Weekend Update

Happy Monday everyone!

So happy to start another week - and time is flying by for us these days - you too??  It is almost the end of January - one month will be done in 2011 and only 11 to go!  Much to do still!

We had a great weekend with friends and spending time together as a family.  On Friday we had a braai with our good friends the Denne's and the Chittendon's.  Always great to have catch up time with some of the favorites!  Then Saturday we spent some time at home in morning (while Casey finished up another Ubuntu academy clinic - update soon!) and then I took Kieren, Ntokozo, and K's little friend Jensen to the beach.  Kieren LOVED having her bud there and they ran around for hours in and out of the waves (and it was a chilly and windy day, but these cute girls didn't mind!).  Jensen taught Kieren how to make sand castles, which can now be added to our beach activities.  Then Jensen's mom, my great friend Julie Ostrand, joined us all and we shared some ice cream.  Always have to have ice cream at the beach.  Always.  Then Saturday night we took out the 'World Race' missionaries to a cool spot on the beach called 'Polana' for a night on the town.  We had a late dinner at the yummy tapas restaurant, and then at 10pm a band gets going and we talked and danced.  So fun.  They are a cool bunch of young people and we have loved getting to know them!  Sunday morning we had church at the View and my co-pastor Kyle preached a GREAT message about looking for Jesus OUT in the world, not in the church.  Then we trucked the team over to Hillsong to hear the lovely Lucinda Dooley preach, and divinely she preached a very similar message about DOING justice and making wrong things right.  Ahhh, it was so challenging and wonderful.  Lunch with our mission buds and Michael and Rose Jenkins and then back to the View.  Casey and I were EXHAUSTED from the week and weekend AND Kiers still struggling to sleep with those big, bad molars coming in, so our church friend Charmaine James took the little girl for a few hours while we took coma naps.  It. was. AWESOME.  How great is our church community that they love to take Kiers any time!  They are cool.  Then we picked up our crazy two-year-old and went to another couples' house for dinner, Tim and Natasha Hoffman, who do great work at Living Hope coordinating all the volunteers.  They are really doing a wonderful job with that program and it's so fun to keep sending people over to them to work in our communities here that need help (www.livinghope.co.za)!

Again, coma night of sleep and now we are up just checking emails after some hard workouts, and a pig-tailed beauty plays in the kids area.  Fun life.  Today we have an important meeting with Bethany, who runs the ministry that Ntokozo was brought to us through.  We are working on next steps for our brown daughter, and just want to make sure we are following our God.  She is crazy.  We are crazy.  Kiers is definitely crazy.  We are starting to think that God might want all of us crazies to just crazy it together...  Prayers??

Life is crazy and beautiful.  Wish you were here :)  Visit??  Come on, you know you want to!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Photo from kiaraashanti.com

Divine Encounters

This past week, I had one of those strange days where I had many things planned, but instead the day was filled with strange and seemingly random encounters with various people.  However, by the end of the day it was obvious that it had been one filled with divine encounters.

Tuesday morning Casey left to take Kieren to her first day back at preschool (cute!) and then on to a meeting.  In just a few minutes he returned with a child.  He was leaving Ocean View and saw Minkey, Ntokozo's cousin, walking around nervously with her baby cousin Joshua.  Casey stopped to help, and Minkey was late to school, supposed to drop of Joshua but couldn't find the new location of his preschool and she was about to be locked out of school.  She called her aunt (the same one Ntokozo is 'estranged' from and had lived with before coming to our home), and her aunt asked if they could drop off Joshua at OUR house and she would come to pick him up.  So Minkey dropped Joshua in the car, shut the door, and hurridly walked off to school!  A confused Casey then showed up with the baby and asked me to watch him.  Joshua was crying and scared and I was about the same, and I kept thinking what were the unlucky odds that Casey would have seen Minkey THAT day.  I had things to do!  45 minutes later, Ntokozo's aunt showed up at the house, a woman who I had never met, but only heard horrible stories about from Ntokozo.  Dolly introduced herself and we proceeded to chat for 30 minutes.  I came to know a woman who tries her best, is in a bad marriage, trying to raise the orphaned children of her sisters, while also working and raising her own kids.  She is tired, but hopeful.  Dolly shared her love for Ntokozo and her hope that they can be reconciled because 'family is always family.'  I quickly realized God's hand in the morning and as she left was deeply grateful for the chance meeting with a woman who I too hope will be reconciled with the daughter of her deceased sister, Ntokozo.  I can't help but think ONCE again in this community, 'hurt people hurt people."  We have another example of that in Nitokozo's family - many troubled people that then hurt others, but it's so reassuring about HUMANITY when you see people's pure hearts and intentions to love even when they know they miss the mark so often.  But she thanked us for keeping Ntokozo and said she was really happy here, something we didn't honestly know.  Special.

