February 22, 2023

Hundreds of community members showed up to assist with the work of protecting the community’s springs.

“(The Son of God) is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” - Colossians 1:17-18

With much excitement the mountain community of Pull San Jose has begun construction of its new water system. The community has an existing system that is around 30 years old, but it has some significant shortcomings that prevent the system from being effective for the community, and repairing or rehabilitating the system would be cost-prohibitive.

First, the water sources were not protected, allowing for mud to enter the system along with bacteria and other harmful contaminants. Community members have mentioned that diarrhea is prevalent in the community. Second, the system was constructed with polyethylene tubing, which has a tendency to leak at the joints when experiencing high pressure, resulting in water that leaches into the ground rather than reaching the homes of community members. Finally, the system is now undersized due to the growth of the community. More than 75% of community members have said that there are long periods of time where they do not have water available at their homes. 

A group from Noordeloos CRC in Holland, MI was present to help with the start of the spring protection work. They worked side-by-side with the community for two days.

To address these issues, Life Giving Water International and CODEINSE design these newer systems to keep these problems from happening in the future. First, spring water is collected underground and the spring protected with layers of plastic and concrete to prevent any mud or harmful bacteria from entering the system. Second, high pressure PVC pipe with chemically welded joints is utilized to keep the system water-tight. Third, the system is designed with a growth factor over its lifespan to ensure the system is properly sized for expected growth. And finally, workshops are provided to the community to explain system maintenance in the case of a leak, and how to upsize pipes in the case that a certain sector of the community grows faster than expected.

Tucked back in a rural mountain valley, the design for this community of 205 families consists of five major pressure zones and seven smaller ones. From the home at the highest altitude to the lowest, there is a vertical relief of over 700 feet. For me, having grown up in the comparatively flat surroundings of West Michigan, it was a challenge and learning experience to work through the design for this community.

I was blessed to have a group from Noordeloos CRC in Holland, MI come to visit and experience the ministry work that is happening here in Ecuador. It was a blessing getting to know some of my partners in ministry from the Noordeloos congregation, and I greatly appreciated their encouragement and prayers as well as the friendships that we built during their week here.

The Noordeloos group also led two days of VBS-style lessons for community children in Pull San Jose.

Throughout the week, I joined the Noordeloos team in studying Colossians 1:15-23. I continue to learn more and more from this scripture passage, and this time around was no different.

One of the evenings the group focused on verses 18 and 19, which I have mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter. In these two verses we are reminded of the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all of creation—that he existed before the world began, that he has authority over all things including death, and that it is in his power that all things are sustained.

One of our main goals working with community water systems is to ensure that the systems provide clean, potable water at any moment that a community member opens up the tap. So we use design standards and guidelines that have been proven to be effective and we purchase materials that are trustworthy. We can do our best to design a system that is sustaining, but we must also keep in mind that it is only in Christ’s power that these designed systems are sustained.

It was a great encouragement to work with, worship with, and just hang out with my ministry partners from Noordeloos.

 

Prayer Requests
A few prayer requests for the upcoming months:

• Thanksgiving that I was able to receive, work alongside, and grow in relationship with the team members from Noordeloos CRC.
• Prayers of encouragement for the Pull San Jose community. The community will be digging trench and installing 24 kilometers of pipe over the next few months.
• CODEINSE will be receiving numerous mission teams from Alaska, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio over the next few months. I am only responsible for one of these teams, but prayers for health, strength, and a deeper understanding of the ministry work are appreciated for all of these future groups.