2nd Annual Clovis Water Walk

It's hard to believe it's already been a year since our first water walk! Wow! We're excited to announce the details for our Second Annual Clovis Water Walk. You can click on the Water Walk Registration tab above to register. 

We'd also love for you to share this event with your family, friends, schools, and organizations. We are passionate about sharing our experiences and the need for clean water, so if you'd like a speaker for a meeting, class, etc.... let us know!

Thanks to all of our awesome sponsors who are helping to make this our best event yet! See you in October!

T-Shirt Design Contest

It's time for a new t-shirt design and we need your help! Soooo, we're having a contest! Winner gets a free t-shirt with their very own design. How awesome is that!!??

The rules are simple:
1. Must include the slogan "Clean water changes everything"
2. h20 [hydration 2 others] should appear somewhere on the shirt.
3. Design should be front and/or back only.
4. Other possible inclusions are:
    * Our Africa and cross logo
    * John 7:38 or another Bible verse
    * Our web address hydration2others.blogspot.com

Deadline for submissions in August 30. You can send us a message on Facebook with your design attached. Or you can email it to hydration2others@gmail.com.

Share this contest with your friends so they can get in on the fun, too! Ready, set, start designing!

Well #2

Finally! Pictures of Well#2!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig

Our mission team - Elise, Annelise, David, Zach, Gerald, Angie

The infamous giant, top heavy, super crowded bus.

We arrived home last Thursday afternoon. I'm sad that I didn't get to blog from Kenya near as much as I'd planned to. The trip was a whirlwind, almost like three or four mission trips all rolled into one. We had so many things to do: pastoral training, worldview training, crusades, kids programs, and Hydration 2 Others. The different activities and focuses kept us going non-stop.

We spent about three days in the village where the wells are being drilled. It's extremely unfortunate that I did not get a chance to visit well #1, nor the site for well #3. Time and transportation constraints kept me from being able to do that. We ended up traveling with a group of over 20 people, so the focus was not on my ministry.

Some of the school kids

Music during our time with the children

Games during break time

I did get to spend parts of three afternoons at the school where well #2 is being drilled. We had so much fun playing with and teaching the 350 kids there! They seemed to enjoy having mzungu [white people] in their midst. I learned some new games and got to meet the little girl we sponsor through Connection Ministries!

Beautiful Sophia, the child we sponsor

On Friday, June 8 [my 16th wedding anniversary!], we had a launch party at the school. Tom, Zach, and I spoke. The people and children were excited and enthusiastic to hear about the well. Not even the sudden downpour of rain could dampen their spirits!

Tom speaking at the launch party

Me speaking at the launch party

The drilling rig arrived on Saturday morning, but we were already gone. Tom met them to sign the papers. We have pictures of the well being drilled, but none yet of it complete. It's finished, though, and well #3 should also be done or close to done at this point! 

Another fun part of our trip was when we had our own little water walk right there in Kenya! We grabbed some buckets, walked about ten minutes to a water source, filled the buckets, tried to balance them on our heads [fail!], and returned to the homestead with them. It was really cool to have that experience in Africa, after our water walk fundraisers here in the states!

As soon as I have more details or pictures of the new wells, I shall post them here! Thank you for all the prayers and support!

The Village

I haven't been able to post here as much as I had hoped. We haven't had super reliable internet access.

The well launch party was yesterday at the school. Our crazy giant bus could not get to the school. It's way back in what they call the jungle. We couldn't take motorcycle taxis because there were too many of us and too much stuff. So we walked. It was between one and two miles, hauling all of our stuff along.

When we got to the school, four hours late (which I don't really understand the reason for and had no control over), there were a bunch of parents sitting in the shade waiting. Many had been there for hours. I felt so bad when I found out, but again the situation was beyond my control.

The kids were excited to see us again. We worked with them two days this week.

We started the ceremony immediately, because rain was on the way. I spoke, Zach spoke, and it started pouring in the middle of his sermon. So, we re-situated everyone in one of the classrooms. Zach finished talking and then a couple other people.

The people seemed excited about the well. After it was over, we gave them some h2o stuff and then headed out. We had decided to cut our time in the village short, leaving yesterday instead of next Tuesday. We thought we had a matatu (van taxi) waiting. But alas, it was hours later before we actually got a ride.

