Dec. 28, 2012

Dear Friends of our’s at TATENDA International-

On New Year’s Eve, we, Nicki Verploegen and Sarah DeKoven, the Travel Team for TATENDA International, will land in Nairobi’s Kenyatta Airport in time to bring in 2013 on African shores.  We return to the Society of African Missions in Kenya.  Yes, we were with them last January and were “recalled” to give a retreat with their older seminarians. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to cement further the deep relationship we have developed with these men from all over Africa.

You have all helped make this possible. Your funds for the 30 Days of Thanksgiving tallied up to over $7000!! My heavens, we were delighted with the turnout…and the resultant sendoff! This is the best campaign we have ever had. Your generosity is allowing us to spend a month in Kenya with retreatants from Africa, the Americas and Europe. We will greet them all for you and bring our “thank you’s” to them for their generosity in devoting themselves to serving the poor in Kenya.

Our Update “courier” this year will be Sr. Marty Dermody, a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati. You will receive weekly Updates as usual and we hope to attach more photos and bits of news to bring you along on the journey. This is the beginning of our 6^th year for TATENDA Trips. It has been such a phenomenal journey with over 700 retreatants benefiting in their well-being from our visits.

We hope you will enjoy reading along with us and, as always, we ask for your prayers and thoughts as we go abroad in your name. Our return is planned for January 27, 2013 after a full month of work. We will be thinking of all of you as we bring gratitude to those we serve.

Peace and Happy New Year,

Nicki Verploegen, Ph.D. and Sarah DeKoven, M.A.

TATENDA International