The first Sunday after our arrival here, we gathered all fourteen of the Bakhita St. Brendan’s girls together and presented the gift bags that were so thoughtfully prepared by generous donors. The gathering began with prayer, song and opening remarks before getting to the important business of gifts! The girls were delighted to receive the gift bags and appreciated every item. Once again, the lightweight hoodies were the biggest hit. As it turned out, it was an unusually cool

Our first few days in South Africa are usually spent reconnecting with old friends. Over nineteen years, we’ve developed some very warm relationships – and the cultural norm here is to first greet everyone before any work can begin. It is quite a nice tradition. Some of you may remember Fr. Masilo Selemela, a priest that we met when first arriving in South Africa in 2000. Masilo was a newly ordained priest at the time and we knew right away that he was very special. His kin