By Diane.
One of the other things we did on Thursday was to stop to buy a battery. The plan was to use the truck battery to run the equipment that would purify the water in the irrigation ditch. But Janette wondered how they could run the pump until the battery ran down and then drive the truck back down the hill with a dead battery. So we thought it would be prudent to go buy a separate battery. That did actually turn out quite well on the day that we did finally get to pump the water, which was Friday. So Friday the first team went out and started pumping the water. The second team came on the second load in the truck and went on up to another school further up the road. When we got up to where they were pumping the water, we stopped to see how things are going for a while. They were having some trouble with the pump. The filters were filling up really quickly and so we discovered that people could stick their hands in the water to keep leaves and twigs another degree from going into the intake.
Category Archives: Friday 5
Good Friday
By Janette
March 29, 2013Good Friday
Got everything together and headed up the hill to the irrigation ditch to test the idea of making clean water for free for the people there.
Arrived at the site, told the folks there what our plan was. They immediately began to gather
Took a while to get the generator working.
The water is truly gross – small dead animals might float by – mosses, plant debris, garbage, dish soap, laundry detergent… This they drink when they don’t have anything else.
Pump wasn’t receiving power, even though the battery is new! Turned out to be a blown fuse. Fortunately Jilson, our driver, had on in his charger we could use.
Got the pump working. Had a great time making water for the folks. They had to work out some details like how to make the line – where, whose first, what to do while we wait. We were able to get local people to help run the equipment and try to keep the equipment clear of debris.
People sang, flew kites, did flips, compared pedicures, stacked rocks, played hand games, washed clothes, washed themselves, combed hair, stood by the buckets, swapped stories, learned to ride a motorcycle,
About 1:30 we headed back to the compound to have a special Haitian traditional Good Friday. (Here they call it Easter Friday,) The meal is dried fish that has been stewed in a special sauce, rice with white bean sauce and salad. This is the only time in the year they have white bean sauce. EVERYONE in Haiti has this meal – even non-Christians. They buy the fish several days in advance because the markets sometimes run out before friday, or jack up the prices.
After lunch EVERYONE fasts until Saturday morning’s breakfast. We spent dinner time sharing about Easter traditions in our families and what Easter means to us. We joined with the staff of the compound for this conversation.
Later our team had team devotions while the Haitian gathered for worship. They sang and spoke until well after midnight! I was tired enough to fall asleep any way 
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