...

Yesterday we truly got a glance through the window of life living in the 'Third World' as Tuesday I ventured to the free clinic to have Kieren seen by the doctor there. She had been messing with her ears here and there and then a couple people also thought she might have an ear infection, so it was time to go. Oh my gosh, it was such a mission at this place! It's quite a scene to begin with; it's a small room with benches and when I got there at 7:30 (I think it opens at 7:15) the room was already filled with about 40-50 people and children. We tried for about 20 minutes to talk to someone to put our name on a list, or whatever, and finally a janitor there who recognized me and helped me to get my name in their system and on the list. After a while I was seen by a nurse of some kind who weighed Kieren and then told me to go to another area to wait to see doctor. This area was smaller, with not even a place for me to sit, and ahead of me to see whomever were about ten other mothers with babies or children. I later learned I wasn't even in line for the doctor but for a 'clinic sister' (and I don't know what that means), but it was the wrong person to see anyways because I needed a prescription for Kieren. The whole time I was waiting in that area, not one single person complained; they were all talking and laughing and just waiting patiently. In about 20 minutes standing there I saw one person go out of the room. I would have waited all day... literally. Finally, after about two hours, Casey showed up and we decided to pay to see a private doctor. Kieren was so sleepy and I was exhausted. We learned of a private doctor down the road who charged about $20 (130 South African Rand) and had business hours in the afternoon. We took her back later in the day, she was seen by the doctor, and given various medicines for her minor ear infection.

Wow, ear infections are SO common in the US, and it was just Kieren's first. I thought so much yesterday about our pediatrician's office in Raleigh, called Raleigh Pediatrics. It is a beautiful facility, with timely, educated staff and doctors. They also have a 24 hour nurse help-line for every parent's tiny scare and worry. Here in South Africa, parents wait all day for their child to be seen by a doctor or someone else. My mother yesterday was asking about the swine flu and if it is a problem in SA. Honestly, I have no idea, because it probably isn't being diagnosed if it is here! I hear about kids having fevers and stomach bugs, but they just stay home from school until they get better. Rarely does anyone go to the doctor, and sickness just isn't a worry. Health care officials are more talking about testing and treatment for HIV and tuberculosis here, problems that make an ear infection look trite.

Here was the real frustration for me yesterday – myself. I couldn't believe how frustrated I could get, and just what I believed I 'deserved' for my privileged, white family. Of course, I didn't verbalize these thoughts, but I was ashamed that I even thought them. We are so privileged to have great health care in America (if we can afford it, of course) and it is a gift that we so often overlook. And we were able to finally leave the dingy halls of that clinic and pay to see a doctor, when these other people didn't have that luxury. Even more, for most of the world, they don't even have access to a doctor because there isn't one or they can't afford.

So another great lesson in the classroom of life today, and I leave this session recognizing my need to be so grateful that I can care for my child whenever a problem arises. Kieren is of course FINE and probably just had a slight annoyance at some ear pain for a day or two....

Thanks for learning with me,
Sarah

Pictures

Thought we'd give you some updated pics to see the 'wildness' that happens in our yard in the afternoons.

The boys are crowded around Kieren singing to her and making her laugh. The guy in the middle, Heindre, used to be a Rasta leader and now follows Jesus.