Wasting Time, Water and the Gospel...

I'm wasting time today.

Or, to put it another way, most people would think I am wasting time.

Years ago in one of my philosophy classes, my prof, Phil Hanson encouraged all 8 of us to become good at wasting time.  It was, he told us, the only way to get all of the stuff out of your mind and focus on what was really real... or as he defined it, the God stuff.

And yet as I try to forget about the busyness of life, even here in Oaxaca, I am learning just how difficult that is.

As I walked into town today looking forward to a day of rest and reflection, my mind was racing.

Pastor Chable and I got back to the ranch last night after a busy two days in the Sierra Mixteca, north of Oaxaca City near Tlaxiaco.  We had spent our time sharing and learning about rabbits, tilapia, water and the Gospel.

To say that I am excited is a understatement.

How often, in this day and age, do you get a chance to be part of bringing water to a community?  Can you imagine living today in a place where literally there is no water source and you must steal from another town?  Welcome to Benito Juarez, Coquilla, Oaxaca.

I was there yesterday morning and saw the excitement on the faces of the people as they pumped about 1000 gallons of water from the city's first well.  And then started digging deeper to get even more water.

Now 1000 gallons may not seems like a lot to you and me, but for the 70 families living there, it represents hope.  Hope for a better tomorrow for their families and their kids. In the indigenous areas of Oaxaca, more than 10% of the kids die before reaching age 5. One of the main reasons is dehydration related to a lack of water.

The men, and women of Benito Juarez are working to solve this by digging wells and pumping the water.  Adventures in Life will come alongside this community and help them make sure that water is safe to drink with Sawyer Water Filters.

And then the hard work begins.

It hit Pastor Chable and me last night when we were sitting in the bus station waiting for the ride back to Oaxaca... we are planting the first seeds of a new church in this region.  First by addressing the very practical need of water to live, and then by addressing the need for living water...

Pray for us, and if you want to be part of this work, contact Adventures in Life through our web site.