Outreach Stories

An example of Botswana's rock outcroppingsTravel on the two-lane Sir Seretse Khama Highway (named for Botswana's first president) is uneventful except for encounters withResidue from Jwaneng diamond mine those animals who prefer meandering in the middle of the road. Singing, talking, eating and dozing in the sun streaming through the windows of the Mothers' Union van help us pass the time. There's a seemingly endless supply of hard candy; the little sugar jolts are nice as the day goes on. Of the assorted flavors, I quickly develop a partiality for mango. Our entrance to Jwaneng, on the fringe of the Kalahari Desert, is announced by signage asking visitors to not feed the baboons. Baboons, indifferent to the warning, are sitting on top of the sign munching on food. The little monkeys are cute but the big ones, with their long muzzles, powerful jaws and long, sharp canine teeth, scare me. Jwaneng, which means "a place of small stones," is a mining town. Diamond mining. The De Beers company, headquartered in neighboring South Africa, owns the Jwaneng mine, which it describes as "the richest diamond mine in the world". A guaranteed conversation starter in Botswana, besides cattle, is who should control and profit from this precious natural resource. Some of my traveling companions share stories about what they've heard of the mine's elaborate security measures for both employees and visitors. Just a hint of the scale of the operation is glimpsed through the van's window. Botswana has lots of rock formations and variously sized hills so it takes me a minute to realize that what I'm looking at, something resembling a mesa in the western part of the U.S., is not a natural phenomenon but instead the buildup of earth removed as part of the open pit mining process. It's massive, football field after football field after footballHills of south central Botswana field long. It appears to be about as deep as it is long, and I'm only seeing one piece of one end of it. There are many other such "mesas." We fantasize about what just one diamond extracted from that pit could do for the ministries we represent.

(Lisa Towle, president of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of NC, continues the Botswana Diaries series, sharing stories of her second visit to Botswana. She has served on the NC-Botswana Companion Link Committee since its inception in 2008.)

There are many opportunities to assist in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene. Some are with 90 minutes drive of Raleigh. Others will provide housing and meals.

Please review the following opportunities and respond if you are able.

Telephone agents and coordinators are needed. If you are able to assist, call George Strunk at 919-778-8324.

Chainsaw crews are needed in Edgecombe County to cut trees that are on houses or property in Princeville, Pinetops, Speed, and Conetoe. If you are able to assist, call George Strunk at 919-778-8324.

Recovery volunteers are needed, expecially chainsaw operators. Meals and housing will be provided. Sign up at http://baptistsonmission.org/Projects/North-Carolina/Tornado/Get-Involved .

The MERCI center can use volunteers of all types and are accepting donations including water, hygiene kits, cleanup supplies. They are open 8:00-5:00 at the MERCI Center, 676 Community Drive, Goldsboro, NC. The UMC call center can be reached at 888-440-9167.

Harvest Connection can use volunteers of all kinds. Call their center at 252-526-9908. The center is at 2600 W. Vernon Ave, Kinston.

The Food Banks in Raleigh and Kinston have been drawn down. Donations of food are welcome.

Larry Marks
Wake Interfaith Disaster Team

From Lisa Towle

The NetsforLife campaign at Good Shepherd can be told through these pictures taken in March, May and July. Each ban-the-mosquito sticker affixed by Kathy MacLeod to the net represents up to three people protected from malaria thanks to the generosity of parishioners. Let's keep Kathy busy just a little while longer. One bed net costs $12. We have 61 stickers to go to reach the magic number: 900.

 
(Instructions on how to make a contribution so proper credit is given are here on the CGS website. Questions about the campaign should be directed to the CGS Net Rep, Lisa Towle, at 919-469-2560 or lisa@dioncmdg.org.)

 March            May                                             July

For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is mine. Psalm 50:10-11

In Botswana, whether in city, suburb or village, there is the strong sense that all of us -- the two-legged, four-legged, and winged ones -- are in this together. But rather than trend toward sentimentality or doting, the Batswana tend to be appreciative yet practical about creatures great and small. Drivers on the roads of far northern Botswana know to lookout for elephants who start wandering onto the roads at sunset. In the sandy southern tip of the country, police patrol the border on camel back. Baboons sit atop signs warning people to not feed them. Giraffes, hippos, impalas, lions, warthogs and zebras, they're here, too, favorites of tourists who gladly pay to see them while on safaris. Family-owned goats and chickens are destined to become meals. Dog are pets and protect homes, but they stay outside and they roam; owners don't believe in leashing. Vehicles and donkeys attached to carts share the roads, moving people and goods. Forward.

(Lisa Towle continues the Botswana Diaries series, sharing stories of her second visit to Botswana which took place last August. She has served on the NC-Botswana Companion Link Committee since its inception in 2008.)  (Click on photos for larger version)