Go Beyond

Our team is safely back in the States after a full and challenging week of work in El Salvador. We worked until the last possible moment to complete the water well for the people of Valle Nuevo, but we completed the task. Once again, we had a great team of Kingsland volunteers who served well and made the week enjoyable. Here are their reflections on our week in El Salvador.

Jim Coleman | As we worked each day among the people of the mountain village of Valle Nuevo, I saw real peace and joy on the faces of the children at the local school. Their smiles and laughter were abundant despite the primitive living conditions including lack of water and medical treatment. These kids certainly do not have any of the modern conveniences to which we have become accustomed. I was constantly reminded that what we have is not who we are …. and joy in life is not delivered by things we strive to accumulate.

Jason Hall | This was yet another impactful trip to El Salvador. One thing that really stood out to me this time was the dedication of the Living Water International staff that serve here. They work very long hours to ensure the success of these short-term mission trips, routinely waking up before us to prepare the equipment for the day, and often working well into the night after we have already returned from the job site. The other thing that stood out was the love, happiness, contentment, and generous hospitality shown by the people of rural El Salvador. I am blessed beyond measure every time I travel here. Thanks, Omar, for showing us how to Go Beyond. I encourage everyone to try it!

Carter Moore | What an amazing trip. I was totally humbled by the generosity and hard work of so many of the men and women of Valle Nuevo. Without their help this well would not have been completed. God blessed us in so many tangible ways. The work was hard but there were no injuries. There were many problems but by God’s provision they we’re all overcome. As we said our goodbyes to the people of Valle Nuevo on Friday night, by the light of flashing cameras, I thought about what a joy it had been to once again be part of a Kingsland team Going Beyond to share the love of Christ.

George Phile | For those of you who have not participated in a short-term mission trip, you do not know what you are missing.I have seen our team working side-by-side with the villagers of Valle Nuevo to drill a water well so the people can have clean water. At the same time we were sharing the word of Jesus. Our team showed lots of the Lord’s patience when things didn’t go quite as planned. This really was a team effort of North American and El Salvadorans working together for the spiritual well-being of the villagers. We were blessed by the friendly help from all the villagers and the Living Water staff.

Lacey Stewart | One of the things that stood out to me was going into every classroom and talking with every student. We would ask them if they had ever gotten really bad stomach viruses from drinking their water. Every single time the entire classroom would very forcibly yell, “Si!” You know that their water is dirty, that’s why you came to drill a well, but to know that every single child had gotten really sick from drinking that water helped me appreciate what we were doing, even through many long, hard days.

Doug Valot | The thing I will remember most about this week are the smiles. The smiles of the beautiful children during the school day. The smiles of the ladies of the village who served us lunch each day. The smiles of the people in the community as they worked together in some trying circumstances in completing the well. And the smiles of our El Salvador Living Water hosts whose love for Christ is infectious. Smiles of joy, peace and contentment, the kind that material possessions cannot buy. They taught me a lot this week. The week ended perfectly with the community coming  up to us and hugging us and thanking us for being there. It was a great way for us to share our love and thanks in return.

David Yates | This was not my first mission trip. I have made several and to different parts of the world — Europe, Asia, and Africa. The difference between this trip and the prior trips, I realized, was that those trips involved more teaching, direct ministry, even preaching, whereas this trip was totally about service. Service as in physical labor. I am thankful that the Lord gave me the opportunity to serve in this manner. Personal impressions this week include the joy of the El Salvadoran people. Their kindness and laughter — oh, do they laugh. Also, I am not surprised by God’s faithfulness and provision, but always amazed when He provides for the need that is so badly needed. God is good. I pray that I served Him well in El Salvador.

And a special thanks to the Agua Viva El Salvador staff with whom we worked this week. Amazing folks!

Valle Nuevo, El Salvador

Today we are another step closer to the completion of the water well for the people of the little mountain village of Valle Nuevo. After drilling to a depth of almost 200-feet, we hit an abundant source of clean water. We spent most of the morning developing the well — pumping air into the hole to blow out the dirt and mud. The shower of water into the air created quite a buzz and lots of questions. Everyone was interested in knowing if the water is good and if it will last. These are important questions to people who have been waiting in expectation for a reliable source of water.

As soon as we moved the drill rig, the men of the village sprang into action. Their responsibility was to pour the concrete pad around the well housing. They wasted no time in nailing the form and preparing the pad with big rocks that act as filler and rebar. They mixed cement on the ground and ladled it by the shovel-full into the form. These men worked non-stop until the task was done. This water well is an answer to their prayers and they all wanted to play a part in completing the task.

