A New Adventure!

I've just learned that I will be on a Lifewater training team in Haiti in February!  I will be joined by my friends Karen Tobin and Julie Smith, and we will be facilitating the introductory Transformational Community Development to a group of pastors and lay people who work with a child sponsorship program in the northern part of the country.  More info soon!

Which Would You Choose?

Latrine A, on the right, was dug and built by the government at the primary school at which Shunta (left) is director.  It has three "stalls" for girls and three for boys. The floor is concrete and the roof and doors are sheet metal. It has a ventilation system that helps reduce odor and flies.  They have even installed a hand-washing station with two sink basins.





Latrine B, on the left was dug and built by the young man in the blue shirt. It is a simple pit design with a wood slab covered in mud.  The walls and roof are minimal at best.  It serves his entire extended family of 10 people, including a a grandfather whose legs are paralyzed.





So, which did YOU choose?  Would it surprise you to know that I prefer Latrine B?  Let me give you a few reasons.  First, this young man built this latrine because he was aware of the need for sanitation for his family and community.  He located it a safe distance from all homes and water sources, and dug it to a proper depth to avoid contamination and yet provide adequate capacity for his family for several years.  The family doesn't need walls because the location itself provides excellent privacy.  The jug on the ground is the grandfather's "chamber pot" which has been emptied in the latrine.  On the far right is a tippy-tap for hand washing.  Most importantly, the family USES it.

Latrine A? Its huge pit has filled with rainwater and groundwater during the rainy season to within inches of the top. This not only reduces the capacity, but brings the waste to the surface making it unhealthy to use this latrine.  Further, take a look at this latrine with the same basic design:

It was located at a high school nearby, which was sited in a field that is inundated during the rainy season.  (I know, because we slogged through it to reach this latrine!)  The walls of the pit collapsed due to the runoff from the roof and ground, the pit filled with water, and the entire structure collapsed into a cesspool.  Latrine A could suffer the same fate if drainage issues are not addressed.

One of the goals of our training was to encourage our participants to think in new ways about what makes a "good" or "bad" latrine.  The "best" latrine built in the wrong location is of no use whatsoever, and can even be a hazard.  (Would you want that in the playground of your child's school?)  But it's not enough to just pick apart failures.  The children at that school deserve proper sanitation!  So, we had our participants brainstorm to come up with solutions to take back to the high school.  The first suggestion was to move the entire school to a better location, which we heartily agreed with!  But we encouraged them to come up with a solution for the present location.  Their favorite was a dry-composting latrine in which the storage "pits" are actually above ground.  We left the training unsure about the future of this particular site, but VERY sure that our participants are prepared and and enthusiastic about tackling even the most challenging sanitation problems with flexibility, creativity, and participation from the communities.

Defining "Success"

I returned last Tuesday evening from a very successful trip!  Usually, as team leader, I define "successful" as bringing back the entire team in one piece, not losing the money, and not causing any international incidents.  In this case, however, I saw success in a different light.  Most of our trainings follow fairly closely to a "script" as outlined in the curriculum we are using.  This time, we had no script.  This was "advanced sanitation" training, as requested by the participants themselves.  Thus, the first task was to learn from them about the successes and challenges that they've had in implementing our previous training.  Linda, our lead trainer, had designed an "inquiry" format where we asked various questions designed to inspire open discussion in an encouraging environment.  We spent most of the first day learning from them about what they felt that they needed.  We also spent a long day in the field visiting latrines that had worked well and some that most definitely had not.  Our lessons were designed to draw out from them the solutions to the problems that they had encountered, rather than just telling them our "expert" opinions.  While this was a challenging approach, we felt that it was the only way to leave them feeling equipped and confident in themselves and each other when this final training ended.

The worst part of this training approach was that it was totally out of our control.  The best part of this training approach was also that it was totally out of our control! We were completely dependent on God throughout the planning and training.  We never knew what challenges and creative ideas would surface on any day.  None of us knew exactly why we were on this team, or exactly what our "roles" were.  We didn't even have a defined goal.  And that was exactly where God wanted us to be.  We were very intentional about turning all of this over to Him, and following His leading when He chose to give it, wherever it might take us.  And, not surprisingly, He blessed us tremendously for our obedience and faithfulness.

When we received feedback from the participants at the end of the week, we were encouraged - and relieved - to hear that they felt that this training was exactly what they had needed, and that they felt equipped and eager to return to the field to try some new creative approaches.  For me, this was an affirmation of this entire training project that began in February 2010.  All of the community development principles we had sowed and cultivated were bearing fruit, and God was glorified in the process.  That is the greatest success of all.

