From El Salvador – November 2008

We really had an amazing trip. It’s hard for me to say whether it was better or worse than the last trip because so many things were different. My last trip had more shock factor I guess. Everything was so new and exciting to me. I wanted to capture it all. I wrote as much as I could, took lots of pictures, and tried to soak it all in. We were surrounded by children nearly the entire time. This time was better in some ways though. For starters, Shannon was with me. It was so great to be able to share these experiences with her. I also knew a lot more of what to expect with the work and what we would be facing. Of course I would not have predicted everything that did happen. 

From El Salvador – November 2008

As many of you know by now, we failed on our first attempt at a water well on Monday. It was so disappointing and sad. We had such hopes to bring clean water to these people. It’s hard to even describe the scene as we were packing up the equipment to go to a different site. We wanted to stay positive, to have an encouraging attitude for the people there. We had already started to bond with the families and play with the children. There were hygiene classes scheduled and many people had promised to attend. But we had to call it all off.

We were blessed in that the drilling had gone so quickly that we had time to go to a second site, but this new site had a problem. The spot where we were to drill was not level. Not even close. And since we were not planning to drill there, no preparations had been made to get the site ready. Typically some of the local men will dig the mud pits for the drill teams because this can take up almost a whole day. Our lead driller told me we would have to spend the rest of the day digging to level the site. For a scrawny computer geek like me with carpel tunnel and back troubles, this was not good news. BUT, but after we arrived, Abel spots one of his friends driving down the road in a large back hoe / front-end loader. He waves him down and asks if he could spare 20 minutes to help us out. He agrees and just a little while later, we have a nice level spot to start drilling and I didn’t even have to pick up a shovel. Whew.

From El Salvador – November 2008

So half our team, including Shannon, headed back to site 1 to gather the rest of the supplies while the other half, including me, started drilling at site 2. We started out with the air-hammer drill again which makes things go so much faster. Perhaps even too quickly. We hit clean water before the rest of our team got back from their equipment errand. When they arrived, they were both excited and disappointed. Excited that we had hit fresh water, but a little disappointed that they missed it. We finished drilling down and had to pack it up for the night. What a day!

From El Salvador – November 2008

Monday night, the LWI team lead asked if we would be willing to try for a third well. Since things had gone so quickly at site 2, we could likely try for another well before the week was out. Of course we were all for that. The next 3 days were a bit of a blur, and I get it all mixed up in my mind as to when we did what at which site with who. Even on the way home we were discussing the trip and I kept getting the facts mixed up, but I suppose some of those details really are not the most import part of the story. 

From El Salvador – November 2008

The differences between site 2 and site 3 were huge. Site 2 was right on a highway, next to a bus stop, and across from a small store. It’s right at the cross-roads for 3 communities. Our LWI leaders guessed that over 3,000 people would be able to drink from this well! But we didn’t get to meet very many of them. Because of the busy road, there were no children playing close by. And I discovered later that several of the men we did meet were actually from our third site. They were there helping us because they were told that if we finished this well quickly, we would come and dig a well for them.

From El Salvador – November 2008

Site 3 was off the main road in a community just off the corner of a soccer field. This well will likely serve over 300 people as the families all around walk over to fill their water pots every day. We really bonded with these people. The LWI hygiene teacher, Katie, was able to have multiple classes with the women and children of the village. We played with the children on the soccer field. I threw more frisbees than I have in a long time. It was very relational. The people were so gracious and hospitable too. They cook food for us, chopped down fresh coconuts, brought bananas and limes, and just spent time visiting with us. A couple of the men had spent some time in the US and spoke some English which was great. Although my Spanish skills have improved some, I’ve still got a long way to go before I’m fluent. 

