dry

parched
dirty
dry
dusty
soiled
thirsty

waiting

As I mentioned in an early blog, the water only comes every so often to where I live. Talking more with a neighbor, I found out that the water is actually supposed to come every 10 days. Today is day 18 and no water-maybe tomorrow. I have a bucket with about 4 gallons left, that's it. Most of my neighbors, families of 5, 10 or more, have been with out for at least 5 days. Myself and others with larger pilas have shared what we have. Some have gone down the hill to a distant tank to carry what they can back to their houses. There are water trucks that you can pay to bring water to your house. One arrived the other day but was already empty. Even so, at L. 500 ($25) a truck, most families can not afford to spend multiple day's wages on extra water. Minimum daily wage is around L. 120 ($6).

Every day I find myself thinking and having conversations about when the water will come- neighbors speculating with one another, talking about how much they have left and remarking that such is this season (hot and dry). My ears are alert to the sound of running water, waiting for that first outburst from the faucet that will signify that the day has finally come! My body also craves a luxurious bath- using a full bucket instead of a half, using shampoo and conditioner, using water that is clean instead of the lasts of the water, full of little black specs, shaving my legs. I want to clean my house and wash my dishes, I want to mop away the dust and wash my sheets. I drink bottled water, so I don't have to go thirsty as some of my neighbors probably are.

All of this waiting and craving water has gotten me thinking. It is an interesting balance we live in... days of suffering, wondering when there will be relief, but in the end, the water always comes. Kind of like how we pass through times of waiting and suffering, but in the end, God is always faithful. I also think about the stark differences between the physical realities and the spiritual realities of the poor. Day in and day out, they live in need. They lack for basics, like water. Some lack because of the oppression and injustice of others (our is not the same situation as other neighborhoods in the city) and some lack because of their own poor choices. But at the same time, the Living Water- the Spirit of God, the Love of God and a full life in Jesus is constantly and over flowingly available.

Is that what it means when it says "blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom"? Blessed are they because they understand God's riches and the realities of a just and right Kingdom. Blessed are those who are able to understand and appreciate this Righteous and Abundant Kingdom because on a daily basis they experience the difference between a spring of Living Water and a dry pila that has been empty for 5 days.

I can't help but think of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4. Her reality was coming to the well for water at the hottest and most lonely time of day. She was an outcast. She had needs that weren't always met. She knew suffering. Jesus engaged her in a conversation that connected her reality to the reality of the Kingdom. I was trying to imagine what Jesus would say to my neighbors if he lived on my street. How would he use a conversation about "when will the water come?" to share the Good News about His Kingdom?

I feel like I have personally been on kind of a water fast. Sure, I've been drinking what I need to and keeping clean at a minimal level, but I'm also starting to want more. When we fast from something physical, we are reminded of what our needs really are and how God is present in any circumstance, whether we are in need or have abundance. I've also been waiting. I'm doing a lot of waiting in my life and this has been a good reminder that God is faithful.

The water will come.