Later in the afternoon, we were all hanging at the house, doing some work, and some kids knocked on the door and called for Casey.  It was Kyle Woodward, who comes to our house daily, and sometimes hourly, so we all looked at each other from the back of the house to try to force the other to answer the call.  Against my wishes, I walked to the front door to see Kyle, his brother Keegan (love), and another woman who I didn't know.  She immediately grabbed my hand and began talking to me like we were friends, and I realized she was Kyle and Keegan's grandmother (a YOUNG woman to be a grandmother, but that's how it rolls around here!).  She came bearing chocolates (so love her now) and began with apologies about why she missed Kieren's party (that had to do with her daughter's graduation and she got drunk... and then she told me like 3 times during our conversation...haha) but she wanted to thank us for the invitation.  But the best part was that she said wholeheartedly that she 'tipped her hat' to us and thanked us for spending so much time with Kyle.  It was actually very sweet and humble and rare.  And beautiful.

It was one of those days.  In mission work they don't come around too often; and I guess in life they don't come around too often either.  Those times when people just are real and open and show their heart.  I am half a realist and half and idealist.  Tuesday my realist heart was quieted and the idealist triumphed.  People do see good, they notice love, and 'sewing' into people is really what matters.  So thankful.  Divine.

Lots of love,
Sarah

Bible Study KICKED OUT OF THE PARK!

Last night was the kick-off for the new women's Bible study that I will be hosting for the community of Ocean View.  For the past year I have been hosting a weekly women's group where ladies can come and just open up and share.  It has been beautiful and truly transformed the lives of these women - and me!  They are incredible!  This year I feel like God has put it on my heart to mix some Bible study in with it, and break into smaller groups to share and pray afterwards.  Change is always a bit scary, but these ladies are coming along with me, and we will be studying the Gospel of John all year (helps that I am killing some reading on John for my Cornerstone classes too!!).  So last night we kicked it off and I invited every woman in the View that I knew.  We had about 40 gathered, and we sang, and then I shared the vision for the year, and how God was leading our community for the next year.  I have the phrase 'light and dark' on my heart and I believe God wants us to enter more deeply into the darkness of our own hearts and those around us bringing the light of Christ that can transform and expel it.  So it was fun to share more and get pumped up about that!  Then my friend Lucinda Dooley, pastor at Hillsong Church, came and shared an incredible message called 'When an ordinary girl meets and extraordinary God.'  It was truly an extraordinary message and really touched and challenged the women there.  Lucinda is amazing and unique but somehow she is so relatable and everyone feels so close to her when she shares.  It was brilliant and powerful.  Then the team that is still here working with us (a group called 'The World Race') finished the night with a prayer experience where you pray for every person as they go through a 'tunnel' of prayer and encouragement.  It was huge and women were sharing truth, prayers, and many tears.  Oh I just loved it all, every single minute of it.  These women are EXTRAORDINARY and I feel like they are starting to believe that from God.  This year holds so much potential and I am overwhelmed with excitement for my time with them!  What a kick-off!!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Ubuntu Update

Check out an update about the clinics held last week by Ubuntu hosted by Casey and the students who visited from Elon University at www.ubuntusports.blogspot.com.

