As Americans, have you ever thought about the fact that you have an unlimited supply of running water anytime you want that changes temperatures at the twist of a hand to make you most comfortable while using it? It used to cross my mind every now and then, but not enough to actually really wonder what it feels like to go without it. I even participated in an impactful fundraiser for well drilling at my university last year; carrying water on my head and being absent from class, due to children in Africa that cannot attend school because they have no water. It definitely struck a cord in me that never left; but did I really know what it looked like to be without water? No!! Because I’ve never had to be and it’s something we take for granted every single day of our lives. We have only ever been without water a day or two because of a pipe exploding or freezing and then it’s usually fixed as soon as possible or we just go to family or a friend’s house and use their water until ours is restored.
Think about how often you actually use water. We use it for washing our hands, flushing the toilet, taking a shower, feeding the dog, washing dishes, washing clothes, washing our cars, brushing our teeth, cooking, cleaning, drinking, etc. The list could go on forever. We NEED water and we NEED it often. When you do need it, you just go right up to the faucet and get it, no problem!! You don’t think about how you’re going to get it or how much extra time you need to prepare it or anything. You just simply take a few steps to the bathroom or kitchen and turn the knob and decide whether you want it hot or cold.
Well, this month we’ve been without water from time to time. We’re staying in a pretty nice house with the pastor and his wife, but it’s just a normal thing here for the water to be turned off for a few days a week. What???? A normal thing for the water to just be shut off weekly; weird!!! And when it is turned on and we go to take a shower, you either choose freezing, freezing or maybe freezing; but you do have the handy option of boiling a bucket of water and just taking a bucket shower, which is usually my choice. It definitely is not the easiest way, but it doesn’t give me frost bite either. I don’t just have to take a shower, I use the toilet and the sink too! So everything becomes a job that usually does not seem like one at home. None of these things bother me at all, but they do make me realize how blessed I’ve actually been without just thinking about it every once in a while, without really knowing what I’m even saying; because I have no clue how hard it actually is to be without it. I know I will never take it for granted again and probably never waste it again either.
I guess I never really comprehended what it was like to be without water until I actually experienced it for a long period of time and knowing this is what they are used to everyday!! I am still spoiled and overly blessed because every single day as I walk through the slums, I see women and children carrying jugs of water on their heads back and forth back and forth. The jugs are probably about five gallons and they are usually bright yellow; the same color buckets I carried on my head a year ago to support the cause, so it kind of hit home for me to see it actually happen in real life. I see these women carry water all day long. I was standing outside of the church talking to a friend, the carpenter named Weikie, about Jesus the other day and his shop is right next door to the water facet. I couldn’t help but be distracted from our conversation, because I was counting how many times I saw the same lady walk jugs of water home. She would take one jug on her head and be gone about 15 minutes, and then come back for more. I counted her walking at least five times and I left before she was finished. Could you even begin to imagine doing that every single day? And to beat it all, the water is not even clean enough for us as Americans to drink without getting sick, and they have to pay so much per jug of water with money they probably do not have. These women work hard and they do not have it easy by any means. They’re constantly running for water and spending hours a day just preparing to have water at their homes to do the things they need to do. They work their butts off to support their families and take care of them. They know the true meaning of working hard and struggling. How could they ever have time to go out and find a different job, when they’re so focused on trying to get water every day?
We have no idea what this is like, because having water in our home at all times is like breathing; it’s natural for us to have running water in our homes, without even thinking. We don’t ever have to say, “oh, I’m going to make dinner and then take a shower, so I should probably leave open a five hour window to prepare the water for that before I can actually take the shower and make the dinner.” The water is already there for us to freely do with whatever we want. By the time you have prepared enough water for the day, its night time again and your day is ending.
It’s just unbelievable to me how blessed we are and what all we take for granted. There are a lot of people in the world living on so much less in every possible way than us and seem much happier than most Americans. They carry the true joy of the Lord with them everywhere they go, because they know what it’s really like to have to rely on Him. When we think of people living on less than us, we don’t even consider the fact that they don’t have water and have to walk miles a day just to get it. This isn’t okay! It’s our job to help change this world; and if we’re not doing anything to help it, then what are we really doing?? We go to work and come home to wake back up and go to work and come home again. God created us to be a people that loved and helped one another. He says:
“freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8
It’s just unbelievable to me how blessed we are and what all we take for granted. There are a lot of people in the world living on so much less in every possible way than us and seem much happier than most Americans. They carry the true joy of the Lord with them everywhere they go, because they know what it’s really like to have to rely on Him. When we think of people living on less than us, we don’t even consider the fact that they don’t have water and have to walk miles a day just to get it. This isn’t okay! It’s our job to help change this world; and if we’re not doing anything to help it, then what are we really doing?? We go to work and come home to wake back up and go to work and come home again. God created us to be a people that loved and helped one another. He says:
“freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8
and he also says:
“love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 19:19
Where did we go wrong allowing our neighbors to go without water? It’s hard for me to believe that it is 2010 and we are still allowing people to raise their families without water.
I want to challenge you today to try and go one solid day without water. Do not take a shower or wash your hands. Do not flush your toilet, and yes that even means after going number two! Do not brush your teeth; and if so, it should be from a bucket not a running faucet. If you cook, you cannot use water for any part of it or wash the dishes afterwards. This is not a true representation of what it’s really like, but it will at least give you an idea. And please don’t jip yourself of the experience either, I don’t mean to go without water, but still go out to eat and drink soda all day without trying to go to the bathroom when you need to. It means live your usual life WITHOUT water completely for one day; and then take that experience before the Lord and ask Him what you can do to help with this situation. Because it’s happening all over the world and it’s our job to change it, so I’m asking you to rise up and mobilize as God’s people and help change this for these people. We are blessed, so why not help bless them as well?
Thanks to Erin Crain for helping me catch some awesome photos.
