From MMM devotional booklet 2026
Jessi Stitt
Volunteer, North Carolina
Other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see in His hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, I will not believe.”
~ John 20:25
The American volunteer’s job is to verify that there is a real well for a real village. We get to do the joyful part of dedicating, dancing and singing, but what we really need to do is take a great picture so we can continue to raise funds for these wells.
Arriving at the first well of the day can be a slow start for the people in the village. They’ve been up for hours, but they are busy. The villagers have been waiting for months (years really) and even when the process starts, I bet it feels like a ‘hurry up and wait’ situation. They built the well and then waited again on installation. They’ve been told we’re coming but not what time.
We arrived at a village and began to unload the well parts. A grandmother greeted us and told us that the village wasn’t here right now. There was an under age 5 clinic at the hospital, a government meeting about fertilizer, and a market day. She and a 2-year-old were the only ones around. When we saw the well, it was still covered in sand (to help cure the cement). We decided it would be better to return another day. We impart important information at the dedication and need people there.
Even with only two people there, it felt terrible leaving without installing because we understand that they need clean water.
We went to install another well. As we were leaving, our builder got a call from the first village. “We are ready for you. Please come back.” Luckily we weren’t far and were able to return. When we arrived it was like a new village. There was a crowd there to greet us, the well had been cleaned off, buckets were waiting at the site to be filled with the clean water. We had a celebration! “We didn’t believe this could be true for us!” Even with the preparation, it can be hard to believe that today is the day until they see us arrive.
Application Question: What do you find hard to believe? What kind of proof are you waiting for?
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for showing Yourself to us in others. Open our eyes to the signs of Your presence and Your work in this world. Help us to see with new eyes and believe with new hearts. Amen
Today: at one well a little girl about 3 years old gave this yelp when she saw the water come out of the pipe for the first time. It was beautiful!
