We realized...

They showed the Emmy's here on Monday night. Seeing them made us realize all that we missed while here in Africa.

Here are a few:
The final season of 24.
The last season of The Office, 30 Rock, and Glee.
And the new hit Modern Family.

I'm just throwing it out there that if one of those happens to be collecting dust at your house we wouldn't mind if it found it's way to South Africa! But just throwing it out there.

(Most of you are thinking, "You should have thought of that when you were in the States the last two months dummy!" Point taken!)

Casey

More Pictures of Summer in the US 2010

The Prince Family

'Papa' hanging out with Kieren

'Abuelita' hanging with her granddaughters


Kieren and her Uncle Woo

Kieren and her new BFF, Drake

Kieren and her cousin, Kylie

Great Night!

Our first Monday felt great to be back but it was HAARRRDD to get back into the routine. Everything took us like twice the time! Kieren is still not on her sleep schedule, but she did go to bed at 11:30pm last night, so we are in night now, not morning! Baby steps! Even with a slow day though it was nice to get back to our routine. Kids and friends came by the house all day and in the evening we brought dinner to some friends in Noordhoek (two sisters) who both had baby girls while we were gone! So sweet! Then Monday night I hosted our weekly women's support meeting and to my surprise we had a 'welcome home' party in my honor! Everyone brought drinks, sweets, and snacks to share! It was great to be reunited and as most of the other women have shared their life stories, we found it was my turn to share mine. What an honor to share my story with these friends who have opened their lives and hearts already to me. I loved sharing my life journey with all its joys and pains and didn't feel at all embarrassed that they did not compare to their tragic tales. Each of us have our own stories to share, and we should always be proud for how far we have come and all that we have learned along the way. I love that my story has brought me here, to a group of women who are survivors and inspire me all the time, and that they would allow me to be a part of their family. These women continue to be courageous in the face of pain and trials, and even our beloved Granny Jacoba could not join us Monday because her 18-year-old granddaughter has just found out she is pregnant. It is a huge challenge for their family and will change their stories forever, but they continue to walk forward with God trusting Him with each step.

I love being here and that my life is now intertwined with these incredible people! We are blessed!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Visit to NYC pics

Click Here for pictures of our visit in NYC and our time with the Sherouse family! They are posted on our friend Jenny Sherouse's blog - a GREAT one if you want to check out more!

More Pictures!

We love being a part of the crazy Latta family for the summer!

Sarah and Beth

Last night hanging at the Latta's house

Reunion with my Chanda's in Florida

Love Those Feet

Kieren!

Family Picture

Casey and Sarah

Sarah speaking at Fun in the Son camp

Kieren's first wedding as flowergirl! Congrats Lauren and Robbie!

Kieren wants YOU

Sarah with niece Kylie and sister Lauren with Kieren

The Collins family all together with two beautiful babies!

Our Support Team after a very successful auction to raise money for our work in SA

Kieren's first Chick-Fil-A experience eating waffle fries!

Monday Update!

The Prince's are back in South Africa and now back into the blog world! One of my week's goals is to put up some pictures, so look for those to come. We have had a great weekend here, although not enough rest! Kieren is OFF her normal schedule and wanting to be up at night until RALEIGH times at not. Will someone please tell her that we are in AFRICA NOW!?!? I was just informed by Casey that last night she was up until 1:30am. Boo. I was super-blessed by my hubby and went to bed around 10pm so I hope that today I will finally feel a bit normal... It was a busy weekend as we got to reunite with lots of friends coming by. On Saturday we started the day late thanks to our wonderful Granny Jacoba who spent the night and took Kieren to her house when Kiers awoke. Casey and I went and got lunch and groceries at the mall, and then returned home to hang in the afternoon. Saturday night we took Kieren to play at Bernadette Terry's house with her kids while we went on a DATE. Nice! Sunday we went early to Ocean View Methodist (while Kieren slept through the ENTIRE service). Finally, the James family woke her up about 10am to greet her. She wasn't as excited about their laughter and smiles as I was... We rested during the day on Saturday with many visitors stopping by and a quick afternoon nap. Then we went by the Torrance's house on our way to Hillsong Church. We picked up our friends Antony Burton and Ben Cash, who are college students from Grace Youth studying this semester at University of Cape Town. We LOVED being back at Hillsong and seeing our peeps there, and went to a new restaurant for dinner afterwards downtown. Whew! It sounds busy, but it WAS very relaxing and fun. Now it's Monday morning and we are starting slowly as we get Kieren ready for her time with Granny this morning. Glad to get the routine going today - hope Kieren follows along!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Pictures of Summer 2010 in the US

