For God has so loved this village that now we have safe drinking water. It is only through God’s will that we are still here after drinking THAT OTHER water. John 3:16 (paraphrased by a village headman)
On our way to the well, we cross an irrigation ditch that is dry today. A bit farther on there is a split in the path. The villagers pause and point to the left. “Madzi” (water), one says and makes a face. “Is it far,” I ask. “No.” And so we go to see the water hole they’ve been using. It is down a steep slope with steps carved into the hard-packed dirt, easy for me to do as I’m not carrying anything with me. We reach a shallow indention in the dirt that has cloudy water, tadpoles, and obvious animal tracks around it. There is a cracked bowl next to it. One of the women bends down, fills the bowl and pours it into the bucket she’s brought. To fill her bucket with this dirty water one bowlful at a time will take a while. Then she would lift the bucket to her head and climb back up the steep steps and continue to her home. This is what they’ve been doing as the nearest clean water is a 3-mile hike away.
Today that will change.We head back to the intersection and take the right path. A bit farther on we come to the MMM well. It is 15 feet deep and has 5 feet of water in it. Our installation supervisor and builder have been installing as I went on my “field trip” and they are almost done. They pump the first gush of water, and it comes out clear and cool. We all have big smiles on our faces as we dedicate and celebrate this new day, this new water, this new blessing.
Application Question: God blesses us through others. Think of a blessing you have received through someone else as you fill in the verse: For God so loves me that God gave me .
Prayer: Oh Giver of Life, thank you for the many blessings that you have given to each of us. Help us to be one of the many people that you work through to bless others even as you use others tobless us. Let us go out today in gratitude and in love. Amen
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