SCN Volunteers

Work continues in New Orleans; an update from Sr. Luke Boiarski, Director of the SCN Lay Mission Volunteer Program

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:06:26 -0400

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

We continued to sand the walls in Ms. Deborah’s house. Never a dull moment! Around noon time, the tornado siren sounded and the weather radio advised us to take shelter immediately! We decided the bathroom area was the safest place, so three of us climbed into a newly installed bathtub and rest of us sat on plastic drums nearby. When the all clear sounded we continued sanding. I have attached a picture of a very “dusty” Becky Clark who was clearly hard at work throughout the day.

Around 4:00 pm the four men volunteers from Raywick, Kentucky arrived at the house and joined us for a wonderful supper prepared by Sisters Renee and Claire. We were all ready to ‘hit the hay’ early.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Today is the women’s last day on the job. Our arms are growing very weary as we continue to sand. The men in our volunteer group will continue working at the Clementine’s home as they install wallboard and bathroom appliances. Tonight our group will feast on good Cajun cooking at Mulate’s restaurant. Mulate’s is known as the original Cajun restaurant, famous for preserving and celebrating the food, music and culture found in the small towns and along the bayous of south Louisiana.

Sr. Luke Boiarski

Sr. Luke Boiarski, Director of the SCN Lay Mission Volunteer Program, wrote this update on their current trip to New Orleans

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:51:00 -0400

On the evening of Monday, April 22, my van, filled with six other women, arrived at the House of Charity in New Orleans. We were greeted by sisters Rene and Claire, who had a delicious dinner waiting for us. Later in the evening Sister Monica shared with us the video, “We Shall Not Be Moved,” which is the story of how five religious communities, whose buildings and ministries were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, made the commitment to stay in New Orleans and rebuild again.

Our routine schedule for the week includes prayer, reflection, hard work and of course some play time. The new House of Charity that will be home to us for the next several days is absolutely wonderful; spacious, simple and yet so aesthetic.

Yesterday, Tuesday morning, we received an orientation at St. Bernard Project by Andrea, one of the Americorps volunteers. Then off we went to work at Ms. Deborah’s house in Violet, LA, where we met Brittany, our project supervisor. She informed us that the group will be “mudding” the ceilings and walls for the next three days. Now, I would like to share with you a little about Ms. Deborah.

Deborah was about twelve years old when she and her six sisters helped her mother and father build their home in Violet, LA. The house is located next to the site of the church Deborah attended as a child. Her family helped purchase the church itself. Once the home was built, Deborah’s parents intended it to house the family of eight as well as anyone else in the community who might need a place to stay, including 21 foster children over the years. While Deborah was the only one living in the family home full time before Katrina struck and her sisters, nephews, nieces and other relatives always had a safe haven within its walls.

As Katrina bore down on St. Bernard Parish, Deborah organized forty some odd family members into a caravan of cars to travel to Atlanta where her children lived. Each of her daughters housed about twenty people. This began a two year stay in Atlanta for Deborah, however in her words : “I wanted to be home. New Orleans is home. There’s no place like home.”

During her time in Atlanta, Deborah still visited home several times. What she saw broke her heart. The water flooded the entire downstairs, reaching up into the second floor. In her eyes, “everything was washed away.” She was most devastated to learn that people had been stealing her furniture and other possessions while she was out of town. This was one of the things that motivated her to move back home as soon as she could.

Ms. Deborah cannot wait to return home and for the rituals and traditions her family has built over the years to be continued. Though arthritis has her wheelchair bound today, she looks forward to resuming cooking for Sunday meetings after church and filling her home with children and grandchildren.

Today, Wednesday, we will be joined by four men from St. Francis Xavier Parish.

They will be working in the Elysian Fields area installing a bathroom in the Maria C’s home. She is really looking forward to this project to be accomplished.

Sister Luke

The SCN lay mission volunteers arrived Monday evening to begin a...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:55:06 -0400

The SCN lay mission volunteers arrived Monday evening to begin a week-long project in New Orleans. Here are some photos of the project site and the work in progress.

A Week of Lasts and a First

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:00:00 -0400

Karen, volunteering in Las Flores, Belize, sent this post.

