Witnessing a Miracle

The February air was stifling.

Even for this Florida girl, it was hot. Too hot to stand in direct sun; so hot that we were truly grateful when we saw that the village we were visiting was shaded by tall, lush trees.

We were in the Eastern Ghats, visiting well sites to test the water and make sure the wells were performing as expected. One of the benefits of these visits was the opportunity to meet with the locals, and hear how the new well had impacted their lives.

Our drive through the Eastern Ghats rewarded us with soaring vistas and dense jungles.

At this village, we heard an amazing story.

Lakshmi, the village health worker, told us that before the well was built, the people suffered from fevers so pervasive, every single family had at least one person who was sick. In this village of 70 families, that meant 70 people (as much as my son’s entire fifth grade!) were sick at any given moment. And these weren’t little 24-hour fevers, either. These were the biggies: Dengue. Typhoid. Malaria.

Fevers that were debilitating.

Fevers that were deadly.

But after the well was built, a miracle happened.

This was where they’d been getting their water before. No wonder everybody was sick!

In two weeks - seemingly overnight! - the fevers disappeared.

Disappeared. Gone. Poof.

Just because of clean water.

The new well here has been life-changing for these ladies… and this little boy!

We were there on a weekday afternoon, and I’d noticed that the village was pretty quiet. When I wondered aloud where everyone was, Lakshmi smiled and gave me the best possible answer: “They’re all at work. Except the children, of course - they are at school.”

Then she walked with me to the school and introduced me to some of the children there. They laughed shyly, then sang a song for us.

Just imagine the future these children will have, now that they have safe water!

A village where everyone is able to work. A school where the children can learn, laugh, dance, and sing.

A miracle that makes everyone healthy and whole.

That’s what clean water can do.