Please Forgive Me

By Toby Capps

Please forgive me! Those are the words I will never forget. I heard them as I met an amazing woman in South Africa on my first trip to that beautiful country.

Let me take you back several years before Jason and Cinnamon created Sew Powerful. Jason helped create a program called Caregiver Kits. The program allowed my corporation, McKesson, to partner with World Vision and churches, corporations, and community groups from all over the United States. Together we provided medical supplies to remote villages to assist in their fight against the AIDS pandemic. We later learned that Esther has 90 of these caregivers helping at Needs Care School.

In South Africa we visited a group of seamstresses working hard with very limited and antiquated equipment. They were sewing blankets their small village needed. We were amazed at their passion and work ethic. They weren’t sewing to earn money for themselves, but instead were using the profits to raise an orphan and buy medical supplies to help people in their village!

Then we visited one of the caregivers - Mrs. Sgelum. She was a beneficiary of the hard work of the seamstresses. We took a small trail to the very top of a hill overlooking the village. There was a small hut with just a few possessions inside. But to our surprise, Mrs. Sgelum was nowhere to be found. 

Suddenly we saw her running up the trail towards the home. Finally reaching the top she said, “Please forgive me, I was helping to bury one of my neighbors.” 

No other explanation—almost without emotion. As the tears welled up in my eyes, she went on to introduce us to her grandchildren.

This speaks volumes about the lives and work ethic of every one of the caregivers and seamstresses we have had to opportunity to meet. Mrs. Sgelum changed my life! God bless you Mrs. Sgelum.

Thank you for your tremendous support of Sew Powerful and the people they work so hard to support!