Greetings all,

This is proving to be a very emotional week. As you may know, we are leaving Las Flores Thursday of this week. So ever since I got here we have been packing and getting rid of things little by little. Well the time is finally here. The moving truck comes Friday AM. We are having many visitors.

Saturday night was the last Mass we would attend here in the village at St Michael Church. Since this is a Latino community the Mass is in Spanish. So at the end of Mass they call not just Sr Paschal but Sr Brenda, Steve and I up front for a blessing. Let me tell you I feel blessed like never before. They had a bunch of small branches and plopped it on each of our heads. I had water running down my face I was so blessed. After we were seated the musicians and choir sang several songs for us. It was really touching.

Sunday Steve and I had made arrangements to go cave tubing at the Cave’s Branch River. The water is crystal clear because it comes from springs underground. The water is low this time of year so we tubed through the 2 caves down a lazy river. Our guide ended up towing us most of the way. The 2 caves we went through were very different. One had smooth low ceilings and the other had high ceilings with lots of formations. The only wildlife we saw were bats in the caves. They were very small fruit bats. As we made our way to the river we walked through the forest and Eric pointed out different plants and other herbal information. He broke open a cohune nut for us to eat. It’s kind of like a very small coconut.

Monday was a regular day for us. Steve worked at the church in the morning and at the school in the afternoon. I went to school for my reading group. We don’t have a car so we pretty much stay within the village. Brenda, Steve and I knew there was to be a surprise party for Sr Paschal Monday night. We were told there would be 40 people there. They would bring everything needed for the party. We were expecting them at 6:00 but with this being Belize, that is just a guideline. Paschal was clueless although she did later admit she wondered why we weren’t working on dinner. Well everyone arrived at 6:30. Paschal was still inside but I could hear everyone arriving. The party started with a mariachi band playing on the front porch and all the people arriving at once. It was fantastic. What I wasn’t expecting was for the first several songs were for ME! Because my birthday is today they were singing for me. Never had that happen before. I will never forget it. After the songs everyone gave me hugs and birthday wishes. There were more songs from the band and singing. People had written poems and songs for Sr. Paschal. It was so so touching to see the love that was shared last night. Then it was time to eat. You take a seat and the women bring you a plate. We had the best BBQ chicken I have ever had. Anyone who knows me knows how serious I am about BBQ. We also had cole slaw and beans. And of course tortillas. Horchata to drink. I will admit to having 2 pieces of chicken. Happy day they left the rest of the chicken for us. It was such a good time but when the party was over we were all pooped, even though we had done none of the work. It was just so emotional. Saying goodbye is never easy. I am sure we will have visitors this week before we go.

Well today is my birthday so I get to wear the birthday crown for meals today. Sr Brenda also made me a chocolate cake. Wonder how she knew that’s what I would want? I’ll go to school today to read with the boys. I told them yesterday that Wednesday was my last day but I will leave the books we have been reading for the school library.

Should be an interesting week. Next week Steve and I start a two week trip to see other areas of Belize.

Peace and blessings,

Karen

Steve, volunteering in Las Flores, Belize for two months, shared...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:54:33 -0400

Steve, volunteering in Las Flores, Belize for two months, shared with us his amazement at the work of the villagers on the church expansion.

See what happens when you don’t walk around the village every day to see what is happening? They take the roof off the church without you! Here are two views of the church with the roof removed.

Yesterday, 26 parishioners showed up and took all the lights and fans down, removed all the sheet metal roofing and then took all the roof trusses apart and moved each piece outside. Looking through the new and old door openings, you can see sky above the far wall. Today we built scaffolding inside so that masons can add 24” more height to the walls. I’ll bet they have the roof back on in time for Mass May 4.