Lucky Seven!

This time tomorrow I'll be on my way to Ethiopia - again!  This will be my seventh trip with Lifewater International, my sixth to Ethiopia and fifth on this project.  Ironically, I find that I'm worried a bit that I'm so nonchalant about this adventure!  It's not that I know what to expect, because every trip is different and there are always unexpected challenges.  But I've learned through experience that there aren't any challenges too big for God, and, after all, this is His project!

The most exciting thing for me about this trip is the people I'll be seeing.  Of the 18 participants in the training next week, I know 17 from previous trainings.  And several of them have been in all 4 trainings I've been part of!  So, old friends that I've written about before, like Teshale, Misrak, Shunta, and even Mohamed, will be there.  And I just found out today that my dear brother Getu will be our driver!  Just over a year ago, he had a major heart attack and his family was told that his chances for recovery were slim.  There was MUCH prayer from the US and Ethiopia that week!  His recovery has been miraculous, but he has still not been cleared to make the long, difficult trips - until now!  It will be such a blessing to be riding shotgun with him again, dodging goats and donkey carts all the way to Awassa.  He is so much more than a "driver" - he is also our cultural attache, menu advisor, shopping bargainer, comedian, and above all, spiritual partner and prayer warrior.  And I know I will get to see his beautiful family again, too!

So, we leave tomorrow from three different airports.  Linda, Bart and I will meet up in O'Hare, then on to Frankfurt and Addis Ababa Wednesday evening - about 24 hours of travel.  Alan will join us there the next morning.  Then four days of travel and prep, and training begins next Monday.  I hope to post updates occasionally, but it's always hit or miss.  Please keep us in prayer, particularly for team unity, clear communication, and successful brainstorming and problem-solving.  Thanks as always for your support!

Compelled

Two weeks ago, Cindy and I attended Lifewater International's Field Trainer Conference in San Luis Obispo.  The theme was Compelled 2012, based on 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, in which Paul describes how Christ's love compels us. While we are passionate about clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for all people, our motivation is not to make this world a better place to live.  We are driven by Christ's love, which constrains and empowers us to love others in turn.  When we're asked in the field why we sacrifice so much to come to them, this is our answer.

The conference was a great opportunity to hobnob with my fellow wizards.  There were about 30 field trainers, as well as staff and supporters.  It was fun to introduce Cindy to everyone, to share old stories, to learn some new tricks, and to worship together with a great group of people.  I had the opportunity to help give reports on two projects, in Ethiopia and Kenya, in which we stressed the relationships rather than the nuts and bolts.  I also co-facilitated a team leaders workshop and an introductory Exploring Transformational Mission course for prospective field trainers.  As an added bonus, we got to celebrate my birthday on the Central Coast with lots of friends!  Altogether, a VERY busy but wonderful trip.

This Trip is the Pits!

Literally, as you'll see in a moment!

After 8 months of "vacation", I've been invited to lead another trip to Ethiopia.  This will be the final training of the project that began in May 2010, and will be my fifth trip on this project.  As you may recall, the topic of our November 2010 training was Latrine Design and Construction.  In the past two years, our participants have diligently trained community members to build latrines, leading to great improvements in sanitation in the project areas.  They have requested advanced training in two specific areas - building slabs (the covers over the pits) of local materials because of lack of availability of cement for concrete; and strengthening pit walls to prevent collapse.  Both of these topics were covered in the intial training, but we will focus almost entirely on these problem areas this time around.

The team will include Bart and Linda Bergquist, a couple I know from previous stateside Lifewater trainings, and Alan Wood, husband of Judy whom I've written about often.  Bart and Alan have great practical experience, and Linda is an outstanding trainer.  The approximate dates of the trip are August 29 - September 11, so we will be very busy preparing during the few weeks remaining.

I'm especially excited - and nostalgic - about this trip because it represents the end of a long journey together with my many friends from this project.  While it will be great to see everyone again, there will be no escaping the fact that this is the last time I will see many if not all of them on this earth.  It will be a bittersweet time, but I plan to focus on the sweet!

I will post again as the date approaches and more information is available.  Meanwhile, please pray for our team, our partners, our participants, and the communities that they serve.  My prayer is that God will wrap up this project with a bang, showing Himself mighty and gracious in unmistakable ways, so that the knowledge of Him will spread through this wonderful country long after we Americans return home.