Update #2

Dec.  22, 2007

Dear Loved Ones-

Thanks to all of you for the assurance of prayers and best wishes. Our first retreat went very well…in fact, superbly. 23 sisters from all over Zimbabwe. Young, alive and musical. We had a great time. We noticed a big change however in the bounty that was put on the tables. Last night we went to a Christmas party, and each sister got a gift from the Mother General. It was amazing to see how they hooted and hollered in delight over a bar of soap, a washcloth, or a tube of powder. They gave us each wrap around skirts…the most lavish thing given. We were humbled.

(Karen here) Nicki has once again been able to transform depleted women in their work. She took young sisters and allowed them to look at themselves in a way that they previously had not. I sat in on one of the break out groups and watched as each session opened them more and more. They stated that they would look at their lives differently and allow for deeper more integrated possibilities in the future. What a gift, an absolute gift. We can take this type of interaction for granted in the US, but here the starkness of their realities allow for us to see just what a wonderful opportunity these retreats are.

We are booked already for April 2009 with this same community and I would say that there has never been a more anticipated arrival than this one.

Time is running short..30 seconds left.

Love,

Nicki and Karen