sin agua, no hay vida

Today I counted the number of times I turned on the water faucet. An astonishing 26. Brush teeth, wash face, fill coffeepot, scrub dishes, boil pasta, wash hands, mix lemonade. Too many gallons to think about. Especially if I count my hot shower, the dishwasher cycle, and several loads of laundry.

I’m grateful for water and I do know it’s a luxury, but I usually don’t give it much of a thought. That’s all about to change. I’ve been given an amazing opportunity to join some folks from Rotary International and USAID in their effort to bring sustainable, long-term water supply to people who struggle to meet this most basic need.

We will travel to the Dominican Republic and deliver household filters to local families who do not have access to clean water. We’ll be working on some other service projects while we’re there, to see firsthand the poor living conditions in that beautiful country. We’ll paint houses, I think, and visit an orphanage and a local school. I’m looking forward to all of it – looking forward to getting dirty and practicing my Spanish and observing a different way of life.

But most of all, I’m excited about seeing people gain access to something they need every single day in order to live. I’ve heard that there is a common saying in the Dominican: Sin agua, no hay vida—Without water, there’s no life. If that means that having clean water is having life, then I’ve got life to spare. Gallons of it running freely from my faucets, and I want others to have the same.

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." — John 7:37-38.