Today we were at the church at Consuelo again. In addition to clinic today, we gave out 40 buckets for water filtration.
These filters can take any water (dirty contaminated water) and, used correctly, can provide up to 300 gallons of clear, purified water a day. If the filter is cleaned correctly it can provide water for a family for 10 years. After the demonstration of the use of the water buckets/filters, 40 of these were distributed to families in the community. We know that water-borne diseases are a large risk for the people in this area, particularly children. Having access to clean purified water is a public health issue for the community as well as a huge economic impact to the families; many of which have neither the access (no piped in water) nor the economic resources to buy potable water for drinking and cooking. But far beyond the health impact is the beautiful visual picture of the Gospel illustrated by the water filtration. It was fun to watch the faces of the people during the demonstration of the filtration buckets. Many were obviously skeptical. Most were entertained to see this group of strangers drinking from a bucket of dirty water. The buckets were filled with local water (collected in rain barrels mostly) and then mixed with dirt (ugh—no telling water organisms were hiding in that muddy water). After going through the filter, clear pure water emerges with the contaminants having been removed. The water going into the bucket was potentially deadly (think bacteria in the right circumstances) and the water emerging was clear, pure and necessary for good health. Our lives without Jesus are that dirty water filled with eternally deadly (even if invisible) disease—sin. Only the cleansing power of Jesus sacrificial death and His resurrection is powerful enough to remove the deadly contamination of sin from our lives. Once we trust in Him alone by faith to heal us from the deadly disease of sin, He is able to purify our lives so that we emerge cleansed from our sin and able to offer life. As Jesus told the woman at the well, “I will give you living water…you won’t thirst again.” Watching the faces grow in acceptance of the water filtration buckets (seeing and being willing to drink from the purified water) reminds me of the excitement of seeing the faces of those who have been drinking of Jesus’ living water. Their faces light up as the realization of the life-giving power of the Gospel flows through them. It is a privilege to watch God work in the people we got to meet and share with today. It is a joy to know that He is working in me, too. He is still pouring His life-giving water into the lives of our group. Cool, refreshing, life-giving water….hmmm. Comments are closed.
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