Leither Well Celebration

The day dawned bright and promising – excitement in the air. Today was the day – celebrate -- kill the fatted calf – well actually it was a goat and he wasn’t very fat!  However celebrate we would!

The celebration marked a culmination of the efforts of many people; if you have ever given to the World Hunger Fund or any BGR (Baptist Global Response) humanitarian efforts then this celebration was for you as well. 

The small local church wanted to cooperate with us, so the ladies came together to cook the food – Debbie was very grateful!

We had 25 invited guests. These men represented state and community officials, local chiefs and elders as well all as the water board – the four local men who would oversee the maintenance of the hand pumps. 

We knew many more would come – which in fact they did. We don’t have an exact number as they came in waves, but we estimate anywhere from 75-100 folks came, ate and celebrated.  We certainly had enough food, and men continued to come and eat until it was finished.

During the first sitting, as the invited guests finished eating, the program began.  Jerry gave God the glory for providing the water wells, he gave a short  testimony of the difficulties we had when we first arrived, but through that, God blessed the community with the bringing of the water wells, not just one, but two. He then told the story of the woman at the well, giving Jesus water from the well and He, in turn, giving her living water -- forgiveness of sin and everlasting life. 

During the program, the water committee came forward and Jerry presented them each with a bucket.  “This bucket,” he said, “symbolizes the turning over of the responsibility of the water wells and hand pumps.  As you receive the bucket you are also receiving the responsibility to maintain the wells and hand pumps so that the people of the community continue to have water.” 

As Jerry finished others spoke, the chief of the community, an elder in the community, one of the owners of the land where we live. Each in turn acknowledged and thanked God for providing the wells and hand pumps that would provide water for their community.

After the program, Jerry invited all who wanted to join him at the hand pump nearest to our house to pray and thank God for providing the water for the community.

In Genesis 50:20 Joseph told his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives".  We have witnessed God using a bad situation for our good and His glory. We are continuing to witness a changing of hearts and attitudes. Pray with us that the men and women of Leither community would see the love of Christ demonstrated through us. Pray that we would be ready with a word of witness and testimony so that many would come to know the saving grace of our Lord.

You can continue to give to the Leither Well Project at www.gobgr.org/donate put the project ID # WH11429A01 in the comments box.
or send a check to
Baptist Global Response
402 BNA Dr.
Suite 411 Nashville, TN 37217-2546 Write #WH11429A01 on the memo line.Your gift is tax deductible.

We will detail specific details, food etc. we saw during the preparations for this event in an upcoming post.

Lunch

In preparation for the event celebrating the two wells and handpumps for Leither village, today Jerry bought a goat -- among other things.  We named him Lunch -- Jerry said this was so Debbie would be sure not to become attached to him.

As we understand it, goats, sheep and chickens sleep inside the home. This is for the safety of the beasts as there are lepard and hyena which roam around at night and there is no fencing, nothing to keep the animals in safety around the house and out of the road at night.

So tonight we have a goat (Lunch) on the property; he was looking for his place to sleep and we were trying to catch him to help him find it.  We made a funny sight, Jerry and Debbie running around the property in the pitch darkness, flashlights in hand trying to catch Lunch. 

He's a fast goat!

Daniel, a Dinka friend, hearing our shouts and seeing our flashlight beams flailing came to help. Good thing too -- I don't think we would have caught Lunch without his help.  Did I say he was a fast goat?

We are looking forward to the celebration, a time to give God the glory for providing the water wells and an opportunity to give a witness of the Gospel message before the whole community.
Town and community officials have been invited for lunch before the ceremony, (where Lunch will be the main course). 

Pray that the community will see God's hand of provision and recognize that He is Jehova Jirah -- the only provider!  Pray that the Gospel message would be presented clear and strong and that many would hear and understand that the God of mercy and love has made a bridge of forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ and that they can receive this gift of forgiveness by faith.

Leither Village Water Well

The water well drilling season finishes as the rains begin in South Sudan.

J.B. Drilling Company’s final two water wells (boreholes) of the season were drilled  for Leither village in South Sudan.

It was an exciting time as the big trucks and giant drill lumbered down the road through Rumbek town destined for the Baptist compound.
As the sun drops lower in the sky,

eighteen men and three women unload from the vehicles and start setting up camp. The team is no stranger to the challenges of humanitarian work in South Sudan. They have been bringing water to villages in the region for 30 years. Today they work on behalf of their partner organization, Baptist Global Response.

