Fulfillment of a Dream

It’s with great pleasure that I announce the final “new” recruits into the Ubuntu aren’t Football Academy.  This announcement has particular warm feelings because these guys exactly new.  Lutho Tom and Sinethemba Mgwetana have been training as Fish Hoek A team players (and adopted Academy members) all season.  As we looked at players from all over the city we just decided that those players weren’t better than these 2 guys that we already had.  In addition we already knew their character.  So, we decided to take our investment in them a step further.

Lutho did a trial with us way back when we started last February, but he just wasn’t ready at the time.  But he was selected for the A team at the club and then took advantage of the opportunity to also attend the Academy practices.  As the season went along he progressed so much!  Even to the point of winning our Most Improved Award at the Club’s prize giving.  It was also impressive because we had him playing right back, which he’s never played before.  At this point we’re not even sure what his best position may be because he’s continuing to show us flashes of his potential.  So, we’ve loved watching Lutho improve, and expect so much more of it, but we’ve also loved watching his character develop.  The resolve he showed in being so committed to training this year was impressive.  But he’s showing it at school, too.  Recently he was the only boy in his grade selected by his school to apply for a prestigious scholarship to a new high school.  I was so proud when I heard that he was the ONLY boy selected.  He’s a bright kid, with great character, and loads of potential on the field; I can’t wait to see what happens.

Sinethemba showed up even later.  He is one of those players that doesn’t look super impressive in training sessions, especially if those sessions don’t involve playing.  But once we saw him play in match scenarios we moved him onto the A team and haven’t looked back.  He had a great season playing center back and led us to so many of those shutouts we had.  Just like Lutho, he took advantage of the opportunity to better himself and attended all the training sessions offered to him.  Even though his English is somewhat weak, he gets along with the other boys quite well.  When we spoke to his school recently about the possibility of him moving to and English school they thought he would do fine because he “works hard.”  I love to hear stuff like that.

So, it’s pretty exciting to invite kids into our full family that basically already were.  I guess it’s almost like when a foster child gets fully adopted.  I know the other boys will be really happy that they are in fully.  This actually stretches our numbers past our model of 8 boys per year because this will give us 9 boys that were born in 1998, but if God is leading He will provide.  So, we continue to walk in faith and ask you join us in that.

When I walked out of the house on Tuesday night to go visit Lutho’s family and invite him into the Academy I said, “Well, I gotta go, gonna go change another boy’s life.”  Obviously I was joking a little, but there was so much truth to it.  I knew that the invitation that we were about to extend was going to change the trajectory of Lutho’s life.  But it doesn’t just change his life, but the life of his family now, the family he will have in the future, his community, and eventually his nation.  We’re about exponential transformation.  Everything we do in these boys’ lives is so that they can change the face of a nation.  I’m confident it will happen.  But, WOW, what a pleasure to be part of it on this end?!  Holding the vision out there for them, trusting God to make it happen, and sitting amazed at what’s happening.  I have the best life and job ever!  I’m so humbled to be part of this great privilege and yet thankful that it’s not all up to me.

Casey

New Recruits

Throughout the year we have lost 3 players from the Academy because they couldn't handle the amount of commitment required.  So this past weekend we had 2 days of clinics to help select new members.
This time around we mostly networked with local clubs that we have either played against or scouted at some point.  The amazing thing was how willing the clubs were to share their players.  We found that the guys coaching these kids genuinely want great things for the boys and want them to take hold of excellent opportunities.  They seemed to trust us really quickly, so they brought them with expectation and pride.
The talent level at this clinic was way higher compared to what we had a year ago at similar clinics.  These boys can all play, so it made the environment competitive and challenging for the players.
The first day was just the invited kids, but on Saturday we had our current players join them.  It was fun to see the excitement within our kids as they imagined adding some really talented players to our family.  At the conclusion of the clinic on Saturday we had our boys give input individually into who they thought we should select.  The interesting and affirming thing was that they basically picked the same players that we were thinking.
We actually have only formally invited 2 players to fill the 3 spots.  We have invited a few more players to today's practice to see if they might fill the 3rd spot.  However, the 2 boys that we did choose are going to be terrific.   Eric, was born in 1998 and lives in Ottery.  He plays on the wing or in an attacking midfield role.  He's got great skills and reads the game well.  He LOVES to go forward, which we appreciate.  He's got a super-involved mom who supports him really well.