We made it by matatu to Kisumu last night. We are waiting here for the rest of our team to catch up. We will hopefully be back to Nairobi in time for church tomorrow morning. The bus ride to the village was 17 hours with 22 people in the bus. I would guess we averaged 10-15 mph. Awful, awful, awful. I'm not looking forward to the return trip.

Updates

Keep up with our trip at missionkorogocho.blogspot.com!

This week has been a whirlwind! We left albuquerque early on Monday and landed in Nairobi Tuesday evening. Everything went smoothly and all of our luggage made it! Seems like kind of a big deal when you're traveling with 12 checked 50 lb bags and probably about 10 carry ons.

We hit the ground running on Wednesday morning. The female part of our team - myself, Anneliese and Elise - have been with the kids at the school all week. There are about 180 of them. They've been such a joy, and yet their desperate need for attention and affection is overwhelming at times.

We've taught lessons, made music, done crafts, helped feed them, played with them, and loved all over them. There is one who has especially stolen my heart, little Miss Naomi. She makes a beeline for me every time she sees me and has spent many hours on my hip. Leaving her will be awful. Justin says I am not to cause an international incident by trying to bring her home, but we shall see what happens. :)

The guys have been busy with their pastor and worldview trainings. The response has been tremendous and we're praying for the impact to have a wide ripple effect. Read our mission blog for more info. Missionkorogocho.blogspot.com

Today, the girls and I experienced our first kenyan worship service. Woot woot! It was joyful dancing and singing and of course we joined right in. Loved it!!! If I bust out some new moves at CBC, just follow along.

Kind of last minute, the day before we left, I discovered that Verizon would unlock my phone while I'm out of the country. So I was able to buy a local sim card and minutes. It's been such a joy to talk to Justin and the kids for about six cents a minute! The connection is crystal clear. Yesterday, I figured out how to get a data connection, also reasonably priced. It seems to work pretty reliably. Tonight, though, when we tried to run three devices tethered to my phone as a hot spot, it was really slow. Still, I'm grateful to be in contact with my fam. It makes the time apart much more bearable.

One other big deal... We have hot water at the place we're staying. We didn't expect it, so it's like a little gift from God every day. Of course, I didn't discover the secret little water heater switch until I had already taken one shower so cold that I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming. Thanks Gerald for schooling me on how to work the thing.

Tomorrow we will visit people in the slum in the morning and do a crusade in the slum in the afternoon and evening. The field is ripe for harvest. I fluctuate between feeling so blessed to be here and feeling completely overwhelmed by my surroundings.

Test

Test post from phone app

Kenya, Here We Come!

We've had so much going on that this poor blog has been sorely neglected!

The Rio Rancho Water Walk was a huge success! There were about 120 people in attendance and we raised about $2500 toward well #4.

Since the walk, we've seemingly been in crazy fast forward mode. Justin is still adjusting to his new job and new profession as an attorney. The kids and I finished up our homeschool year. And, I've been packing and planning furiously for my next jaunt around the world. Yesterday I pre-cooked and froze 19 meals so my fam won't starve while I'm gone. Whew!


Now, I'm off to Africa in just four short days! I am traveling with a team of six. While we're in Kenya, we have a number of things on our agenda. We're conducting pastor trainings, worldview trainings, two crusades, and two mini-VBS's. In addition, we will be visiting well sites and hosting a launch party for the one that is in progress and the one that is coming soon!


On Sunday, I will post a list of specific prayer requests. For now, I leave you with a video from the WW. Enjoy!

Three More Days

 

The Rio Rancho Water Walk is only a few days away! We're really pumped about this event! Justin is extra excited, since it's also his birthday. What could be better than spending your special day working for something you're passionate about?

We want to be clear that preregistration is NOT required. It's just a way for us to gauge how many people to expect. Come on out to Rio Vista Park at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. Bring your container, wear sunscreen, good walking shoes, and experience how people in other parts of the world live.

See you there!

God is Moving

I have no words right now. Remember how I said two days ago that I couldn't wait to see how the third well will come about? I didn't have to wait long...... the THIRD WELL IS FUNDED. We are completely blown away! 

Our partner in Kenya, Tom Abungu, says, "What God Can DO No Man Can Do.... I have just told Pastor Sylvester from the village and teachers at the two school we are going to drill the well and they are so excited at the answered prayers... They are now even more encourage to pray for more wells to keep on coming as it will help the area extensively."

