Read this and know you made it happen.
Dear Waves for Water,
What a blessed thing happened when Jack Rose came in a world-wind
trip to Ethiopia and Heartland. No idle tourist is he, not a beat or
step in any direction except one, the bringing of, teaching about,
workshop for, and installation of WATER FILTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are
well on the way with about 60 filters in our hands! Our immediate NGO
Executive Board members came to a calling to meet Jack and hear about
how to drink the water of Hawassa Lake, which previously blew up all
bellies in our area with internal parasites, & giardia, toppled our
health with repeated typhoid, and turned our teeth into ugly stained
brown ones from the heavy fluoride eight times human tolerance! ” We
are going to drink the lake water”, he said, and all looked unhappily
at his speaking. “What’s new about that, now we have no other choice,
and were are sick to death of this lake water”, they said to themselves.
Jack was unmoved partly because he didn’t understand what
they were saying, and I didn’t translate it. Step by step he set up
the buckets we had just bought, and bid the men to participate in
destroying them with a hole! These were very nice buckets, better
than anyone had at home, brand new 70 Ethiopian Birr, which were of
value no less than an American rate of $77. The local people here
near and around Heartland are exceptionally poor, many on relief due
to crop loss from the mountain runoff that destroyed their yearly crop
of corn. They looked like the idea was completely wrong, and the
whole thing was questionable as to any good coming from yet another
thing that meant,” we should probably just go home!” Being that Jack
was a foreigner, they stood politely, and came near as the drill was
handed to one of them and the lovely new big expensive bucket was
pierced. Jack smiled from ear to ear and they looked grim as the
drilling continued. Finally it was finished and the hole was cleaned
with a knife to remove little pieces. “Fine he said”, and they forced
a smile. Without missing a heartbeat he grabbed the water filter and
gave it to me to put into the hole and fasten. In no time it was in
place and the men looked on with a first true interest, and stepped in
a bit closer in a ring around the demo area.
Jack went with a group down to the lake to get water, and then to
our shallow hand dug well to get another sample. “We’re going to
drink this he said”. They were all laughing like pillars of polite
men, yet unmoved in internal consent for this idea, to an entirety of
the gathering of men.
He poured the miserable lake water into the assembled bucket, and
placed a glass we had bought for the demo. Out came clean water to
the complete amazement of all there. Then Jack picked up the glass
and drank the clean water in it, passed it to one of the men, and he
drank it with a big smile. “Magano”, he said, which means “GOD”, “it
is fine”, he spoke from his heart, and all of the men had a drink of
the new lake clean water. He showed them how to clean the filter by
back washing it with a syringe and some of the clean water, and they
cheered to see all the dirty things go out of the filter.
He repeated the whole thing again with the ground water from the
well, and when we tasted it we exclaimed how sweet it was! He then
distributed 6 large buckets and 6 smaller ones to be used for the
collection of the clean water, to the men. How happy they were! No
one had ever given them anything like this leading their families and
neighbors to health through good water. They prayed and cheered to
Jack, and thanked God for all they were given.
Thanks to God, no more typhoid, no more giardia, no more internal
parasites!! They called Jack “Magano Mana”, a man come from God.
Before Jack left, he gave me enough money to buy 50 yellow jere
containers used here for water by everyone. They hold 22 liters and
are plenty strong. These will be cut so water can be poured in and
the hole can be drilled and filter fixed in place. He included enough
money for a collection bucket for the clean water to come into, also
50 of these are to be purchased. Jack made it a complete package for
them, which for success is really required. The people have even
little money for things like soap for the family, so a complete set
up, meant something that could begin right now, and start providing
water for all of them.
God Bless you! Thank you so much from all of us here and near
Heartland! We were given a great big water system, where 100 liters
of ground water, can be transformed into sweet water for all our
needs. Three filters were affixed to the big container, and pour out
lots of clean water! This will hlp many people who come to Heartland
for medical help, and can get some clean water at the time of their
visit, and some to take home with them.
A severe problem with water and large scale failing health from
drinking it, was set in the direction leading back to good health
again for all of us, and many more to come. Thanks to a true
professional in the water filtering field, a loving and kind man of
God, and someone we are waiting to see again in March 2013 when he’ll
return with lovely Jamie. Thank you Waves for Water and your whole
behind the filters support team people who are working so hard that
these filters reach us and so many needy people in the 4 corners of
the Earth, with a great man to help integrate them into our lives.
Most sincerely yours in the love of the work for God and the children,
Sr. Donna Frances, RN
Heartland Girls Rural Life Training Center, Director
Life Through Education Survival Mission, Board Head
