Sunday in Botswana

This morning we met Anna, an SCNA, before we attended the Setswana Mass in Kanye. Jane, an SCNA, taught Sunday school in the church yard. During Mass, we were filled with spirit as the choir sang with their whole hearts. At the end of the two and a half hour liturgy, we felt like we had truly celebrated God's goodness. It is obvious that Sr. Pat is loved very much in the parish. Her smile and the light in her eyes as she greeted parishioners tell of her great love for them also.

This afternoon we visited an orphanage in Jwaneng that the Sisters of Charity helped to found. There are currently 52 children there and they have a waiting list. There are 10 small homes on the campus - each with a house mother- where they live as a family. We were so impressed with the facility and pleased to see how the seeds the SCNs planted there are now vibrant with life.

On the way back to Kanye, we drove through a game park. We spotted several giraffes, wart hogs, a wildebeest and impalas. What made the day, though, was when we turned a corner and saw a ZEBRA!

Tomorrow, we head to the village of Tswaneng where we will paint the church and replace the doors over the next few days. Stay tuned! Thanks for your prayers.

Saturday in Botswana

This morning we visited the museum of Botswana in Gaborone and learned about the rich history of the country. Tootsie introduced us to a wonderful tea garden for lunch.

In the afternoon and early evening, the SCN Associates and SCNs gathered here. We shared fun and games and came to know one another. Each person had a chance to share about themselves and it was a great time for bonding.

Tomorrow we will attend the Setswana Mass in Kanye and we look forward to experiencing the liturgy in this country.

Update from volunteers in Botswana

Another wonderful day! We attended Mass in Kanye at 7:00am. Then, Tootsie took us to the Boiteko Day Care Center in the village of Nthlantle. We met about twenty-five children there where they sang and welcomed us. We all fell in love with them, but Millard especially was tempted to either stay with them or bring a few along with us.

Then, we traveled on to Lobatse where we visited Sisters Ann and Olive at the St. Mary's Pre-School. We visited the classrooms and then enjoyed watching the students practice for a sports competition. They will compete against 10 other schools in the area and are hoping to keep the trophy that they won last year. We are betting they will!

Tonight we met with all the sisters and SCNAs Tootsie and Jane for an orientation to Botswana. They had arranged a traditional pot over a staged "fire" in the center of the room. Sister Nalini introduced the presentation by explaining that sacred stories are told around a fire. She then welcomed us to a "sacred journey into the heart of Africa". Sacred is the perfect word to describe this experience thus far. Our hearts are filled to overflowing.

First days in Botswana

Four of us traveled to Botswana as part of the SCN Lay Mission Volunteer program. The goal of our trip is to immerse ourselves in the culture of this country, learn about and experience the ministries of the SCNs, and offer support. Before arriving at the ministry sites, we spent the past two days in the Chobe National Park area. We have been overwhelmed at the natural beauty here. Tonight, we arrived in Kanye where we will be with Sister Pat and Tootsie. We were greeted at the Gaborone airport by each SCN and Tootsie Gish,SCNA - a heart-warming welcome for this next phase of our experience. They'll put us to work and we'll share proof of that in future blogs. We'll also update you on their ministries.

In the meantime,though, let us share with you some of the beauty of these past two days. When we first arrived, we met a huge elephant on the road and our guide told us that after two days, we'll have seen so many elephants that we would hardly pay attention to them. Well, I must now have 845 photos of elephants (not really that many), and my heart still jumps when we come across one. We've laughed at how the animals stare at us staring at them. We've learned about wart hogs, and water buffalo and baboons. We've watched hippos come out from underwater spewing water only to quickly submerge again. We were breathless when we finally spotted several lions. In all of this, we have marveled at the beauty of God's creation - at the order of nature and the way the different species live together. There's a watering hole behind the property where we stayed. Throughout the day, all kinds of animals come for water and we were privileged to be witnesses for these days. We are filled with profound respect and gratitude for this opportunity. Truly, this is an amazing world we live in. Enjoy this short video that captures only some of the beauty. All the animals pictured are in their natural habitat, roaming freely. We took the photos from a jeep and boat.

Volunteers to Botswana

Four volunteers will travel to Botswana from April 15 - May 2. While there, they will visit the SCN ministry sites, paint the church in Tswaneng and paint the day care in Mmopane. The volunteers were commissioned at the Saturday, April 14th liturgy at St. Vincent Church at Nazareth, KY. SCNs Angela Hicks and Teresa Kotturan helped to lead the commissioning and join the volunteers in the photo below.  Volunteers are Millard Boggs and SCNAs Monica Boggs, Sharon Cecil and Patsy O'Toole.     You can follow their travels on this page, as they hope to keep us updated along the way.   Please keep them in your prayers.