~Thirsty~

It all started when we ran out of water. You would turn the faucet on and it would spit back at you. No water to wash your hands, take a shower, or wash your clothes. We were in South Africa in the dead of summer with 100 degree heat, working construction, with no water. We bought drinking water to stay hydrated. The YWAM Kruger staff were doing everything in their power to get the water situation resolved. Before our arrival in South Africa, we had each heard stories of people walking ridiculous amounts of miles for water. Water which probably wasn’t even clean to drink, even making them sick. In the midst of this five day no water fiasco, a young mom passed by our worksite with two empty, large jugs. One of the staff suggested a few of us help her carry the water for the day. We filled up the jugs out of our water container. We decided in our western problem solving thinking to try to put the jugs in the wheel barrow and cart them down the hill to her shack. The water was spilling over the top even with our best efforts. She shyly smiled at us with a gentle laugh in her eyes. She was used to carrying these full, heavy jugs on her head, a baby wrapped up on her back and for many miles. We definitely couldn’t carry it on our heads, no baby or for one mile! We picked up the jugs one each and followed her down to her home.
As we were walking awkwardly carrying the arm-breaking heavy jugs, my mind flashed to our water situation at the base. This is her drinking, dishwashing, baby bathing, cooking, everything water. Every drop is precious to her making every drop precious to me. I concentrated really hard down the hill by the rows of corn and around the corner to her wooden/tin shack to not spill one drop of the precious liquid. I am not sure if I have ever been hit in the face by the truth so hard before. This was not some situation I was reading or hearing about. She was my neighbor down the hill. A single mom with a baby on her back and a five year old to take care of and provide for. I take long hot showers and thoroughly enjoy them. I brush my teeth with the water running. I take it for granted when I turn on the faucet expecting not only water, but clean, warm or cold water will come out. This mom walks for miles a day and back to bring water, maybe clean maybe not, for her little family. It was such an injustice to think that something so basic like clean water was not available to her and so many others. There are children who can’t attend school because their job in the family is to fetch water and they walk miles every day to bring it. I can no longer brush my teeth or shower without thinking of that cute little mom in South Africa and praying that God will give us strategies to meet the physical needs of people to open their hearts to His gospel.