Ntokozo Update

I have recently started affectionately calling Ntokozo my 'brown daughter,' and then Kieren my 'white daughter.'  I like it.

Just thought I would share an update on our sweet and sassy Ntokozo today.  I don't even know where to begin with this girl.  I feel like lately she is taking us on a bit of a roller-coaster ride.  Really, the whole thing is taking us on a roller-coaster ride.  Or maybe it's just God that's taking us on a ride.  When did I buy the ticket for this??

We were asked to foster Ntokozo as a 'safety family' in November, and she spent about 5 weeks with us until she went to Durban, South Africa to spend the holidays with her family.  We had no idea what to expect, but had an instant connection with this girl, and welcomed her into our home.  Those five weeks were really nice, we all worked well together, talked and laughed a lot.  Kieren was the skeptical one, and it took really the entire time she was with us for her to open up and really like this new family member (I think we saw Kieren's strong jealous side in those day).  Then Ntokozo left to be with family, and it was really sad for me (not helped at all bye Kieren asking daily, even hourly, for her 'sissy!).  I grew to love this crazy girl, and through our conversations about her past, abuse, and family life, was very protective of her.  Then she suddenly was back with us in January for a few days, then to Hillsong's summer camp for a few days, and now back in our home.  And NOW she is really showing her colors - all the beautiful ones and the dark ones, as well.  We are seeing a teenager these days, with attitude and laziness sprouting up more and more.  But what is really interesting about her personality, is that when she feels someone has hurt her, or she gets angry, she just completely shuts down and won't talk.  She stops communicating and turns off.  I KNOW that many teenagers do this too, but she takes it to a whole new level, where it takes hours or even a day for her to break out of it.  Last week she got mad at Casey because he started to question her list of new school supplies and then she just freaked and turned off.  I can only guess that because she has been hurt SO many times that she just shuts people or situations out when she feels she is about to get hurt.  But we are realizing there is a lot of work to do in this little heart, as Ntokozo really doesn't know how to work through problems or communicate at all when things get tough.  I mean, ALL of us struggle with this, so we have a long road ahead of us as we learn together.

We are meeting with the ministry that has taken on Ntokozo's case next week, as they have still not found a permanent home for her.  We aren't sure what her or our future holds, but we would covet your prayers in this journey.  Only God knows what is ahead!

My New Love

This guy has been around here the whole time.  We see him from time to time, but lately he has been around a lot.  Really, ever since Kieren has started talking and turned into a playmate rather than a baby, he is all over our house.

He has gone from being another kid to my new love

His name is Keagan, and his brother Kyle Woodard is a boy we have spent a great deal of time with in the past year and a half.  Keagan is only 4, but now he is starting to come around and play more and more.  Actually they both are around ALL the time, in our house everyday.  It's wonderful.  Their mother is addicted to crystal meth which they call 'tick' here and delivers alcohol to people around Ocean View.  She lives with them but the boys are basically raised by their grandmother.

Keagan has this hilarious laugh and he knows it so he laughs all the time.  We make funny faces at each other and play and he and Kieren chase each other around.  I have really fallen more in love with him and just pray that he will keep spending time in our home so we can love on him and help to form and mold who He is in Jesus.

And Kyle and Keagan brought Kieren a present.  Among all the Dora gifts, new clothes, bubbles, and shiny toys, I found a wrapped gift, marked from the boys with 'God loves you' to Kieren.  It was a small stuffed animal and it looks used.  Kyle told me that his mom wrote the card and he told her what to write, especially the God part.  It's the most cherished gift Kieren received.

Lots of love,
Sarah

Ubuntu Update

Ubuntu Sports recently received a shipment of soccer gear from the USA, and we had a team of missionaries here this week help us build shelves and organize it all.  So exciting!  Check out details and pics on the Ubuntu blog at http://www.ubuntusports.blogspot.com/.

