Give the money. Help drill the well. That’s what First Baptist Church in Hempstead has done over the past nine months through Texans on Mission’s Water Impact ministry in Peru, with an assist from First Baptist Church in Melissa.
Last fall, the Hempstead congregation gave more than $26,000 through the statewide Royal Ambassadors mission project, which raised funds to drill a water well in Peru. Nine months later three church members, along with translators from Melissa, went to help do the work.
“We went to follow-up on the money we had raised for a water well and to see what the Lord was doing,” said Hempstead member Rooster Smith.
They also helped the regular drilling crew dig trenches and operate the equipment.
Mitch Chapman, director of TXM Water Impact, said the effort provided a “great opportunity to connect our ongoing work in Peru with these special Texas churches.”
“First Baptist Hempstead took a great step of faith and support for missions last year in giving financially to drill the well,” Chapman said. “I’m so thankful we could organize this mission trip so they could be personally involved in the drilling and the ministry.”
Partnering with Peruvians, TXM drills wells throughout the year. “We expect to drill 12 wells in Peru this year,” Chapman said, “and we are really proud that the Hempstead and Melissa group was able to connect with a specific drilling project.”
Team member Rick Gardner praised the Peruvian team. “The in-country team did a fantastic job,” Gardner said. “They are a hardworking group of guys.” They did the physical work, “but it was secondary to spreading the Gospel.”
The Texas team drilled the well in a village called Munich, a two-hour Itaya River boat journey from Iquitos. Pablo Villescas, of First Baptist Church in Pharr, functioned as TXM’s trip leader for the team.
“We were there to work,” said Gardner, who noted the in-country team was “very patient,” showing the missions team how to do the work.
“We prayed over the work before starting,” Smith said. “We hit water about 100 feet deep that afternoon,” and the experts seemed surprised at how quickly they had been successful.
Five minutes after hitting water, women began bringing pots to capture the water, he said. It wasn’t pure yet, but it was better than what they had before.
“It was very gratifying to watch the kids play in the water,” Smith said. Before the well came in the team had watched villagers bringing water out of the river, and “it was pretty disgusting.”
After the well came in, the team installed the well casing and cemented it for sustained use. The well is beside the church’s building, and the Texas team helped build “some concrete and block structures to go around and protect the well itself and a distribution station,” where people will come to fill their containers, Gardner said.
The team also distributed Gold-to-Gold Gospel Bracelets, which are bracelets with colored beads illustrating redemption through Jesus Christ. Smith said Royal Ambassadors, Challengers and women from First Baptist Hempstead made the bracelets to distribute.
The Texans also took soccer balls and yoyos for the children, he said. They played games with the kids when not working on the well. Game time “usually resulted in soccer” with cows and chickens on the field with the players.
Gardner said “a lot of ministering” happened as the team spent time working and playing games. The trip “exceeded my expectations,” he added, referring to the work, ministry, food and sleeping arrangements.
Chapman said TXM has worked hard to create an effective and sustainable drilling water well drilling operation in Peru that emphasizes sharing the Gospel. “Our work there is bringing drinkable water to remote villages, and the Gospel is being communicated in all that we do,” Chapman said.
“I love it that teams from Texans can be part of both the drilling and the ministry,” he added. “God is being honored. God’s people are being strengthened. And God’s kingdom is being expanded.”
