The USA’s Robbery, Kaka and a World (Cup) of Injustice

Jun 24, 2010 | South Africa, Stories

Let’s be honest. A pretty decent number of us have not watched a soccer game since the World Cup packed the streets of Germany back in ’06. But now it’s here again…it’s big, it’s international, it’s exciting, and if nothing else, your home country’s involvement has hopefully peaked your interest.

But I think what keeps a lot of us interested, and what really provokes us to move past being a “I’m just watching because it’s on and I guess it’s kind of interesting” to a “I really care about this. This really matters. It matters to me!” kind of fan is the personal involvement that tugs at our hearts when we see things going a different way from how we think they should.

A few nights ago, Brazil played Côte d’Ivoire and won the game 3 – 1. But after the match was finished and the stadium was cleared, it wasn’t the score that people were talking about. The thing that drew folks in, that is still drawing folks in, was the second yellow card that one of Brazil’s most shining gems, Kaka received. Two yellows equal a red, and Kaka walked off the field before the clock was out, and may or may not be allowed to play in the next match. (Depending on whether FIFA decides to step in from what I understand.)

Why was Kaka’s red so controversial? Because an Ivory Coast player, Keita, ran into Kaka. Kaka lifted his arm to block the oncoming player from running straight into him in a natural, and after studying the replays I’d like to say, very reasonable manner. Keita feigned having been elbowed in the face, brought his hands to his face and fell to the ground as if he’d just been assaulted by an armed guard with a bully club. The replays make it clear he was not hit in the face, but the ref bought it and carded Kaka. It might be fair to go so far as to say Keita cheated and Kaka was punished for it.

Injustice prevailed and the world took notice.

Just a few nights before that, the USA played Slovenia. They were down 2 – zip at the half and rallied back with goals from Donovan and Bradley to level off at 2 – 2. Then the unthinkable happened: in the 86th minute, second-half sub Maurice Edu knocked in a close range shot to put the US ahead. With just minutes remaining in the game it seemed like a sure victory, until the goal was disallowed. The replay has been watched and  re-watched. There are currently at least 24,711 views on youtube, and probably enough news articles and blog posts to circle the globe twice. It seems that at present no explanation has been offered.

Once again, injustice prevailed and the world took notice. (Fortunately, beating Algeria 1-0 last night means the USA boys are still in the game — feels like a bit of justice after the officiating tragedies.)

A friend of mine said ESPN is showing the disallowed goal footage back in the US before they show any highlights from the World Cup. Why? Because it engages people. It incites people. It takes people from “I’m just watching because it’s on and I guess it’s interesting” to “I really care. This really matters. It matters to me.”

Here’s the thing. I want to know what it will take to grab hold of the average Western churchgoer and bring them from “I will do something about injustice in the world when it’s easy and convenient for me” to “I care about this. This really matters. What happens in our world matters to me.”

Because for all the injustices on the playing field, still this is just a game. At the end of the World Cup there will be a trophy, some teams will win, some teams will lose. In 50 years not very many people will be able to remember what happened.

But in our world, these injustices are a different matter. The game is still going on, and it’s more than a game. I’m not going to bombard you with stats because I think you know them, but here are two, just relating to hunger: About 1 in 7 worldwide–854 million people–do not have enough food to sustain them. Approximately 25,000 people die each day of hunger or its related causes–about 9 million people per year. I won’t even get in to clean water, preventable disease…or this post will go on all day.

But here’s the thing. We literally could be the generation that ends extreme poverty. $65 billion could eliminate the most extreme poverty on the planet for more than a billion people.* Please read that again. (That’s how much America spent on Jewelry in 2008.) Less than a third of what we spent on pets in 2003 could bring clean water to most of the world’s poor.^ I could go on and on with statistics which could demonstrate the fact that making a huge impact on the lives of the world’s poorest people is within our grasp. It is even within the grasp of just the American church, if every churchgoer in America tithed.

The reason I address the church is because this mission for us is a non-negotiable, unmistakeable absolute command and as long as we fail to follow through with it, we are falling short of what we have been repeatedly instructed to do. On average we’re giving 2.2 percent of our income to the church and 2% of that is going to overseas missions of any kind.§

You probably don’t hold that $65 billion in your hands, I know. But you do have something to give. If Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish, one boy’s lunch, and fed more than 5,000, surely we all have something to give. Mother Teresa once said:

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

Let those drops start today (or continue to flow as I believe it is for many of you) with loving the person in front of you. Loving the neighbour God puts in your path. Make sure you’re willing to let Him stretch wide the understanding of your heart to answer that simple question: “Who is my neighbour?”