Wandile is a 1999 and lives in a really rough community called Philipi.  He's a really slick center midfielder with feathery touch who passes the ball really well.  He's going to improve our team dramatically.  He's got a great smile and an awesome Mom who really wants great things for him.  Wandile is the exact kind of kid we want to be involved with.  He's from a really downtrodden community, has amazing talent, is mostly uncoached, has a great attitude, and has been raised by a great parent.

 
Both of the boys were actually at the same club previously, Wynberg St. John's.  We are really thankful for their coach for not just allowing them to come for the clinic, but for encouraging them to take advantage of this opportunity.
I'll get some pics of the boys soon, so that you can see their great smiles.  And please pray that God would lead us to the right boy to fill the final slot.

Pumped,
Casey

My Favorite 4 Hours

I just had my favorite 4 hours in Africa so far!  What an amazing afternoon.  Today the Ubuntu Academy boys entered new territory as they went to Sun Valley/Silvermine Academy for their assessments with the principal and head of the high school.  It was such a significant experience for them and they were treated so well.

Joshua Clayton is excited about the hot dogs

When we got there they fed them a little hotdog lunch with cake and juice.  Then they went and took a math and English test.  After a break they did assessments to figure out if they have "free flow" or "blocked flow".  I'm still learning a lot about this, but it seems to make a big difference to how students learn and produce results in the classroom.  Really interesting stuff.
Their parents arrived a few hours later and Principal Keller spoke with them, introduced the school, and told them about the assessments they did.  They seemed quite interested in what the Staff were able to figure out about the boys in such short times.
After Principal Keller was done, Tauriq's grandfather spoke up and thanked us for all the work we've done to make the education possible.  Of course it's nice to hear that they recognize what an amazing opportunity this is for the boys.
The High School Leader Charlene then showed the parents around the school.  I later walked them down to the sports fields where the boys had gone to play.  We took an awesome group picture to remind us of the significance of this day.

The boys, their parents, and the coaches

As I drove away I was overwhelmed with how significant this moment is for the boys.  They, their families, and their communities will never be the same.  They will likely be the best educated person they know, with the most resolve and support to make their future all that God dreams it will be.  You can see the boys are really starting to get excited about this, when before they were scared and apprehensive.  And the parents have a sense of wonder as the wrestle with the fact that this is really true and happening.
I'm just super humbled that I'm allowed to be a part of this.  It's such a privilege!  I, too, won't be the same as I watch these boys transform.  And I really think this will only make them easier to coach.  Their confidence will go up as they have success in the classroom.  They will bring that confidence, and eagerness to learn, to the field where I'll really be able to impart stuff.  I'm so pumped!!

Cheers,
Casey

One Valley Festival

This weekend we hosted our 2nd One Valley Festival in the local community of Sun Valley.  It was a crazy day of soccer, with close to 50 teams in attendance!  The festival was not only a great display of local talent, but also an opportunity for teams of all ages and divisions to come out and enjoy a great day of soccer!  Despite the crazy weather, the event turned out to be a huge success.  Thanks again for all the teams, coaches, and volunteers that made this day possible!  

geared up and ready to get started

these tough girls proved they could hang with the boys

enjoying a good game of soccer

 Coach Mike & Coach Casey at the Festival

Pre-game pep talk

 All smiles!

Video of Championship Victory

Sarah created a video of our League Winning victory about a month back.  She posted it on her blog, check it out!!

Good Hope FM Interview

Recently Michael was interviewed on the Nigel Pierce show on Good Hope FM about the Ubuntu Football Academy.  Good Hope FM is our major radio station in Cape Town and Nigel is one of its most popular DJs and personalities.  The interview was a fantastic showcase of the Academy and Michael did a splendid job.  As you know, Nigel was our MC at the fundraiser, so he knew exactly what questions to ask to really set us up to tell our full story.  Please listen to it!

