Energy wall

(And happy birthday dad!!)

We drive with the windows down in the trucks unless there is a dust cloud coming or you’re going through a place known for tsetse flies. The air con works (but is very dusty to start and I think makes it harder to go back and forth from well install to truck ac). 

We are driving and driving and I hear a roar from afar. Looking around I don’t see a source. It is a constant noise…and it’s getting louder. We stop and get ready to get out of the truck. The roar is getting louder and when I look out the window I see the source. Women and children coming toward us, yelling and chanting, singing and dancing. 

As I open the door and get out of the truck the people are upon us. I’ve walked out and hit a wall of heat (I’m from the south) but this was stepping out and hitting a wall of energy and sound! There was barely room to get out of the truck there were so many people. 

MMM workers got the well parts off the truck and headed to the well site. We volunteers continued to sing and dance at the truck because we couldn’t move with all the people around. 

I pointed toward the first well (there were 2 in this village) and we slowly made our way there. The energy didn’t stop. Songs, ululations, clapping and dancing. Continuing energy that didn’t stop until the well was installed and it was time for the dedication. 

I was at the same time exhausted and exhilarated from all the dancing and joy. I remembered an evening in Pearlington, MS where I was a volunteer coordinator after Katrina when someone said, ‘ coming here is like jumping into a pool full of Jesus. ‘ amen.