Water, Desperation and Fear

Since the end of January our water has been rationed. At first we received three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. Fair enough. We changed our schedule a bit to make sure we could do our wash, take care of cooking and cleaning up, and, of course, engage in personal hygiene. It did provide a whole new definition for “toilet training,” but if there is a shortage of water everyone has to do their part.

As the dry season has continued, we have had less and less water trickling through our pipes. For the past eight days we have had absolutely none. Fortunately, the Multiplication Center campus has a reserve cistern, and we could walk over to take our showers… among other things. This past week the reserve went dry and desperation set in.

Finally, on Thursday the municipality sent us a truck with free water and we filled up every bucket, container and bottle we have. I have never seen a group of people so desperate for water – and so relieved for the smallest amount they could find.

Yesterday emotions in the neighborhood rose when the Multiplication Center paid for a truck to come and fill the large cistern on campus. We had to. We have a church group here this weekend and a short-term team arriving on Monday. When the neighbors saw the truck they all came out with their buckets thinking it was a free, municipality truck. When some elderly ladies who live nearby did not receive any water they apparently taught the driver several new cuss words  

During our years in Costa Rica, water - in one form or another - has been a central topic of conversation. We have received up to 130 inches of rain in one year. I can promise you that amount of water falling from the sky creates its own challenges. Sometimes water becomes the source of danger. Over ten years ago Su almost drowned when she was taken out to sea by a riptide. It has taken her almost that long to get over her fear of the ocean.

In Mark 4 and chapter 8 of both Matthew and Luke we find the story of Jesus and His disciples getting in a boat to cross the northern part of the Sea of Galilee. Almost immediately Jesus settles down for a nap. We all remember how a fierce storm came down on the lake and the boat began to fill with water. With good reason the disciples jumped to the conclusion they were going to die. They woke Jesus up with the question, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” (Mark 4:38b, NLT) He, in turn, rebuked both their lack of faith and the wind. “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (v. 40, NLT)

I must admit that under the right circumstances fear can fill my own heart. No, not when terrible things happen. For some reason, I get very calm in bad situations. When I swam a kilometer out into the ocean to get Su, she says I stayed pretty cool. When we had bullets come through our windows in Bolivia, I kept thinking about the next thing we had to do to survive. As bad as our water shortage is now, I know the rains will eventually return.

Still, I can get frightened.

My blood pressure rises when physicians put on latex gloves in my presence. When dentists look into my mouth and make “tut-tut” sounds under their breath, I start to sweat. Right now, the idea of moving back to the States fills me with a bit of insecurity – a rare emotion for me. Well, to be completely honest, it frightens me.

In my morning quiet time this week I read these words, “Fears deserve to be questioned. We ought to ask ourselves regularly, ‘Why am I afraid?’ When fear is in control, faith is stifled. Acting fearfully is not acting faithfully.” (Life Application Study Bible Devotional: Daily Wisdom from the Life of Christ)

When the disciples woke Jesus up I doubt they expected him to actually do something. Still, when He did, they quit being afraid of the water and, instead, were “terrified and amazed” at Jesus and His power.

That is the Jesus I serve. He is not tame or “domesticated.” He does surprising things even in hard circumstances. He walks with me into the physical exam, the dentist’s office and, even - maybe especially - as we make this move back to the States.

At the very least I hear you folks have working showers up there. That will give me a chance to occasionally wash the flop sweat off my brow.