Kieren with her cousin Kylie


Kieren hanging out with her Uncle Woo

So Strange

What a strange day. It was pretty normal feeling to go back to Raleigh for some reason, but coming back here has felt completely weird. I don't know why! Maybe part of it was that we got home after midnight and the 'flats' were having a PUMPING party until like 3am. I forgot my partying coloureds! They were having a good time, and it just made my mind run and wonder and think. What an incredible two months, but I can't deny that I enjoyed the food, comfort, pool-time, air-conditioning, quietness, and just beauty of America. It's a different beauty there, a mostly manufactured beauty, but I love it. It's safe and comfortable. I couldn't help but think last night in the middle of the night, hearing the View party around me, I AM SO WHITE and WHAT am I doing here?? It's such a big adjustment coming back, and I just pray that God will help us to feel normal again.

HERE is why we are back though. Last night we flew into Johannesburg and then flew to Cape Town from there (two hour flight). In Jo-burg we called Granny Jacoba and asked if she would come to our house and spend the night and then get up with Kieren in the morning. Kieren did not love the idea of going to bed, but slept until about 7:30. We had no idea though because with her first peeps, Granny went into her room and scooped her up. Then, so we wouldn't be woken up, she took Kieren to HER house for the day, and we just picked her up after 2pm. Kieren took a FOUR hour nap in Granny's bed and loved the day. She was a bit quiet, but comfortable with her granny; where as last night she seemed pretty overwhelmed by being back in what seemed a strange place in the middle of the night. I LOVE GRANNY! She could barely even accept our thankfulness, just reminding us that she will do ANYTHING we need of her. We are so blessed. THAT is why we are here - God has brought people around us to love and support and walk this CRAZY life we have been called to. We are BLESSED.

Lots of love!
Sarah

We're home!

Thought you guys would like to know that we are Home safe and sound. Flights were good and Kieren did very well, no barfing this time! We did, however, have to wait a few hours in the Cape Town airport for our ride. Not sure if that mattered, but it's now 3:15am and Kieren is not asleep and hyper as ever!! Well, at least were home and don't have to do much tomorrow!!
Thanks for all your prayers for our journey and we WILL be doing this much better now that we are here!

Good night (hopefully soon),
Casey

It's Time

Hello friends and family!

Well guess what - the Prince's are BACK in the blog world - promise! Tonight is our last night in America and we are relishing in every moment. Our bodies are tired, our minds and hearts are exhausted, and Kieren was OUT eaarrly tonight. We can't try to express all the incredible moments and the beautiful ways God worked throughout the past eight weeks, but we can wrap it up with 'AWESOME.' We are truly in AWE of the ways that God has worked here and blessed our time. It's been a blast, we have done a ton of ministry, raised a BUNCH of the money we need to live and minister in the next year, and just had a blast. Our pants fit a bit tighter after all our yummy meals, but our hearts are even more full of the love and support we have received.

Thank you everyone for being a part of this journey here in the States and South Africa, we MISS you and can't wait to be reunited!

It's time to go home!!

Our flight leaves Thursday afternoon, we travel to Washington DC, then take a LOOONG flight from DC to Johannesburg (LOOONG!), then a quick flight to Cape Town where we arrive Friday night. Just over 25 hours of travel. Whew!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Prince 2010 (114 photos), by Sarah Prince

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Hello from Sarah!

Hey everyone!

WOW, so sorry that I have been horrible about blogging during our time in the States. It has been crazy and I have been totally caught up in the fun, emotion, and joy of this time. It's been a great time to celebrate and share all that God has done. We just wrapped up two weeks of youth camps and some trips on the ends of them and it's been fun. It was a privilege to minister to the middle school and high school youth and both camps were very special. These youth are amazing and God has GREAT stuff ahead for them! Now we are back in Raleigh and I am VERY much looking forward to some time resting and relaxing. Those who are connected to our facebook accounts can get on our home pages to check out lots of pictures that fun 'campers' have posted of us all during our youth adventures. Did I mention it was amazing?!?