Check out our Fiesta FUN!!

Kieren overlooking her festivities with JOY!

Kiers' beautiful cake, created by Granny Jacoba's daughter

The kids enjoying our jumping castle

Taking hits on our Mexican pinata

Dante (Kieren's boyfriend!) taking the soccer ball outside

Sarah desperately trying to create order as the View kids descend in all their craziness on the jumping castle...

Singing 'happy birthday' for sweet Kiers

The Prince's with the Musemena family, Antoine, Mathy, Christ, and Onesie

Kiers giving her bestie, Bailey, a good-bye kiss

Evan and Cameron Torrance

Granny cutting her cake for our guests

Ntokozo with her son Jacob (left) and her nephew Joshua

My View ladies taking in the whole fiesta!  They said they had never experienced anything like it - and neither had any of us!

Party People

So, we are continually adjusting to our new 'brown daughter' as I affectionately call her :)  She is PURE TEENAGER and all the attitude that comes along with it.  But she is also her own person, shy, overwhelmed, and still dealing with a lot of trauma, so we are constantly trying to push in the right places and draw back when needed, and who knows when we get it right.  One thing that is particularly overwhelming to her is when we have lots of guests over, even if she knows them.  She just doesn't like big crowds of people, and is much more talkative and open one-on-one.  On Saturday, with our BIG KIEREN FIESTA happening I had no idea how she would take it, but in the early afternoon she called her cousin Minkey (who she grew up with, is also an orphan, and still lives with their aunt and uncle, the ones Ntokozo is estranged from and lived with last), who had recently returned home from her holidays in Durban.  Minkey said she wanted to come to Kieren's party and bring Joshua, their aunt's son too (who Ntokozo also loves).  Of course we welcomed her, but were SHOCKED, because Minkey has hardley stepped foot in the our home since Ntokozo moved in.  We picked her up and she joined the chaos for the day.  Later in the day, Ntokozo's son, Jacob, was brought to the party by his foster mom, Nicole.  All afternoon Ntokozo was BEAMING and so proud to share her family, especially her son.  The girls from the OV that went with her to Hillsong youth camp this past week were also at the party and those girls welcomed Minkey into the bunch.  After the party, I hesitated to even ask Ntokozo how she felt about the day, assuming she would still be weary of it all, but she said she loved the celebration!  She was so happy to share her son and is really growing more comfortable with our community.  She then even mentioned for the first time that when she came to our home for dinner the first time, she felt like she had already been here and knew it would be her new home.  It must have come to her in a dream before our first meeting, she said, and she knew then she would live with us.  WOW, just wow.  I don't know if this story makes sense, but I was amazed to hear this, and how Ntokozo always knew she would come here.  And then she even liked our day of CRAZINESS celebrating Kieren.  It was a joy to have her family there, and I hope they continue to become a part of our life, as it's so important for Ntokozo to keep those family relations alive with the loss of her parents.  However, we are creating new family here too, and she is more and more becoming part of it. 

At the end of the day, that conversation with her was almost as special as the entire party for me.  Just made my heart so full, you know?

Lots of love,
Sarah

White People

Throughout our travels around the world doing missions, one of the more interesting parts of entering a new community is seeing how they view and receive you as outsiders.  I can recall vividly being in the rolling hills of Jamaica as kids would run up to us shouting 'white people!'  They were very open to us, but obviously saw us as 'tourists' who were there to give them money or candy.  In Uganda we were called 'muzungus' and it was something also shouted affectionately, probably for the same reason.  Here in South Africa, because of the tumultuous and violent history between whites, coloureds (mixed race), and blacks, there is definitely not always a warm reception for white people.  In Cape Town, there are many tourists and missionaries, so sometimes the kids still are open to you hoping to get something in return.  Now, since we live in a township community, WE are the ones who are skeptical of the white people invading our space.  A couple weeks ago, a team from somewhere in the US was here doing mission work and they were walking throughout Ocean View daily.  I saw them in the 'flats' talking to people and kissing babies.  It almost seemed political, you know?  We frequently see white groups leading events for kids, complete with face painting and balloons, and as quickly as they descend upon our home, they are again gone in a flash and life continues for all of us.  It creates a strange uneasiness in our hearts when we see another gaggle of whitey's coming into our space.  Why are they here?  To help?  To take pictures?  Exploit?  Befriend?

