Within a few days of the tornadoes that tore through North Carolina on April 16, 2011, I began receiving e-mail from Botswana. The people there had begun to get word of the destruction wreaked by the storms and they were concerned. “Sister, we heard things are not well on that side. Are you okay? We are praying for you on this side. God will be in control of all situations,” wrote one woman. Said another woman from Holy Cross Cathedral in the capital city, Gaborone: “I can’t image what it is like for the people there… we are remembering you in our prayers… the Almighty has a plan for North Carolina.” And on it went. Expressions of care for a place they’ll likely never see was fueled by a shared faith and a companion diocese relationship carefully nurtured over the past three years. According to the Episcopal Church, “Groups in companion relationships take on responsibility for each other. Although they come from far-reaching cultures and have differing customs and histories, they see the image of Christ reflected in each other.” Symbols of our shared Anglican faith can also be touchstones. The place names on the banners pictured here may be foreign, but the names of the churches they represent - as well as the women’s ministries within those congregations - illustrate we’re more alike than we may realize. As more than one of the post-tornado e-mails concluded, “be blessed.”