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Many women in Ocean View are missing their top
front teeth. Reasons vary – the teeth got
knocked out in a fight, they had one rotten or crooked
tooth and for some reason the crazy dentist took them
all, it was fashionable one year in Ocean View to remove
your front teeth, it’s better for kissing, etc.
 If
you decide you want to get “flippers” –
new front teeth (that you can flip in and out of your
mouth) – you decide that you are ready to tell your
community – I want something better – I want
to start over.
Baby Safe sponsored two of our Sisterhood Graduates
to get new teeth (it helps with employment)…
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 The
Ubuntu boys played a friendly game against one of the
more talented academy teams in Cape Town called Vasco
da Gama. The boys played well, but lost 3-1. It was
a good gauge of where we want to be as a team, but also
reminded us that these boys have the talent and ability
to compete with anybody. As most things are in life...it's
a process for them as players and us as coaches.
Afterwards we set off to the local McDonalds and KFC
to enjoy a meal before the big event. That big event
was youth night at Hillsong church.
As the worship rang out from the front, it was amazing
to watch the different reactions by the boys. Some looked
around to see what the others thought. Some looked at
all the girls. Some lifted their hands in worship. You
could see that many already had a true love for worship
and were not afraid to show it in public or in front
of their friends and teammates. The message that night
was "God has a plan for you".
I was touched that before Ubuntu, some of these boys
had never been told God loves them and has a plan for
them to better their lives. Some of them listened intently
as the message was shared.
. WOW! How amazing is that!
Ubuntu's mission statement says..."To introduce
the young men of Africa to Jesus and His transforming
love through soccer and to inspire and equip them to
be the most excellent men (of God) they can be".
I saw this played out in a real way that night.
The Divas themselves
I (Julie) asked my Ocean View High School girls
what they wanted to call their group – and they
said, “The Divas!”
So I put a photo of our Divas on notebooks and told
them to write down daily...
- what they are thankful for,
- what they want to change about their life and
- letters to God (their hopes, dreams, fears, frustrations,
etc.)
I am also meeting with them in groups of two and teaching
them how to lead the Discovery Bible Studies themselves
and how to turn Bible
stories into short stories for “Living Statues.”
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Notebook journals
for each girl |
Nadine and Jody
rewriting part of the book of Ruth |
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We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
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The Ubuntu boys had a game in Somerwest West against
the “De Beers” team (Yeah, like in diamond
De Beers - diamond mines are big in South Africa). The
boys won 6-0 and played some of the best soccer to date!
It was also a great day to hang out with the family.
My girls came and enjoyed their time on the sideline.
Emme loved to roll in the grass and Jensen loves to
watch the “big boys” (her all around term
for “soccer players”).
It was truly a refreshing day with some great family
time!
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THANK YOU OMAHA! Many of my soccer friends
back in Omaha donated their old Gladiator and Arsenal
soccer jersey’s after the Omaha FC merger.
We sent a set of each to my friend and brother Munyaradzi
in Zimbabwe. He is ministering to the
local youth and sharing God’s love for them.
The team had been praying for some uniforms as they
had none (many still play barefoot).
These boys and their coach were truly blessed by people
in Omaha Nebraska! It was an amazing testimony to God’s
provision. Awesome!
See the below email from Munya...
Hi Coach! I trust that you are
all fine and that you are well kept in the hollow
of His hands. I am pleased and blessed to let you
know that all is going well in Vic Falls.
They massacred their opponents.
The under 17 thrashed their rivals 4 nil and the
under 13 hammered their opponents 5 -2. It is imperative
to note that most of these young stars are now believing
God.
The breakthrough came at time
when he started trusting God. He became a follower
of Christ about three months ago. Now the youngsters
are now pumped up. It dawned upon them that God
is there, He hears our prayers and that He loves
us. The youngsters are now part of DBSs in the community.
Let me at this juncture thank
you must suffice for the pivotal roll you are playing
in making this our beloved country GREEN AGAIN.
Proud to have you in our ministry.
Looking forward to welcoming you
one day soon. Here below are some of the
pictures that I captured (see above).
-Munya
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My view for 2 hours as we sat there and waited
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I (Karl) went with an Ocean View friend
today to court for his hearing on a citation. A
few observations about South Africa court (it's
a pretty serious place)...
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The lawyers call the judge “Your
Worship” and bow when they leave and enter
the room
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The lawyers all wear black robes
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The jail cell is located down
a few steps in the middle of the court room...very
odd
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It seemed like the only reason
for everyone being there today was to reschedule
their court date
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Everything is said in English
translated into Xhosa and Afrikaans
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Photo courtesy of Noah Kaye
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Transporting donated mattresses going to fire
victims
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Last week a fire swept through
the township of Masiphumelele (the community about
200 yards from our home).
