So the "woman at the well story" has a lot more meaning to me now! I heard a sermon awhile back about Jesus having the need for water in common with the woman he met at the well. It made sense but now it makes more sense, let me tell you why.
Here is this weeks story: It has now hit dry season and if it doesn't rain we have to wait for a truck to come and fill up the well our village uses. Now, just because the well gets filled up doesn't mean we have water to use until it runs out. We have a man in charge of turning on the water and allowing us to use a portion of it at a time. If he were to let us all use the water whenever we wanted it, it would run out quickly. When he turns on the water (which is at random times) everyone races to the tubs, the pilas (outdoor sinks) and indoor sinks to fill jugs and buckets. The water is turned on for about fifteen minutes.
I am going to try and describe to you what it's like to live in humidity without water. Here it goes: First, the in morning you have to remember to keep the toilet paper out of the toilet and in the trash. Second, there is only a little bit of water in the toilet so it won't flush and the pipes and bathroom begin to smell. Third, if you want to take a hot bath you must heat up a bucket of water for about fifteen minutes. (don't forget to mix the cold water with hot when you pour it over yourself, it hurts when you forget.) Forth, laundry might take all day to get done because if the water is on for a few minutes that day you can start it but you have to pour buckets of water in the washer to finish it. Fifth, when you do get your clothes clean it doesn't mean they stay dry. One must rearrange ones clothes everyday to prevent mold. Sixth, dishes sometimes don't get done right away so you might have a few extra insect friends hanging around your dishes.
When the new well gets finished which might be in two weeks we will have an abandance of water. This experience has taught me the importance of water and community. Everyone here understands ones frustrations of not taking a shower and not having clean clothes. They know what it's like to be without water.
Bible related: The woman at the well had the need for water and Jesus said he was the everlasting water. He related to her and he understood the need. It's not easy to live without water. It's awesome to be able to grasp a glimse of hardship to understand others are without everlasting water. They are living such hard lives and things could be lifted from them with a well that will never run dry. She understood his message to her and she didn't just accepted it. She told everyone she knew about this water, this eternal well of living water. Thanks God for teaching me the importance of the call to share HIS sight through my frustration. We have been praying for water and it's rained all night and day today. What a gracious God! If you have some thoughts about this scripture and how it relates please share. God be with you.
2 comments:
This reminds me of when I did a mission trip to Guatemala. I didn't face nearly the difficulties that you are facing. But my team was staying at a school/hospital compound that collected rainwater to bathe and drink. Of course we drank bottled water to prevent illness, but we bathed in the rainwater.
It was August, and I don't think it was the rainy season but either way our water supply was limited. The compound had two or three dozen showers, but on any given day, hot water would be funneled to less than a half-dozen. And of course, it was different showers every day. If I had forgotten to ask on the previous night which showers had hot water, I had to take a gamble - and usually I lost!
I have many vivid memories of showering in ice-cold water. I remember attempting to put as little of my body underneath the faucet as possible. I'm sure I was a sight! Oh, but I stayed clean and I never got frostbite! What adventures the Lord takes us on!
I"m dating myself but when I was a little girl we would go to Grandma's house and their water was pumped by the windmill. We had a bathroom but with 12 in the house someone was always in there or it was clogged up with......yes, toilet paper. SOOOOO we used the outhouse. We drank water out of a tin can from the holding tank in the well house. It was not always so plentiful here either.
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