Wara = water
ai wara = tears
There are three different types of water here.
-RAM water
-Tank water
-Filtered water
There is a pump at the top of the hill which is in the river, and pumps the water down into the houses. The pro is that this water is always available, the con is that it isn't the cleanest source of water, even though it is processed. Another con is that when the electricity goes out, so do the pumps... but if you live at the bottom of the hill that's a PRO because the water flows with gravity and when your tank water isn't pumping into your house, RAM water will flow into your house. (a con for those at the top of the hill as they lose water first).
RAM water is used for non-drinkable situations for most people.
TANK water is water from your tank at your house. The tanks here have pipes running into a large screened hole at the top. All gutters are fixed to the pipes, and so many houses have a complex maze of gutters and pipes into their tank. When it rains, the water landing on the roof flows into these tanks.
This water is the cleanest for drinking. The con is that during dry seasons, the water comes in short supply.
Some people do not feel the rain water is drinkable and they fill up filter systems. Typically this is 2 large 5 gallon buckets with a gravity flow filtration system inside.
We don't use a filtration system in the hopes that the rain water will help us with our immunity needs, and we only drink tank water.
The plumbing in houses here is all over the map. Depending on how complex you want your house to be you can have valves to put the toilet on ram, valves for the HOT water to be on ram, valves for everything to be on ram or switch to tank.
Looking at houses, one of the things you do is learn the water system. IT is usually a five minute session of "we tried to label it, this valve turns on ram I think..."
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Prayer requests:
-recently the headman of a village that some of our translator friends live in was attacked. He was a christian and was instrumental in helping our friends bring their translation to the people, but now he's in the hospital.
-some of our friends have fallen ill and have been medivac'd out of the country.
-more of our friends have grown very agitated at living here and have decided to leave for a long duration.
-in a week many people are going to be leaving here because it is high school graduation, there will be many tears and many sad people.
-it is coffee season here AND elections are near. This makes this a very active time and tempers amongst the nationals are high. IT isn't the safest time to travel so we are staying inside the center until things cool down. More events are likely to happen during this time, and people are a bit more cautious than usual.
What we're seeing, with eyes that God has allowed us to see with, is the enemy at work. Trying to slow down the translation work in any way he can.
PLEASE pray against the enemy here, pray for our health and protection, pray that we stay focussed on growing close to Christ, and let that relationship help us to flourish. Pray that our energy level stays up during this time of saying goodbyes.
We have so may praises to God... so many ways He has blessed us that far. Perhaps I'll outline a few in the next blog.
Suffice it to say, God is good, and He is faithful and He is alive!!!
