Coming Up Next

Yesterday I was having some 'quiet time' pretending to do work but instead watching tv while Kiers was out with Granny, and there was a knock at the door interrupting my quiet bliss.  It was my OV Methodist church friends Pam and Morne.  They rock my world.  They are this incredible couple who I have asked to pray about becoming youth lead through this cool training by an organization called J-Life that trains leaders for Africa all over the continent.  So they have been praying FOREVER about jumping in with us!  They have 3 kids, very busy, very committed, I KNEW they really wanted to say no.

But last night they broke my rest to tell me YES!  They feel called to jump on board with the youth, be trained, and see where God takes them!  They actually already have TONS of vision and just huge expectation and excitement for what is ahead!

Best birthday present EVER!

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I feel like this is a present to me because God has given me His eyes to see this couple.  They have been through a lot, many challenges, many hardships, but they continue to grow and learn and are hungry for more of God.  They have so much potential and I think they are going to be a light in leading the next generation of our church.

Humbling.  Beautiful.  Exciting.

This is why I do ALL of this, to see new people step up into leadership, into the unknown, into their calling, and take a journey with me that I know will be beautiful.  I am pumped.

Love

sarah

YAY Happy Anniversary dinner to us

Aren't we cute?

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Nine Crazy Years Later...

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Nine years ago on this day, two kids exchanged vows and looked towards the future with hope, vision, and excitment.  I cannot believe that those two kids on that day have turned into the Prince couple that exists today.

On that day we vowed so much, and in the last nine years we have fought hard to love one another, understand each other, grow, change, and accept.  At times we probably were hanging by a few threads, but luckily one of those was God.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  -Ecclesiastes 4:12

Today we are better and stronger than we have ever been.  We love each other and really, really like each other.  We are a team and a force.  And we have a blast.

We are blessed and today we celebrate.

Gang Life

We saw an unbelievable documentary this weekend.  It's a BBC show called 'Ross Kemp on Gangs' and this guy goes around the world to study the gang culture and life - pretty intense, right??

Intense doesn't even begin to cover it.  This show was an incredible and unimaginable look into the Poolsmoor Prison that is 30 minutes from our home.  DEFINITELY people are there from Ocean View.  In prison gangs run and rule.  We learned so much we never wanted to know, but it's a harsh reality to South Africa these days that can't be ignored.  People are desperate to make a living and belong and so they turn to the family of gangs; one day finding themselves drowning in drugs and violence.  The clip below was the most haunting, of one of the gang leaders named John Mongrel.

WARNING: explicit and harsh content


We are thankful that the gang culture isn't too big in Ocean View, but it definitely exists.  Ultimately after watching the video my heart was even more ignited for this country and those that are lost and falling between the cracks.  God is real and He CAN save.  I believe it.  We are seeing it.

The journey continues and we will see so many more come into the light.

More info on this show episode:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8c1_1188753669

Love,
Sarah

North Carolina Love

We have some friends from North Carolina visiting this week - hollar!  The incredible twins Christine and Allison Gamble are coming to Cape Town to hang out with the Princes'.  They were a part of our youth ministry in Raleigh and we are very close to their family.  Christine (on left in picture) on here for two days on her way to Zambia to do mission work for the summer and Allison (right in pic) comes on Thursday with a friend Doug to spend a month in Ocean View and help our ministries.  So fun!  We love these girls are a PUMPED to have them with us!

Love,
sarah

Forever Young

Thinking today about the Ocean View youth.  Another fun night with them.  

Wanted to share pics from LAST Friday night, when we took our youth took Hillsong Church.

Casey and Kiers with Reece and Ivanna and our missionary friends Marc and Katie

All of us after a fun night

Hollar at my girls!!

Worship time for Hillsong youth.  EPIC.

ME speaking at youth!  I was so honored to be asked to speak at Hillsong for their youth service and it was a wonderful night.  The kids are SO EXCITED to hear about Jesus - it's a privilege to minister there!

Here are my notes from the talk that night:

Love,
sarah

NEW VIDEO!

Go to the Ubuntu blog at www.ubuntusports.blogspot.com to see the NEW VIDEO for Ubuntu's ministry.  It is AWESOME!!

Communion in my Community

Did you know that 'communion' actually comes from the word 'community?'  When the first church celebrated the Lord's Supper, they did so within a meal and sat around a table, sharing the 'body' and 'blood' of Christ with one another.  There is a poignant beauty in this, in remembering and receiving from Jesus at the table with one another.

We decided to bring this back last night at my women's group.

We learned last night from John 6 about the Eucharist and what Jesus meant when he told us to 'eat of his flesh and drink his blood.'  Super intense thoughts, but Jesus was taking it REALLY seriously by inviting us to take Him in to every part of us.  He wants HIS LIFE to flow through our veins, and guts, and hearts.  A beautiful thing.

