Precious Water

My heart sank and tears came to my eyes. "The well is dry," Almando told me. I tried to wrap my head around what that means and talked through potential solutions in a panic. "Are the pipes too short to get the water in the well?" I wondered. No. The water is simply gone. 

Rainy season is mostly behind us in Haiti, with the exception of occasional showers throughout hurricane season. The problem is it didn't really rain here this year. Everything is dry and dusty including the plants, the roads, and the well that has been supplying us with water for over a year. The water table has dropped so wells that are shallow--like ours and several others in the community--no longer have water. The deep, machine dug wells still have good water supply, but, without rain, there is a good chance they would dry up as well.

Water, at our house, has become a precious commodity. We think twice before flushing the toilet, jumping in the shower, or washing dishes. Bityah's bath water becomes the mop water and the laundry gets prioritized. Water has become so precious and we no longer can take it for granted.

So, what are we going to do? Pray for rain and trust that God will provide. Period. Many people have been praying for rain for us and I would request that you all continue. We really do need water. The city turns water in every once and a while, so God provided for us that way the other night when our tank was just about empty. We were able to run a hose from where the city water is to fill our tank completely! Praise The Lord! 

We don't really know what we should do for the long term. We have considered digging a deeper well--an expensive option. We have considered having city water run to the house--a possible option. We pray for rain a conserve water--definitely a must do option. 

Friends, please be praying for us as this is an unexpected challenge at the end of a very busy season. Please be praying for our community as we all deal with the challenge of getting water to our homes. Pray for rain. 

Wednesday Evenings

This summer, we have had anywhere between 1 and 7 trips happening every week in different locations.  It has been amazing to hear all the stories about how God is working in each team, community, and staff member.  Since I have not necessarily been on a trip every week, but still have much responsibility to make sure trips happen well, I have been getting into a routine on Wednesday evenings (sometimes Thursdays).

I sit down with my computer and review the trips that will begin in the next week.  I double check that the staff are all assigned correctly and make any necessary changes.  Number changes, staff availability, and a number of other variables make changes almost inevitable.  For each trip that will begin, I start a "conversation" for all the staff on facebook.  The trip leader, assistant trip leaders, and interns all get a message reminding them that they have a trip to lead together.  They can use that message to communicate about what time to meet at the airport, whether or not to bring air mattresses, what ministries to look forward to and prepare for, and details about the team that is coming in as well as the community they will be serving.
Here is an example of what I sent this week:

Hey Pelicans! You all are going to be serving with a team north of PAP this week. You will be staying at a familiar lodging location, so that means you will have to be making sure of several things as soon as you get there--lights, water, garbage cans, toilets all working, etc. Please take initiative to make sure everything goes smoothly! Enjoy the week and let God use you all! GO MAD!

After this message is sent, it's up to the trip leader to make sure each individual staff member knows where to go and what to do.  Sometimes they do this in a text message, a call, or they simply add on to my message.

Another part of what I do on Wednesdays is go back through all the trips that are going to end in the next couple of days and send a message to all the staff members who have been serving this week.  I thank them for all they have done and ask that they would review the trip and let PPM know how they felt the trip went that week.  I enjoy doing these things and making sure everyone feels valued, informed, and important.  I am grateful for things like facebook that helps me communicate with everyone easily and coordinate everyone.

This is just a little peek into what I do behind the scenes to make sure each mission trip has the leaders in place and ready to serve with each team.  I know that I am working for the Lord, even in these little details as we continue to go through the summer.  It is all for His glory and fame!

Continue praying for all the teams that have come, the communities that they have served, and the staff who have served with them.  And, of course, be praying for the upcoming weeks as we still will be hosting many teams in many communities.

Building Bathrooms to Develop Partnerships

Forming new partnerships is one of my favorite parts of what we do down here.  We get to meet new pastors, visit new locations, and watch God develop relationships between communities here and in the states.  Sometimes there are challenges in forming these partnerships.  Maybe the road is too bad to physically bring a team to a location.  Maybe it is simply too far.  Maybe there isn't a good place for the team to stay. Maybe there are no showers or bathrooms.  

When we place our teams, we have to keep these things--especially the lodging necessities in mind.  Most times, we are able to bring teams to some pretty tough locations.  How?  We have tents that we use from time to time for places with no lodging and my talented husband sees potential in communities and builds bathrooms to develop partnerships. 

Bathrooms are often problems for our lodging locations.  Many times we can find a school or a church to lodge the team at, but there are no working toilets--only latrines--and there are no showers.  This is a problem for teams because in the Haiti heat showering is a necessity and bathrooms are a must.  

Last summer, Almando developed a partnership with a community in Jacmel where the bathrooms were going to be a problem.  He decided--rightly--that this partner would receive a group well and needed the encouragement, so something had to be done.  He worked with the pastor on a plan for bathrooms.  A couple of weeks before the team came, he made the trip to the mountain community and built bathrooms.  This is a blessing for the team and for the community as they now can receive guests and use the bathrooms themselves.  

This really is a huge blessing as we have found many locations with the same problem.  Last year, Almando built bathrooms in three locations.  Two of those locations have already received teams again this year and were able to use the same bathrooms.  As of today, he has built two more sets of bathrooms/showers in two new locations so new partnerships can be developed.  Monday and Tuesday we were in Les Cayes building showers and today (Wednesday) he drove to another remote location to build a whole set of bathrooms and showers.  

Before the summer is over, he will have to build at least one more set to lodge our teams at new locations.  These things that so often get taken for granted are often such hindrances to the work we are doing.  Tonight, as I am thinking of my husband and the many gifts he has been given, I am grateful that he is able to do this.  To make a way to develop these new partnerships where there hasn't been a way before.  It would be easy to just say, "Nope, we can't bring a team because you don't have bathrooms."  But we don't say that.  We say, "let's see what we can do." and try to make it work.

So many more partnerships are formed because we see potential instead of obstacles.  Al was just telling me about the group who served in Jacmel where these bathrooms were built last year and returned this year.  He said that it felt like community members who were in the states for a year just came home.  That's a beautiful partnership.  What if we said, "No" because of the bathrooms?  

Praise God that He has given Al this ability to not only see potential, but do something to really make a difference. I am blessed to watch this happen.  To hear these stories.  And to know that God really is using us.  To build bathrooms and bridges to bring cultures and the Body of Christ together.  All for His glory.