Perseverance

Things in life are never as easy as they should be, especially if you are in Africa. So this morning at the 6am Mass that starts our every day here in Malawi, the homily was about perseverance. Little did I know how quickly I would have to employ today's lesson. Today our water well repairs almost didn't happen. Currently there is a HUGE shortage of fuel in the country causing many of the gas stations to shut down. Along with some fights breaking out in the long lines at the gas stations many are turning to the black market where prices can be greater than 2x higher than normal. This means they are paying $8-15 per gallon! Yeah, that's per gallon! Today, our guide who did the well assessment was no where to be found so we left 2 hours late. Also, in Malawi, much is driven by strife between traditional tribal authorities and governmental political parties, so we were taken to the wrong wells to repair wells that were not broken. Compounded by the cultural differences which make communicating almost impossible at times, today was a reminder of how thankful we must be for what we do have and how complicated the answers can be. Africa is always about making progress were you can and persevere to fight another day. As a blessing we have repaired 4 wells so far serving about 3800 people. For this I will fight another day.

WOULD YOU DRINK THIS WATER?

TRUE STORY:

There’s an African village in Malawi called Mphomwa where Orant Charities, MSP and CLI had repaired a broken water well and a girl standing there in a tattered dress was afraid to touch the water from the well because she had never seen clear water before. You think I’m kidding? The picture of the girl here is the one from this story and the picture to the nasty water is what she was drinking from before.

STATUS:

Malawi is covered with thousands of broken water wells and most rural Malawians have no access to safe, clean, drinking water. Drinking contaminated water is one of the leading causes of death among children in third world countries.

SOLUTION:

Orant Charities, the Missionaries of St. Paul (MSP) and Child Legacy International (CLI) have already completely refurbished 43 of the broken hand pump water wells in the area where we work. This represents bringing clean water back to about 50,000 people, most of those were children! Since each well costs about $1000 to repair EVERY DOLLAR invested brings clean water back to slightly more than one person for about 5 years!

HERE’S THE DEAL:

Child Legacy International is hosting a charity event called the “Clean Water Climb” to raise money to repair water wells. To support this great cause, I have joined a volunteer team of climbers assembled to scale the world's tallest freestanding mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Topping out at an elevation of 19,349 feet, it is also the highest point on the African continent. We are partnering this year to repair 30 more wells and we are doing everything we can to raise awareness and reach our goal.

WHERE YOU BECOME PART OF THE STORY:

I need to raise money to repair more wells in Malawi and I am asking you to make an investment that is GUARANTEED to saves lives. GUARANTEED!! Wait, it gets better:

100% of your donation will go directly to repair the wells.

Help the people of Malawi get safe drinking water with a TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION to Orant Charities.

TWO WAYS TO TO DONATE: 1. Go to: www.orantcharities.org, click on “Donate” in the left column to invest via credit card using PayPal. 2. You can also send a check to: Orant Charities, 2536 NE Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76106-1809

30 Water Well Repairs & Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

So for the month of July, I will be in Malawi to team up with the Missionaries of St. Paul and Child Legacy International, two incredible organizations with beautiful people to repair 30 water wells. Next, Child Legacy International is hosting a charity event called the “Clean Water Climb” to raise money to repair water wells. To support this great cause, I have joined a volunteer team of climbers assembled to scale the world's tallest freestanding mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Topping out at an elevation of 19,349 feet, it is also the highest point on the African continent. We are partnering this year to repair 30 more wells and we are doing everything we can to raise awareness and reach our goal. I know I have said this before, but I am determined to keep everyone informed, I'm just not a born-blogger. My goal is to at least upload some good pics for people to see...I'll do my best. Leave in less than 2 weeks! Excited, but a long time to be away from my family...pray...