He says they feel like God is remembering the forgotten people. Oh, Lord, what an honor to be able to minister to Your people who feel as though the are they least of these.

EXCITING News!

Siaya Village School

Justin has been talking a lot lately about how impactful the March to Surrender was, both financially and spiritually. The numbers are in and it raised $1326! Thanks to all who participated through fasting, prayer, encouragement, and financial support! The monetary donations far exceeded our hopes. We went into it saying that $500 would be a satisfying amount to raise. But, wow, God did so much more! 

Most importantly, we believe that we are seeing the fruits of the body of Christ lifting this ministry daily in prayer. The more we prayed during March, the more momentum the second well project gained. As the March to Surrender donations began to trickle in during April and my dad talked to people around Clovis about what we're doing in Kenya, an exciting thing happened. People we don't even know blessed h2o (hydration 2 others) with extremely generous donations! We are excited... humbled... completely blown away to announce that our second well is FULLY FUNDED!

Children at the school... notice the water containers some of them have.

Our Kenyan partner, Tom Abungu, has told me several times that the people of the village are praying for a well before my visit next month. To be honest, I've felt anxious about facing them and trying to explain that it's a lot of money to raise. A lot. And I'm working on it, but these things take time. Oh me of little faith. But, God answered their faithful prayers anyway! The children at the school will have a well. They will no longer have to haul containers of water to school every day. The water they drink will be safe and clean! 

Look at the faces in the pictures. Really look at them. Each one of these precious children sees tangible proof of God's love because of your donations, your prayers, and your support. Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming alongside us in this project!

What an awesome and mighty God we serve!

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In the interest of full disclosure, I feel like I need to say that the Kenyan people have actually been praying for two wells by next month. I'm excited to see what happens! If you're in the Albuquerque area, please consider participating in the Rio Rancho Water Walk. Go here or here for more information!
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Rio Rancho Water Walk

The Rio Rancho Water Walk is rapidly approaching. It's a month from tomorrow! To register, please click on the tab above. If you have a group that would be interested in having us give a presentation about what we're doing, let us know! We love talking to people about our work in Kenya!

 

March to Surrender conclusion

Galatians 5:22-23 -  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.              

    

    So, here we are at the end of the March to Surrender.  How did you do with your fast?  I know a few people that “bent the rules” a little bit.  Perhaps they used another brand of soda on their really bad days or changed their commitment over time.  As for me, I have only had water to drink for the whole month (except for the milk in my cereal).

                Towards the end, I got soooo sick of water and began grumbling about it.  Thankfully God brought me back to reality.  Every day I have all the clean water I can drink, right at my fingertips.  I can simply walk to the nearest sink and get it.  I have a water cooler at work so it is fresh and chilled.  How ungrateful can I be!  Instead of grumbling, I should be praising God for the blessing of clean water.  That is really the point of this whole endeavor.  I have so many blessings in my life, yet I was focused solely on the one thing I couldn’t have.  My focus was on my wants rather than how God provides for my needs.  In doing so, I put the focus on me instead of God.

                As we finish the fast, we need to still keep our hearts focused on the things God has given us rather than on the things we think we need.  Treat your indulgence as a gift from God and give Him the thanks for it.

                Thanks for your participation in this fast.  It means a lot to us and will truly make a difference in Kenya.  Some of the donations have already started to come in.  If you have not made your donation, you can do so by following the directions here http://hydration2others.blogspot.com/p/donate.html.

    Our next fundraising project is tentatively scheduled for May 5 in Rio Rancho.  We are having a Water Walk here.  It involves simulating the walk many people around the world make to get their water.  We will walk from the River’s Edge Park in Rio Rancho to the Rio Grande and return with buckets of water.  Be sure to check out our blog or “like” our fan page (https://www.facebook.com/hydration2Others) to get more information about this event.  Or you could always email Angie or me for information.  Additionally, if you would like us to speak to your group about this event just send us a message because we have people willing to do that.

Keeping with my tradition, here is your song for the day along with a special bonus song for completing the March to Surrender.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZlCdxXCEWU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5CWGi82N7k (I think this is my new favorite song of all time)

            One last thing, may the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-27
 

God Bless,

Justin

               

March to Surrender Encouragement

Ezekiel 14:6 - Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord GOD says: Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your detestable things.

