TORONTO -- A young man from Zimbabwe will be spending the holidays with his family in Africa after his urgent plea for the return of a lost passport worked.
Leonard Mawora on Dec. 15 after he realized he left his Zimbabwean passport inside a bag that he had previously returned to a Winners location in St. John鈥檚, N.L.
Fast forward a week and April Day, who bought the bag, found the passport and reached out to Mawora to let him know the good news.
After receiving his passport on the weekend, the Memorial University student was headed back to Zimbabwe for the holidays -- a trip he nearly had to cancel.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy, to be honest, because I never saw this day coming,鈥� he told NTV News.
鈥淎fter losing my passport, I thought I was going to be in St. John鈥檚 this whole Christmas, but know I get to go home and see my parents and enjoy Christmas with others.鈥�
Mawora said he arrives back home on Christmas Day and plans to spend the holidays with his family. He said he鈥檚 most excited to enjoy some local chicken and Coca-Cola, which he said is slightly different than the Canadian version of the drink.
鈥淚 just want to say thank you to everyone who shared this post, I didn鈥檛 even think it would get this viral,鈥� he said.
Day said Marowa has an open invitation to her family gatherings in the future.
鈥淲hen he comes home, we will be here waiting for him to get off the plane, with a big a 鈥榃elcome home鈥� sign and we鈥檒l have Christmas dinner the next day and invite him to our house,鈥� she said.
With a report from NTV鈥檚 David Salter
