Pedro is the pastor of the church and the
principal of the tiny elementary school in the community of Via Nueva on the
outskirts of Tegucigalpa. Both church
and school operate under the name Institución Evangelica Jesucristo
Pentecostés. Pastor Pedro's vision for the church is to see it grow into a
lighthouse in the community that includes not only an elementary school
(already in operation), but a Bible college as well.
Our route from Cofradia took us through the
heart of the capital city where we purchased a car battery at PriceMart (think
Costco or Sam's Club). Traffic through the city today was remarkably
light. Most business have already closed
for the long holiday weekend of Viernes Santos (Good/Holy Friday) and Easter.
A 290 gallon tank was in place, full of
water, and waiting for us when we arrived on Thursday morning.
Doctor Jorge and his wife Ivonne were already
at the church, too. They were playing
and dancing with a group of children and singing at the top of their
lungs. Kasey and Susanna jumped right in
and were soon teaching about bacteria and germs with creative skits, songs and
other activities.
Several church members pitched in to
construct a Tippy Tap handwashing station beside the church building. By lunch time, the children were lined up to
take their turn washing their hands and singing "Lava Tus Manos Con Much
Jabón".
Pastor Pedro and several other church members
spent the day working with Spencer and Dr. Jorge making sure they understood
the ins and outs of safely purifying drinking water with the WaterStep M-100
chlorine generator.
We were treated to a delightful mid-day meal
of fried chicken, fries and salad prepared by the pastor's wife and another
church member.
The afternoon was filled with more games and
an appearance by the ever-popular Anna Maria Diarrhea doll.
At 4:00 pm, the purified water was ready to
drink and we enjoyed a refreshing taste. It is always interesting to see
people's reaction to the purified water which has a tiny hint of chlorine taste
and smell. If you live in the United
States, you are used to this and probably don’t notice it. Those who are not
used to it usually react with surprise. Some like it. Some don’t. But, everyone
likes drinking water that will not make them sick!
Pastor Pedro presented each member of the
team with a full-color, glossy certificate of appreciation for
"blessing" them with the gift of safe water.
We were all laughing and having a good time
by 6:00 p.m. when each of the church volunteers "passed" Spencer's
test by putting the system through its paces unassisted. We prayed together one
last time and asked God to continue to bless this community through the lives
of these dedicated servants.
Teresa came just as we were leaving because
she heard the church had water that was safe to drink! Her family has not
been drinking water because it makes them sick. She kept saying, “such a
blessing”
Tomorrow, we will be "turistas" and
visit a city of Comayagua to see the famous street paintings made of dyed
sawdust, seeds, rice and other natural products depicting the passion of Christ
(not unlike the materials used to decorate the Rose Bowl Parade floats). Stayed tuned for more pictures!
1 comment:
Looks like a wonderful and productive trip.
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