I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Cholera outbreak and the hurricane, both of which have not posed any threat to me (so you can take a big breath). The Cholera outbreak is not near my town of Ouanaminthe and the Sisters here have been implenting different precautions, for instance all the students have to wash their hands before they eat. During the school presentation, Sr. Danielle asked, “How many students are going to die?” and they all responded ” Zero!”. Death is a much closer reality here. The outbreak though poses a serious threat to Port-au-Prince because of all the tent cities. The lack of clean water has been the primary cause of the outbreak. It is also the cause of death because Cholera can be easily treated if you keep hydrated.
You wouldn’t think a lack of water would be a problem for an island in the tropics- it’s surrounded by water and it rains all the time. I learned this lesson last Sunday afternoon when the Sisters invited all the neighborhood kids to come and play. After playing for three hours under the tropical sun, you become hot, sweaty, and very thirsty. Towards the end of playtime, I was inspecting the area and saw a frenzy of children swarming around the school kitchen (children swarming is never good). I ran over to find that they were all sourrounding a plastic water spout. It was a schock to see people fighting over water. This might schock you- I had to stop them. With fifty children pushing and shoving, they were going to break the spout. It was heartwrenching to see and to do. I think they probably understand better when Christ says, “I am the living water.”
A Little Seed Makes a Big Tree 