We shared communion last night by passing it around and serving one another.  It began a bit awkward, with some giggles, but ended in tears and holy silence.  Just beautiful.  

God showed up and my ladies DEFINITELY showed up.  I am honored to serve with and to them.  

Check my notes from my teaching time below.

Love,

Sarah

Daddy Daughter Bond

Kieren and Casey have a close bond, but it doesn't come from the normal father - daughter activities.

WARNING - watch at your own risk!

Ocean View Women Pray in Masiphumelele Township

This video shows a WOW moment in my time with the women of Ocean View this year. We gathered last week to go to the nearby Masiphumelele township to pray with women who were affected by the huge fires there that left over 5000 homeless. We had an incredibly poingant and moving time of prayer and song with them and I feel so proud of my women for stepping out of their comfort zones to love others! God is at work!

Enjoy!

Sarah

Reaching Out

(This blog was posted last week, but erased by Blogger and only now restored.  Enjoy again!)

Tonight was a WOW night.

Last week a horrific fire happened in Masiphumelele township that destroyed over 500 shacks and displaced about 5000 people.  It was devastating and our entire city rallied around this poor community.

Churches and community leaders came together and have helped to rebuild much of the homes, as well as supply the people with food, clothes, and other necessities.

It's over a week later, and I wanted our women to respond, but what could WE do to help, especially since now so much has already been done and many homes are up again like those in the picture below?

We decided we could do what we do best: LOVE WOMEN.  So we went this evening with my friend Tricia who are working in this township and helping to rebuild, to encourage and pray with some of the women she is working with.

My ladies were not totally up for an evening stroll in the dangerous Masiphumelele township, but I learned tonight they MAJORLY trust me and we went together.  We parked in the middle of some homes, and followed some people back through a maze of shacks.  Finally we found ourselves in the home of a young woman with a six year old physically disabled son, who spends every moment in a crib.  People began to fill the room; they just kept coming to see what was going on.  The mothers shared about their lives, their kids, the fire.  We learned that the home was the center of a new home church where the surrounding families meet and study God's word together.  Beautiful.  So we just started praying, and then we sang, and then more prayers, and then singing, and then praying.  It was all in candlelight, as they don't even have electricity.  It was beautiful.  We were united.  It was holy ground.

Seriously, people from Ocean View NEVER go to Masiphumelele.  Granny Jacoba said it was her SECOND time ever there.  My women just stepped in and loved those women so well.  And we ended the night just how we end our View meetings; we hugged.  Everyone hugged everyone.

It was a piece of heaven right among us in that shack.    

Love

sarah

Picture from www.accidents.co.za

Anniversary

One year ago our lives completely changed and we will never be the same.

It was May 17, 2010, and in preparing for a women's meeting, Kieren grabbed a cup of hot tea and accidentally poured it all over her face, neck, and chest. That night her condition was critical, but she made it through and was in the care of the Red Cross Children's Hospital for five days.

We honestly didn't know if she would make it through that first day, and each day following was a fight moment by moment. We surrendered ourselves to God in a way we had never experienced before, and watched Him slowly heal Kieren more and more each day.

Read the entire story in the newsletter we created below:

We kept walking through each day, with a very traumatized and hurting Kieren, but each day she got stronger and we all began to heal. As a family we cried out to God for His mercy and He loved us in an intimate and real way through the incredible ordeal.

Today it has been ONE YEAR since her burn accident, and honestly, we are full of praise and thankfulness on this day.

This was the day God became raw and real and deeply faithful to our family. This was the day where we were taken to our utmost limits and found God's presence with us every second of the journey. This was the day when Kieren's physical body was burnt and the scars will remain to always mark what took place. This was the day that linked us forever with families and children who have experienced life-threatening accidents or have scars or deformities.

One year later, this IS the day Kieren is full of joy and love and NO FEAR. This IS the day where we have a testimony of God bringing us through the fire and pain. This IS the day where we are full of love for our God who, even through the pain, loves us more than we could ever deserve.

Tonight I am reminded of the Hillsong worship song "Desert Song." I sung this song out of my guts during this month a year ago, and it will permanently be written on my heart. I echo its words as I will always BRING PRAISE because God is my victory and He has shown us that He is ALWAYS with us.

Thank you for your deep love and support over this past year as we have watched Kieren heal. We celebrate with you and thank God that He brought you all into our lives to share in this beautiful story.

Love,

Sarah

GREAT Ubuntu Sports Blog - DON'T MISS!

Check out Casey's recent Ubuntu blog at www.ubuntusports.blogspot.com.