February 28, 2024 TATENDA International at the Southern Border We are just back from El Paso, Texas where we facilitated two retreats with a total of 33 retreatants from the Sacred Heart Shelter and Parish. It was a challenging visit…
Tatenda Update: Spring 2024 Tatenda’s leadership consists of a Board of Directors which meets four times a year to guide the organization’s activities. The most recent meeting of the Board took place on April 20 and included reports on recent…
Well, I was all packed, ready to leave on the 13th of May, when my phone buzzed. The first flight out of El Paso was delayed just enough that I would miss all my connecting flights. I was bumped a…
May 13, 2023 In many ways the most moving aspect of a TATENDA trip is found in the faces of those we visit in the field. So many people have been introduced to me and many others whose names I…
May 11, 2023 I have been welcomed into the straw-bale home of the Religious of the Assumption, over the mountains from Anthony, New Mexico where I wrote to you previously. The wind is strong here and the heat is powerful…
May 10, 2023 Why is it that every mission town, no matter if it is in Africa, Asia, or Central America, has so many similar characteristics? Razor wire, broken down homes, bars on the window, dusty streets, and bleak exteriors.…
May 6, 2023 Oh my heavens, we never could have anticipated the welcome and the response from the caregivers here on the border in El Paso. We had over 40 registered (religious women and laity both), but illness took out…
May 4, 2023 WE ARE READY! Tomorrow, Cinco de Mayo, we fly to El Paso, Texas, for our first Domestic Retreat for TATENDA International. Our Travel Team, Nicki Verploegen and Wilson Villamar have been preparing with our people on the ground there,…
Dear Friends of TATENDA International, As many of you know, TATENDA means “thank you” in the Shona language of Zimbabwe. "Thank you" is the common sentiment expressed by the caregivers that TATENDA has served through retreats in various countries…
Dear Friends of TATENDA; As our seasons begin to shift, we find ourselves still sequestered safely in our homes, waiting for the virus to pass. With all the swells of the disease around the world, it has become clear that…