(Photos: Visiting with our new teammates on their home-stay. Grace and Megan pose for a picture)
It wasn’t so long ago that we wrote a blog about water. And not long after writing that blog we saw a vast improvement in our water situation (a definite answer to prayer). Now we find ourselves writing about water again, not because we are looking for sympathy but because of the ways it has surprised us this week. It is easy to lose sight of the importance of water. True, we can’t go many days without water but is water important for other reasons? Can water draw us closer to God? Can water draw us closer to people?
After spending a week away from our house helping out with the orientation of our new members it was great to be back in our own place. Our neighbors were very happy to see us and us them. Grace was really excited to be back in her own room, and we all felt a sense of relief to be “home.” There was one problem—no water. Our water had been working well before, but something must have happened while we were away, because we went days without it. By the fourth day we had to get Chris and Beka to bring us a barrel full so that we could have something to drink and wash dishes (clothes and showers were taking a back seat). That same day Chris and Beka came, we had been reflecting on just how special water is when you don’t have it. The words of Jesus had a new resonance.
Jesus told a Samaritan woman, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman replied, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” She knew the hardship of running out of water. It is a hardship that we have almost forgotten in a world of indoor plumbing. Do we ever worry about thirst? Do we know what it is to run out of water?
We prayed together and thanked God for the opportunity to realize this truth as we went so long without water, but we also prayed that the water would come back. In the midst of our prayers our neighbor greeted us and Megan went to say hello. While the others were still praying Mama Ababu explained to Megan that she had shut the water off because of a plumbing problem. Her husband has been traveling and she has been home alone with the baby. She didn’t know what to do, so she shut off the water and had spent most of her time since with her relatives who live down the road.
When we heard this we asked if Tom could take a look at the problem. There was a broken faucet in her bathroom with a broom handle stuck into it to stop the water from pouring out. But after a little examination it was clear that it could be fixed with a new faucet. We explained this to Mama Ababu who quickly said, “I don’t have an extra faucet.” We explained that Tom would go and get one, “but I don’t have the money for it,” she said. “No problem.” This was our chance to be good neighbors. After a short trip, a little wrench action and a bit of Teflon tape our neighbor’s faucet was fixed and the water was back on.
Things are back to normal and we are so happy to have water to wash clothes, dishes and ourselves. But we are also thankful for the time we went without it, for the things we learned and the relationships we were able to strengthen, all because of a little water.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
The new people are doing well. They are on their homestay this week, which can be challenging, but we went to visit them yesterday and they all seem to be doing very well, enjoying local food and experiencing local culture. Even their kids are sleeping well. This is a big answer to prayer.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Things continue to be busy and we have not been able to get back to our routines yet (especially in relation to language learning). Pray that things will settle down so that we can go back to our studies. Our English classes take time to prepare, but seem to be going well. Tom is having trouble learning all the new names. Pray that he could really get to know his students and remember all their names. Our new teammates move into their own houses this week. Pray that their transition to everyday life will go smoothly.
