"Happiness today"

Much has happened since my last update, both good and bad. The bad news is that the drilling at Nahayamahanga was dry. The decision was made to move the drilling machinery to the next village. However, there is still hope, as the driller and surveyor are going to conduct a more extensive survey this week to see if there are any additional options to consider. I'm not sure I can express in words, nor entirely feel myself, how devastating this is for the people there. I'm trying to dwell on the hopes we still have, also praying for wisdom and insight for the surveyors. Hopefully I will be able to write more about the progress at this village soon.

In the meantime, the drilling rig proceeded to the village of Lugeye late Wednesday afternoon and drilled into the evening. At 11PM we received a call that they had struck water around 70 meters (the depth anticipated by the survey)! We went out to the village early this morning and were able to see them finish installing the well liner that keeps ground water from contaminating the well. Then they flushed the well to get out the dirt from the drilling. This sent plumes of water into the air and all of the villagers who had been waiting nearby went running to the well! They also were able to measure the pressure of the well and it is more than sufficient for the manual pump that will be installed (there is no electricity in this village). The concrete pad and hand pump will be installed later this week and we hope to return to see it. While we were watching the water come up out of the well, one of the little boys came up to me and said, "Happiness today." He must have asked one of the interpreters how to say this in English! I replied and said, "Yes, happiness today," and gave him a hug. It was so touching, and just one of many dear encounters I'm having with the people here.

Then, from Lugeye,we followed the driller rig to the village of Ihushi. When we arrived, the pastor of the village insisted that we take a meal with them before the work began. We all enjoyed rice, spinach, and stewed goat (or possibly sheep, I’m not completely sure). It was very rich in flavor! The road to Ihushi is barely a road, so we had to navigate it back to Mwanza before dark. So, we left them drilling into the night once again. At 1AM that night I received a call that they had struck water! We are preparing to return to Ihushi now this morning (Friday).

So, you can see lot has happened in the last two days! The people here are so warm and welcoming, and grateful for any gesture—the children open up and soon I approach and greet them. They love it when I hand out chewing gum (and the adults like it too), so I'm glad that I brought three big Costco packages from home!

I apologize that I'm not yet able to get pictures sent along with the updates. I may have to catch up with a special photo post to the blog when I return home. In the meantime, picture me surrounded by a sea of children :)

--Merideth