I spent 6 weeks of the summer of 2006 in the Dominican Republic, volunteering with a ministry called Makarios. "Makarios, named using the ancient Greek word for “blessed,” is a faith-based organization that focuses on educational development in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Makarios’ initial projects provide improved educational opportunities in the Haitian villages, called bateyes, on the D.R.’s north coast." Click HERE for more about Makarios
I helped to organize and run a house that hosted 3 missions teams throughout the summer. We daily took those teams into the villages to minister in a variety of ways, including: children’s ministries, healthcare sessions, seminary classes, prayer and fellowship with adults, and hosting home-visits. I helped plan a weekly menu, grocery shop, delegated food-prep and clean-up, helped cook meals, and helped to lead nightly devotions.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
“Walking A Mile In Their Shoes…”
So, Monday, July 10th, we were driving to the village of Chichigua with the Austin Stone group. As we drove, we recognized a family, from that village, walking down the road with armfuls of empty jugs. Realizing they were going for water, a few of us immediately thought out loud that we should go back for them. We dropped off the group to begin their ministries, and 3 of us headed back down the road. The family of a Mommy, 4 girls, and a boy, was so excited when we picked them up! It should be mentioned here that for us to drive from the village to the main road is a 10 minute drive.
We expected the water source to be somewhere between where we picked the family up and the entrance to the main road. However, when we got to the main road, the Mother told us to turn left. As we drove down the main road, and continued driving, I found myself repeating, "I can't believe they walk this far for water! This must take them most of their day!"
Eventually, we turned off the main road, onto another dirt road, and followed this down to a river. Here, we unloaded the 15 water bottles from the van. There were five 3-gallon size bottles with caps, ten 1-gallon vegetable oil containers without lids, and a 5-gallon water bottle we had in the van. Each person took a bottle or 2 and began crossing the shallow river. I noticed 2 girls were picking up rocks and putting them in a line across the riverbed. I found out later, that they were doing that for Ruby (the Austin Stoner who was with us) so that her shoes wouldn’t get wet. When she realized this, she immediately took off her shoes and just waded through. I was the last one to walk across, and began hesitantly, as many rocks were covered with moss. The oldest daughter put down her water jugs and came back to hold my hand steady as I crossed!
After crossing, we went through a small clearing to the back of a one-room house. Here we found an elderly gentleman sitting in the shade, reading a Bible on his lap, and listening to a Christian radio program. After a brief conversation, the Mother began filling the water jugs, one at a time using this gentleman’s garden hose. As soon as one was filled, a daughter fastened the lid and hurried to carry it to the waiting van. When the next one was filled, another child did the same. Soon, every child had taken a water bottle back, and had returned with a smile on their face, ready to carry more. (Each time they returned, they were a little more wet than the trip before.)
Ruby and I had been taking turns holding the toddler girl all this time. Now, we sat her down and each picked up a bottle to take across. It was definitely more challenging crossing the flowing water and its slimy rocks with a jug of water in your arms!
Once back across, we realized that we couldn’t load the jugs on the van at the river’s edge because if we drove away down the rock path, the water would splash all over. So, Jill drove the van about 100 yards down the path to where it was more of a dirt road than a rocky path. Then, as the family enjoyed playing in the river, Jill, Ruby, and I carried each of the jugs down that rocky path to the waiting van.
My body was exhausted after the 2nd or 3rd trip down that brief 100 yard path!
I just could not believe this family would regularly take this trip on foot!
Once in the van, Jill asked the Mother how often they came for water.
She said every day.
(For this village, sugar cane cutting season began this week and will continue for 3 months. During this season, the sugar cane company provides water in a cistern for their workers. According to this mother, during the other 9 months, she and her family walk daily for water.)
Tears immediately came to my eyes as I imagined this family undertaking such a feat!
As we pulled away, the 3 of us were talking about driving carefully so that we would loose the least amount of water possible from the 10 jugs without lids. Periodically, throughout the drive back Jill would ask Ruby, “How are the jugs?” EVERY TIME Ruby would respond that they hadn’t lost any water yet! We just couldn’t believe it! After about 10 minutes, I came to the conclusion that God must have sealed those jugs so that none of that precious water would be lost. Sure enough, at the end of the drive, not one drop of water had spilled from those jugs! This was just physically unexplainable considering the extremely bumpy roads we had to travel! Our bodies were jolted around every which way, yet no water was lost!
Absolutely amazing – must have been God!
By the way, the other group members were wondering where we were as the entire trip for water had taken us an hour and a half!
We unloaded the van, and each of us carried numerous bottles up to the family’s tin house. They were so appreciative, hugging each of us over and over…
After experiencing just a tiny bit of what this family goes through for useable water, we felt so burdened to help more. As we began sharing our experience with the group members, others became burdened to help as well. The Austin Stone group decided that very night to begin an ongoing project fund to bring usable water to the village of Chichigua in trucks during those 9 off-season months.
Having only walked a few hundred yards with arms filled with water jugs, I can’t even say I’ve walked a mile in their shoes. But, oh my goodness gracious, what an impact that experience has had on my life! I feel so blessed to have been a tiny part of helping that family!
I am so excited for the water that will arrive due to the generosity of the Austin Stone group who had willing hearts to make a world of difference to a little sugar cane village in the Dominican Republic!
I pray that as this water comes to the village, that each villager will come to a saving knowledge of the One who provides Living Water!
John 4:13-14 says: 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.”
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