Excitement filled the air as the well drilling
rigs made their way through the small bush
village of Nthongoni. We knew that water was a very precious commodity
because of the many stories we had heard.
Stories like standing in line all night
to have a turn at a hand-dug well, traveling
up to seven miles to get water and dreaming
about the luxury of being able to splash
water in their faces, all left a strong
impression of the hardships they faced.
In one area in Chyulu, baptizing new members
of the Church is also a challenge. They
have to carry water a considerable distance
up a hill. Then, in order to conserve water
and get the water level high enough for
the baptism, they have extra people stand
around the edges of the font. Needless
to say, water is like gold to these people,
so you can imagine the thrill in their
hearts as they saw the drilling rigs slowly
moving down their rocky roads. Hope, and
anticipation of what might be, was overwhelming.
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to enlarge
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The dry parched soil near Mbokoni, Kenya – July
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The village people gathered and watched
as the drilling began on the first well – and
danced and shouted for joy when they struck
water. It had been several months since
they first heard that we would be drilling
for water, and their joy overflowed as
they saw the water spray up from the well.
However, it was not what we were hoping
for. Both the quantity and quality were
marginal.
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Striking water on the first well
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There was so much at stake (to provide
water for both domestic and farming use)
and the local Church leaders desperately
wanted an abundant supply of good water.
So they decided to pronounce a priesthood
blessing just prior to beginning the drilling
of the next well. The drilling rig was
in position and ready to go, and many village
people had turned out to witness this special
event. President Mbai knelt down next to
the drill bit and offered a very special
prayer and pronounced that the well would
produce an abundant supply of pure water.
This was a very courageous pronouncement
because of the area’s history of having
salty water – assuming that you could find
enough water to justify even a hand pump.
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Gathering to pray, at the second well site
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This priesthood blessing caused quite a
stir in the surrounding villages and one
of the local preachers went so far as to condemn the well and those Mormons that
were behind it. He warned the townspeople
that it was the work of the devil and not
to get involved. This well project was
a community effort, with people from many
religions involved, so the pastor was wrong
on several counts. During the 90s the government
leaders declared that the LDS Church was
the church of the devil. This declaration
made the headlines and was remembered by
many. The members had already gone through
a lot of persecution, and it was hurtful
for them to go through this again.
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A family near Mbukoni (Chyulu area)
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In addition, a local villager, who claimed
to have bewitching skills, declared to
have cast a spell on the well. These events
led to snide comments by critical villagers,
and they only increased as the troubles
at the well site began to mount. The drilling
bit became seriously stuck three times
and actually broke off. It was a diamond
bit, so there were many anxious moments
during that time. However, after a week
of sleepless nights, it was finally retrieved.
There was also trouble with the compressor,
and the list goes on and on. The critics
in the village square were having a “hay
day” and the members of the Church were
avoiding public contact. They were being
ridiculed for believing in a meaningless
priesthood power.
Still, the members believed that Presidents
Mbai’s blessing would be fulfilled. During
the drilling of the first well, dust would be blown out of the hole by the big
compressor and as soon as water was struck
it was water that was blowing out of the
hole. So it was very enjoyable to watch
the water splash and flow out of the well
during the drilling process. But this was
not the case with this well. It was only
dust that was coming out.
It normally takes two to four days to complete
the drilling, As days turned into weeks,
and still no water, the tension and concern
began to grow. I decided that I could not
wait in Chyulu (I also had other things
to do) because of the time it took to deal
with all the problems, and I knew that
the minute they struck water, I would get
a phone call. No call came. My concern
for the lack of water was now being overpowered
by my concern for the members. Their faith
was truly being tried.
I thought, “What have I done? This dry
hole will seriously damage the Church.” Fervent
prayers were common, and it was a time
for sincere soul searching.
Finally I received a call, but it was not
to inform me that they had struck water.
The local branch president, Julius Kasue,
informed me that they had struck the “basement” and
there was “no water.” I said that it was
impossible, we always find some water.
It may not be much, but there is always
some water (especially when you drill so
deep). The well driller also maintained
that he had never seen a well that had
absolutely no water. As I talked to him
on the phone he told me that it had been “dust
all the way.” When the basement is reached
there is no point of going further, so
we were at the absolute end of our rope.
The only thing that I could think of was
to take the geologist out there and try
to find out what had happened. I made an appointment within a couple of days to
make the four-hour drive to Chyulu. I was
to pick him up at the halfway point and
proceed on to the drill site. When I arrived,
he was not there, so I decided to drive
on. He probably knew that the answers would
be scarce and he did not want to find himself
in a difficult situation.
I had agreed to meet Julius in Kambu, about
forty-five minutes from the well site.
