water - dlo

I'm not exactly sure why, but today I feel compelled to write about water. 
First off, you all should know that I have a very close relationship with water. I absolutely love everything about it; drinking it, swimming in it, showering in it, the noises it makes, the way it can distort all of our senses. Every time I go on a trip overseas, I realize how much I take my beloved water for granted.

The word for water was one of the first Creole words we were taught. Dlo. Actually the entire week I thought the word for water was GLO, because it practically sounds the same, but I guess the kids all understood what I meant anyways.

It's not that there is a shortage of clean water in Haiti. The safe water comes packaged like you see in the picture above; just like the classic office water cooler. At various times throughout the day, you will hear what sounds like an ice cream truck. I later discovered that these joyful musical trucks did not indicate ice cream, but water jugs. Basically any water you need, comes from this truck. Most houses have well systems in their courtyards, but they have to pay the city in order for there to be any water in the wells. It's kind of the same thing in the United States, but running water in Haiti is hard to come by.

I think that's the thing I take most for granted. A flushing toilet. A shower. Just washing my hands when they feel dirty. Filling up my water bottle with any water source I can find. These things are unusual if not nonexistent in Haiti. If you don't have water in your well or in your jug, you just have to tough it out.

Zanfan boys hanging out by the empty water jugs

The hotel we stayed at had running water. We had to brush our teeth with bottled water, and keep our mouths shut in the shower... but THANK THE LORD for a flushing toilet, and a cold shower at the end of the day has never felt better! Most public restrooms (such as the ones at Zanfan and the church) had toilets that simply maintained waste until they were emptied, which could be that night, or the end of the week, I honestly don't know. All I know is that the stench was unbelievable. Just imagine three non-flushing toilets in a church containing 1,500 people. I have never been more thankful for dripping in sweat. I was reminded of Corrie ten Boom and her sister thanking God for the fleas in their concentration camp barracks. They were thankful because the fleas kept guards away so they could have Bible studies in peace. I was thanking God for being soaked in sweat, because it meant that I didn't have to use the public restrooms. At times, the church bathroom hallway was filled with 1-2 feet of "water" that I'm sure overflowed from some questionable source.

Fortunately, Grangou provides food and water for Zanfan Lakay. However, they are not careless with their water like you or I may be. I think that's why it was so touching when the kids at Zanfan would wash our hands and feet and faces for us. Not only was it an incredible act of compassion and service, but it was also demonstrating that we were worth their precious water. Our feet being clean was so important to them that they would use their clean water to wash away our filth. 

What an incredible image of servant-hood. Whether these children know it, they are walking and living the Gospel. Praise the Lord!