One of the most crucial lessons I’ve learned in Ethiopia is that electricity is a gift. Every day the electricity is out from lunch until dinner (and sometimes much longer). If the water still works during this time it will always be cold, and if the water stops working then the bathrooms quickly become nasty.
HOPEthiopia has one of the only wells for miles. When the power goes out in town, this is the only place people can get their water. My favorite way to serve the community is through water distribution. Three of us go right off the compound to a barbed wire enclosure with four water spouts. While the people take their jugs to get water, I carry their water out to the road, load water jugs on donkeys, and love the people however I can. Since the well is right next to the road, it allows for me to get an up close glimpse of the community. My squad usually causes a great commotion when we go into town (we’re the only white people for miles) but at the well I can really see what life is like outside the compound.
Every day I see people go to the well for water. I see children with holes in their clothes, flies in their eyes (that they don’t brush away) and the most beautiful smiles. I see women (even old or pregnant ones) take scarves and tie giant jugs of water on their back to carry home. I’ve seen children carry jugs as big as themselves and put them on a donkey like they’re buckets of feathers. I’ve seen people push and shove to get to water spouts, doing whatever hey can to make sure they get water that day. These people live a life I can’t even imagine, even after washing my laundry by hand for the last month. They’re stronger, tougher, and more inspiring then I could ever hope to be. While working in water distribution I’ve been laughed at, asked for help, and thanked more times that I can count.
As I’ve been learning about how special electricity is, I’m also learning how much I don’t need it. The kitchen here uses gas stoves so we always have food, and there’s a well on the property that provides our water. It gets cold at night, but the staff gave us thick blankets to keep warm. We have no hearing or air conditioning, and the only comfort I find is the constant stream of coffee from the kitchen (provided that the power is on).
When I post this blog it will be the first time I’ve had internet in a month. I haven’t missed social media or google at all, and there’s so little to do here that I usually spend my free time with the Lord. While I miss talking to my loved ones, the Lord is teaching me about the importance of interceding and praying without ceasing. I can’t contact the people back home, but I can pray that the Lord takes care of them for me. I trust that He can do more than I could ever do.
Honestly my squad has a really nice set up here. We have bunk beds, showers, toilets, and even couches. Once a week we have movie nights with the local kids and use a projector (provided that the power doesn’t go out). Sometimes I think about my life back in America and how simple it was. It seems like everything was so accessible that I never appreciate what I had. I never just took time to sit still with the Lord and I never prayed. I was so independent and self sufficient that I rarely asked help from anyone, even God.
Life in my village is centered around water. People have to do whatever it takes to make sure they get the water they need. See, I used to read the story about the woman at the well, but now I’ve actually seen it in person. When Jesus talks about seeking the living water, he means that we should pursue him with life or death desperation. We need to focus our lives on Jesus so much that we begin to live as if we can’t live a single day without him. I’ve never seen my need Jesus more than I’ve seen it in my time in Ethiopia. He brings me through every day here, even when I feel alone or am afraid for the people back home. I have to cling to Him because He’s literally all I have, and now I finally know what it means to seek living water. I don’t care if I get a warm shower or if my phone does because I’m more concerned about my relationship with Jesus and I finally see how blessed I am. I have more than I need, because all I need is Jesus.
~CLS
