Outcasts United

Outcasts United is the story of a refugee soccer team, a remarkable woman coach and a small southern town turned upside down by the process of refugee resettlement.

In the 1990s, that town, Clarkston, Georgia, became a resettlement center for refugees from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. The town also became home to Luma Mufleh, an American-educated Jordanian woman who founded a youth soccer team to help keep Clarkston’s boys off the streets. These boys named themselves the Fugees -- short for refugees.

Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the life of the Fugees, their families and their charismatic coach as they struggle to build new lives in a fading town overwhelmed by change. Theirs is a story about resilience, the power of one person to make a difference and the daunting challenge of creating community in a place where people seem to have little in common.

My friend Amy gave me this book for Christmas and the plane ride to Arizona was the perfect place to get started. She said it looked exactly like the type of book I would like and she was right. The story was compelling and inspriring. The author had a nice mix of background on Luma the coach and the refugee families, and the current struggles everyone was facing. It would have been very easy for him to have painted some of the key players in a very bad light, but he really didn't do that. In an interview he said "I generally go into most situations assuming that people are doing the best they can and I challenge myself to try to understand the motivations behind actions that I disagree with or that strike me as wrong...there are no simple answers in Clarkston."

There were some great lessons to be learned, one of my favorites was from the preacher of the perviously named Clarkston Baptist Church. He felt that if the church changed and welcomed the international refugee community, they would be following a great plan that God had for them. they renamed the church the Clarkston International Bible church and had a main service as well as numerous small meetings. Phil Kitchin, the pastor said "Jesus said heaven is a place for people of all nations, so if you don't like Clarkston, you won't like heaven".

Luma, the coach, not only mentored the kids in soccer, but in all aspects of their life. At one time there was an issue with one of the kids being involved with a gang. She had a discussion with the team about gangs and some of the concerns of getting beat up for being in the wrong area. She finally told them "If you keep getting beat up on the same road, take a different road." What an amazing life lesson.

A-

Arizona Boys II

Remember how I was headed to bask in the sun? Well someone forgot to inform the Phoenix weatherman. It was cold, especially by Arizona standards. I may not have been able to break out the bikini, but Arizona did not disappoint.
The highlights included(not in order of importance):
1. Shoes at Last Chance;
2. 12 1/2 mile run on the canal;
3.Dinner with a friend at California Pizza Kitchen (I highly recommend the Mediterranean salad);
4. And of course, time with my boys.

Introducing Roman Horton Broadbent
Born January 25, 2011
Proud Parents, Craig and Hailey Broadbent

Have you ever seen anything so precious?

Arizona Boys

So Mister Calvin and I have never had a lot of time to just hang together, always too many cousins and grandparents. We had so much fun together in AZ. It was great to just be able to play, and laugh and be silly. He is super low maintenance because the only things he east are wheat thins and muscle milk. We read stories, played baseball in the house (don't tell mom), and had races with strollers, cars, scotters, skateboards, etc. When Cory and Jenna got back he kept telling Jenna, "mama, Monica's funny". Clearly he has a great sense of humor.
The only downside is that our tie together was way too short. Apparently he feels the same. When he sees a plane now he tells his mom that they need to hurry and go get me from the plane and take me back to his house. Love that boy!

The park was great, lots of kids, sand, and trucks.

This was Calvin's imitation of Buzz Lightyear, he was about ready to take off.

Just a casual shot at home.

Clearly he has his father's photography skills. He wanted to take his own shot.

Throw The Book At Them

Utah may give a break to young DUI offenders
By Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
"Minors who get busted for driving under the influence could get a break under a bill approved Tuesday by the Utah Senate.SB28, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, would allow underage motorists to have their license reinstated by the court after two years if the driver is under 19 years, or after six months if the driver is between 19 and 21 years old. To qualify, the offender must complete a screening and assessment program, comply with the terms of probation, and provide a sworn statement that he or she has not consumed alcohol during the suspension period. Two years ago, the Legislature enacted a law suspending an underage driver with a DUI until the offender is 21 years old. But that law has proven to be too harsh, said Jenkins, with individuals unable to drive to work or school, in some cases, for several years."

Really? How is this a good idea? So there are consequences to their stupid actions like they have a hard time getting around? Waaa. And we are going to trust them to tell us if they have consumed any alcohol. It is a big time problem to drive while intoxicated, even worse if you are underage. Therefore, the consequences should be equally big time.
I have never written a legislator, but this had me mad enough to email Scott Jenkins to tell him what I thought. I suggest you do the same sjenkins@utahsenate.org

Forever Young

Monday afternoon I was standing in the airport security line. There were a lot of people who clearly thought they were very important, so I had awhile to observe the agent checking boarding passes and ids. He was not particularly friendly and made no small talk. When it was my turn, I just handed him my stuff with no chit chat. He examined everything, then dead pan said about my id "this can't be yours". I looked up, confused. Still the same look on his face he says, "you look way too young to be a person with this birth date". I didn't think it was appropriate to give the TSA guy a hug, but I thought about it.
That night I was hanging out with Craig and Hailey and their sweet new baby Roman (pics to come soon). When I first saw Craig he asked if I was Benjamin Button. He told me that I seem to look younger every time he sees me. I definitely gave him a hug.
I was feeling pretty good about myself until today when I made your basic "when I was a kid... comment. Isn't that the definition of old?
Speaking of Forever Young, if you haven't heard the JayZ song, Young Forever with a little sampling of Forever Young, do yourself a favor. It came out last year and is still one of my favs.

Orange Etiquitte

I went for a long run today, 12.6 miles to be exact. It was beautiful, warm enough to be in a tank top for most of the run. On a work day no less. As I got close to home I was soooo hungry, like have to stop and walk because I was so hungry. I had already passed several orange trees and wondered what the proper etiquette was, could I just have a little snack. I finally decided that anything hanging over a fence or by the sidewalk fair game. So I picked one, walked away quickly in case anyone noticed, and started peeling quickly. It smelled amazing, and remember, I was starving. All was right with the world until I took a bite. It was horrible, so sour and no good flavor. Turns out the joke was on me. Apparently all of those beautiful trees I was passing were just ornamental. Ornamental? How does that make sense for an orange tree? The banana I found at home may have calmed the hunger, but I still want a good orange.

Sweet Baby Boys

See this little guy on the left, I'm headed to the AZ in a few hours to see him and a brand new baby, pics to come soon). The little guy on the right was not happy that I would go visit his buddy without him. He asked if he could hide in my suitcase. That would be serious double trouble.