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Most towns in America have a water tower. The tower is a visible sign of prosperity in rural America. It means the town has city-water and probably city-sewage. Also, the tower identifies the town.
Bulape Hospital has a water tower. The tower lies on the hospital grounds and not in the village proper. Neither the village or the hospital has running water. Running water is not the normal for most of Congo.
Where is the prosperity? At best, the water tower at Bulape Hospital is a sign of hope.
Clean water comes from the pipe. Dirty water ponds on the ground. Those are simple rules. I think these boys understand those rules.
You may have to wait minutes to fill your water jug from the clean water source. But it is worth it because getting sick from dirty water can be deadly. Thousands of children die from diarrhea in rural Congo. So what's a little time. They are not in a hurry to get sick.
Also, it gives you time to sit and rest before the long trip back home. They are not in a hurry to walk home.
You know you are in Africa when you see children and women carrying water in yellow jerry can (plastic jars).
I wanted to purchase a yellow jerry can for my Congo water display. So, I asked a friend where I could purchase a yellow jerry can or plastic jar. After some thought he suggested Walmart or the Tractor Supply (farm) Store. I had no luck at Walmart.
I stopped by the Tractor Supply Store. The friendly cashier asked could he help me. But I knew I was in trouble when I can asked for a jerry can. He just stared at me and said what. After explaining what it was and its use, he still had that "deer caught in the headlights" stare.
Later, I found out that a yellow can denotes diesel fuel use. However, I never found a suitable (Congo looking) yellow jerry can. I am still looking. I may have to bring one back from Congo.
There is a difference. You probably drink water from a clear plastic bottle. The bottle is probably a half liter size. To obtain a case of water, you probably walk no more than one-eighth of a mile from your car to the store. You probably carried out your water in a shopping cart back to your car. And your water is for drinking only.
In Congo, here's what it is like. You walked 3-5 miles to get your water. You filled a 5-gallon yellow plastic jerry can on you head. It weighs about 40 pounds. Of course if you are a Congolese man, this is really different (or foreign) for you.
Last night I got a email message from Justin. The message was short and to the point. "We opened schools yesterday in Congo (DRC). Everybody is doing well."
Your children would not be happy to go back to a Congolese school. There classrooms do not have clean and sparkling floors and windows. The children do not have new clothes or backpacks filled with supplies.
But these students are happy with the opportunity to go to school.
It's Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. No way, it's not over! You can squeeze in a few more big cookouts in most places of the US. However, if you are in Congo, it's always summer. The land of endless summer. But you can forget about cookouts.
Cookouts are a unknown concept. For most Congolese, everyday that you have food is a reason to celebrate. You do not need a holiday to be festive. This year I got a chance to enjoy one of the festive moments for the Congolese children in Bulape.
It was the arrival of the locusts (or grasshoppers). They had no spareribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, or chicken. And no, grasshoppers do not taste like chicken.
You have seen those signs on the back of trucks. One sign asks, How's My Driving? Or have you had a boss that continually asks, what are you working on?
Working is a visible sign of our faith and commitment. We have to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk".
Are you working on those things that you believe in? I believe more than just four out of five children in the Congo should live to reach their fifth birthday. I believe too many Congolese women die from childbirth complications.
A simple and inexpensive baby packet of diapers, blanket, bonnet, and soap can change the work. How? Expecting mothers are given a baby packet for attending a pre-natal seminar.
A baby packet costing $15 can change the world for a Congolese mother and her newborn.
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead."