Jim Coleman set the dedication plaque into the pad. Our missions ministry funds the wells that we drill in Central America. However, this particular well was funded by the students at Faith West Academy where so many Kingsland kids attend school. The dedication plaque will serve as a reminder that students from Faith West gave this special gift to the children and families who call Valle Nuevo home.

We will complete the well in the morning and then dedicate and present it to the people of Valle Nuevo. There is lots of excitement in the air as people anticipate the completion of the well. This water well will indeed be a huge blessing to this village. Our team is humbled by the thought that God allowed us to be the answer to the prayers of these wonderful people. We trust that this generation and the next will benefit from and enjoy the water that flows from this well.

Valle Nuevo, El Salvador

Sooner or later anything mechanical will break down. We drilled through so much rock on our second day of drilling that we literally rattled some parts of the drill rig into disrepair. Fortunately, some of the guys in the village had exactly what we needed to fabricate and replace broken components. And, after a two-hour delay, we were up and running again.

Stopping to make repairs put us behind schedule so we have had to work into the evening the past couple of days. Once again, the people of the village were there to rig up lights so that we could see, provided coffee and snacks, and stayed with us until we called it a night. Last night we ended our long day with a prayer circle, thanking God for the progress we have made. Every man prayed simultaneously. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Today was another long but fruitful day. After hours of drilling, we finally hit water at a depth of 200-feet. The excitement in the air was palpable. People of every age watched the developments with great anticipation. When the first bursts of water shot into the air, there were lots of joyful shouts — or perhaps shouts of relief that the village will finally have a reliable source of water. It was a beautiful thing.

Tomorrow we will finish developing the well, set the pad and pump equipment, and get everything ready for dedication on Friday morning. The breakdowns and repairs slowed us down but did not shut us down. The people of Valle Nuevo will have the water well they have been longing and praying for. Every family will have finally access to a reliable source of good and clean water.

I am grateful for every member of our team. They are working hard and making meaningful connections with the folks in this mountain village. Today, Jim and Jason taught a math lesson to some students between their drilling responsibilities. And Lacey, the only girl on our team, has had her hands full teaching hygiene lessons with our partners here to more than a hundred local kids. It’s really cool to see each member of the team do their part and maintain a great attitude in spite of unexpected breakdowns in equipment. We look forward to finishing the task and dedicating the well on Friday morning.

Valle Nuevo, El Salvador

Before beginning the work of drilling a water well at Valle Nuevo, our team visited some of the homes in the area. We did so to better understand the context of thirst in this village located in a rugged mountainous area near the Guatemalan border. Because water is so scarce in this region, the people must engage in water-collecting and rationing tasks every day.

The most reliable source of water for the people of Valle Nuevo comes from a mountain pool located at a higher elevation about five-kilometers from the village. The water from this pool is directed to the village through a two-inch pipe. Every three days the water that flows through this pipe is made available to a different sector of the village so that the precious resource is distributed equitably.

All of the folks that we visited with told us that, at best, they get a trickle of water through the pipe. So, they collect as much water as they can when it’s their turn to have access. They store what they collect in plastic bottles, clay pots, or whatever else they have available. This water is used primarily for drinking, cooking, and washing clothes. They do not have the luxury of having enough water for regular bathing.

One family we met had collected a couple hundred gallons of water that they stored in a concrete cistern. It has taken them several weeks to collect that much water. And although this sounds like a lot of water, it is far less than the average family in our suburban community uses in a single day of bathing, cooking, flushing toilets, watering lawns, washing cars, and other water-related tasks. For this family, these extra gallons are their reserve in case anything compromises the already unreliable flow of water from the mountain pool.

Understanding the context of thirst is important to our team. Meeting the people who have learned to survive by cleverly managing their limited stores of water helps us to better understand the importance of our task this week. The water well that we will provide will be a game-changer for the people of Valle Nuevo. This well will provide them with a more reliable and cleaner source of water for years, perhaps generations to come.

Our presence here has also motivated the villagers. They are helping in any way that they can — providing lunch, helping with miscellaneous tasks, digging pits in the hard-packed ground for our mud-drilling operation, and more. The success of this drilling operation is a top priority for all of us. As the principal of the local school announced to her students, we are the answer to their prayers for a reliable source of water.

We are off to a good start. We drilled to a depth of fifty-feet through the parched and concrete-hard ground on our first day. We must go much deeper still. No problem. We are prepared to go as deep as necessary in order to find water. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Valle Nuevo keeps us aware of the context of thirst and keeps us working hard in the heat. The people here deserve access to a reliable source of clean water. Our hope is that this week their prayers will finally be answered.