As the men unload the trucks and pitch their tents, the women begin preparing the evening meal. In this place, the nights are very dark; everything must be ready before the sun sets. The men must rest well tonight for tomorrow work begins on one of two new boreholes for Leither village.

The water table is quite high in much of the Lakes State, especially around Rumbek.  One hole was drilled at 60 meters and the other at 48 meters with the dynamic water level at 21 meters.

This job was not without its difficulties; rain fell in earnest as they drilled the second hole causing the heavy trucks to be stuck at the site for three days until the sun could dry the earth enough for the drill and trucks to be driven out.  Conflict continues to plague South Sudan.  Northern areas are flooding, not with rainfall, but with refugees fleeing war torn areas along the border; some traveling many kilometers, even from across the border with North Sudan. Prices are rising due to the conflict; the scarcity of fuel (gasoline and diesel) was a problem for the drilling team.   Snakes appeared, maybe because of the rain, but probably because of the vibration of the drill and generators. “There were many snakes,” one of the team commented, “black ones,” referring to black mambas – which are deadly.

While not all of these men are believers, they know that these wells will benefit their people, the people of South Sudan, “bringing water is a good thing.”

The cost, while substantial, is not nearly as high as the benefits reaped. “The people of the village are so excited – they are so happy that water has come,” stated Malith, a guard on the compound. 

Dominic, the team leader summed it all up, “This is a good place. It is a good way to finish up the drilling season.”

Clean water is a good thing

Now that the rains are coming to South Sudan, a resource of clean water is important.  If there isn't a clean water source available within a reasonable distance, people will get their water from wherever they find it, not withstanding the condition of it.



I wouldn't want to wash my clothes or my dishes in this water -- would you?  I wouldn't want to cook with it and I certainly wouldn't want to drink it -- however that is what this woman will do with this jug of water and the other container that she filled for one of her children to carry home.

Clean water is a precious resource; it is one of the major concerns in Africa.   People come down with cholora and other diseases, many of which can be deadly because of the lack of clean water to drink.

Stay tuned -- We are back in Rumbek and in the next few days we will put up a report on the Leither village well project!

AWA! or IGA!

WHAT!!?  You’ve got to be kidding!  AWA! 

This is an acronym batted around by folks who live on the African continent.  AWA!  It stands for Africa Wins Again!  Which can mean anything from driving into a huge pothole and ruining your tire resulting in a three hour wait on the side of the road only to find out that the man who came to assist didn’t bring a replacement  -- oh well, you’ve already missed your meeting – AWA!  -----   or inviting a family over for a meal, having everything ready to go into the oven and bam!  the electricity goes off! – AWA!  Unless you have a gas stove!

So why AWA you ask?  Well, I’ll tell you.  If you are wondering why there have been no new blog posts for so long it is because we have been in Nairobi, not in South Sudan.  We flew to Nairobi on April 13 for a ten day hiatus. The main purpose was to clear our crate through customs.  We received information that the crate had reached the Port of Mombasa and our passports were needed.  Good – GREAT -- other things needed to be accomplished in Nairobi as well.  Here we are, two ticket changes later still waiting for passports to be returned so we can return to Rumbek and finish our assignment.  AWA!!

It is okay – we can see AWA in a different light – we can see it as IGA ----- no-no! not the grocery store!  

IGA —  If God Allows.    

Do you remember the passage in James 4:13-17? Verse 15 says, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”  We are supposed to live our lives in the light of God’s Word, His Will and His Way.

Things have been accomplished.  Reports have been written, budgets and receipts have been submitted.  Jerry has been working on a South Sudan people group data base, Debbie had a tooth pulled ---- these along with a myriad of other tasks have been accomplished. 

God is good.  We didn’t realize how deep the color green could get!  Nairobi has received a thunder storm/shower every day that we have been here.  I know reality says this could be a problem; but it has been delightful for us.  The deep green and the sweet smell of moist grass, the beautiful plants, bushes and trees have been, for us, a wonderful escape from the harsh, dry, sun scorched environment of the last three months.  We have also had time to de-stress. We didn’t realize the stress we were living under.  This helps us understand how to help those who will come and plant their lives in the harsh environment that is South Sudan.      IGA!

Work Update:
The well project continues to move forward.  We should be back in Rumbek before the drilling begins – IGA.
We are looking forward to beginning oral storying classes at Abinajok  -- IGA