Kieren is doing great and really enjoyed our travels, as well. Luckily we had a sweet, wonderful young girl, Katie Worley, who traveled with us for the camps and helped to care for Kieren which was an incredible blessing. Kieren definitely was shy being a 'baby celebrity' but it was a good time for all. Today, we went to the University of North Carolina burn hospital and met with doctors and occupational therapists and had some great conversations. All in all, they would have done things very similar to the care we received from doctors in South Africa and her burn scars are looking 'appropriate' for this time out from the burn. We are very thankful, and will even go back to the hospital one more time and meet also with a plastic surgeon. It will be great to get a consult from them, but the doctor we saw today believes they will wait at this point and maybe do a procedure to help with scar tissue the next summer.

Thanks for all your love and support during this time and looking forward to seeing many of you in the next few weeks!

Love,
Sarah

We're sorry...

So, we totally recognize that we are doing a TERRIBLE job with the blog lately. You would think that being in the land flowing with free internet it would be even easier, but we've just been SO BUSY! Here is a quick rundown of where we have been and what is ahead.
July 17-23 Fun in the Son camp where Sarah was the morning speaker; Jekyll Island, GA. She was AMAZING, by the way!!
July 23-25 Drove to Palm Harbor, FL to be with my sister Kristy's family. Had a small fundraiser with her friends.
July 25-31 Flew to Johnstown, PA where Sarah was the evening speaker at The Great Escape camp. Killed it here, also, of course! I taught a seminar, too!
July 31- Aug 2 Since we were up north already we flew to NYC from camp. We wanted to see our friends Alan and Jenny Sherouse who just had a baby & Chris and Callie Solomon who recently got married. The Solomon's let us stay in their beautiful 47th floor apartment in mid-town Manhattan. We shared at the church Alan pastors, Metro Baptist, about our work in South Africa and got to catch up with Jason Howland (SA friend) and Michael Walker (former Grace youth member).
Tonight we head back to Raleigh, but things are ahead. Tomorrow morning is Kieren's appointment at the burn unit at UNC Hospital. Please pray for that. I'm really hoping that they will say that the care we received is just what she needed.
This weekend I start an 8 day coaching course to receive my C license through the US Soccer Federation. I got an exemption into the C course, which is the first National course, so I'm a bit nervous since I didn't do the lower ones. Thankfully my friend Matt is doing the class with me and he's done the D course, so he'll have more experience. Pray that I excel and honor the chance that they took on giving me the exemption.
Okay, so that's a brief snapshot at our life. Again, sorry that we are struggling to post, camps have just been so hectic. We'll get better soon!!

Casey

Blog from a friend

This was a great blog posted by our friend Courtney Weber on the GYMSOX blog. She is a rising Junior at Millbrook High School and a stud!! We're so excited about what God is doing in her life and blessed to be a part of it.