From El Salvador – November 2008

Thursday evening, we had a dedication ceremony at Site 3. It seemed like the whole village came out to join in the ceremony. It was a really neat time. The village leader spoke to everyone and shared how grateful they were for the well. We also had an opportunity to talk to the people and I was able to tell them a little bit about why we had come so far leaving our children behind to be with them. Near the end of the ceremony, one of the elderly women from the village came forward to pray. I could not understand all of what she said, but her prayer moved me to tears. Her passion and gratefulness to God for His provision was amazing. I kept wondering how many people this woman has seen become sick or even die because of water problems in her life time. And now, she is finally able to see an end to some much of that pain. It’s hard to put to words the excitement we all felt. It was a beautiful moment at the end of a wonderful trip. I wish my 3 kids could have been there to see everything we saw. One day they will be. 

From El Salvador – November 2008

Several of our friends and family helped us in so many ways to be able to go on this trip. Some helped with the funding of the trip, our parents graciously kept our children for us so we could go, and many prayed for us while we were away. We deeply appreciate all of the support we received for this effort. You have all helped to bring safe drinking water to well over 3,000 people and helped us to bring a message of hope and love to a people who often feel like outsiders. Thank you.

From El Salvador – November 2008

Here’s short video about that trip:

This weekend we’re going back. But this time Shannon and I are both on the team. I’m really excited that we will be together on this trip. We have a lot of work to do this week to finish getting ready. I will be taking my laptop, and there is a chance we will have some limited internet access while we’re there. You can check back here for updates throughout the week or at the following blog set up by one of our other team members. http://teamlivingwater08.blogspot.com/

Finally, once the hole was completed down to about 100 feet, we had to start putting everything else in place. First though, we had to remove the drill stem and the drill bit. We just did everything in reverse order and got it all back out.

The next task was the hardest of all. We had to lower the pump and all the galvanized pipe down inside the PVC pipe by hand. We used these large C-shaped wrenches to grip the pipe and slowly lower it; then a vice was used to hold it in place while we raised our wrenches back up to grab hold again.

The final step was to test everything out.

Once we had everything working, we went back to the resort where we were staying to get cleaned up and came back to the school for a well dedication ceremony.

After the ceremony, we stayed for a little while and visited with all the children and their families. There were lots of hugs and several of the mothers and grandmothers thanked me for coming to help them. There was a strange mix of emotions: joy, sadness, hope, and love. It was bitter-sweet to be finished with this project; it was pretty hard to leave.

Our team was divided into two groups. Each group had 4 drillers. There are 4 positions on the drilling rig. First up is the one operating the drill. You control the rotation, up and down movement, and keep an eye on the flow of mud up the shaft.

Second was the assistant driller. This person is responsible for keeping the trench clean and the mud flowing. You also have to take the soil samples as well as switch the mud pump to recirculate back into the pit instead of down the drill stem when it’s time to add a new section of drill pipe.

Next up is the tool pusher who is responsible for all the tools. You keep the tools in their proper place, retrieve tools as needed, and general oversight of the team. You also prepare the drill pipes when their needed by cleaning the threads and adding some grease.

Finally was our favorite position in the mud pit. Here you have to ensure that the mud pump keeps flowing. This involves reaching down into the mud and pulling any debris away from the intake of the pump’s hose. You have to be careful to keep the intake hose under the surface, because if it draws in air, then the pump will lose suction and will have to be primed again.

If we were not drilling we were drinking as much water as possible, resting in the shade, or playing with the kids.

Many people have been curious about the specifics of the drilling work we were doing in El Salvador.

First of all, in order to drill for water, you need a lot of water. That sounds funny, but we had to pump water down the drill pipe and out the end of the drill bit. This serves several purposes. It keeps the drill bit cool, helps to soften the dirt, and pushes up all the cuttings back to the surface. So, we drove to the river and filled several barrels with not-so-clean water. There were many women and children at the river doing laundry and fetching water as well.

We also have to dig a couple of pits. Fortunately, one of the local men had already dug the pits for us when we arrived. Next we had to seal the pits with mud and bentonite. The bentonite mixed with water made a slushy mixture that reminded me of runny pudding. These pits were going to hold water for our drilling operation, so they needed be sealed up. We had some trouble with this because the ground was pretty cracked. Water kept flowing out of the pits and flowing from one pit to the other, but after some effort and a lot of mud and bentonite we got them plugged up.

