Only 4 weeks until I leave! That seems like it's still a ways off but I know it will be here before I know it!
The last-minute details are what I'm having to take care of now. Along with last-minute details have of course come unexpected costs. The unexpected costs have caused a bit of a stress to the planning of this trip which has for the most part been stress-free. I know it will all work though....so I am trying my best not to get too worked up. :-)
Getting excited!!!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Why am I doing this you ask??
Here is the letter that I sent out to a few people to try to raise some money for the Thembalitsha Foundation as I get ready to go to Cape Town, South Africa in August! It gives a little background on why I love it and why I want to be a part of it. I hope you enjoy it!
I’m going to South Africa!!!
It’s still hard for me to believe that I will be in Cape Town, South Africa, in less than two months. I’ll soon be embarking on adventure that has been a dream of mine since high school when I first heard about the Thembalitsha Foundation.
However, there always seemed to be a reason to not make this dream a reality. The thing that finally gave me the courage to go for it was losing my baby brother, Jeremy. May seem weird, but as we all began the grieving process, it seemed like something everyone agreed on was that Jeremy had definitely LIVED his life. The phrase “Live life like Jeremy” became an anthem of sorts to all of us who loved him so much. My brother’s life challenged me to stop simply going through life…to start actually living it…to stop over-thinking….to listen to my heart and trust God with the desires of my heart. So, in January, I put in an application and basically told God to make it happen if that’s what He had for me.
So here I am, mere weeks away from being in South Africa to work for the Thembalitsha Foundation. There are several branches that make up the Thembalitsha Foundation. I will mainly be working with ThembaCare Athlone, an 18 bed facility dedicated to providing care for babies who are HIV positive. They give these children a chance to live and do not allow this diagnosis be a death sentence. Since opening their doors in 2002 the death rate has decreased from 66% to 4% in 2008.
Along with providing health care, they also provide emotional support for the parents, follow-up home care once the babies are released to go home, and community education on HIV/AIDS. If you go to the Thembalitsha website at www.thembalitsha.org.za/ you can view a video that gives an overview of ThembaCare and can also browse the website to learn about the entire foundation.
This journey has already been amazing. I will be working with Thembalitsha as a volunteer, which means that I receive no pay while I’m there and I am responsible to cover all expenses for myself to be there. Along with my acceptance, I received news that a place was secured for me in a home of a woman who houses female volunteers at NO cost! I was also told that there was a car that I would be able to share with at least one other volunteer so I would not have to rent a car while I was there, which many volunteers are required to do. Then, to top it all off, I was informed that there was another woman from Midland would be there while I was there. We were able to contact each other and meet before she left in May to be there for a year. It is going to be great to have a friend there from “my neck of the woods”.
So here are some details…
v I will be traveling to South Africa by myself!
v I leave the states on August 23, 2010, and return on October 20, 2010.
v I’ll be living in Cape Town, South Africa, in a woman’s house with up to eight other female volunteers.
v I’ll be spending most of my days at ThembaCare Athlone.
v I plan to set up a blog to keep everyone updated on what I’m doing while I’m there! I have not set it up yet though. If you would like the link to the blog please e-mail me and I will send out an e-mail with the link once it is set up.
What I need from you…..
v The most important thing is prayer!
o Safety during traveling
o Good health for myself
o Safety while living in Cape Town
v Of course, finances are also important in this journey.
o I have been working and saving money, and I plan to cover all of my personal expenses. (Travel, food, required cell phone, gas, comprehensive insurance)
o I would love to be able to raise money to give to the foundation. They are a non-profit organization, and their existence depends on donations. The expenses are outlined on the website and range from formula and diapers to staff salaries and oxygen and everything in between. (*Monetary donations are a must because it would be hard/impossible to travel into South Africa with supplies)
I hope that I can count on you to back me up with prayer during the time leading up to my time in Cape Town and of course while I am there also. I also hope that you will consider financially supporting Thembalitsha so they can continue doing the work they do.
