The Towers – not of Babel!

The Water Tower Project

I am pausing in the middle of my personal journal reflections to share about the water tower project.

The towers are affectionately called (by me if no one else!) Not the Towers of Babel because the Lord frustrated those building the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9) and the Lord enabled those building the water towers – but there were different languages being spoken in the process of building them which is what made me think of Babel.

Anyway.

Wade has started a mango grove as part of the farm. Our work project – for those who came on this trip to be a part of that – was to build a tower platform for a 600 -gallon water tank to sit on. This tank would feed the irrigation lines to water the mango grove. The tower must be elevated because they use gravity to create the needed pressure and because it provides a certain level of protection from the wayward or malicious machete hacking a hole in it.   The other part of the project was to lay the irrigation line for the mango grove. The goal was to have a working irrigation system by Friday. The project started on Monday. My church has the solid reputation for finishing, and finishing well, the projects that we start here. The expectation was that this week would be no exception.

About three months ago another team built one tower supporting a 300-gallon tank right at the upper

edge of the farm. It certainly looked sturdy and sufficient! This tower is the one that provides water to the potted vegetables.   When my husband, Blake, and David (the work crew lead) inspected the existing tower they discovered a problem. It had been built with standard lumber – not pressure treated lumber. Termites had already found it and were having a wonderful meal. The prediction: within 6 months that structure would not be safe.

Of course safety is of primary concern, so Wade asked the team if they could build a replacement for that tower in addition to the one they came to build. The answer is always yes.

With post hole diggers in hand they went to work digging not four, but eight holes in the rocky ground large enough to receive and support a half length of a telephone pole. Yes. Telephone pole. That was the only material available that could be sunk into the ground and not be subject to termite infestation. These holes took the better part of 2 days to complete.

The poles were delivered Tuesday afternoon. Four of them. The men cut the poles in half and then hauled the 4 they needed to the top tower. Telephone poles are big and heavy. It was all they could do to move those things up there. But they got them moved! They got all eight holes dug. They got those poles upright and tamped in and secure. The got the two platforms built, straight and level. They got that 600-gallon water tank up there on that second tower and secured it in.

They got all those trenches dug, pipe laid, and they got the irrigation

complete and tested. Moving the smaller tank over to the new tower would be for the group coming in behind us – it still had to be drained before it could be moved and it was in no danger of collapsing right then.

Paul writes in Philippians that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). These men lived that out this week. Looking at what they had taken on to do, there was no logical way it could be accomplished with the few people we had. But that is just one example of how the Lord is at work in this place. He takes what is offered and like the fishes and loaves, multiplies it in such a way that it is more than enough. He truly protects, enables, and provides for that which He purposes.

 

Blessings from Honduras!

Denise