Water — it’s a basic need. Take it away, and you will have problems. Lack of water accounts for many illnesses. In Western culture, we are accustomed to indoor plumbing and a limitless, clean water supply. We walk to the sink or water fountain whenever we are thirsty. Too often, we take water for granted. Unfortunately, getting clean water to drink is not so easy for the Gogodala.
Here in the floodplains of the Aramia River, people typically get their drinking water from hand-dug wells or large, plastic water tanks that collect rainwater from metal roofs of adjacent buildings. The tanks, if installed correctly, can provide clean water for drinking. On the other hand, wells, where people usually get their water when tank water is unavailable, are more likely to get contaminated, and people sometimes get sick drinking from them.
We are in the middle of a dry season. This past Sabbath, two friends, neighbors of ours, came to us with upset stomachs. Walking home from church, I noticed the husband and wife sitting on our front lawn drinking a black liquid from glass jars, which, I knew, was charcoal water that Laurie had given them earlier. They had been battling diarrhea for several days. The next day, I saw them both coming to fetch water from one of the Training Center water tanks. They had smiles on their faces, waved and indicated that they were feeling much better.
Not everyone is so fortunate. Seven years have passed since I lost my good friend Dani. He contracted hepatitis after drinking contaminated water during a long, hot, dry season. I believe that Dani might still be with us if we had had the water tank setup that we do now. Despite the tragedy, God worked something good out of it. Immediately after Dani’s death, some of his nephews volunteered to help me build the training center buildings. This group of a dozen young men became our workers throughout the construction of the training center, library, guesthouses and maintenance building. And many of them became interested in joining our church after going through Bible studies with us.
Our training center campus currently supplies water to people in at least two villages. They come in their canoes or walk on land to fill their empty buckets. Our tanks, purchased using generous donations from AFM donors, can store 36,000 liters (9,510 gallons) of clean rainwater for the surrounding communities.
We returned to the village a couple of weeks ago after being away for a while for meetings. Three of our four water tanks were empty. The only reason the fourth one was full was because the gate valve on it was jammed in the closed position, a blessing in disguise. I replaced the tap on the tank, and the villagers had access to clean water again.
More than a thirst for literal water, we desire the Gogodala people to thirst for the water of life that only Jesus can give. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Pray that there will be many fountains of this kind of water that satisfies permanently. God promises, “I will pour water on him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring” (Isaiah 44:3).
Thank you for giving so that the Gogodala can drink of Jesus, the Water of Life.
