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Saturday, January 12, 2008
Yesterday half of our team came very close to
completing the purification installation at Cure Hospital in Santo Domingo. If
you'd like to see the hospital using Google Earth, plug the following coordinate
string into the search box that says "fly to."
18°28'30.14"N 69°54'26.27"W
I have pictures from yesterday's work at the
hospital online at Flickr
here. Slideshow
here. There are a fair number of pictures
with captions and explanations of the work that was done.
Today we're at the hospital finishing up some
electrical work and preparing to train the hospital engineer in the use of the
system. The system is easy, but constant testing of the chlorine levels is
essential. You have to carefully test each batch of purified water. Obviously,
if you do not, you're worse off than you were before. You're trusting the water
from the tap and it isn't clean. But the engineer is clearly an intelligent
and educated man, so it will be no problem for him.
The original pump house
Working on the pump house
The new pump house
Our team in the tank enclosure
Later today half of our team is going to an
previous installation to continue health training. I'll be with that group and
will report on that tonight or tomorrow morning.
Mustard Seed Thoughts
This whole situation reminds me of something
Jesus once said. We'll leave soon, and the hospital will have a continuous
supply of clean water. Someone from Edge will return in time to see how things
are going. Edge is committed to following up all of its installations. This one
is unusual because there is an engineer here who is capable of fixing the
system. They will probably be fine. In any case, most of us will never come
back. Children will come and go in this place. Some lives will be saved because
of the clean water. Other lives will be enriched. Suffering from infections,
etc. will be lessened. None of us can look into the future to see what will
come.
Jesus once said, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like
a mustard seed. It is the smallest of seeds, but when it is planted, it grows
into a large tree and the birds of the air nest in its branches." So it is with
goodness and with evil. Seeds are planted, either in selfishness or in goodness
and service. What grows from those seeds is only known to those who are there.
The ones who planted the seeds often never know what good or evil comes of their
actions. Further, the idea of sin suggests that all of us have planted seeds of
evil from time to time. I know that I have. Grace is being forgiven for the evil
I have begun in this world. Redemption involves the changing of my heart and
life, so that I can be a part of goodness.
Pretty simple deal really. I don't know why we
Christians have made it so complex.
rlp