If you are able to financially contribute, please make a check out to REAL LIFE CHURCH to receive a tax deduction, and one check will be written out to the Thembalitsha Foundation!! You can send your check to me at:
If you have any questions for me please e-mail me. I would love to hear from you!
Thank you!
Tabitha Brannon
I’m going to South Africa!!!
It’s still hard for me to believe that I will be in Cape Town, South Africa, in less than two months. I’ll soon be embarking on adventure that has been a dream of mine since high school when I first heard about the Thembalitsha Foundation.
However, there always seemed to be a reason to not make this dream a reality. The thing that finally gave me the courage to go for it was losing my baby brother, Jeremy. May seem weird, but as we all began the grieving process, it seemed like something everyone agreed on was that Jeremy had definitely LIVED his life. The phrase “Live life like Jeremy” became an anthem of sorts to all of us who loved him so much. My brother’s life challenged me to stop simply going through life…to start actually living it…to stop over-thinking….to listen to my heart and trust God with the desires of my heart. So, in January, I put in an application and basically told God to make it happen if that’s what He had for me.
So here I am, mere weeks away from being in South Africa to work for the Thembalitsha Foundation. There are several branches that make up the Thembalitsha Foundation. I will mainly be working with ThembaCare Athlone, an 18 bed facility dedicated to providing care for babies who are HIV positive. They give these children a chance to live and do not allow this diagnosis be a death sentence. Since opening their doors in 2002 the death rate has decreased from 66% to 4% in 2008.
Along with providing health care, they also provide emotional support for the parents, follow-up home care once the babies are released to go home, and community education on HIV/AIDS. If you go to the Thembalitsha website at www.thembalitsha.org.za/ you can view a video that gives an overview of ThembaCare and can also browse the website to learn about the entire foundation.
This journey has already been amazing. I will be working with Thembalitsha as a volunteer, which means that I receive no pay while I’m there and I am responsible to cover all expenses for myself to be there. Along with my acceptance, I received news that a place was secured for me in a home of a woman who houses female volunteers at NO cost! I was also told that there was a car that I would be able to share with at least one other volunteer so I would not have to rent a car while I was there, which many volunteers are required to do. Then, to top it all off, I was informed that there was another woman from Midland would be there while I was there. We were able to contact each other and meet before she left in May to be there for a year. It is going to be great to have a friend there from “my neck of the woods”.
So here are some details…
v I will be traveling to South Africa by myself!
v I leave the states on August 23, 2010, and return on October 20, 2010.
v I’ll be living in Cape Town, South Africa, in a woman’s house with up to eight other female volunteers.
v I’ll be spending most of my days at ThembaCare Athlone.
v I plan to set up a blog to keep everyone updated on what I’m doing while I’m there! I have not set it up yet though. If you would like the link to the blog please e-mail me and I will send out an e-mail with the link once it is set up.
What I need from you…..
v The most important thing is prayer!
o Safety during traveling
o Good health for myself
o Safety while living in Cape Town
v Of course, finances are also important in this journey.
o I have been working and saving money, and I plan to cover all of my personal expenses. (Travel, food, required cell phone, gas, comprehensive insurance)
o I would love to be able to raise money to give to the foundation. They are a non-profit organization, and their existence depends on donations. The expenses are outlined on the website and range from formula and diapers to staff salaries and oxygen and everything in between. (*Monetary donations are a must because it would be hard/impossible to travel into South Africa with supplies)
I hope that I can count on you to back me up with prayer during the time leading up to my time in Cape Town and of course while I am there also. I also hope that you will consider financially supporting Thembalitsha so they can continue doing the work they do.
If you are able to financially contribute, please make a check out to REAL LIFE CHURCH to receive a tax deduction, and one check will be written out to the Thembalitsha Foundation!! You can send your check to me at:
If you have any questions for me please e-mail me. I would love to hear from you!
Thank you!
Tabitha Brannon
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