SCN Lay Mission Volunteers commissioned to New Orleans Sunday...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:27:47 -0400

SCN Lay Mission Volunteers commissioned to New Orleans Sunday April 21, 2013 at St. Vincent Church, Nazareth KY

Steve and his wife, Karen, are volunteering in Las Flores,...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:58:44 -0400

Steve and his wife, Karen, are volunteering in Las Flores, Belize for two months. Steve sent the following update on their activities:

Hard to believe it has been three weeks since my last post. It has been very hot here with the heat index near 110 in the afternoon and over 80 at night. A good night’s sleep is elusive and cherished when you get it. Several projects have been underway simultaneously by various parties and I have been blessed to help on many of them. First, there is my misunderstanding about the ramp at St. Michael Church. This is actually an expansion project adding 425 square feet of space plus new steps and a new handicap ramp. They also are going to take the roof off of the existing portion and raise the walls about 5 feet so the ceiling fans are higher and more effective. No time was wasted after Easter on this. The footings were dug for the expansion, poured and foundation block installed in about two days’ time- all by manual labor. There was a pause of a couple days waiting for the fill dirt so I began working on the kitchen for the family living around the corner from us. I sketched the plans for this while on the plane traveling to and from Minnesota and had the material delivered to the house where we are staying. The structure needs to be portable because the family is renting and don’t own the land where they live. A portable structure can be disassembled and taken with them if they have to move. So I designed a structure that is bolted together and breaks down into six subassemblies; floor, four walls and the roof. I was able to use electricity at the house and enjoyed the shade and comforts of home while I cut everything out, built the sections and test fit them to make sure assembly at the site goes well. The family helped assemble the kitchen at their house.

Work at the church began again so I spent mornings working on the kitchen (since there was shade there at that time) and afternoons at the church mixing concrete, mortar or carrying blocks to the masons. I completely missed the pouring the of the church floor since it was done on the weekend we were in Belize City for a meeting. The group that was scheduled to build the walls of the school addition arrived from Washington State April 2 and were busy with that.

The contractor that had promised to convert the pavilion into a classroom insisted for weeks that volunteers should not do any work on this. Finally a week ago Friday he conceded to the pressure from the Principal, Mrs. Sanchez and others. She asked me to be at school Monday to work with parents to get the conversion completed. Dividing my time between this and the assembly of the kitchen for Marina, it was a very busy week. I was not able to offer any help on the church project and it will be a big surprise to me tonight when we go to mass to see what has been done.

The preschool won a playground set from a local gas company two weeks ago and there was a grand dedication ceremony last Monday morning. The week before, Mrs. Sanchez put out the word to parents that help was needed to build a fence around the playground. And the parents responded. They don’t build fences here like we do in the States. This fence started with a trench around the entire fence line about 12” wide by 12” deep for a poured concrete foundation. On that is a course of concrete blocks and the fence posts are concreted into this structure. All that work was done by the end of the week.

Another project Phil and Carletta Fortwingler worked on in January and February is the park stage. All the work on it was completed before last weekend and it just needed to be painted. Karen and Sister Brenda along with Sister Carlette’s youth group made short work of this getting up at 5a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and it looks wonderful.

Steve

Volunteer Group to New Orleans

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:02:16 -0400

Luke Boiarski, SCN, along with nine lay mission volunteers will be traveling to New Orleans, La., on Monday, April 22. They will be working in collaboration with the St. Bernard Project as they continue assisting those still in need of home repairs from Hurricane Katrina. The volunteers will be commissioned during the Liturgy at St. Vincent Church on Sunday, April 21.

SCN volunteers complete day 3 of our service project at Doors to...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:22:29 -0400

SCN volunteers complete day 3 of our service project at Doors to Hope in Louisville in conjunction with Mayor Greg Fischer’s ‘My Give a Day’ week of service! A BIG thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers! Everything looks beautiful!

Greetings from Belize,The time is flying by and there is...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:15:00 -0400

Greetings from Belize,

The time is flying by and there is still so much going on. Sunday we went to the women’s sewing group to help teach how to take measurements and to use patterns. It was a lot of fun watching them measure each other. Especially Norma and Concha, mother and daughter in law. You can tell they really love each other. The afternoon ended with Milvia cutting out a blouse pattern.

Steve has taken the components of Marina’s food stand to her house and it is being reassembled on site by Steve, Jorge and Cephas, Marina’s husband and son. Steve is letting them do a good bit of the assembly so they know how it goes together. We were able to get a gas stove to be put inside to make the foods that she will sell. We still have to get a small gas tank.

Steve is also fixing a stove top for Judith, a young woman in the village. Sr. Brenda has been teaching her how to bake different items for her to sell to make money.

