First Day of Water Truck

Today was our first full day in Haiti. On the agenda--the water truck to deliver fresh water to a number of the neighborhoods in Cite Soleil. This is a huge and impoverish city with a population of somewhere around 200,000 people. Almost all living in tiny houses made of whatever they can gather.

It's also an area considered one of the most dangerous areas in the western hemisphere. Because of this no other water trucks will deliver water here. Not Healing Haiti. Their trucks deliver into Cite Soleil 6 days a week. This is the only way the residents of this area get fresh water.

We delivered 7500 gallons of water here today by making 3 trips from the water supply well to 3 different neighborhoods. As we arrived with the water truck, a 2500 gallon tractor trailer, our driver Maximus blew the airhorn. We turned the corner onto 17th the women and children were already lining up with buckets, pails and anything that could hold water. It was truly overwhelming and yet this occurs 2 times each week to each of these water stops. The truck backed in and the chaos began!

Here's how the system works. The 6" in diameter hose is hooked to the back of the truck. 1 person manages the hose, 2 pull the containers out to the side once filled as the hose is never shut off once it starts to run. Then the rest of the crew manages the line. Sounds simple, right? Not so much and here's where the overwhelm occured for me today. I ran the hose a fair amount. If I didn't get the container filled to the VERY top, the person in the line would kick it back to me demanding it gets filled to the top. At first I was annoyed when this would happen. Then I realized how important that 4" of water in the top of the container truly was to the family. 4" of water in the top of a 5 gallon pail could mean drinking water for someone in the family between now and the next stop at that water site in 3-4 days.

Each day on this trip we gather as a mission team and share our "Word of the Day". Today the word I chose was "perspective". Perspective on how important fresh water is to the life and health of the people I had the priveledge to serve today. 4" of water and what a difference that truly made.

Walking out to the oceanfront from our first water stop, past the piles of trash, some burning, some just rotting and decaying I truly got perspective. Each day we live our lives finding reason for upset. Upset for getting stuck in traffic or getting caught behind the slow person with coupons in the grocery store check out line. I know I'll remember the experiences of the water truck for the rest of my life.

----Darren