10-9-12
Eleven months is a fairly long time to go without ANYTHING. My teammates and I often chat about things we miss most about our “normal” lives; aside from family and friends, this discussion usually turns to FOOD! Ranging from salad, to Chic-Fil-A, to pizza, and to my personal contribution: SWEET TEA, we definitely experience withdraw from time to time. That said, we get by just fine! Not once have I gone hungry and I’ve even made some culinary discoveries that I plan to bring home with me! (You’d be amazed at what you can do with an avocado; the DR will forever be famous for “chocolate drank,” and Haiti has these blackberry flavored cookies that I literally crave.) Basically, most things we can make it without; some things, however, make that statement MUCH easier said than done.
Whomever said, “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone,” had clearly experienced a water shortage. This month, we are often without electricity, but its not a big deal. We don’t have refrigeration and still we manage. However, after 72+ hours of NO running water to be found ANYWHERE on our premises, it’s easy to see where our weakness lies! No showers. No flushing toilets. (GROSS!) No washing dishes, or hands, or dust-covered feet. NO WATER. Figure that.
*For the record, we have to purchase and haul drinking water here; every few days Becky and I make multiple trips to the filling station, chat with our new friend Emmetson while he fills our order, then saddle our shoulders with 5-gallon buckets and lug them back up the hill to home. (You should see the muscles we’re toting these days!) Alas, all that just to assure you that while running water isn’t always plentiful, we are NOT dehydrating. Still, it’s a process…
A process that definitely makes me appreciate how precious a safe, affordable, accessible water source TRULY is! (Kudos America – and specifically Logan-Todd Water!)
Last month in the DR, our Pastor, Raul, often played (well, more like blared) a song called Agua Vida (aka Water of Life!) That’s literally the only part of the song I understood, but never-the-less it has remained stuck in my head. Today as I closed in on 96 hours since my last shower (for once, I’m thankful for clogged sinuses), I lugged a 5-gallon bucket all over the countryside, and we starred at an ocean that is all-too near and yet quite inaccessible, it seemed rather fitting that Raul’s favorite tune kept coming back to me.
This afternoon I was hanging with some of the girls in our outdoor hallway, doing some finance work, snacking on Nutella (it made it to month 2!), laughing and enjoying the afternoon when of nowhere, Becky screamed and pointed! Jess, Andrea and I turned to find the cause: A RIVER OF MURKY, BROWN, DISGUSTING water rushing toward us (and toward our computers!) We scrambled to grab up everything (SAVE THE NUTELLA!!!) and sought out the source of the commotion – a burst water pipe having fallen victim to ongoing repairs. As Morgan put it, “I guess we should be more specific when we pray for an abundance of water!”
Fortunately, the Water of Life is never in shortage, never dark or murky, and never potentially destructive! We don’t have to walk a long way or carry heavy loads to obtain it, and the tank NEVER runs dry!
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” –John 4:13-14
It is only fitting that it rained tonight! God’s seeds are being sewn here in Haiti; we pray that this land, once dedicated in the name of Satan, be restored to dominion of its Creator. We pray for a spirit of empowerment and honor, encouraging our Haitian brethren to take ownership of their livelihoods. We pray for reconstruction of not only the physical and economic structure, but of the spiritual state of Haiti, and most importantly we pray for lives to die to self and live for Christ! God sending rain after so long just seems like His promise that those seeds will be fertile! Let it rain! Rain Aqua Vida!
Be Blessed,
Ashlee
PS In case you were wondering – I finally DID get to shower! Current record, 96+ hours; I’ll keep you informed of new records as they are achieved.