The past two mornings Sr Brenda and I have been up at 5:30 to go to the park to paint the new stage. Several young women who were in Sr Carlette’s youth group came to help. The youth group were instrumental in reclaiming the land for use as a park. The stage is the final touch, for now. Swings and tables had already been put in place. We finished with the stage today. It is very colorful. It is blue, green, red and yellow. I am glad we are done, I may sleep in to 6:00 tomorrow.

I am still working with “my boys” at school every afternoon. I end our sessions with reading them a story. They really are getting into the new story I started yesterday. Geronimo Stilton, I highly recommend these books for tween aged children. (Thanks Sarah for the recommendation) It is an interactive book. Today we are going to decode a message that we read about yesterday. Should be fun.

It has been hot here but we have a nice breeze today. It’s still hot but at least the breeze helps us think we are cool.

Peace and blessings,

Karen

Sisters of Charity volunteers working at Doors to Hope ministry;...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:30:42 -0400

Sisters of Charity volunteers working at Doors to Hope ministry; day two of our Mayor’s ‘Give A Day’ week of service. Thank you, Victoria Hermann, Phil Fortwengler, Alida Coughlin, and Nancy Endres.

Volunteers working at the Doors to Hope SCN ministry in...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:40:15 -0400

Volunteers working at the Doors to Hope SCN ministry in Louisville today, part of the Mayor’s campaign to Give A Day.

Karen, who is volunteering in Las Flores, Belize, sent us these...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:13:14 -0400

Karen, who is volunteering in Las Flores, Belize, sent us these photos as an update on their activities. Here are photos of the new playground at the pre-school, some of the students in the reading group at St. Michael School, Sister Paschal teaching the women’s sewing group how to read patterns and take measurements, and Sister Brenda teaching crocheting.

scnfamily: Sister Luke Boiarski and Felicia Rowe of the SCN...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:38:44 -0400

scnfamily:

Sister Luke Boiarski and Felicia Rowe of the SCN Volunteer program held a raffle drawing today in the Motherhouse dining room at Nazareth, Ky. The prize to be given away, a pair of tickets in the grandstands for one of the greatest sporting spectacles in the country, the Kentucky Derby. Sister John Ann Kulina drew the winning ticket, Shannon Donahue of New Haven, Ky. She and a guest will enjoy Derby Day at Churchill Downs this year sitting just past the finish line. Over $2,300 was raised in this effort for the SCN Lay Mission Volunteer Program which will go towards supplies in rebuilding communities in Belize, Appalachia, New Orleans, Botswana and and other regions.

The SCN Lay Mission Volunteer Program, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, invites lay women and men of all ages and religions into service with economically challenged people in Belize, Appalachia, New Orleans, Botswana and and other regions. Future volunteer opportunities are always available. Contact Sister Luke today.

We completed the two day workshop with the pre-school teachers...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:57:14 -0400

The girls loved the dresses made by Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, Ohio!

Sr Sharon Gray with the children

June and Rita participating in 'Prayer Day'

We completed the two day workshop with the pre-school teachers at St. Mary’s parish in Lobatse. We had a really wonderful time. The teachers were so excited about everything we did with them. They not only were on time but they were early!! We shared the Christmas story of the three queens entitled “And So It Came To Pass” written by Betty Blandford, SCN and the song written for it by Sharon Gray, SCN and the art…the crown„ developed by Luke Boiarski, SCN. They really loved it. We also did the story of the “Mule Who Had No Story” in which the teachers, along with us, were the different animals and sang the song “God Loves the Animals” and much much more. I think our greatest fun was with singing “What Can Make a Hippopotamus Smile” and drawing the Hippo! But a close runner up was the wonderful song “Inch by Inch.’ Then the teachers taught us one of their songs which we have recorded and intend to keep singing!

We closed the workshop with distributing jump ropes, balls and other school supplies donated by our friends in Belpre, Ohio and other areas around the U.S.

