We Have Water!

April 4, 2014 (Friday) My body feels refreshed after a night of sleeping in the cool mountain air. The showers expected for the day are welcomed and with a rain coat and umbrella placed inside my back pack we are ready to go to Rafiki.

As we travel toward the village the mountain fills the sky line before us.  Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano, sits in Uganda and Kenya.  Its slopes are massive and throughout the years this mountain has given shelter to several tribes.

The people of Rafiki left the mountain in search of a peaceful land. They were tired of the unrest and tribal wars in the mountain.  They settled in the fertile lands at the base of this majestic mountain and they called their new land “Rafiki.”   Rafiki means friend and it was their desire to have a friendly and peaceful community to raise their families in.

The people in the village had worked hard to establish a church.  In time they put in a well and added rooms beside the church for classrooms.  We helped them build a place for their chickens and fence it in so that the women of the church could have an income.

It was all good except one thing; they did not own the land.  In the dark of the night the landlord and his hired men came and demolished it all.  It is the African way of running someone off.  The rent had been paid and the lease was in force but we've been told that someone had coated the landlord’s hand with money and offered to buy the property. 

 

The morning came and as people gathered to worship they found their church in a pile of  rubble.  Monday morning came and one hundred children thought there would be school as usual but their school had been destroyed.

Today we are dedicating the land that they have been blessed with.  It is a piece of land that they can call their own! A tent sits in the back of the longand narrow lot and it is full of people. They didn't give up and they believe that one day they will have a church on this property. The rain clouds roll in and the sky darkens above us. The rain is a sign of blessing and it pours life into the land. God has not forgotten them in the midst of their storm. 

Trees are planted on the new property as we celebrate and thank the Lord for all that he is doing for the people in Rafiki.

Behind the tent is a pile of thorn bushes and as we look beneath them we look into the new well that is being dug. The men started the digging at the first of the week and have already gone down seventeen feet.

April 9, 2014 (Wednesday) We have hit water!   The well is 30’ deep and has 5’ feet of water. They have put water proof cement around the sides and are bricking up the walls. We have some very happy people in Rafiki!

The days have been very full from early morning to night as good things are happening in other villages as well.  The land around the church and school in Taito needs to be fenced and secured.  It is a must here in this land.  We have removed the massive stumps that bordered the road and tilled the ground. Once the fence is in place we will plant a natural fencing of thorn bushes around the property. 

In Wamuini we have two bedrooms being constructed for the children that lost their mother.  It is the custom in many areas to have the children sleep outside the main house. 

These two bedrooms are in a building that stands separate from the house. One room will be for the girls and the other for the boys.

Daily supervision is a must as the skills and tools needed are lacking. Each project is in a different direction so I find myself bouncing through the villages on the back of a motorbike a good part of the day. There are those that expect to see me ride by now and are waiting with a wave and a smile.

I hear my name called as I ride through the different areas.... even from the trees tops where the men are cutting the branches that prevent the sun from shining on their garden.  Another motorbike rides up beside us and slows down to our pace it is a friend from another village that wants to say hi!

There have been struggles and storms to endure but the Lord has blessed me with favor and the friendship of many.

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants