I am leaving Cape Town on July the 9th and I get into O’Hare airport on the 10th at 11am. I will be in town for exactly one month. I am very excited to visit with friends and family while also getting some rest from this wonderful yet hectic life! I had thought about coming home for some time now, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision for many reasons. After talking to a few of you and praying, I decided that this would be a good time for me to come home for just a bit.
I wanted to first let you know that I will be hosting a spaghetti lunch on Saturday August the 8th from 12-2:30 (you can come and go as you please). Come for lunch and be blessed by Marge’s famous Italian cuisine. Never refuse an Italian woman when she offers you food! There will be spaghetti, salad, and some pastries. Why? First, to say thank you for partnering with me on this wonderfully amazing journey. I wish I was Oprah and could buy you all a car! Thank you for linking arms with me and helping to make my journey not only possible, but full of the purposes of God. Without you, I really couldn’t be here.
Also, I am leaving the next day, and I would love to close out my time by sharing a meal, chatting with you, and giving you a hug, if you are the hugging type:) Please also feel free to invite those along who I may not be connected with yet, but are interested in staying in touch. I will have some things set up to share with those who may not know exactly what I have been up to!
Also, I come bearing gifts- kind of. I will be bringing some African/Human Trafficking goods home with me. No- I am not trafficking anyone home with me! Although, there are a few little ones I would love to traffic back to America! I will resist the urge to pack any babies in my suitcase. However, I will be bringing with me T-Shirts from South Africa. I have attached the designs that you can choose from if you are interested. They are amazing! They are actually made by people in Masiphumelele. This is a win/win situation. If you purchase a shirt, not only will you be financially supporting those from Masi who made the shirts, but you will also be supporting me. Everyone wins! The shirts will cost $25 USD each. Check out the images I have attached, and let me know if you are interested. I can make as many as needed. I can fill a whole suitcase f I need to, so pass this email on to anyone else who you think might be interested. I can even set up tables at churches or youth groups. I will just need a general idea of how many shirts to bring home with me. Let me know!
Next, I want to also make myself available to share part of my journey with any small groups, youth groups, individuals, churches, or anyone else I can’t think to mention. I would love to come to talk about what God has been doing in both South Africa and in my life. I am very passionate about my work here, and I really do jump at the opportunity to chat with those who are even remotely interested. Let me know, and we can make it a date!
Last, I want to say that I would love to meet or get coffee (or tea) with any of you. I would love to catch up and simply chat about life. A huge part of the joy of coming home is getting to connect with all of you face to face. Your support and encouragement carry me through this journey. Emailing is great, but so impersonal. All of you are important to me. I know you have been praying for me, as I have for many of you. I am invested in many of your lives, and I want to hear about everything life has handed to you in the past six months. Let’s meet up, please!
Please feel free to bring people who might be interested in what I am doing to coffees, small groups hosted in your homes, and to the luncheon on August 8th. I would love to have your help in building my support team!
Wow! This email was not meant to be this long. I mean it with all of my heart when I say that words cannot express how excited I am to spend some time with all of you! My heart is still here, and there is so much to do, always. But a good month at home will bring refreshment that is priceless. I also want to give a special thank you to those of you who helped make this trip possible- you know who you are! Thank you!
Love to all. See you soon!
P.S. When the time comes closer, I will remind you and send you directions for the spaghetti lunch.
0 comments:
Post a Comment