Water Truck
There's something you must know about the Masai people however; they live simple, primitive lives in small family groups under the hot sun of the arid Great Rift Valley. Most places lack any sort of reliable water source, and in many villages the women have to wake up much earlier than the sun in order to walk upwards of 20 kilometers to fetch water. The women tote a 5 gallon jug in a satchel that they carry with their head. If they are more wealthy, they take a donkey pulling a cart. Water IS life! But most of the time they don't get water from a tap or well, they draw it from ditches, ponds, and rivers. This water is used to drink, to water the cows, goats, and sheep, to wash clothes, and maybe to bathe. Many of these people have never taken a shower as we know it in the Western world. Under these conditions, disease and poor hygiene are prevalent. Just recently Kenya reached a new level of critical drought, and the people in the rural areas such as the Great Rift Valley are struggling to provide themselves with enough water to sustain life. If droughts continue for too long here, animals begin to die, people can't make a decent living, and sometimes children die due to diseases caused by unclean water.
Jessica playing games with the kids. Those Masai really love jumping!
Last Sabbath, several students and staff drove the 40 minutes to a Masai village to grant the men, women, and children there with the gift of life, water. We filled the 2000 liter water tank with clean, fresh water from our well and emptied it into dozens of barrels, cans, jugs, bottles, and whatever the people brought to us to fill. The joy on the faces of these children and adults as they walk away with fresh water is something that is rarely seen in most people. They are not only receiving water, they are receiving hope in the form of compassion and love from complete strangers. However, we are not only helping the Masai people when go on these "water runs", we are giving the students here at Maxwell Adventist Academy a chance to give back to the world around them. We are providing them with the opportunity to show the love of Jesus to those who are less fortunate than themselves. ALL benefit from giving; not only the recipients, but also the givers.
Quite hesitant at first...
When 2000 liters of water is given out at a single village, it lasts roughly four days. That means four days that the women don't have to walk 12 hours for a 5 gallon can of water. It also means four days of clean water that will not harm those who drink it. It is my personal desire to return weekly to this village next to a dry riverbed. I will continue to develop a relationship with the people in it through water distribution and preaching the gospel; maybe not using words, but using the gospel of Jesus: Meeting people's physical needs first and gaining their trust. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40
Inah getting her chance to fill jugs of water for the women.
It is a big event when we come around with a truckload of water.
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