Dennis’ update from today:
Today was a very active, full day.
The well team widened the well from a 4 inch hole to a inch hole. The bottom of the well is 85 feet below the surface. Then we put down 6 inch PVC casing—the tube that will house the final pipe when we put it in. We packed gravel around the bottom 40 feet of the hole. Tomorrow, we’ll clean out the well and see if we have actually hit water. So, tomorrow (Thursday) morning we should finally know…so, keep praying.
Several people from our team (6 people each day plus an interpreter) are working with school children each morning. The school teacher brings two classes of about 75 students each, to the church for a Bible story about water, a craft and a game. The Haitian children are very well behaved and seem to enjoy their interaction with us. The women from our team are doing an incredible job communicating, teaching in a fun engaging way.
Most of our team went into the homes of several people from the church to make a short visit and pray. The pastor from the local church suggested these families. I’m not a doctor, but it appeared to me that one woman had severe Parkinsons. She was very gracious but self conscious about her condition. We prayed with her for God’s intervention and healing. It was a privilege to get to spend a few minutes with her. We also left her a gift of rice, beans, cooking oil and a few onions. Any gift is graciously received. We’ve done this with several families from the little community where we’re drilling the well.There’s a large open field near where the well is that serves two functions. Mostly it’s a little pasture for a lot of goats, donkeys, pigs a few cows. However, with a few frisbees, three soccer balls, 4 nerf footballs and a long jump rope that field was turned into a giant playground late this afternoon. Oh, and don’t forget a very animated, energetic game of “Duck Duck Goose.” Eventually almost every one of the kids, teenagers, moms and other adults came over to watch Duck Duck Goose. I wasn’t the fastest, nor was I the slowest. I counted about 120 people on the field playing something at one point. It’s a great way to connect with this community in a setting that isn’t drilling a well or school.
Each evening we gather back at the Team House to talk about the day, debrief a bit, get instructions for the next day and just talk. Tonight I asked people what the best moment of the day was:Jessica (one of our Living Water Trip Leaders): “Paula’s compassionate, caring prayer for a sick woman.”
Vicki: Holding a Haitian baby…after which she was encouraged to take the baby with her…(she declined)
Tom: (with a great deal of emotion) “Today was an opportunity of a life time. I hope we all understand the weightiness of what’s happening here. To get to bring clean water to a community could mean the difference between life and death for a lot of people. It could mean the difference between a lifetime of health problems and feeling well. A few years ago, I wondered if I would live or die. I guess that changes a person. We may never get to do anything like this again.”
That’s why we’ve come. Not so we can drill a clean water well for us, so we can feel good about ourselves. But to bring life through water and Life through Jesus, the living water.
Keep praying…tomorrow we’ll know if we have a well.
Dennis