Dylan's Running Story

In July Dylan Thayer ran the the entire Maryland section of the Appalachian Trail to raise money to support the work of  Ubuntu Sports Outreach.  We met Dylan a few summers ago at The Great Escape where Sarah was speaking.  He decided to do something crazy to support our work and we were blessed by it.  Dylan is a junior at Hamilton College in New York and runs cross country there.  He won't like us bragging, but he ran 44 miles in 8 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds!  Holy long run!!  He also raised almost $4,000!!  Can you believe that?!?!  When he first started he wanted to fund one school team, instead he funded over 5 teams!

Trucking through the AT.

 We're so thankful to have guys like Dylan that believe in what we're doing and want to be a part of it.  That's the essence of "ubuntu".  Often I feel like we're building a family that stretches across the United States, throughout Cape Town, and beyond.  We will always need this family to be strong and broad if we're going to accomplish the work God has set out for us!  Please read Dylan's reflections below about his run.

Cheers,
Casey

Taking a Break

At its core, the Bible is really just a collection of stories.


Ok, I know. I basically just made a statement along the lines of, “If you think about it, it’s kinda hot in summer,” or “You know, people are reading less because of the Internet.” It wasn’t a big intellectual leap. Just bear with me here, though.


So, the Bible is just a collection of disparate, disjointed stories that were transmitted orally and then at some point written down, collected, edited, re-edited and argued over endlessly and translated into more languages than any of us can list because of the belief that they all tell one big story about a species called Man and his struggle with his Creator. And while that big story is important, sometimes we can focus so much on the big picture that we lose the little nitty-gritty struggles and emotions that go along with the smaller stories that serve as building blocks of the overarching narrative.


And that’s where we all make a huge mistake: we stand back and we look at these stories as part of a larger masterpiece that God has painted and, whether we intend to or not, we surrender a tiny bit of our faith, and then a bit more, and then a little more as we grow older and more cynical by clinging steadfastly to the boring and safe belief that this could never possibly happen to us.


I can’t, you can’t, he/she/it can’t: that is the verb that we decline in our own heads with depressing regularity. We look at those stories and rob them of their power by thinking that none of us could ever possibly do something as miraculous as part the Red Sea, or feed five thousand people, or bring two people back from the dead. What we don’t stop to consider is that a lot of us have siblings who suck sometimes (like Joseph) or have responsibilities hoisted upon us before we really feel ready (like Jeremiah) or have the ability to be totally clueless occasionally (like the Apostles). No, we fixate like bugs around a lamp on the miraculous action and complete lose sight of the fact that the people God chose to do it were often impossibly mundane.


I ran across the Maryland portion of the Appalachian Trail in July because I believe that it’s part of a plan that God has revealed to me. How special does that make me? Very special, and yet not all special. How crazy does that make me? I don’t know, but I’m willing to be crazy. Crazy, thus far, has been much more fun than sane.


I don’t want to get into the details of what happened out there a few months ago, because the monotony of chronicling the 44.6 miles I ran, or the roughly 70,000 strides I put down, one in front of the other, would only serve as self-aggrandizement. I’m not going to talk about how much money I raised, or discuss my financial acumen, because that would be in poor taste. If I may be a bit jib, there are many things I do well, but bragging isn’t one of them.


However, if there is one impression I could leave the reader with concerning my ministry, it would be this: What happens when a totally ordinary man turns to the power of God in an effort to become transcendently great? What happens when you stop begging God for miracles and decide that you’re going to try and be one? For me, the answer turned out to be something pretty incredible that changed, (and hopefully will continue to change) not just my life but also the lives of hundreds of other people living half a world away.


I won’t get into whether what I did was a true miracle or not. I won’t get into what my plans for the future with Ubuntu or anybody else are; this is partially because as a college junior teetering on the abyss of the real world and trying to fall back on the everlasting arms, even I don’t have the faintest idea, although I do have plans.


All I can say for certain is this: miracles didn’t stop happening when the ink dried on the final scroll of the final sheet of papyrus included in the Bible. There are miracles happening all over the world now as you read this. And you could be one, if you want: I know from experience, at any rate, that crazy is much more fun than sane. Wouldn’t it be fun, after all, in God’s great woven tapestry of human experience, to have a few threads all to yourself, and a story that you could call your very own?