He was there with the driller – anxiously
waiting for the geologist. I will never
forget the depressed look on his face when
I drove up, and it did not help when I
told him that that the geologist had not
come. The only thing left to do was to
cry on each other’s shoulder. Julius said
that he was going to have to move out of
the area because he could not face his
branch members. And the driller was on
the verge of a nervous breakdown. The driller
is not a member, however, he had been there
when the blessing was given and it made
a profound impression on him.
(Julius Kasue had a miraculous conversion
to the Church about the time the Priesthood
was restored to the blacks, and the six
strong branches in the Chyulu area are
a testament to his faithfulness and leadership.
His story has been told in the Ensign several
times, the most recent being in February
2001 edition. However, the saints were
certainly being tested at this time.)
My concern deepened as I witnessed these
men struggle. Then Julius made a passing
comment that sparked my interest. He said
that the men had noticed that there was
some water in the well the day before,
and he had suggested that they put a test
pump in the well just to see what little
water might be there. However, he had no
hope that the well would yield anything
that would be meaningful. We made a call
to the drilling crew, not really thinking
it would be possible that the news would
be much different. After asking the question
three times, Julius’ face turned from despair
to total elation. You could see that he
could not believe what he was hearing. “The
test pump is running at full capacity and
there is no draw down on the water level
in the well.” This was the best possible
report. It would require a larger pump
to get an accurate flow rate.
We rushed to the well site, and on the
way we called President Mbai, who was teaching
school. When he heard the news he said
he was going to run to the site. Not a
single member in the area owns a car, so
getting places is usually by foot. When
we arrived, the people were beginning to
gather and the relief and thanksgiving
were overflowing.
We later come to understand that President
Mbai and others had just finished a two
day fast. It was the day after the fast that water was noticed in the well. The
members are now saying that “the devil
has been defeated.” Now, instead of the
Church being damaged, it is stronger than
ever. It is very hard to explain the joy
that I felt knowing that this was going
to be a major positive spiritual experience
in the lives of these wonderful people
instead of the disaster that seemed to
exist.
And then, to add this turn of events the
fact that they would actually have an “abundant
supply of pure water” was truly overwhelming. A young girl came rushing
down the path, late in the day, to get
some water from the new well. You may recall
an article in the February 2001 Ensign
that reported on a Chyulu story that was
associated with the Ethiopian Church-wide
fast that occurred during the early 1990s.
The area was experiencing a severe drought
and in the Chyulu area it essentially had
not rained for three years. Members were
actually on the verge of starvation and
some had actually become bedridden from
starvation. When the Church finally discovered
the problem they rushed provisions to the
area. When the Area Presidency arrived
they promised the saints that if they would
exercise their faith through prayer and
fasting that they would be blessed. They
also were told that if they would plant
their seeds in the dry soil that it would
rain. This was truly an exercise of faith
because they did not want to waste their
precious seeds. And they had probably even
considered the possibility of eating their
seeds in order to avoid starvation. But
they planted their seeds, and the rains
did come, and the harvests were abundant.
Like Abraham of old, God gives us experiences
so we can find out who we really are. Those
of us who began to doubt that water would
come probably need to re-examine our spiritual
base. And for those of us who never doubted
we will feel a sense of inner peace and
extreme gratitude.
Another spiritual story, which demonstrates
the faith of these people, is told by Brother
Jay Mortensen, from Blackfoot, Idaho. It is about an experience he had
while serving a Church mission in Chyulu
during the late 1990’s. He reports that
a sister in the Darijoni branch developed
serious complications at the time she attempting
to birth a new baby. It became evident
to her and her husband that she and the
baby would not survive unless they received
some clinical help. As they considered
their options, the only thing they could
think of was to contact the Mortensens
who had the only available form of transportation
in the area. There was no phone or any
other means of communication. They had
to put their full faith and trust in the
Lord. They knelt down and prayed that the
Lord would hear their plea and direct them
to their home. At this time the Mortensens
were about thirty miles away. heading in
the opposite direction. Sister Mortensen
had an impression that they should stop,
turn around and head for Darijoni. Brother
Mortensen was disappointed, and said that
he had not shared in that impression, but
he had learned to pay attention to Sister
Mortensen’s impressions. So they turned
around and headed for Darijoni, having
no idea what the reason might be. As they came within a mile of
village they recognized a member couple
by the side of road, and when they stopped to talk with them the couple said, “we
knew you would come.”
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A woman loading her donkey with five cans
of water – from the new well. In
the background you can see how
dry it is.
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The Sunday following the finding of water
at the “Miracle Well” (this is the name
the villagers have given to the well) was the fast and testimony meeting, and
we would not have missed it for anything.
And, it was all that we had expected --it
was a spiritual feast! The members were
truly grateful and gave all glory to God!
