Water!!!

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)

Moving Time!

Welcome to my old but new blog!  Recently we have had bad problems with our internet and I quit updating my blog.  However, now with new and updated technology I hope to get back into the blogging scene.  I hope that this new site will function even better than the first so that you will be able to keep up with the work that is going on here among the Kabiye and with my family.  I hope each of you enjoy it.  Thanks so much!

Choking on Your Teeth?

I simply wanted to offer anyone help in retrieving their teeth from the back of their throat because of the overwhelming suprise that might have hit them because of my blog post. Surprise!!! I have received too many emails compelling me to write so I am going to respond to the nudging and do a little better. LOL. Keep watching and you never know…

A Good Friend

Outside of my immediate circle of missionary friends, I do not have many good friends here in Togo. Whether this is because of my personality or because of the vast difference in cultures, I do not know, but one exception to this reality is a man named Adam. Adam is a master electrician who I met during our first several weeks here in Togo while we were working on our houses to make them comfortable and safe to live in. He came highly recommended as an electrician and a good, honest person by the missionaries who lived in Kara. I very quickly developed an honest and sincere respect not only for his knowledge of electrical work but also for his gentle and humble spirit. In our six years here in Togo, I have never heard a negative word uttered about Adam or his work. The only thing that has nagged me about Adam is that he does not know God. You see, Adam is a devout follower of Islam. It isn’t his Islamic beliefs that bothers me, because I have a great respect for his sincere devotion and faith to the tenants of Islam. Many people hear the word Islam or Muslim and their minds are taken immediately to images of 9/11 or some other moment of violence or terrorism. However, my experience with Muslim people in Togo is that they are some of the most peaceful, gentle and genuine people I have met here. Adam is no exception. Over the past six years as our relationship has slowly deepened into a friendship my heart has continually been touched by God concerning Adam’s lost state. I can relate it to the technique so many people use when trying to decide whether or not to make a big money purchase. The desire enters your heart and then you sit on it for a while. If the desire continues to come into your mind over the course of several weeks or months, then perhaps you should pursue making the purchase. Well, God’s continually putting Adam on my heart was a sign to me that I needed to speak the truth of God’s love to him. And so I have waited and waited for the right moment. Yesterday, both Adam and I were doing work to prepare our guestrooms for our Tabligbo friends who will be coming at the end of the week. Of course Adam was doing the electrical work and I was putting together bed frames. As I stood there cleaning the bed frames, I very suddenly felt deeply compelled to speak to Adam about Jesus. I can only explain that deep compulsion to speak as a direct leading by the Spirit of God. I believe it was so because of the openness of Adam’s heart to stand there near to me and openly discuss his faith and my faith. 2 Corinthians 5:14 came to my mind where it says that Christ’s love controls us or compels us. Adam has never experienced or understood the love of Christ as I have and that very love compelled my heart and mind to act and to speak truth. In our conversation, Adam related to me how other missionaries had spoken to him as well and I told him that God was clearly pursuing him and wanted him as His own. That comment drew a look of surprise and interest and our conversation ended with an agreement to continue talking and maybe even sitting down to take a look into God’s Word. I love Adam and have a great burden on my heart for his eternal salvation. I desire for him to know and experience the sweet and refreshing relationship with God that is available to him right now. I am sharing this story with you because I need you to share this burden with me and allow that burden to take you to your knees in the presence of God in prayer for Adam. I hope to continue updating you on my relationship with Adam and more importantly his relationship with God. And one day my prayer is that I can share with you the story of how Adam accepted Jesus as his Savior and how he has entered into a wonderful relationship with his God.

Welcome

I want to welcome you to my new blog. I hope you will visit it regularly as I will be trying my best to post regularly. The posts will be reflecting happenings in our work among the Kabiye as well as my own thoughts and experiences here with our family and our work. I hope you enjoy the blog as much as I have enjoyed many of yours. Thanks!