wfn.org | Oklahoma/Cameroon survivors share C.O.U.R.A.G.E.

[DISCNEWS.parti@ecunet.org]

Date: April 29, 1997
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Clifford L. Willis
Email: CWillis@oc.disciples.org
on the web: http//www.disciples.org

97b-24

     INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- C.O.U.R.A.G.E.! That's what
survivors of tragedies half-a-world apart are sharing in a
special 10-day cultural exchange project.

     In this case C.O.U.R.A.G.E. also means
"Cameroon/Oklahoma Uniting for Recovery and Growth Through
Exchange." Ten survivors of the 1995 bombing of the Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma City and four recovery
specialists recently journeyed to the West African nation
of Cameroon.

     While there the group is to share its plight with
survivors of another tragedy -- the Lake Nyos toxic gas
explosion. More than 1,500 people were killed Aug. 26,
1986, by toxic gas released after an underwater volcanic
explosion.

     The determination suggested by the project acronym
is particularly meaningful as both groups "have needed
courage to face the future in response to terrible
disasters," said the Rev. Robert L. Hill, Kansas City, Mo. 

     The senior minister of Community Christian Church,
Kansas City, is the "spiritual director" of the U.S.
delegation. The group left April 19 and will return May 6.

     Hill also is chairperson of the Week of Compassion
Committee for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
WOC, along with Heifer Project International and the
Interfaith Disaster Recovery Center of Oklahoma City, co-sponsored the unique venture.

     The Disciples' compassion ministry provided
extensive assistance following the Oklahoma bombing, which
occurred April 19, 1995. HPI likewise provided significant
assistance to survivors of both the Oklahoma City bombing
and the Lake Nyos disaster. 

     Several of Heifer Project International's projects
in Cameroon were severely affected by the toxic gas
explosion. HPI provided livestock to families of victims
and survivors of the lake disaster.

     C.O.U.R.A.G.E. participants are visiting several
communities in Cameroon affected by the disaster to learn
how relief efforts were coordinated. They also are sharing
their "journeys" toward emotional, psychological and
spiritual recovery after both catastrophic events.  

     To complete the exchange, a Cameroon delegation will
visit their Oklahoma City counterparts in fall 1997 or in
spring 1998. 
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DISCNEWS - inbox for Disciples News Service, Office of Communication, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), PO Box 1986 Indianapolis, IN 46206, tele. (317) 635-3100, (DISCNEWS@ecunet.org) Wilma Shuffitt, News and Information Assistant; (CWILLIS@oc.disciples.org) Cliff Willis, Director of News and Information; (CMILLER@oc.disciples.org) Executive Director