So I received a water buffalo a few days ago. It’s true.
My St. James Parish bought a water buffalo through Heifer International in my honor. I had served on the Vestry of St. James Episcopal Church for three years, and as Sr. Warden of the Vestry for the past twelve months, and I received this during the Annual Parish Meeting.
Seriously, a water buffalo.
There’s such a good story about Shonavan Khutun, a participant of Heifer’s Nepal program, whose life went from utter despair to genuine prosperity after receiving a water buffalo and extensive training from Heifer.
She was living with her parents in rural Bangladesh in 2013, when she was 23. She was rarely allowed to leave her own house, and her economic prospects were bleak. But all of that changed with a gift from Heifer.
With Heifer’s support, Shonavan was able to buy a water buffalo, which she rented out to neighbors for draft power. With each new season, she built her profits and today owns four animals.
When I read her story, I hear: Tenacity. Ingenuity. Teamwork. Faith. Promise.
Anyway, our Priest in Charge, Doris+, believing there are similarities in tenacity, strength, and teamwork – and of course, faith – between Shonavan and myself, purchased the gift of a water buffalo in honor of my Sr. Warden ministry at St. James.
This feels like high praise for me. A note from Doris+ noted, “You persevered as a faithful servant with joy in pain and vision in confusion” (a reference to my car accident). I’m grateful for these words, and for this gift.
I visited the Heifer website to learn more about the gift of a water buffalo. Check this out:
The benefits of owning a water buffalo.
Water buffalo are gentle giants that allow farmers to plant four times as many crops, allowing them to sow fields in days that once took weeks to plant by hand.
Your gift of a water buffalo will provide rich milk that is high in protein and nutrients. Water buffalo also make farming easier by tilling fields and providing fertilizer. People in the marshlands of India, southeastern Asia and parts of South America depend on water buffalo more than any other animal.
What this gift provides.
Increased crop yield. Milk. Nutrition. Steady, dependable income. Education and training. Community sustainability. Fertilizer. Self-reliance.
Oh. I also received a tiara.
Now I turn toward other ways to serve St. James. I have some ideas, and I expect more to be revealed. After all, I have a water buffalo and could travel.
Cometsgirl 