Since Hope Springs Water began working in Toledo in the southern-most district in the Central American country of Belize six years ago, the mission compound lovingly run by Bob and Rhonda Farley just outside the coastal town of Punta Gorda is the place we have called “home.” We’ve had the pleasure of watching it grow from a small church and a missionary home to a multi-structure compound including a church with rooms for mission teams, a rainwater collection and treatment facility serving several hundred people in that area, a raised-bed greenhouse where fresh fruits and vegetables are grown, a Bible College that runs year round, an electrician course leading to certification, and a soon-to-come AM/FM radio station where broadcasting will be taught.
The Belizean National Rural Water Supply workers have done a great job of drilling wells in most of the rural villages of the Toledo District, but the water in that region is caustic, causing the galvanized metal in the India Mark 2 hand pumps that were installed to rust. This rust causes the water to turn red, taste bitter, and gives the people abdominal cramps. This leads them to abandon the well and start drinking water from the local contaminated surface water supply again.
When we were in Belize recently, we were asked to look at a well that we had repaired six years ago that had stopped functioning after the government repair team had taken it apart to perform routine maintenance. That well had been functioning well without a problem. After replacing the ten-foot length of pump rod (left off by mistake by the government workers) and replacing the gaskets in the valves, the well began functioning perfectly again — much to the delight of the ladies in the village.
Our team from Arizona traveled with us to the village of Santa Elena, where we replaced the rusted below-water galvanized parts of the pump with stainless steel, brass and PVC parts on two wells to provide cleaner, safer water for the villagers to drink. Those wells were located in an elementary school and at the village community center.
Hope Springs Water has rehabilitated over 50 wells in villages in the Toledo District of southern Belize, and we are working with the Belizean government water authorities to determine what the best next step for Hope Springs Water in that region might be.
Our prayer is that God provides clarity to us regarding what further plans he may have for us in Belize.