To paraphrase Edmund Burke, on or off the field, for injustice to prevail is for good men to do nothing. Keep believing you can make a difference. You can, and especially with God’s love at heart, you will.

xCC

*Sachs, Jeffrey D.  The End of Poverty, (2005) 295. via Stearns, Richard. The Hole in Our Gospel, (2005).
^Stein, Joel. “It’s a Dog’s Life.” Time Magazine, May 19, 2003.  + United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report, 1998. via ” ”
§Stearns, R. Hole, 2005.

Staying the Course or Fweaking Out

Jun 21, 2010 | South Africa, Stories, The Good Word

At the beginning of this year, Hero Hubs and I looked our financial situation square in the face, and had no idea how we were going to make it. We were still figuring out the cost of living in South Africa and the amount of income committed to us by our monthly partners did not look like enough for us to make our budget. And our budget is a bare minimum one – pretty much the least that it takes for us to live here in SA (in a safe place with a car and health insurance) and make ends meet.

We wondered if we were going to have to go back to the States for an extended period to try to raise additional support.

We’re a rather organized couple for the most part, so we began listing out the options we felt were reasonable possibilities for moving forward. We thought about trying to move to a cheaper place in order to pay less rent, but we were in the middle of a contract and that didn’t feel right. We considered that one of us could look for extra work part time, but we just didn’t have a peace about that either. We thought we might have to go back to the US to raise more support, but we’d only been here four months and that just didn’t seem right either. There were a few other options on the list, and we put them all down in front of us, probably in an Excel spreadsheet. Finally, almost jokingly, we thought, “We have to add the possibility that the Lord wants us to do nothing.” In our minds doing nothing seemed like the least likely of options.

Then we prayed together and prayed on our own and spoke with our colleagues Stateside. We both came away feeling the Lord was saying: Do Nothing. Stay the course. Watch Me do something.

We weren’t about to argue with the Creator of the Universe, as senseless as that option seemed, so we stayed the course, and while keeping our eyes open for opportunities He might present, we made no changes.

A couple days ago HH and I sat down to look at our finances. This is a regular occurrence in our household. He has created an incredible Excel spreadsheet with tabs for expenses, income, bank accounts and balances…it’s seriously phenomenal. It takes into account the bank accounts we have in three countries and even the exchange rates for the three currencies we have to work in. Sorry, this story isn’t about the amazing spreadsheet, but it is honestly a thing of beauty.

As we sat looking at the magic spreadsheet, now in June, we can see that our income has exceeded our expectations every month. Somehow we have managed to pay off about $3,000 of debt (paying off Mr. Potato Head), we’ve been giving generously, and we have never missed a meal. Even HH, who knows the ins and outs of the magic spreadsheet looks at it and says, “I don’t really even understand how we’ve done that. The numbers don’t even make sense.”

We have some good friends who’ve just moved to Boston, and sometimes when one of their kids has a “freak out/tantrum/throw a fit” moment, they’ll calmly ask: “Is there any reason to freak out?” On one particular occasion I was around to hear their oldest little girl respond, “No. There’s no weason to fweak out.”

And in my mind I’ve stored that moment, because I need to hear it myself: Caroline, there’s no weason to fweak out.

Although at the beginning of the year HH and I were almost fweaking out, being unsure about how we were going to make it, the amazing Creator of the Universe has showed up and blessed us in exceeding abundance. We’ve had new clothes to wear. We’ve had plenty to eat. We’ve had provision at the moments when we needed it most.

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the moment, to fweak out about what seems like an impossible situation, and to feel like you just have to react…you just have to do something. But sometimes, the very thing God is asking us to do is Not to fweak out, and to trust Him.

If I can tell you anything about this today, it’s that we’ve trusted Him this long, and He hasn’t once let us down.

xCC

The World Cup’s Here! And Fun-Word Friday.

Jun 11, 2010 | South Africa

There’s this little event happening in South Africa, starting today, that you may or may not have heard about. Does the 2010 World Cup ring any bells? Cool, we’re on the same page.

So in honour of the excitement right here in our backyard, I thought I’d celebrate with a little Fun-Word Friday post.

Today’s fun word?

Vuvuzela.

Say it three times fast. It’s pronounced just like it’s spelled.

Still need help? Voo-voo-zell-lah! Voo-voo-zell-lah! Voo-voo-zell-lah!

Isn’t that fun? Like Francisco or cotton-headed ninnymuggins?

If you’re watching the games on the telly – or mayhaps have the privilege of watching them live right here in SA — you might see some of these special instruments making their music first hand.