Over 1500 shacks were completely destroyed
leaving 5000 people with nothing but the clothes
on their backs. Three people lost their lives. We
have had numerous friends lose everything including
kids that Karl coaches, Sisterhood of Success women,
Jensen’s teacher aid, and others we have met
while here.
Here
is an article about the fire (Aphiwe
Magqagqa, the boy featured in the photo, is one
of the boys I coach).
Today one of the disaster
relief coordinators was so grateful for our truck
to transport some of the donated mattresses and
clothing for the victims of the fire. He
said they only had one other vehicle to use in the
transportation of the donated items and I told him
to call me anytime he needed help.
From taking 20+ kids home
from soccer to delivering items to fire victims
in a township, you are truly part of God’s
heart for Africa! You are making a big difference!
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Bags of donated
clothes in the back of the truck |
Some men from
Masi rebuilding their
home from partially burned materials |
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I (Julie) love teenagers! I love their
quick laughter, their impersonation of my American
accent (along with my overuse of the term “FANtastic),
and their hopefulness.
Finished with the book of Esther, we are on to
Ruth. During our Bible Study, the girls read the
first chapter together and turned it into their
own short story. This is the first time we tried
it with “Living Statues” - we made
up actions for each part of the story (we all
sat in a circle and repeated the crazy actions
as we chanted the story).
It’s such a fun way to make a story come
to life and I don’t think they realize they
are memorizing the Bible. Little do they
know, these Bible stories have a way of seeping
into life and before you know it, this God of
the Bible is talking to YOU.
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• There was a famine
and a man and his moved to Moab.
• The man had two sons and a wife named Naomi.
• The man died and
his two sons got married.
• After 10 years, the sons died and Naomi was
left alone.
• Naomi decided to return home and wanted her
daughters-in-low to move on.
• Ruth refused to move on.
• Naomi and Ruth went back to Bethlehem together.
• Naomi changed her name to “Bitter”
because she felt empty.
Of course it’s better with the actions! View
the video above...a bunch of teenagers all holding up
their left hand and shaking with laughter as they wiggle
their left ring finger at the “got married”
part. After all, what teenage girl doesn’t dream
of marriage?
We talked about what character means. Coincidentally,
the book of Ruth is all about character. They will be
memorizing a story about an amazing woman with character
who honoured family, served others, followed God –
and got to marry the cool guy in town. I guess character
is some pretty good stuff.
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 I
(Julie) am so proud of Claudine and her sister Diane.
Here they are at our house applying for jobs
online and printing their CV (see photo)
Karl kept us laughing while making us lunch (his famous
tuna Melt Sandwich – they were impressed).
Note: Claudine has already had 4 calls from her
online job posting. Please pray for her to get a job!
Baby Safe is paying for her to get her front teeth...something
many women in Ocean View are missing and a “must
have” for most jobs.
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I (Karl) had the privilege to volunteer at a soup kitchen
and hand out blankets the day of the Masiphumelele fire.
Since there was no way to officially determine if someone
in line had been a victim of the fire – or was
just pretending to get free stuff- she would give me
a special wink and a nod if she knew they did not live
in the burned out area.
I was so humbled by her quick smile and helpful
spirit, even in the midst of personal tragedy.
I had to ask myself – if all of my possessions
had just been burned to the ground – would I be
out here helping my neighbours by handing out blankets?
Would you?
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Big blankets donated from the
government
(with about the softness of a floor mat)
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Karl getting
ready to hand out blankets |
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Passing out blankets |
Fire victims
being served |
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Big tins of the soup (donated by the government)
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We served this in Masi and then brought some to
Africa House where some fire victims were staying
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Soup's Up! |
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Recently our Ocean View Bible Study friends have taken
our friendship to a whole new level of REAL. Read Julie's
blog “It’s
Complicated.”
We found that we can’t get away with
just reading the Bible at our Bible Study – we
actually have to be real – real community, real
friendship – church at its best.
All that to say – after several weeks of hard
discussions and many tears – our friendships have
grown. Here we are enjoying our time together over a
plate of yummy nachos...talking about God's goodness.
Have you ever noticed that most everything in life
is a little better extra guacamole? I really think it
is.
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Waiting for nachos |
Claudine and
Elriza |
Journal entries:
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Here
is Ruth chapter 1, through the eyes of teenage girls
from an African township...
