Continuation of well story

Water: Guatemala is a country, like many in the world, in which we cannot safely drink the water. It has been contaminated by companies, livestock and of course people. We as a church use water in baptism since water is necessary for life and with God’s Word claims us as children of God—cleansing us of our sin. Like bread and wine it is something from our lives, something physical to hold onto in our faith.
As I wrote last month, Nueva Guatemala has a water crisis. Their supply has been poisoned by the Palm Plantation surrounding them. Upon receiving news that Our Saviors had donated money so that they could receive the gift of water, they started working. Their well story became a story of unity and breaking down barriers.
A local plantation owner helped them find a water source which they found quickly near the common area and near a road. As they began to dig, they invited the whole community to participate since it would be water for everyone. The Roman Catholic families helped until their family members who had gone to the US to work told them that they should not be associating with the Lutherans. The church members put in 70 days of labor between all the workers—4am to 5pm—in order to dig the well. They found water at 7 meters (about 21 feet) and with the help of a pump lent to them by the same palm plantation that poisoned their water were able to pump out the water in order to dig another 2 meters (about 6 feet).
On the journey from the nearest town to the village one of the nine culverts broke—but at $50 each they community could not buy another. The trucks that pass through the village daily helped Nueva Guatemala lower the eight remaining culverts into the dug out well, leaving the last just below ground level. It was a concern that to leave the well at ground level would be dangerous since an animal could fall into the well and contaminate the well or worse a child could fall. Thankfully a neighboring plantation owner had an extra culvert equal to what the community needed and donated it to Nueva Guatemala.
They bought rope and buckets and now have water that is drinkable. The well—in dry season—was already half full of water which means that rain or no rain they will have life and life brought by a community and its neighbors coming together.
Our role as a church now is that of grace. The only sad note in this story is that the Roman Catholics stopped digging, deciding that no water was better than working with the Lutherans. Our call in Nueva Guatemala is to invite the Roman Catholics to the well. This water, this life, is the gift of our heavenly Father; it is a gift for all.
Keep praying that all will come to the well.

Side note: At the beginning of this week in Venezuela the National Guard began to open fire on University Students who were not in agreement with some of the reforms happening—closing down all radio stations not controlled by the government, restricting some health and hygiene practices of women among others. The soldiers could not enter the University so they stood at the door and fired into the University grounds. Pray that justice will return to Venezuela along with basic rights and pray for Guatemala as elections approach in September. We have candidates that are sympathetic to Chavez and pray that a just and honest candidate will be elected President of Guatemala.