Living Water

EL SALVADOR – Campenaro Numero Dos

All Jorge has is eight coconuts and five mangoes. It is not enough. But it will have to do.

He raises his machete, slicing the coconuts in half and urging us to eat. He plucks five mangoes from his mango tree. None remain on the branches for later.

He apologizes: “It is not enough.” He knows we gave $1,700 and a week of vacation time to bring his village clean water.

If only Jorge could hear our thoughts.

To me, the moment is surreal. Jorge has given everything to thank us. It makes our sacrifice seem small, like the story in the gospel of Mark about the woman who gives her last two pennies and is considered more generous than those giving large sums that are only tiny portions of their wealth.

All Jorge has is eight coconuts and five mangoes. It is more than enough.

The people of Campenaro Numero Dos have waited 240 days for this moment. In November of 2008, village leader Jorge Ceren Ramos saw a television advertisement about Agua Viva Internacional drilling new wells in El Salvador. His people used an Agua Viva well at a school 2 kilometers away, but the trek was difficult, especially when carrying heavy water jugs. He called and asked for help drilling in his own village. Then he waited.

“Because we have dug our own hand-dug wells, we knew the ground was hard, we knew it would be hard to drill the well,” Jorge says. “But praise God we found water quickly. Now we know that our children, our elders, all of us will start drinking pure water. We are eternally thankful for this blessing.”

Nearly 50 villagers show up for the dedication of the well–every one of them dressed in their finest skirts and shirts. I am touched by the contrast: the Americans covered in mud and sweat, the Salvadorans shiny and clean for this momentous occasion.

The children read a letter of thanks: “We are a family with not much money needing help. We know you came from a great distance. We are grateful.”

Jorge says a few words: “To us, this is a big meaning, a big benefit that you give us that will always be in our hearts. Every time we come to drink from this well, we will remember the two Davids, the two Sarahs, Hannah, Barbara, Brandon, Juan, and Ali.”

I think the two Davids, the two Sarahs, Hannah, Barbara, Brandon, Juan, and Ali could say the same. Whenever we drink a glass of water, we will remember the people of Campenaro Numero Dos.

We have seen the brown, sludgy water these people pull from their hand-dug wells and know it causes diarrhea and other health problems. We have watched men, women, and children fill their hands and drink clean, safe water at the dedication. But it is watching our first customer fill his jugs later in the afternoon that touches me most.

We are saying our goodbyes when a young boy pushes his wheelbarrow next to the well. I notice that his water jugs are blue, and I remember meeting his grandmother a few days ago. When we visited her she said, simply, “God bless you for coming.” It is more than enough.