It's A Small World After All
December 17, 2013
Bob and Beth, center, celebrate the end of their time with Water Missions International Tanzania.
Here we are volunteering in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and what a privilege it has been to assist in getting the 10th country program for Water Missions International up and running! Our big project has been to locate office space and furnish the office, providing a space for new staff to work out of as they begin safe water projects in the communities of Tanzania.
The need for safe water has become increasingly obvious over these weeks. With great enthusiasm, we share daily about our purpose in being here and the mission of Water Missions International. Consistently our sharing is met with the same response: "My village is in great need of clean water, please help them".
Beth and Bob also worked in communities like this one in Uganda.
Recently we were out trying to locate a simple tape measure (sounds easy, I know). It began to rain, and, in my frustration of being unprepared, I darted into a small shop while Bob ventured on to the hardware store. As I waited for the rain to subside, I began a conversation with a local man, Kondo. He asked question after question about why I was here in Tanzania and then began to tell me about his village.
"My people drink dirty, muddy water but it is their only option," he explained. "They desperately need clean water. Can you help them?"
As we talked about his village and their need for clean water, Bob returned and was able to share more details, specifically how Water Missions International partners with communities to provide sustainable safe water solutions. Kondo assured us that the leaders of his village would be anxious to meet and partner with us. We were interrupted when Kondo received a call and had to depart abruptly. Knowing that the limited information we had provided would make it difficult for him to be in contact with Water Missions International, we did not expect to hear from him again. But God in his sovereignty placed us together again.
At an entirely different location, in this vast city of 2 million people, we heard someone yelling from across the way, calling Bob by name. It was Kondo. He had talked to the leaders of his village, saying he was planning to visit our office on Saturday, his day off. He arrived as promised and as he shared with our staff the location of his village we saw God's hand again at work—a meeting had already been scheduled by our staff to meet with the government leaders of that very same district where his village is located. As he came to more fully understand the vision of Water Missions International he responded, "Christians are helping our people. I don't see my [Muslim] people doing those things. Maybe I am in the wrong boat."
Bob poses for a picture with children in Uganda.
Clean water is not the only thing happening through Water Missions International. God is at work, and the truth of Living Water flows! What an adventure these three months have been!
Bob and Beth have returned home to the United States, but efforts to bring safe water to communities in Tanzania like Kondo’s continues. We look forward to sharing stories of the impact of safe water in Tanzania with you in 2014.
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