We are over a week into this fast.  I’m sure by now you have all encountered difficulties and temptations in giving up your vices.  For me, I realized how easy it is to be controlled by our cravings and vices.  Enjoying these things isn’t necessarily wrong, but they have become like idols in our lives.

On Tuesday, Angie posted this …

Thought for the Day as we March to Surrender: God made us capable of craving so we'd have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only One capable of satisfying them. (taken from Craving God, A 21 Day Devotional Challenge)

My craving for soft drinks has been a crutch that I lean on instead of God.  For example, when I am stressed, I think I need a Dr. Pepper to relax.  Likewise when I am happy, I think I need a Dr. Pepper to help enjoy this great day.   Instead, I need to turn to God in times of stress or happiness or sadness or to deal with any emotion I face.  He is my strength and my salvation.  He deserves my honor and my praise.

Use this time to practicing turning to God when you are craving your vice.  Pray to restore your vices to their proper priority level.

Here’s a song to encourage you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_Z3ZZYLDc

God Bless,

Justin

PS - Be sure to "like" our Hydration2Others fan page on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/hydration2Others

March to Surrender Event

After the success of our early fundraising efforts and the Clovis Water Walk, Angie and I decided to take a temporary break from active fundraising projects.  This was partly due to the holidays and my graduation, but we also wanted to take time to reflect on our successes and pray about direction for the future of h2o.  During this time, the first well was installed.  (Praise the Lord that Zach, Edwin and Floyd were there to see this first hand and participate!)  Also, we have been inspired with direction for the coming year of fundraising.  As of right now, we are planning 3 fundraising events:

1. March to Surrender (no actual marching is required, see below)
2. Rio Rancho Water Walk this spring (details coming soon)
3. Clovis Water Walk in the fall

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The “March to Surrender” is a 31 day fast.  The concept is simple …

•  Give up all soft drinks, coffees, teas, juices, lattes, frappes, and other beverages for the entire month of March and drink only water.

OR

• Give up one daily beverage or other guilty pleasure [ex. morning trip to Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, late night snack] for the entire month of March.

•  Pledge the money you would have spent to h2o. Let us know what you choose to do so that we may pray along with you. Go to the "March to Surrender" tab above to make your pledge.

•  At the end of the month, donate* your savings to our next well.

*As always, 100% of your donation [less Paypal fees, when applicable] is tax deductible and goes toward our next well project. 

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Americans spend nearly $30 billion per year on coffee (includes lattes, frappes, etc.) and soft drinks and $388 billion on alcohol.  That’s almost $420 billion on drinks that are generally considered to be bad for us.  To put it in different terms, we spend about $112/person/month on coffee, soft drinks and alcohol.  Certainly, that amount varies a lot among individuals.  However, I know that Angie and I spend about $60/month just for soft drinks at Sonic and McDonalds (don’t judge me).  If we can get 120 people to participate in this event by pledging $80 for the month, we will be able to fully fund our second well.

Just like with the Water Walk and the Parents’ Night Out events, this experience is about more than money.  It is a time to surrender our selfish desires of the flesh, to let go of those things that ensnare us.  Isaiah 58:6-7 captures the essence of the spiritual component of this fast …

⁶ Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?

By surrendering our fleshly cravings to God, we can break the chains of wickedness that entangle us.  We can free ourselves to share our money to provide for those in need.

Isaiah 58:1-5 highlights how the Israelites missed this point.  They fasted and then complained to God about their prayers not being answered.  God responded to them that their fast was meaningless because they continued to indulge in their other selfish cravings rather than devoting themselves to prayer.  In other words, they simply replaced the sacrificed item by indulging themselves in some other craving.  Also, they made their fasting obvious for all to see so that they would be noticed for their piety.  It is not enough to simply look the part.  They made a mockery of God by continuing in their wicked ways.

For us, we should use this as an opportunity express genuine sorrow for the sin of our gluttonous, self-indulgent lifestyles.  When the cravings hit for that morning coffee or afternoon soda, choose a glass of water from the tap instead.  Then, thank the Lord for providing us with clean, accessible water.  Pray for those who do not have that luxury.  Pray for the success of our ministry in providing that to them, specifically for the success of the Rio Rancho Water Walk.  And finally, let us repent of our self-indulgent lifestyle.

In verses 8-12 of Isaiah 58, God promises us results from fasting the right way.  Verse 11 stands out to me because God promises we will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry.

