Somewhere near Gadsden, there is a letter carrier who owes his or her strength to Dianne Lowe. Since August, that letter carrier has lugged what Lowe estimates to be more than 100 boxes of supplies, of various weight, shape and size, to the doorstep of Etowah Baptist Association.
Like many of the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) Church and Community Ministries (CCM) support personnel, Lowe filled out an application — a sort of missions wish list — for Christmas in August, a project of national Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU). According to NAMB’s Web site, she is one of 17 missionaries designated a Christmas in August recipient this year and the only one in Alabama.
Girls in Action and Acteens from all over collect supplies listed by the missionaries and send packages to the recipients. The packages Lowe was bombarded with were filled with everything from stuffed animals to school supplies to Bibles and even Wal-Mart gift cards.
And like the letter carrier, Lowe, who serves as Etowah Association’s CCM director, never saw it coming.
"I did not know I was selected until I got a call from an Acteen group that wanted to set a date to deliver their items to me in person," she said.
She’s still getting packages but not at the "seven or so"-a-day rate she once was.
Though a substantial portion of the gifts was donated to various area ministries, including a local domestic violence shelter, the majority were processed and distributed through Etowah Association’s Mission Center.
Lowe said the generosity was overwhelming. "[I]t’s just amazing how WMU is able to mobilize their members for missions." (TAB)
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