Most of the month of March, I was away from home, two weeks
in Nicaragua, and then a week in Big Bend here in Texas. In both places beautiful
mountains surrounded me. Of all the images that I have tucked away in my memory
from my travels, however, the one that has haunted me most was watching a small
girl, about the age of my grandkids, stooping at a creek near one of the
medical clinics we held in Nicaragua to cup a drink of water in her hands. I
wanted to shout, “No!” but I realized I had no right to say anything, when I
had no clean water to offer her. The doctors at the clinics regularly saw
children sick from water borne diseases.
The first week in Nicaragua, the mission team from our
church helped the people of Las Lajas, Nicaragua install a Living Waters for
the World water purification system. Now the children at three schools will
have access to clean water, thanks be to God! It was a blessing to celebrate
with the people of Las Lajas. But there are so many more places that need clean
water, all around the world. Living Waters for the World says that a child dies
every 20 seconds from lack of clean water.
While we were in Nicaragua, we looked for a new site to install
another water purification system next year. We visited two places and talked
with community leaders. My heart is with the community of Los Chimbos, where we
would install a system in a school. The community is poor, even by Nicaraguan
standards, but they have formed a committee of parents who want to provide
clean water to their children. Their water comes from a spring that was once
unpolluted. But several families built homes near the spring and now the water
is making the children of Los Chimbos sick. I tried to imagine what it would be
like to give my kids or grandkids water, knowing it would probably make them
sick. The sign we posted on the new water system in Las Lajas says, “Jesus
Christ is living water for our bodies and our souls.” The same Jesus who said
when you give a cup of water to one of these little ones, you will be rewarded.
The only reward I want is to know there are no more children dying from lack of
clean water.
Grace and Peace,
Donna Bowling
