Competitions are an integral part of the annual conferences of the Mothers’ Union in the Anglican Diocese of Botswana. Women from different parishes vie for top honors in a variety of categories. These showcases for skills are friendly competitions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t taken seriously. The first contest at the conference in Tsabong is the “handwork.” I slowly make my way up and down aisles formed by tables filled with a grand array of goods, all of which have a number instead of a woman’s name attached in order to help keep the judging unbiased. The embroidery on snow white altar linens and vestments is exquisitely fine. Crocheted and knitted items, mostly in soft pastels, follow dolls wearing traditional dress, hand-painted fabric, and decorative home accessories featuring indigenous material and the more muted colors prevalent throughout Botswana’s natural environment. And then there’s the food: jams, juices, breads, and an especially tasty looking snack made from thepe, a vegetable native to this land. It’s no surprise these things involve traditional domestic skills because the Mothers’ Union focuses on home, hearth, and family structure.
Thanks to the St. Francis Needlework Guild at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh I’m able to share with MU members how a talent for knitting and crocheting can become a ministry that reaches far beyond family and friends. Hearing about my trip to Botswana, the Guild offers to send samples of its work with me. My suitcase bulges with two dozen or so variously colored and sized caps, shawls, blankets, and scarves (all of which, it turns out, are of great interest to customs agents at every checkpoint.) The plan is to show these things to the women I’ll be with in Gaborone, the capital city, then distribute them to the sick and indigent. However, when I hear about the handwork competition I alter the plan. All the knitted things go with me to the desert village of Tsabong. At the conference I request a table for display purposes only during the handwork competition. The work of the Guild generates much interest. Everything is carefully examined. There’s appreciation for the diversity of what’s on display, including the variety of yarn. What really captures attention are the ever-so-tiny caps and blankets. I explain, with the assistance of a translator, they are for very premature babies who must stay in a hospital for a long time. The MU officers ask if they can take it all, including the written material giving the story of the Guild as an outreach and the prayers offered with every item, for use during an upcoming training session for women in parishes. They also promise to get the donated items to those in need.