Helping people in poor countries obtain better water supplies and learn to apply basic engineering skills is a truly noble use of your time. I don't need to tell you that though, I'm sure you can see the gratitude on the faces of the new well owners.
“I’m sure you can see the gratitude on the faces of the new well owners.”
W.E. Deming is fond of quoting Ecclesiastes 3:22 “Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works”.
That is good, but I prefer 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
It is a lot of fun and very rewarding. In 1996 I went back to the first well we had done, taking along some of the African pastors who were students in my General Science class at a local seminary. As we walked down the path to the homestead all the children were calling “Mzungu, mzungu” (”Whiteman, whiteman”) thereby setting the bush telegraph in motion.
When we were about 100 yards from the home with the well, the mother-in-law of Christopher (the well owner) came out of her hut saying, “We praise God for this well!”
Another 50 yards and the next door neighbor lady came out of her hut saying, “We praise God for this well!”
Finally we came to Christopher’s hut where, (you guessed it) his wife came out of her hut saying, “We praise God for this well!”
“GOOD” I thought, “This is why we do this!”
1 Cor 10:31b “...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”
Christopher said that between 3 and 10 families used the well at various times, pumping up to 1000 liters per day. He had to replace the “cup leather” every 6 to 12 months, but that was about it. “No more stomach worms!” was his grinning comment.
Simple things often can be a great blessing to the people we meet in life. God delights in putting smiles on our faces via the gifts He gifts us to pass along to others.
“teach a man to fish...” I taught an Indian pastor in Tamil Nadu state to drill wells & make pumps. A month after I returned home, I received a letter from him saying, We’ve completed four more wells!”
Lots of fun!