The Great Inversion

For over a year now our team has been talking and praying about drilling wells.  These discussions took us through a broad range of possible ways to drill wells.  Those ways included possibly buying a big drilling rig and starting a large well project that would have needed large sums of money to maintain and could have drilled many wells.  However, the people here could never have maintained the wells much less one day completly oversee and finance the project.  Because of this, we looked in other directions and continued to pray for God to open a door so that he could bless the people with clean water.  In October of 2007, we began a dialogue with the wonderful people from Water For All International (WFA) and they began to share with us about their low cost well drilling  technique.  Very quickly it became apparent that this was the method we were looking for and soon the dialogue became a concrete plan of action.

Matt Waller, an intern with WFA, arrived in Togo on the 12th of March and soon thereafter we began our first drilling project in the village of Lassa Tchou.  Two weeks of searching for and buying all the parts necessary for drilling proceeded the first project, but God was faithful to us and led us to all the parts we needed.  We have already developed relationships with welders, plumbers and others shop owners who have been so helpful in finding and fabricating all of the pieces we need for our drilling rigs and well pumps.  

The drilling in Lassa Tchou began on Tuesday the 25th of March and concluded on Friday the 28th.  The  following Monday we began the pump installation and as of today the people living in the area of the church have a well that is pumping out clean fresh drinking water.  Our first attempt collapsed and we had to start a second well.  With the second attempt, we drilled to 9.5 meter (31 feet) and at that depth found water.  We cased the well and after perhaps an hour of pumping and developing the aquafer we inserted the rising main and pump stem.  A couple days later, we put a steel cover over the well and were finished.  I realize that some of this means nothing to you and believe me it is hard to describe so that you can fully understand it.  However, suffice it to say that the people were overjoyed to see water exit the pipe.

Drilling this first well was an amazing experience.  I had no idea what to expect.  I had been told, almost warned about the difficulty of the work and all that was said was an understatement.  Yet, it was so much fun to work side by side with my Kabiye brothers and sisters for such an amazing purpose.  Their amazing work ethic and refusal to be overly discouraged when the first well collapsed and when we hit rock in the second well was inspiring.  There were times when we would drill and drill and drill and only descend two inches in an one hour and yet they would persevere.  Then we would punch through the rock and hit sand or clay and would descend one meter in twenty minutes.  They would begin to sing and shout and work harder and harder.  Their enthusiasm was contagious for me.  And of course when we removed the drill stem and inserted the casing (telling them all the time that there might not be water) and then began to pump the well, their excitement grew and grew.  Their excitement crescendoed when they began spraying themselves with the water as it pumped out of the half inch diameter pipe and tears of joy came to my eyes as I realized the the enormity of what God had done in bringing clean water to these people.  Praise God for all that he has provided to make this moment possible.

Currently we are drilling in the village of Kaacade.  We are on our fourth attempt and this attempt seems promising.  The work has been harder than Lassa Tchou and we would appreciate your prayers.  Continue praying for the well project in general and if you want to help sponsor a well or a drilling rig please email us and we can get you involved in this wonderful project.  The cost for fabricating all of the parts for one well is approximately $60. Email me at kabiye4christ@yahoo.fr for more info. or leave a comment.  Thanks!

(More pictures to come.  WordPress is having difficulty loading more than one picture at a time to a post today)