Please join with us in this fast.   Go to http://hydration2others.blogspot.com/p/donate.html to send us your gift.  I pray that it will be a powerful experience to you.

It wouldn’t feel complete without a song …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Yasgzjc0w&ob=av2e

(I dislike the ads from the VEVO videos, but since they are official videos the links are likely to stay reliable.  So, I’m sorry if you get a beer ad or something weird at the beginning of this video.)

~ Justin

Well #1 Complete

Launch Party

This is part of the worship at the h2o (hydration 2 others) launch party in Siaya, Kenya. Most of these people are new believers. Isn't their joy beautiful and contagious?

Pictures

Floyd, Edwin, and Tom in front of the drilling rig.

My dad, Edwin, with the completed project yesterday.

The team is back in Nairobi. They have some things to do there in the Korogocho slum and then they'll fly out on Thursday night! Wow! Can't wait to hear and share the details of their trip. Here's one thing that Zach has shared:

Zach: Where do you stay?
13 year old boy: That way (points)
Zach: Do you fetch water for your family?
Him: Yes. From the river. It is far (points again)
Zach: So will you be using this well?
Him: Yes! ...Where do you get your water?
Zach: Um...it kind of comes to me in my house...
Him: Oh. You are rich!

...one of many humbling experiences in the village...

The Well is Almost Complete

I spoke to Tom again today. The team is still in the village. They were supposed to head back to Nairobi today, but won't do that until around noon tomorrow.

He said that there were a few delays with the new drilling company, but now things are going good. The well is almost done and should be completed tomorrow.

For people who sent things to their sponsored children, Zach has seen them, spent time with them, and he also took pictures. He gave them the gifts and all of the kids were excited to receive them.

Tom says that he will send pictures of everything when he's back in Nairobi. Everyone is doing great.

Please pray for the well to be completed on schedule tomorrow and for safe travels for the guys. Also for them to see how we can minister to the people of Korogocho, the slum in Nairobi where they will be spending time for the rest of the week.

Update From Tom

Tom, Anna, and their children

I just finished chatting with Tom on Facebook. How amazing is it that I can sit at my computer and talk to a friend in a remote Kenyan village??!!

The team arrived in Siaya at 2 a.m. this morning [Thursday]. I'm sure they're completely exhausted, but Tom says that my dad, Floyd, and Zach are doing well.

Today they had the h20 launch party. They planted trees at the well site and my dad shared with everyone about how hydration 2 others came to be.  

Unfortunately, there was a setback. The drilling truck broke down on the way to the drill site and they had to hire another company to do it instead. They are waiting for them to arrive. The plan is to start drilling in the morning and go straight through for 48 hours to "catch time".

Tom says, "we are just waiting now. People are so excited and very nice pictures so far but can't wait when the entire work starts."

They hope to have some pictures uploaded by tomorrow night. Wouldn't that be fun?

Please continue to pray for this venture. For no more equipment to break. For the health of all involved. For people to hear the Gospel. For lives to be transformed.

Thank you, God, for giving these men the opportunity to serve others!

Update from Kenya

Jambo!

 

We arrived safe and on time in Nairobi at 7am local time this morning and it's been a great day, if perhaps a little exhausting. Edwin and Floyd enjoyed the day.

 

Everything is set for the well and we're going to hit the road tomorrow morning. It will take most of the day, especially if our leave time of 9am turns into 10:30 (It will. Hooray for Kenya time!). We'll stay out there through Sunday night and head back to Nairobi on Monday. While in the village we'll have a "launch party" on Thursday at which we'll start the drilling, provide lunch for people and tell them about H2O, the story behind this well, and what it means to taste true living water. I'm so much looking forward to this visit - prayers for lots of chances to share the Gospel and Christ's love are much appreciated!

 

I don't know that we'll be able to communicate much, but will keep you all posted as much as possible.

 

Thanks for your prayers and everything you're doing! In Christ,

-Zach

They Made It

The guys arrived in Kenya last night around nine our time. It was seven in the morning in Kenya. I talked briefly with Tom while he was waiting for them at the airport, but I have not communicated with any of the men. I know they probably spent today in an exhausted haze. I hope to hear from them before they leave for the village, which I think is happening tomorrow? Or it might have been today. I do know that the well is supposed to be drilled tomorrow, January 4!