Emeregilda woke to the sun streaming through the cracks in her makeshift home.
It was mid-April, and the heat was already unbearable. By noon, the temperature in her arid Guatemalan village would reach over 90 degrees.
She stepped outside and peered into the water barrel outside her home — her heart sank.
Empty again.
The journey to the river was long and treacherous. It took all her strength to keep from slipping on the rocks of the riverbank and as much grit as she could muster to haul the water back over the rough terrain.
Nevertheless, Emeregilda slid her feet into the same pair of flip-flops she wore every day, and with a sigh of determination, started the journey to the river.
Her willpower was steady, but her body was wearing down from continually making the long and taxing trip. She was only 35, but the conditions she endured in her impoverished community made her body age far beyond her years.
Emeregilda knew it deep inside — the water shortage wasn’t just robbing hours of her time. It was robbing years of her life.
Worst of all, the water she labored to retrieve was dirty and often filled with waste from animals. Each time she made her way to the river, she saw children wandering the village with extended bellies — their bodies filled with parasites from the very water she was gathering.
It was difficult to keep from feeling resentment. In the poverty-stricken village of El Jicaro, life was simply a fight for survival. Dreaming of anything more was out of the question — silly, even.
Sometimes, it even seemed like God had forgotten her people.
But the day a clean-water well was generously provided for her village, Emeregilda realized God had never forgotten them. He was moving in hearts across the world to bring the healing they desperately needed.
Today, the people of El Jicaro are discovering a path out of poverty. The gift of clean water has given them the time, energy, and physical health they need to move beyond survival and begin truly living.
“We are very grateful for the great help you gave us,” Emeregilda said. “Before we got sick because we had to walk in the sun to get water. Now, thank God, we have a source of water that helps us to stay healthier and clean. May God bless your lives so you can continue to help more needy people like us.”
You can add “give one person clean water” to your bucket list for just $15 and change a life like Emeregilda’s. Refresh Your Bucket List today and remind someone they have not been forgotten.