As the Land Cruiser door made a long squeak, we all jumped out. I was amazed at what I saw and heard on this dry, hot day in a remote village in Kenya. After two long hours bouncing down pot-hole-laden dirt roads, across extremely rocky passes and dried up rivers, our team arrived at a new clean water pump installed by Pokot Outreach Ministries (POM). Our team consisted of me, my husband Cody, Jay from Harvesters International and several other Kenyans.
“Thank you! Our lives are already changing because of this!” As the cool, clear water poured from the spout of the newly-installed clean water pump, I heard the gratitude in the voices of the Pokot people. I couldn’t believe the distance they were coming just to get this water – walking nine miles, water barrels strapped to the backs of their donkeys, and repeating this time-consuming routine three times a week!
They led us a little less than a quarter-mile across dry, sandy soil to their previous water source. What I saw there made my stomach turn. A man lifted buckets of muddy water from a six-foot-deep, hand-dug hole under a large tree. This open water hole was shared with wildlife which often caused it to contain feces and other severe contaminants. Beginning to dry up, the water source was no longer reliable and these nomadic farmers had made plans to move across the border to Uganda. Because of this new pump, they were ecstatic that they would be able to stay in that location and have clean water!
“We feel better and have already seen fewer cases of typhoid since using this new pump,” said one of the shirtless middle-aged Pokot men. This is only the beginning of a promising relationship between the Pokot people and Pokot Outreach Ministries. Now having the physical water, the next step in this process will be to have a national pastor begin a church in a nearby village and bring them the living water of Jesus. POM has seen great success over the years with this process of meeting the physical needs of people first and then finding open hearts for meeting spiritual needs.
As members of the SonSet Solutions team, we were grateful to have a part in providing clean water to these hard-working people. We were able to install SonSetLink™ water monitors on two existing well pumps, ensuring that they can be monitored and maintained for years to come. We also had the privilege of providing audio Bibles in the Pokot language for the local pastors to distribute, making it possible for those who cannot read to hear the word of God.
As we rested back in our room that night and recalled what we’d seen that day, Cody and I agreed how incredible it was to witness first-hand the impact that clean water is having in winning souls for Christ’s kingdom! We’re excited about the partnership with POM and the bright future that SonSet Solutions has with them.
Written by Emily Hall