During a 2022 trip to the Djagble community in Togo, West Africa, we came across the lady in this picture. This lady is the one who was healed from her typhoid by drinking the chlorine water from the chlorine-generator machine. According to her pastor, Denis Adodo, she has been suffering from typhoid for about nine months. Upon drinking this water, she received great improvement in her health.
She has spent her entire life walking miles to collect water from a dirty stream or spring. When we asked her what access to clean water would mean for her family, her answer was simple: “If we get clean water, this is worth more than gold.” This is a recurring theme. Pure water isn’t just about the convenience of a shorter walk and fewer trips to the well. It is bacteria-free water. It signals a new beginning, health granted, and long-held dreams come to life. We hear recurring statements such as:
• “Water is life to people.”
• “Now our babies will be healthy and strong.”
• “My child will have a good future; his life will not be hard.”
• “Now I am beautiful.”
• “We will do our work with joy and good health.”
We also traveled to Monterrey, Mexico. This is an industrial center fringed by mountains. National Pastor Fernando and his family took us into five mountain villages. A recent rain ended a drought and filled lakes with muddy water. We made dirty, bacteria-filled water safe to drink and gave the villagers the Living Water. The man pictured with me accepted Jesus as his Saviour, along with 93 more precious people.
Water changes everything. When a community is finally given access to clean water, development follows. Women have more time in their day and can start businesses to provide additional income for their families. Kids can attend school full-time. Communities thrive. Where there was anxiety, there is now peace of mind. Where there was sorrow, now there is hope. Hope comes from trusting the Lord Jesus Christ.
The reality of 771 million people—more than twice the population of the United States—drinking dirty water can be hard to imagine, but it’s even more dangerous to forget. Clean water makes life possible. Hope makes life enjoyable. The two go hand in hand, and hand in hand, we believe we can bring clean water to every person on the planet, because everyone, everywhere deserves to live unhindered by the weight of dirty water on their backs or in their minds.
And hope should be accessible to all. At Hays Pure Water, we believe that clean water opens the door to giving the Living Water, which is Jesus Christ. Thank you.
His water boy,
John Hays
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- Getting water from the community well
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- The smile on this woman’s face says it all!
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- We took water-purification systems to Monterrey, Mexico.
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- Dirty drinking water
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- Sharing clean water and the Living Water with people in the village
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- This man was saved because of the water-purification system his village was given.
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- Having clean water allows mothers more time with their children.
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- Clean water put a smile on this child’s face!
