Drinking Water versus Living Water

‘Storing’ water in the CR.

Drinking water isn’t something I thought much about back in the US unless I was traveling and it might taste a little different.  I was never thinking, “What should I do if it runs out?”  Water for washing clothes, dishes, and bodies was never something I concerned myself with a lack becoming possible.  Occasionally we had “drought” and had to cut back on maybe watering the grass or playing in the sprinkler.  Really water wasn’t an issue.  I’m learning to think differently about water and what drought really can mean.

We have often struggled with keeping the water running at the mission house because the same well and pump that fills our tanks also supports the Cajigas’s water business.  It really wasn’t a big deal just an inconvenience of going across the compound to split the water flow and wait about 10 minutes and it’s flowing again.  Or at least that used to be true.  Now we are in a true drought.  You are now thinking, “But you live on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!  You have water everywhere!”  The question is would you use salty sea water for any of the afore mentioned water needs?  Non-salinated water comes either from underground or rain.  Think about the water cycle...

Last year we did not experience a “rainy” season.  Rumour has it that even my first rainy season here was kind of light.  This lack of rain water affects crops and those who collect the rain for things like bathing and laundry.  The other less noticed effect is the amount of water within reach of an ordinary well water source.  There is one organisation that provides running water to the Juagdan community.  Recently there were some political issues, but water was restored.  But those at the far end are still lacking because the source is light and the pump motor not efficient enough.  Others are dependent on community or personal wells that are either motor pumped, hand pumped, or bucket drawn.

We are in the first category.  Or rather we were and sometimes still can rely on that source.  The problem we now face is what everyone is facing... the source is running dry.  The well might be sufficient to support the 4 to 6 families using it for regular life, but the business too is literally sucking it dry.  The process of purification produces what is called waste water which fills a different tank that we normally use for toilets and gardening.  In the last few weeks Jun and I have had to haul buckets of this waste water to the mission house for laundry, dishes, and bathing.  Two days ago even that line ran dry.  Now when we can we ‘store’ water when it’s flowing to the house (maybe ever other day for a short time).  The pastor’s family knows this problem isn’t going away so they started digging a new well.  For now the level it gets to seems great.  But what happens when the other well really is dry and the business starts drawing from this one too...  

Lord, please bring the rain this rainy season so we don’t have to get stuck doing laundry and bathing in the salt water!  Thank you that no matter what we have the Living Water that feeds our souls which is more important that how we keep our physical bodies clean. 🥳