Bringing hope and health to those in need
During a summer trip, team members brought fresh, clean water to a community that has never before had access to it.
Four members of the mission team made the five day journey in July to complete the project.
LHPC plans to continue with future water installations in this area.
The church is seeking to expand its mission reach and assist in providing additional impoverished communities with fresh water systems and personal hygiene education.
The expenses for the entire project totaled approximately $12,000, including preliminary work done to prepare for the next community filtration installation, which will hopefully take place in 2011.
"There is such a great need for clean water and Living Waters for the World has developed a well thought-out and comprehensive program to create partnerships with people who are suffering from the effects of dirty water," says LHPC member George Holden, one of the mission team members.
"The projects are relatively small and affordable, so single congregations can fund and complete them."
Equipped with two 300-gallon water tanks, the new filtration system is capable of producing 300 gallons of safe drinking water in a period of 1½ hours, and can be expected to supply the needs of a community of about 300 people.
In addition to installing the system, LHPC provided training in its operation and maintenance to the local partners, as well as training in health and hygiene instruction to be taught throughout the community.
Through the Living Waters program, LHPC works closely with a partner church in the selected community.
Mission team member, Bob Thornton explains.
"On our previous trips to plan and coordinate for the actual installation, most of us had no real idea of what to expect from the people in this small church community - nor they from us."
"This time, for the final installation, we were working shoulder to shoulder with them in a joint endeavor to complete the installation and training within the limited time we had available. We realized we had developed real relationships, in spite of our language barrier. On this final trip, we became real partners."
Thornton also explains his motivation to become involved.
"It was the simple thought that in our country the availability of free, safe drinking water is taken for granted, but there are some people in this world for whom it is simply not available, or not available at a price they can afford."
The experience was arduous, yet extremely rewarding.
"Knowing that we made a significant contribution to the health and well-being of the community, while getting to know individuals in a relatively poor, developing nation was a wonderful bonus," says team member George Holden.
Thornton agrees. "It surprised me how quickly I ceased to view the people in San Agustin as Guatemalans, and instead began to see them as individuals who are very much like me."
The trip was completed with relative ease, considering most team members were anticipating that unexpected events would surely develop.
Holden laughed when commenting, "we really expected there to be some substantial problems, but none materialized. The biggest problem we had was dealing with a flight cancellation from Houston to Dallas once we got back to the states!"
For information on the Clean Water Mission project or to get involved with future installations, contact Lake Highlands Presbyterian Church at 214.348.2133 or visit their website here.
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