As the drill cuts down, the cuttings flow up the hole, and down a trench into the first pit. This is the settling pit where the larger bits of rock and dirt will settle. Then the muddy water flows to the second pit where the mud pump sucks it back up and down the drill pipe for another run.

Every 5 feet of drilling we would have to add a new length of drill pipe to the rig. At this point, we would also take a soil sample of the sediment coming up so we could gage what type of material were were drilling through. This was also a good time to change shifts so half the team could rest while the other half worked in the sun. Sometimes a 5 foot section would go rather quickly (20 minutes), and other times it make take 3 hours. We must have hit some dense rock or iron ore on Monday, because it took us many hours just to go about 15 feet, but on Tuesday things really sped up and we drilled all the way down to 100 feet.

I was really excited to learn that we would be drilling a well for a school. Living Water (the organization we went with), drills wells all over the world for communities, churches, schools, and all those in desperate need of clean water. But there just seems to be something special about providing water for a school. Several things happen when a school has good water. It’s customary for the women and children to be the ones to fetch the water every day. Many children have to miss school because they have to be the ones to get the water (especially young girls). When there is good clean water at the school, attendance goes up as children come with their pots to take water back home.

More children getting an education will have a huge impact on the community for generations.

Being at a school also gave our hygiene team a unique, and challenging, opportunity to teach many children some of the fundamentals of good health. The children learned how germs are spread, why it’s important to wash your hands after using the toilet and before eating, and how to protect your food and water from contamination.

Chronic illness is rampant because people simply do not have access to clean water. Around 85% of the worlds illnesses are related to unsafe drinking water. So many of the children we saw seemed so happy and healthy, but looks can be deceiving. One of the days we were there, a couple of the team members went across the street to talk to some of the people in the community. When asked if their children were sick, many parents would say no. But if asked if they had problems with diarrhea, they would say oh yes, the children have diarrhea every day. If every time you have a bowel movement, it’s diarrhea, that becomes normal to you, and many don’t even realize that this is a chronic illness. In some areas of Africa, they will not even name their children until they are 2 years old because the infant mortality rates are so high. The vast majority of the sicknesses killing their children are in their water. In El Salvador, we saw several hand-dug wells. These wells are probably only 20 feet deep, but they are also in close proximity to the hand-dug toilets. The contamination from their own waste flows right into the water they are drinking. Those who live near a river or stream suffer from the contamination of their neighbors up stream. Those who drink from water holes like this one next to the highway suffer from contamination from the road.

My family may not be able to solve the world’s water crisis, but we can absolutely have a profound impact. I choose to go because these children are loved by God just as much as my own children, and they have just as much of a right to clean water as my children do.

We try to help our children see that there are many people in this world who have much less that we do. Many who do not have even some of the basic necessities of life. One thing we like to do around Christmas time is to go through the catalogue we get from World Vision. If you haven’t seen their holiday catalogue, you should check it out. It’s especially great for children. It’s not a catalogue of stuff you can buy for yourself, but rather items you can buy for others. You can buy animals (chickens, goats, cows, camels). You can buy fishing nets and equipment. You can buy school supplies, medical supplies, or clothing. Each item has pictures of children or families which are representative of the people that will receive your gifts. There are some pages with many items for smaller dollar amounts which makes it affordable for the kids. It’s really helped our children to feel closer to the people they are giving their money to. They know that the vegetable seeds or blankets they’re buying are not going to the girl in the picture, but it still is much more personal than just giving money to a large organization. And of course you can buy a water well or part of one. It’s also been a great reminder to us as we desire to buy things for ourselves which we often don’t really need. My wife will sometimes lovingly remind me where our priorities should be by asking, “How many camels can you buy for the cost of this ____?”.