Surely people have  had these same thoughts about US the Prince family as we have invaded this coloured community (yes, not everyone knows the famed Prince's all over the world...), so now we love bringing people into OUR world of Ocean View, letting them meet and chat to our community and friends, and see it through a new perspective that hopefully isn't as invasive to those we love. 

This week there are lots of white people in our world as so we have tried to welcome them with open arms into our hearts and lives and help them to see the beauty and courage of the people we live with here.  Last week a group of 30 students from Elon University in NC came to see the View and hear Casey and I share about it a bit, and we brought our friend Timmy Thomas who works for Living Hope and is a youth pastor to share his first-hand perspective of growing up in the OV.  It was brilliant and a perspective we could never have.  Then, this week, four of those students came to work with Casey and Ubuntu Sports for Wednesday and Thursday.  Casey put together a soccer camp for some View kids and had a great turnout and time with a big bunch of them.  Every day we had a late lunch with the students while they shared about their lives and we let them into ours, as well.  A remark that has stuck with me was a girl who said to Casey, "you guys just seem so happy and content!  It's amazing!"  They loved our stories and lives and truly didn't want to leave.  What is particularly special about this is that none of them are Christians, and it shows the power of profound truths that transcend religions and personal beliefs.  To help people is good, to see pure courage is always inspiring, and people are all just people wherever you are and whatever you wear and own.  What a privilege to share our lives with them.  Also this week there is another mission team of young people going ALL OVER AFRICA, and here for 20 days.  They worked with us yesterday and are helping Casey today with the Ubuntu gear that we just received from Raleigh in our HUGE shipment.  I am hoping (fingers crossed!) to get them to do a little fiesta set-up with me today too :)  And finally, there are some seminary students from Princeton Divinity School here also, working with Kyle and the Ocean View Methodist Church, one of whom I know from Raleigh!  Crazy.  Anna Shaw Harmon is here and had dinner with us last night and hung out with some youth from the OV.  So fun.  We will see them again tonight for some Mexican food prepared by my co-pastor Kyle.

What a life we have, and how small the world can really be.  We love sharing this world, and helping people to see beyond the crime and violence, and deeper than the dirt and dust.  The people are beautiful and it's an incredible world here.  There is one right where you live too, sometimes you have to just look a little harder.

Lots of love,
Sarah

What a Day!

Oh my gosh.  Has there ever been a cuter picture??  NO!  Ntokozo back with us and enjoying a day on the beach with an ice cream, Kiers is sitting enjoying hers, but stops to smile, wearing her pink Dora sunglasses and her new PONYTAIL.  (By the way, she got a package today from the US with a BEAUTIFUL jewelry box, jewelry, and purple Tinkerbell sunglasses, but they will just NOT do, you know?)

I.  LOVE.  THESE.  GIRLS.

I took the girls for an impromptu beach trip because it was such a hot day and we had a great time splashing in the waves and enjoying our picnic.  So fun!  Then we returned home because our shipment of Ubuntu donated goods from the States with some fun stuff for us too.

And Kieren got her first KITCHEN!  She loves kitchens and always plays in them when they are anywhere and now has her OWN in our kitchen!  

