Dear Friends and Family,
Here are some interesting facts about
Bolivia, according to a recent poll: Bolivia is 81.6% Catholic;
10.3% Pentecostal or charismatic; 2.6% non-charismatic Protestant;
1.7% Mormon or Jehovah's Witness; 0.4% Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, or
Buddhist; 0.1% native religions; and 3.3% have no faith. So even
though Catholics, Pentecostals, and mainline Protestants may not
agree on the details, the overwhelming majority of Bolivian's believe
in the same God. That is a great place to start from in a
conversation about God's love and forgiveness. There has been a good
bit of discussion in the public media in Bolivia about Mother Earth
and the resurgence of traditional religions that worship nature. If
this poll is accurate, it doesn't look like too many people are
buying into that theology. Vanessa and I try to share God's love
with everyone regardless of their religious background. We know that
God calls each person to Him and that He has the power to heal all
pain and provide for the needs of everyone in Bolivia. Pray with us
that we can be a conduit to that end.
Ministry Updates—Agua Yaku
We recent took a road trip of sorts,
traveling up to the highlands of Cochabamba to drill a water well in
a rocky valley and to do a little more research for our new water
filter project. We were contacted by a fellow missionary, Craig
Oliver of SIM, who is helping provide clean water to Quechua
communities in the Vacas municipality of Cochabamba. He would like
to drill wells manually in this area, but wanted us to come in first
with our equipment to see if it was possible before he invested to
much of his time and resources in the project. I was pessimistic
after seeing a narrow valley surrounded by rocky ridges at over
12,000 feet in elevation. A number of families had already
successfully made hand-dug wells up to about 10 meters deep and Craig
was hopeful we could penetrate the ground with our manual drilling
system. The first attempt was not successful. In four or five
different locations we hit rocks within the first couple of feet that
we could not drill through. On the second day we drilled into an
existing 6 meter hand dug well and were able to drill to about 14
meters without hitting any more rock. This greater depth will allow
the family to pump water throughout the dry season, providing clean
water for both consumption and for the irrigation of a second potato
crop each year. So it looks like if Craig and the families of Vacas
can get passed the top layer of rocks they will be able to
successfully drill wells down into the deeper water aquifers and will
have access to good clean water year round.
A second reason for our trip to
Cochabamba was to speak with the staff of Food for the Hungry
(a Christian relief and development organization), who had completed
a pilot project with Sawyer filters in Cochabamba to study the health
benefits of using water filters. The study was completed in a
peri-urban squatter settlement where the residents do not have access
to the city water supply. They have to purchase water from private
companies who truck it in on a daily basis and sell it residents for
$5.00 to $7.00 a week (10% to 20% of an average family income).
There is no guarantee to the safety or cleanliness of the water they
purchase. The drivers say they get the water from deep wells or
other clean sources, but the residents say the water often smells of
fish and they know it is unsafe to drink. I personally saw these
tanker trucks pumping water directly from a filthy river flowing
through the middle of downtown Cochabamba. Two years ago Food for
the Hungry distributed 1100 filters to project participants and
trained them on how to use and maintain the filters. They found that
after four months of use, the occurrence of diarrhea in children
under five years old had decreased by more than fifty percent.
While we are certain of the link
between clean water and better health, we weren't so certain that
people would change their old habits and continue to use the filters
after the study ended. Jason and I went to the project community and
interviewed Karina, a local FFH staff member, and also a number of
families who began using the filters two years ago. Even though
Sawyer guarantees the filters for 1,000,000 gallons, we were doubtful
that families would actually perform the regular back-washing
necessary to insure long-term functionality. We were pleased to find
that the majority of families who received filters through the study
were still using them consistently and reported marked improvement in
their families health. Karina said many new families had moved into
the settlement since the study and that there was a tremendous need
for additional filters in the area.
We in Agua Yaku are excited
about this new phase of our water project and cannot wait to get the
first shipment of filters in from the U.S. The Bolivian paperwork is
almost completed and we will soon be an official importer and
distributor of Sawyer filters in Bolivia. A donation of $80 will
help us provide a family in Bolivia with clean water for up to ten
years.
Okay, since I'm (Danny) writing this
month, my focus has been on water—but Vanessa is also going strong
with her ministry in the Ruth and Noemi Transition House for
Girls. So please don't forget to prayer for and support her
ministry as well. Next week we will be hosting a team the Ames E
Free church in Iowa who will be split between drilling water wells in
Isosog, and helping Vanessa out in at Ruth and Noemi and the
Talita Cumi children's
home. If you have come down to Bolivia on past teams or just feel
God calling you to support these ministries please click on the
donate link and become a financial partner with us in these
ministries. If you have read this far into our newsletter, I know
you believe in what we are doing. In order to continue serving in
Bolivia, Vanessa and I need additional partners for our personal
support as well as for the projects. Please consider making a
monthly pledge of $25, $50, $100 or more a month. We know that God
will richly bless your faithfulness.
Blessings,
Danny and Vanessa
Danny and Vanessa