We started to dream about being able to pay for a well, which in some areas can be over $20,000. In El Salvador it only cost about $5,000. An even bigger dream was to be able to go as a family and let our children see first hand that unless we give and go to help, there are many people who will not even have clean water to drink. So we were excited when our community of faith decided to participate in the Advent Conspiracy. The basic idea is that we would spend less money on ourselves, our friends, and family for Christmas so that we could spend more money helping to provide clean water to people around the world. At the beginning of this year, our elders thought it would be a good idea to also send a team to help with a well in addition to sending the money we had raised. As soon as Shannon and I heard of the opportunity, we were very excited. We both wanted to go. However, we felt it may be a little too soon to leave our youngest away from her Momma for a week. So we decided that I should go on my own; this would be a fact-finding mission for me as well as a well drilling mission.

The science is simple: drinking poop kills.
Nobody wants to drink poop… but when water comes from a shallow well and the only place to do your business is a pit latrine, it happens.
– Quoted from OneDollarWater.com

• 1.1 Billion very important people lack access to clean water. They drink from polluted lakes and streams where animal waste, human waste, and parasites infect the water.
• Women and children walk 2 hours each way to fetch water (hauling dirty water back to their families.) They have no time or energy left for education or small business, and many of them die.
• Preventable water related diseases kill one child every 15 seconds. That’s 10,000 every day (and that’s just the children).

– Quoted from 1000wells.com

I have been given a great opportunity by my church and Living Water International to go and be a part of a well dig in El Salvador. Living Water is doing all of the heavy lifting for planning the trip, hiring a drilling crew, scouting out an ideal location, all the logistics, etc. Our team of 5 will be there to assist the drilling crew and provide education to the community with regard to sanitation and health.

I’m really excited about this opportunity. This is something that we’ve dreamed about being a part of for some time. Unfortunately, my wonderful wife will not be going with me on this trip. We felt like the Bear was a little too young to go or be left for a week away from Momma. So, we’re also viewing my trip as a fact finding mission. We hope to be able to do this as a family in the not too distant future.

Some of my friends and family have asked how they can pray for me on this trip. First of all pray that we hit water. We will be drilling for up to 5 days, and there is a possibility that we may not find water at all. We will obviously be disappointed by that, but the community who is currently drinking mud from surface puddles contaminated with poop will not be blessed. Pray that we will be able to bring the true living water of Christ to this community in addition to life sustaining water. Pray for our health of course and all the connections we have to make. And pray for Living Water to be able to reach more and more communities around the world with this most fundamental requirement for life.

If you are interested in getting involved contribute to one of the many organizations dedicated to providing clean water around the world. TheH2OProject.org has some great resources. Check our their page of water drilling organizations here.
It cost surprisingly little to dig a well for an entire community. A shallow well could be as little as $3,000 and provide clean water for hundreds. On average it only cost $1 to provide clean water for one person per year. Shocking considering that I paid $4 for a fancy espresso drink just the other day.

Yaconelli then discusses rest (as in Matt. 11:18).

The ugly truth, however, is that many of us do not know how to rest! Actually, we do know how to rest; we simply refuse to rest. Rest is a decision we make. Rest is choosing to do nothing when we have too much to do, slowing down when we feel pressure to go faster, stopping instead of starting. Rest is listening to our weariness and responding to our tiredness, not to what is making us tired. Rest is what happens when we say one simple word: “No!” Rest is the ultimate humiliation because in order to rest, we must admit we are not necessary, that the world can get along without us, that God’s work does not depend on us. Once we understand how unnecessary we are, only then might we find the right reasons to say yes. Only then might we find the right reasons to decide to be with Jesus instead of working for him. Only then might we have the courage to take a nap with Jesus.

I think Yaconelli may be right. It’s not that I don’t know how to rest, I do. But it’s really hard for me to choose to rest. Figuring out how to choose rest without feeling guilty about all the things I’m not doing, now that’s even harder. But I want to try.