The definition:

A vuvuzela, sometimes called a “lepatata” (its Setswana name) or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn, approximately one metre in length, commonly blown by fans at soccer matches in South Africa. They require some lip and lung strength to blow and emit a loud monotone like a foghorn or an elephant.

Thanks, wikipedia.

Available at your local Pick n Pay, or other fine retailers, your soccer enjoyment just isn’t complete without a vuvuzela. And when, ahem, the USA beats England Saturday, I sure will be looking for one to blow.

While researchers have concluded that the noise level created by tons of blowing vuvuzelas at these soccer matches could lead to permanent hearing damage, I kind of get the feeling the show’s gonna go on. 🙂

Enjoy the cup!

xCC

Be a Part of the 2010 World Cup

Jun 10, 2010 | South Africa

The teams have touched down, the fans are arriving, the streets are full of flags and side view mirror covers, jerseys and soccer balls, and the opening ceremonies are a few hours away! South Africa is ablaze with the excitement of the first World Cup to ever take place on the continent of Africa, and we’re excited too!

While the eyes of the world will be focused on soccer stadiums and cheering crowds, some great things are happening in SA that may not be in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Ministries around the country are taking this opportunity to run programs for kids who’ll be out of school for the month, they’re hosting big screen events for people who might not otherwise get to watch the games, and they’re endeavouring to just bless people in need the best way they know how.

Samaritan’s Feet South Africa is a part of that crowd: cheering on Africa in the belief that the kindness we show to one another can make a difference that will still be ringing out long after the stadiums are empty and the teams have gone home. We’re hoping to give away 5,000 pairs of shoes to children and adults around the country during the World Cup. We do this in partnership with other ministries, like YWAM and Living Hope. Together we’re hosting distributions where we TEACH a message of hope, we TOUCH each person by washing their feet, and we TREAT those clean feet to a new pair of socks and shoes.

Samaritan’s Feet SA will personally be delivering shoes to different parts of the country, arranging the storage of shoes we’ve been blessed with by our parent organization Stateside, and lots more. We could use your help to make these endeavours possible!

Would you like to be a part of the good stuff that’s happening during the World Cup in SA?

Click here to visit Samaritan’s Feet South Africa’s site and find out more.

Or

Click here to go ahead and give to help make a difference!

Thank you for your support! It makes a whole lot of this possible:

xCC

They Fed-Exed Us a Brick

Jun 9, 2010 | South Africa, Stories

Seriously. So you guys all know that Mr. Potato Head went a-wandering a few weeks ago, took a long stroll and kissed a BMW. If you’re not up to speed, read this.

You back? Okay good. So, this afternoon we got a package from our car insurance company, Outsurance.

Interesting, we thought. They’re sending us their condolences? Some kind gesture to say they’re sorry for our troubles? A friendly fruitcake mayhaps?

Nope. Or as they say in Afrikaans, nee. (Pronounce that knee-yuh and you’ve got yourself some foreign language skills.)

They Fed-Exed us a brick. I don’t even know how to spell Fed-Exed as a verb, but I’m dead serious.

Just making sure you’re following the story:

They Fed-Exed us a brick. A big, fat used brick.

What explanation was there for the special brick of rapidly couriered condolence?

I’m glad you asked:

“Dear Mr Collie The perfect ABS braking system. Regards: Karabo”

Yup. So while we’re busy organising for the distribution of thousands of pairs of shoes, sending emails, asking questions, creating websites, preparing for my brother’s arrival (yay!), busy with lots of other merriment and wondering what our car insurance company is up to since they haven’t processed our claim, they’re busy Fed-Exing big fat used bricks. Speedy delivery.

The good thing is, we do have a sense of humour. We laughed and we consider it a good-natured joke, this whole poking fun at people who’ve made a mistake which has cost them thousands of Rand. And I suppose I’m rather glad the brick came to us, and not to someone whose feelings might really have been hurt by it. (Or who might’ve gone postal with rage.)

The only problem is, I just can’t think of what we ought to send back. Ideas? 🙂

xCC

Travel With Me Again This Tuesday?

Jun 8, 2010 | South Africa, Travel..ling Tuesdays

I feel totally confident no more than twelve at least twenty of you are absolutely gutted that Travelling Tuesday hasn’t hit the web yet today.

Perhaps you want to yell at me like this?

Maybe you’d rather give me a good shot of your back side.

Or mayhaps you just want to give me a disdain-filled ignore like this?

Well maybe once you take a wee travel to see what I’ve been working on today you’ll forgive me. Preez?

Cos I sure didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. And I promise that the previously promised pictures from Kruger Park are coming your way soon. They’re even friendlier and more exciting than the ones posted here!

Are we still friends?

xCC