Right after Relief Society, the Relief
Society President asked the sisters if
they could share a few shillings (each shilling is a little more than one cent)
to help a woman who had recently lost her
husband (the funeral had been the previous
week). My wife, Susan, asked the sister
who had been interpreting the meeting for
her if they would be able to raise enough
to help the widow, and she responded, “We
are now in a famine, and none of us have
much to share.” The people said it was
the driest it had been for ten years, and
they would even be able to plant more crops
until December – if they got the needed “early
rain” at that time.
Susan then came to me and suggested that
we do something to stave of the famine
by using some of the water from the nearby “miracle
well” and planting some early maturing
crops to provide food for the starving
people – until the time the expected rains
would come to help them plant for next
year’s crop. She remembered that I had
previously planned that, in the case of
serious hailstorms (as prophesied in the
scriptures), the best thing to plant for
fast production of food was spinach. The
people in this area regularly eat a food
called sakuma wiki (kale), which is like
spinach, so she thought that might be a
solution.
Within a few hours we had some land located
near the well, the community organized,
and a plan in place. The only problem was
that it would take about four thousand
dollars to install a pump, generator, large
tank, distribution lines, drip tape and
the fittings to hook it all together. I
told Susan that it was all a great idea,
but, “Who is going to raise the money?”
Susan took on the fund raising challenge
with gusto! She said, “we have to do something,
we will just send out an emergency appeal
to our friends, and see what happens.” She
sent out an appeal by e-mail, as we went
to bed that night, and the next morning
we had received notice of enough money
to be picked up at the local Western Union
to get the project moving. We were able
to get the critical supplies purchased
and on a truck leaving for Chyulu that
afternoon.
To raise the rest of the money, a project
was created on the Starfish Projects web
site (www.starfishprojects.com) where people could contribute with a
credit card – and another miracle occurred
as the money was quickly transferred from
the charitable people in the U.S. to the
Reach the Children bank account in New York, and then quickly wired
to the RTC bank account in Kenya. This
too was a miracle! But this miracle required
the response of good people to use the
means that God has already created for
us – to accomplish His work.
On my next trip to Chyulu, I had another
special experience – working with the people
as they prepared the soil to receive the
water, and the seeds, to raise the food
for the “orphans and widows.” It was an
amazing sight to see 190 farmers plowing
the soil, as they raised and lowered a
tool similar to a heavy pick – to loosen
the hard, dry soil. They were anxious to
do everything they could do, to make this
a very special farm.
They carefully laid out the beds, using
many stakes cut from the nearby dry tree
limbs, to be sure the rows were straight
and even. And, they built a strong fence
around the farm, to be sure the animals
would not destroy anything.
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to enlarge
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Plowing the Land, to provide food for the
widows and orphans.
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They have established two workdays a week,
and approximately 190 farmers show up with
their hand tools – and go to work. After
the ground was plowed, and two-row beds
prepared, we installed 30,000 feet of drip
tape. (By using the drip tape we were able
to double the amount of land that could
be farmed.)
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Installing the drip tape
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Just before we returned to the U.S. we
were able to witness the first drops of
water from the emitters on the drip tape – and
the rest is history.
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First drops of water to the thirsty soil – Oct.
6th
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Within forty-five days (about Thanksgiving
time) they had an abundant harvest of spinach
and kale. Tomatoes, onions,melons, and
other crops, will be maturing soon.
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Spinach – about Nov. 20th
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And now, this farm is doing more than just
averting the famine in the immediate area.
Farmers from the surrounding villages have
heard about this amazing project, and have
come to see what is happening. On the 3rd of December, the District Commissioner (who had to travel over four
hours from his office to get there), and
other government officials (DEO, DDO, Chiefs,
etc.) visited the farm. It was reported
that, “The DC strongly emphasized how important
it is to use locally available resources
like farming to strengthen family-based
orphan care by boosting their income through
drip irrigation systems.” They also reported
that other villages have started to form
associations that can help them work as
a team.”
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A man stops to say “thank you!”
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As we look back over the events of this
past year, we are filled with gratitude
to have known and become a part of the
lives of the wonderful people in Chyulu.
Truly, “our cup overfloweth.”
And, as we look back on these experiences
the scripture in Alma 26:12 comes to mind: “Yea,
I know that I am nothing; as to my strength
I am weak; therefore I will not boast of
myself, but I will boast of my God, for
in his strength I can do all things; yea,
behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought
in this land, for which we will praise
his name forever.“
From
the Editor: A little money goes a long
way in African nations. Note that it only
took $4000 to purchase the pump, generator
and other materials to plant these crops
that are staving off starvation. If you
want to make a donation go to www.starfishprojects.com
