I said, “O Jesus, O Jesus.” It was DEFINITELY a prayer. It was great news! We were actually going to get our well drilled before our scheduled departure. But we weren’t ready!
Blue Ridge, a Mennonite well drilling organization told us they would not come until June 1, well after we are to leave Haiti. Suddenly, all of that changed with John coming into my room after lunch to tell me his “Best Bad News”. They are coming tomorrow at 9 AM!
“WooHoo!” was my immediate response and then “O Jesus, O Jesus!”
We weren’t ready. Blue Ridge had given us specific requirements as to how the ground where they were going to drill had to be prepared. It was going to require considerable excavation. On top of that, because of some major drainage work we were doing close by, we had three truck loads of large rocks dumped on the road and as well as a pile of dirt. The drilling rig wasn’t getting around that mess.
Suddenly my day changed!
I had eleven men working around the village on various projects in support of the eight homes we were building. I took them all off what they were doing and gathered them at the prospective drilling site.
We had a second prospective drilling site that required very little prep but it was decided by our team that it was not as secure. I was beginning to think maybe we should rethink that decision after looking at the mountain of work my men had to get done before the day was over.
We forged ahead on two fronts. My big men with picks and shovels started excavating the drill site. My young men who were on break from school this week began moving the rocks. We started at about 1PM. For the first few hours I didn’t think we would beat the sun.
At around 3PM I got a call from Lussaude saying that the drilling rig and another truck was behind him on the road to the village! Did someone make a mistake? Why were they early? We were not close to being ready. As soon as I hung up I could hear the roar of their mammoth trucks turning the corner into the village. I ran down the hill to greet them. (Picture an overweight old man flying down a steep incline with his hat flying behind and a panicked look on his face; and you get a good idea what the villagers saw.)
I met the driver with a smile. He said his name was Waylyn but to just call him Junior. I asked him why he was early and told me he just wanted to park his rig in a secure location for the night. Whew!!! Back to work.
My men usually worked until 5PM but that was fast approaching with lots still to go. At five I stopped them and told them they would get paid an extra day if they stayed until the work was done. “Non Pwoblem!”
I was relieved they stayed. After a short break, they went back to work. It was about 7PM when the last of the boulders was moved and the last shovel full of dirt was thrown. They did it. I even had a young girl from a family that is supported by one of our team help half the day shoveling small rocks and picking up big rocks. (She got a paid, too!)
Thursday morning the drilling team from Blue Ridge arrived and set up their rigs to start drilling. They hit a few snags along the way to drilling down 400 feet. On Friday afternoon they blew out the well with air and up came gushing our precious water.
The Worst was over and the Good came rushing up from the bowels of the earth to meet us. I shouted again this time with gratitude, “O Jesus!! O Jesus!!!!”
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