The next day we went to Ntlhantlhe, the pres-school where SCNA Tootsie Gish teaches, along with some of the teachers from our previous days’ workshop. Here we were greeted by 2- 5 year olds. How precious they are. We sang and danced and made crafts with them.. Even though they spoke no English we managed to communicate very well. A smile and a hug go a long way. Their favorite song was “Put Your Hands Up in the Air” in which we sang, put our hands up and down and on our nose…..then we all jumped up and down!!! They certainly have a lot of energy. We gave the little girls here the dresses made by our SCN friends in Ohio and the children were thrilled with them and they looked so darling. They loved modeling for us as we snapped their pictures. The little boys all got trucks and couldn’t believe they could really take them home with them. It was really hard to leave them, but they gave us great joy and we hope we too gave them joy and care.

We then journeyed on to Kanye where we were greeted by our sisters Pat, Olive and Nalini. We were put to work right away sorting bushels of clothes which had been donated to the parish. Our wonderful Associate, Jane lead in this major project and with S. Pat’s help we got all the clothes and household good sorted and ready to take to Tswaaneng on Sunday. That evening we had evening prayer, had a great meal at home in Kanye…we have been fed so well by our Sisters….and played cards with the local community. They are really good card players!

Friday we were treated to a visit to Jwaneng, one of our first missions, the orphanage which eventually had to be turned over to the government. It is truly a safe and caring place for over 50 children. The sense of joy and belonging permeates the place. We met the Administrator who showed us around. She recalled the early work of our Sisters in setting the vision and laying the foundation for this much needed safe haven for these dear children.

That evening we roughed it without electricity or water, but managed quite well with eh guidance of this local community. We enjoyed a sandwich dinner by candle light. The electricity came back on that evening in time for a round of “chicken foot,” but the water eluded us for another 36 hours. We now know how vital water truly is.

Saturday was our Day of Prayer. The sisters from all three missions, our candidate and our Associate Tootsie and the four volunteers gathered here at Kanye for a special time of reflection, prayer and sharing, led by S. Sharon. The day focused on the scriptures following the resurrection. We considered how this Good News was lived out in our lives today and what invitation to new life we might find in the midst of these reflections. We concluded our prayer with considerations for the General Assembly.

That evening we celebrated our time together with a meal at the Motose Lodge, near Kanye. Upon arriving home, we surprised our volunteer Kelly with a 50^th Birthday Party. Chocolate was everywhere!! We also shared little gifts of gratitude with our most gracious hosts throughout the three missions in Botswana.

Sunday morning we joined Sister Pat for a Communion Service in the more distant village of Tswaanenge. Here in a very small but very sacred little church we gathered for the sharing of the Gospel and Eucharist. The church was packed with children and men and women from all ages. The Chief of the village joined us for part of the celebration. When this Service was concluded we had a little party for those newly baptized and those receiving First Communion. All stayed and enjoyed our time together. The people of the village were so kind and excited about meeting us, as we were excited about meeting them. This is truly an economically struggling village, a village more in the traditional style with round mud houses, no electricity and water which has to be carried from a distant bore hole. We were gifted with the opportunity of sharing the clothes we had sorted our first evening Kanye. We also brought some new dresses for the little girls from our friends in Ohio. The need is great here but their spirit is even greater. What a gift to share a few hours with them.

We are back home in Kanye now. This is our last evening with our Sisters here in Botswana. Tomorrow morning they take us into Gabaronne to catch a flight to Kasane where we will experience a safari and see the many beautiful wild animals which are native to this country

We can’t believe our time here in mission is about over. We know it will take many days, weeks, months to process this most gifted experience. The people of Botswana are imbedded in our hearts. The SCN’s/SCNA here in Botswana are now our friends, our sisters who have our deepest admiration and gratitude.

Botswana mission trip update from Sr. Sharon Gray. This morning...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:05:04 -0400

Kelly with our new Botswana drum

Rita and Komo preparing for a math exam

Arriving at Gabaronne with all of our luggage and being met by our Sisters

Botswana mission trip update from Sr. Sharon Gray.

This morning we visited the hospice. It was a heartbreaking experience because all of the patients are extremely ill and in great need (which could not be met anywhere else).

Steve and Karen are volunteering in Las Flores, Belize for two...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:25:25 -0400

Steve and Karen are volunteering in Las Flores, Belize for two months. Here are photos from their experiences this past week.

Update from Volunteers in Las Flores, Belize

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:24:00 -0400

Steve and Karen are volunteering in Las Flores, Belize for two months. Karen sent this update on their experiences there.

