July Update and New Board

Greetings to you, TATENDA friends.

Summer is moving along and we are grateful for the time to savor the sun and some rest. Our return from Singapore and Malaysia went smoothly and there was a great response from the women who participated there. We received an email this week from Willa, who organized our time in Malaysia. She writes, “Dear Nicki and Jolie, it has been two months that rushed by so fast that I forgot to catch my breathe. Hope you are well. I managed to talk to a few of the staff in Kuala Lumpur and Sabah …who attended the retreat. The staff are saying they are definitely taking better care of themselves and are grateful for the opportunity of spending the time away in at the Haven. Thanks again for the programme and the time spent putting everything together. gratefully.” This is good feedback for our 13th trip for TATENDA International.

With this trip we have exceeded providing respite for over 1000 people over the 11 years. That is pretty amazing. Our Board met this past Sunday for their Annual Summer Meeting. This was the first time in many years that all members were able to fly in and be physically present. We are happy to announce that our new Vice President is Bishop Susan Hassinger, a professor at Boston University, and our Treasurer, Mary Lou Verla, has consented to reelection for another 2 years. Thank you so much to both of these women for their generous offer of time and leadership.

We are now preparing for our 14th trip which will take us in September to Eastern Europe, specifically to Lithuania for 12 days. Besides being there for a retreat and two workshops with The Sisters of the Congregation of the Eucharistic Jesus (SJE), we will get to stay on AND SEE THE POPE, who will be making a visit. We are ecstatic about this.

Thank you for being such a vigilant part of our explorations and services. We have emails for you, but we do not have mailing addresses for many of you. Could you kindly respond to this email with your name and how we might reach you by post? It will help fill out our support base more accurately.

Thank you again for all that you offer us in support and prayers.

Blessings and Gratitude,

Nicki Verploegen, Co-founder
Pam Van Wechel, President
Susan Hassinger, Vice President
Annette Gardner, Secretary
Mary Lou Verla, Treasurer
Sisters Marty Dermody, SC, and Nancy Sheridan, SASV, Members at Large.