This is ALL Karen Latta and we couldn't have gotten a better present - of course unless she came here herself, or any of you for that matter :)

Kieren is really growing up SO MUCH!  She learned to say she is TWO and sung herself the happy birthday song all day.  She had such a hard time taking a nap or going to sleep at night because she was just too excited about the day.  I sat with her in her room until she fell asleep (our new ritual since she is scared of sleep these days...) and she kept sitting up and having conversations with her Dora, Boots, Diego (new from shipment), and 'Drake' dog (a stuffed animal that looks like the Latta's family dog).  I would tell her lay back down, and then she would be up again talking to all of them.  

My life is perfection. 

Lots of love,

Sarah

Sleeping Prayers for Sweet Kieren

Hey everyone!

Just wondering if you all could join us in sleeping prayers for our wonderful Kieren.  As many of you know, we have STRUGGLED with Kieren's sleeping for the past 6 months and it's really become a problem!  She will wake up screaming and will be inconsolable for hours sometimes (oddly as it sounds, my sister is having the same problems with my sweet niece, Kylie).  We have tried EVERY method, so thanks but no thanks on thoughts on how your kiddos broke through this dilemma ;)  However, I think what I have realized is that she is having bad dreams at night and wakes up terrified.  So even though she is exhausted, she fights sleep and doesn't want to be alone, even though she has a bright night-light and is obviously so safe and quiet.  Someone recently asked us if we are praying for her - duh!  We do pray for her and her sleeping, but really decided to pray in bigger and better ways asking Jesus to cover her!  I believe that God has given me a verse to pray over her; one that has brought me much comfort over the years.  So we are asking that you would join us in praying this over her as she sleeps!

"For He Himself is our PEACE." - Ephesians 2:14a

Honestly, it's worked the past two nights!  Last night she woke up around 4am, and she was screaming about a 'horsey' and how it was 'mine,' but I was able to settle her down and get her back to sleep.  We are praying that this is the beginning of many sound nights of sleep for our Kiers!  We ALL need it!

Lots of love,
Sarah

picture provided by cksinfo.com

Happy Birthday Pookie

My little munchkin turns 2 years old today!  I can't believe it!  It seems like just yesterday that this

was happening. What a life changing event! But I'm more in love with this little girl now than I was on that day. It just increases EVERY day. I think most men are probably like me in that their love for their kids grows each day. Women have an amazing love for their children even before they come out of the womb. But men need interaction and response, so our love grows as our child develops.

Kieren is now in the period where she is talking to me, expressing her feelings, and having so much fun. My little girl affectionately calls me "Casey". I remember when I thought it was so weird and funny that CJ Sasser called his dad, "Sass", but now I'm that guy! She can call me whatever she likes. When we turn on the TV together she laments, "No soccer, no soccer." So we watch football or basketball instead (yeah, right). She has inherited by 'gift' and when she expresses herself in that way she say, "I farted" and laughs. You know I love that! And most nights we head to bed, I read her some books, we pray to Jesus, I get my routine of kisses and high fives, and then I tell her how much I love her and how special she is. It's true and I fall in love with her more each day. I trust that my love will grow more and more each day.

Cheers,
Casey

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIEREN!

Our sweet Kieren turns TWO today!  She is already singing herself the birthday song and telling us she is "TWO"!!  It's too much fun!  We have some students from Elon University volunteering with us today, but hope to have some special moments with our little girl as we celebrate her beautiful life.  What a JOY!!

 

 

A Great Adventure

We have recently been watching a documentary series that is also a book called 'Long Way Down.'  It was a motorcycle adventure trip created by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman where they travel on motorcycles from Scotland all the way through Africa and end in Cape Town.  Casey read this book a while back, but we have been watching the series on tv these past weeks over Christmas breaks.  These guys are amazing, and so winsome and hilarious; Casey says the book is an incredible read.  You follow them on their journey as they meet wonderful people and enjoy the surprise and thrill of adventure.  We have fallen in love with the continent of Africa and feel so thankful that we live here for this time in our lives.  Now we just hope that we get to see some of these incredible places while we are over on this side of the world (fingers crossed!!).

Check out this book or the dvd series if you get a chance - you won't be sorry!

Lots of love,
Sarah