Greetings from tropical Belize,

This week is going fast and yet Monday seems ages ago. It has been really hot this week. I am always ready to go to the bank because it has AC. But you feel hotter when you go back outside.

Since school started back Monday I went to help Ana Ruth with her lunch program. As you may remember, the village of Las Flores in made up of people who fled El Salvador during their civil unrest. Both Ana Ruth and Lettie were 5 years old when they fled. They were telling me of their 5 yo recollections of those times. Ana Ruth’s father “disappeared.” They both remember hiding when the helicopters flew over. They can recall bombings and shootings from above. They also told stories from older family members that are too graphic and too terrible for me to relate to you. I will admit to crying when I heard their stories.

Have been going to school in the afternoons to help some boys improve their reading skills. They act very uninterested but when I ask them what they want to do first, they get very animated. So they are just boys like all young boys we know.

Steve has been working at the church. They are expanding the church and adding a new entrance. It is coming along but a lot of work is yet to be completed. Steve is also working on the food stand for Marina. Her husband and oldest son came last weekend to help Steve stand the walls up. I think all that’s left to do is the siding and the doors. I think the final assembly will be done at their house. It is being constructed to be easy to disassemble and move since they are renting now.

Yesterday was the hottest day yet and some friends took us to the Sibun River. It was so pleasant there. Maria had fixed a wonderful lunch and we ate on a large rock in the river. We noticed several groups of workers taking their lunch on the banks of the river. We also were entertained by a group that does disaster rescue. They were rappelling down the rock face and then were going to raise a litter up. We left before they got that far. We had a nice day. And you can communicate with people even though you don’t speak the same language. Some things are universal. I missed my reading group yesterday afternoon so I know I will hear about it today.

That’s about it for now. Take care.

Peace and blessings,

Karen

Botswana volunteers: Kelly Cogar, Sister Sharon Gray, June Logue...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:44:00 -0400

Botswana volunteers: Kelly Cogar, Sister Sharon Gray, June Logue and Rita Rodgers

Update from our Botswana volunteers

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:41:43 -0400

After a smooth but very long flight we arrived at the Iankhama International Airport in Gaboronne, Botswana. We were met by six SCNs /SCNA with open arms and many smiles. We spent our first nights at Mesimotlhabe, getting to know the Sisters and Tootsie. We had a wonderful orientation covering the geography, history, culture, education and Church in this developing country. We spent some very moving time with Sister Vinaya, visiting the patients at Pabalelong Mission, the hospice directed by our Sisters. These were truly very ill patients but it was wonderful to see the tender and professional care they were given. Without this hospice many would be left alone to die in very desperate circumstances. There was not much we could do for them but we gave them our presence and prayers. Sunday was the Feast of Divine Mercy. We celebrated at Divine Mercy Church by the hospice. It was truly a grand celebration with beautiful music and even more beautiful people who welcomed us to this special liturgical celebration followed by a reception in the Church yard. That afternoon we were treated to a get-together with our Associates of Botswana. What a fun group with caring hearts that showed so clearly the SCN charism blossoming in Botswana. We also had some great prayer and sharing, not only with the Associates but also with Kamogalo, our candidate.

From Mesimotlhabe were traveled on to Lobatse with Sister Ann and Tootsie. We stayed with them in their precious little house, placing mats on the floor and finding couches and beds in which to sleep. Here we experienced the challenges of the water shortage in Botswana but our Sisters were able to teach us how to manage. We spent our first night there planning in more detail for the two day workshop we are giving to the pre-school teachers in the area. It was really fun to see how our group found ways to share stories, music and crafts. Well the day finally arrived and with great anticipation we met the teachers at St. Mary’s for our workshop. What a delight. They are so gifted and so eager to learn new materials and ways of teaching their students. From “Even A Worm Can Learn” to “What Can make a Hippopotamus Smile” we sang, danced and made crafts for and with pre-school teachers. In no time at all it seemed as if we had been together for many days. Even the simplest of songs, the teachers, in their own distinct and amazing style, added harmonies and rhythms which delighted us all. We continue the workshop tomorrow and everyone seemed very happy to be returning.

Oh yes, Tootsie and Sharon did watch the Uof L final game which came on at 3:30AM Botswana time. Go Cards!!!