Digging wells and washing feet

Some of the hardest labor I know of is digging a well by hand. One of our pastors in the mountains of Lenaca lost his water rights when a grandchild of the previous owner took over property a communal well was on. The grandfather had sold the adjacent property to the pastor with rights to the water on the grandfathers remaining property. That ended when the grandson took ownership and began threatening the pastors daughters with harm. So to keep peace in the neighborhood we are helping the pastor purchase a plot of land farther away just big enough for a well and his sons are going to dig it. Our hope is for funds to install a small gas pump and lines so several families can have water.
In another mountain village we are trying to organize a bigger drilled well for an entire community. The people generally have the funds to drill, but political infighting has prevented it from happening… until we started preaching there a few month ago. Now they see our pastor, backed by us, as a reliable enough to trust to get it done… Hmm, Not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing, time will tell.
We have been contacted by an organization here as well to try and get our Lighthouse well situation fixed. They have offered to go 150 feet deeper and finish the well. If they follow through that would be a major headache fixed. Actual drinking water on tap… what a novel concept. We need a new pump again to fill the tank we put in the mountain. This one looses to much pressure to lift it that high.

Our church construction continues in Trapechee, maybe in 2 more weeks it will be ready for a roof… if funds allow. Need to before rains start. 4 years of services under a tree are about to end… Amen. The sisters of Oliver (the little boy who passed away) were there helping us unload the blocks. Lisa searched the photos and was able to fix up some photos of Oliver on his last day to give to the mom. Beautiful memories of a smiling happy child. She was very thankful and has started coming to services with her 7 other children. Several men in the village volunteered laying blocks so in a few weeks hopefully it will look like the building up in Lenaca. Returned to Lenaca to finish putting the last few screws in the roof. We ran out a few weeks ago installing it, and kept worried the winds would pick up and damage it. Need security windows and doors as well as chairs now. About $2000 would finish everything. While there, the kids went to visit the lady we rushed off the mountain to deliver the baby in Dec. She is literally dirt poor, empty dirt house with a dirt floor. So much so, Patricia was compelled to give her all her money when she left so she could buy food. If you look at her feet you understand a bit more of bible times when Jesus washed feet. Because many live the exact same way as people 2000yrs ago yet need washed spiritually just the same today. Missions is just digging wells and washing feet…Physically and spiritually…

Kia is still hauling loads up the mountain though still way underpowered. Something still not right, so lighter loads are required and more trips. We are also leveling a property a few miles from the Lighthouse for a possible future church building if the LORD opens the door to do so. Many irons in the fire.

School has started, even though the government agency we work with.. hasn’t. Need to track down the new director to get the needed registrations in. We also had a surprise visit from UN human rights organization. Ummm. If it was a test,… I think we might have passed. They came in looking mad and seemed to leave smiling. They looked around talked with the kids. To everyone’s surprise they knew one of our girls. It seems one of the inspectors was in part responsible for “rescuing” her in the beginning. When asked about living here she said she like living with momi and papi and was well taken care of. After that nothing else seemed to matter to them and they left smiling. After the last few weeks events that was somewhat comforting. 2 Tim 3:12 seems ever more relevant.

Never let your destination be determined by how much fuel you have… If you do, you will limit much where you could have gone. Nor can you carry all the fuel you need for your final destination. God says “go”, obedience does not question how, but rather goes, then begins to work solutions to continue. I have coasted 20 miles down a mountain in a broken truck dead truck, tires squalling on the curves with no brakes, only to coast to a stop at the bottom in front of a motel with a repair shop next to it…And lead a man to Christ the next morning while waiting on repairs… If more Christians turned down the noise of the world and listened to the drive of the Holy Spirit, Christianity would be much different than it is now…