Well, I finally have Internet so I am going to send some updates about what we have been doing. The funny thing is, I had typed up a blog post on my computer waiting for the Internet to come back on. But now my computer screen will not work so I am typing it on my phone. I was able to send some pictures yesterday that I saw were posted, so I will try and provide information to go with the pictures. Saturday we continued our projects, Bruce and Rick continued their work on the container turning it into an office. They worked at framing the windows and doors and leveling the container.  Walt and I continued to work on the drill rig looking to diagnose the problem with the hydraulic system. We spent all day looking at different scenarios but as of Saturday, we had not found the problem.
Sunday we attended church in town it was great to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. After Church we drove around town a little bit looking at how bad the roads were. We got out and looked at the main road into town and how badly the road had been washed out by the rains. The ground is very sandy so once the rain comes, it quickly washes it away. Many houses are now in jeopardy of falling into the hole . Most of the afternoon we took the opportunity to rest and just relax. Later in the afternoon we went for a walk in our neighborhood to visit two of the men that work for MAD (Marcellin African Drilling), Alexis and Etienne.   We wanted to go visit these men at their homes and meet their families and hear their stories. We asked them about how their families were affected by the war and when the rebels came into town. The men said that they hid their families out in the tall grass so that they would not be harmed by the military men.

At this point I want to explain a little bit about the structure of the Water well drilling teams. You may have heard the phrase "give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish feed him for a lifetime". Well this is the philosophy that water for good has been working on in the Central African Republic. They have worked very hard to invest in the African people and to teach them principles that will help them long-term, this is a much harder process, but the results will be last longer. Jim Hocking has sought to mentor men and women over the years as he has operated water for good.  One of those men, Marcellin, has been trained to do the drilling of the new water wells and to do mechanical repairs on all of the vehicles. He is an awesome guy who has worked very hard to learn the skills and to grow in his leadership abilities.  

A little over a year ago, Water for Good continued the process to invest in the African people by handing over part of the drilling program to Marcellin. He now owns the Drilling company and has his own company name, Marcellin African Drilling (MAD).  He is the only central African business owner of a well drilling company. He leases the land and equipment from Water for Good, but just like any other company, he is responsible to hire employees and run the day-to-day operations. So Water for Good and MAD partner together to do the water well drilling projects here in the Central African Republic. It is exciting to see this big step take place. It has been fun for me personally to see him develop over all of the years I've been coming here. Please pray for him as he has this big responsibility, I can tell that he enjoys it, but anyone who runs a business knows the challenges of managing and running a business. He also leases the property where we are staying, so we are his guests, we ride in his trucks, we stay in his guest house. We are excited to help him in his new business as he partners with Water for Good.

Monday was another workday, the office project continues. I appreciate Bruce and Rick taking on this project. They are doing a great job and are enjoying working with the other guys. Walter and I continued to work on the drill rig. Thankfully Walter figured out the problem with the drill rig, and we now have it functioning again. Now we are starting on the other Drill rig to work on a problem it has, but Walter thinks he knows the problem. It is great to have Walter here with his knowledge and expertise. 

We also had the privilege of handing out new tools to the maintenance teams yesterday. These men go out into the villages and do repairs to the water pumps so that the villages can continue to have clean water. I took a picture of their old tools, and then I took a picture of them as they received new tools that we brought with us from the US. It was honestly very expensive to bring these tools here but seeing the smiles on their faces was very rewarding. The men said that they will be able to do their work because of these new tools. I want to thank all of you that donated to our trip to help fund these tools. I will also take this opportunity to put a plug in for anyone who is interested in helping continue the work here in the Central African Republic by donating to Water for Good. We get to see firsthand that the money is being well spent to provide clean freshwater as well as investing in training the central African people. You can visit their website to learn more at www.waterforgood.org and donate.

God bless
Tim
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