If possible, this summer has been even better than last. I spent a week in Arizona for the junior mission trip, a week at Western Carolina University as work crew for Great Escape and the past week in Jekyll Island for Fun in the Son. As much as I have to share about Arizona and Great Escape, I think the most life-changing experience this summer occurred during FITS.
To begin with, it was incredible having Casey there to be with and talk to, Sarah speaking during the morning sessions, and their beautiful daughter to hang out with. I met Casey at the beginning of last summer and really got to know him during our mission trip in Charleston and my first Fun in the Son. I can never thank God enough for placing Casey in my life at such a critical time. I clearly remember him being there to talk to in Charleston as I questioned God, his arm around me as I committed my life to Christ at FITS, and to talk and pray with after to answer my questions and doubts. It was hard when the Prince family moved to Africa in October, especially since I had just met and grown to love them so much. Even then, though, I talked to Casey several times a month, updating him on school and my life in general. No matter how busy he was changing countless people’s lives, or how late it was over there, he never hesitated to talk to me when I bugged him on Skype and Facebook. I told him constantly, but I don’t think he will ever know how much that means to me. My life is forever changed because of what God does through Casey and it is beyond any earthly words!
It was in a Facebook message during January I think, when I told Casey about this “weird feeling” I had concerning mission work and the Spanish language. Since I began taking a second language class my sophomore year, I realized an intense passion I had to learn more and talk with people in Spanish. Every time I hear or read Spanish, something inside me gets soo happy. Casey and I talked on and off about it throughout my whole second semester and in May, as I had just finished reading an incredible and moving book, Crazy Love, I sent Casey another message. I had been reading his and Sarah’s blog everrryy day since they left, and was totally amazed at their continuous love for God and everything He was doing in their lives. And somehow, I just knew that was going to be me one day. So I told Casey that through reading their blog and Crazy Love, I’ve been feeling this “really powerful presence or thought or something” that one day I’m going to do what they’re doing, but in a Spanish-speaking area. He sent an incredibly motivating message back, explaining that the Holy Spirit was planting this thought deep in me so that I won’t ever let it go. He also said that at 16, during a camp between his sophomore and junior year, (my exact situation this summer), the Spirit moved in him and gave him his calling.
And so, months later at Fun in the Son, I was floating in the lazy river with Casey and his friend, Scotty. Casey introduced me saying, “Scotty, this is Courtney. She’s going to be a missionary one day.” It kind of took me off guard considering Casey was one of the only people I had actually told about this “weird feeling” and I didn't even know this Scotty guy. I guess it was something I wasn’t really sure about and not quite sharing with the world. But when he said that, I was overwhelmingly happy and a little surprised that he still remembered and had taken me so seriously. I was in such high spirits the rest of that night, thinking about my future God already has planned and so glad that Casey believed in me.
The next morning, (of course) Sarah spoke about how some of us may feel God move in us, that we may have callings. She said we can’t be afraid; we have to constantly trust in Him and in His plan, and when we do, “we can fly.” She concluded that morning’s program with a prayer meant particularly for those who feel called into mission work or to be a youth pastor, or something specific like that. With all eyes closed, she asked for those who felt that call to raise their hands. With my hand raised and my eyes a little teary, Sarah prayed for me. It was such a special moment in time-another indescribable day that I could stick right next to July 21, 2009 at FITS last summer.
God is so incredible and will do amazing things if I trust in His plan for me. Just look at Casey and Sarah. Casey felt his calling when he was 16 and trusted in God to make that happen. I feel His calling now, and all I can do is trust that it will happen. Things may change, and it probably won’t be easy, but I am so so so excited to see where this goes and where He will take me.

Such a pleasure

This weekend we had the special pleasure of being a part of the wedding of Lauren Wishon and Robbie Sackman. Lauren was part of the first group of kids that we intimately worked with at Grace Community Church. Sarah led her small group and we spent a lot of time with her and her friends. After high school Lauren worked as a summer intern and was a small group leader. So, she is VERY special to us and she was the first of that close group of kids to get married. It was so neat to be there, but also special because she asked Kieren to be the flower girl. That allowed us be a part of some special moments.
At the rehearsal dinner several of their friends gave prepared toasts and some others more spontaneous words. The one that was really special was what Sarah Vevurka, her maid of honor and another of those special Grace girls, said to them. It was so genuine, encouraging, and thoughtful. What I kept thinking was how special it was to be a small part of cultivating a great friendship. Sarah V. and Lauren would have been friends without me and Sarah, but I really believe that we helped them navigate some moments and experiences that led to them having such a special relationship. In that moment I was so thankful that God had allowed us to be a part of that.
It was also such a treat for each of us to share special words with them. Sarah, of course, said something super eloquent. I was reminded, though, of the conversations we had with Lauren over the years about boys. We didn't want her to settle for some ordinary bozo, but to trust that God was going to bring an amazing man into her life. I'm thankful that she listened, because God was faithful, Robbie is a great man.
Finally, I'm excited to see where God takes them. I had a vision of Lauren as a missionary on our graduating senior mission trip to Jamaica all those years ago. I still see it. With a heart like her's to love and care for people, I think it's unavoidable. Robbie will soon be a trained physician. She speaks Arabic. Hmmm, what is God up to?
In the end, I'm just SO thankful that God allowed us to be a part of the lives of these great kids, now great adults. They were so special to us as high school students, some allowed us to continue to speak into their lives as college students, and now we get to celebrate some pretty massive moments with them. SO COOL.
I'm really hoping we get to be home for more of these!

And, btw, Kieren was beautiful!!

Casey