I miss the United States today. The fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday, but this Independence Day will always hold a special memory.
It was a shorter boat ride up the Maranon today to José Olaya, a river village of approximately 300 people or 60 families. Once again we were planning to dig a well there. By this point the team began work on the well with amiable fluidity. Before too long there was a village crowd gathered to watch as we worked, many more men came out to work than the last village and they were very excited to see us.
The New York team had some coloring pages for the children to do which were appropriately themed after the woman at the well (John 4: 1-42) where Jesus said, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water than I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:14. It was beautiful to think that we had part in sharing the Living Water with these precious people.
One team member was sick through the night and still couldn’t eat much today. Lord, heal her body. The past two days I’ve jumped right in and gotten dirty to help with the well digging but for some reason today I was content to sit on the sidelines, praying and worshipping. In the stillness I noticed that the children here doing “play dolls”, they actively take care of their younger siblings. I saw a small child (probably around 4 or 5) running through the village holding a baby. I guess Americans are just too protective. Haha.
To commemorate America’s independence a few of us screeched our way through the National Anthem in the middle of the jungle. Quite patriotic I’d say.
About mid-afternoon the earth turned to sand and shortly thereafter water started gushing up out of the pipes! Praise the Lord! To think that I had even a small part in bringing clean drinking water to an entire community brings an indescribable feeling of joy. I imagine the Father beaming with even more pleasure when he offered us the Living Water through the blood of his precious son.
Tonight was the worst meal I’ve had so far, not really just in my mind because we were all sitting around the dinner table (sweating and swatting flies, of course) talking about what we would be doing for the Fourth in the States. Needless to say, all our talking about hamburgers, watermelon, French fries, baked beans, potato salad, homemade ice cream, and apple pie made our rice and fried plantains seem even more foreign. .
“For the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you gave me food, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and gave you a drink? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25: 34-40
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