Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190026A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:10 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn 01:11 and we welcome you once again to 3ABN Today, 01:16 and who are you? 01:17 I'm JD Quinn. 01:18 I'm glad to be in this seat right here. 01:20 I'm glad to have you here. 01:22 You know, we want to just take a moment 01:23 to thank you so much for your prayers 01:25 and your financial support of this ministry. 01:28 This is the Mending Broken People Network 01:31 and you know you talk to them all day long, broken people? 01:35 Amen. Well. 01:37 A lot of people call in for prayers and we're just, 01:39 we're pleased that we are able to share words of encouragement 01:42 coming directly from the Bible. 01:44 Amen. Amen. 01:45 Before I introduce our guests, 01:46 let me read to you one of my favorite scriptures. 01:49 I remember when, when this one became very important to me. 01:53 I was having a little bit of a difficult time 01:56 thinking about some things from the past. 01:59 I grew up in a dysfunctional home 02:00 and there were some things that were bothering me. 02:03 And the Lord brought this scripture to my mind. 02:06 Isaiah 43, I'll begin with verse 18. 02:09 He says, "Do not remember the former things, 02:12 nor consider the things of old. 02:15 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth." 02:20 God is the God of new beginnings. 02:22 And then he says, "Shall you not know it? 02:25 I will even make a road in the wilderness 02:28 and rivers in the desert. 02:29 The beast of the field will honor Me, 02:31 the jackals and the ostriches, 02:34 because I give waters in the wilderness 02:39 and rivers in the desert, 02:41 to give drink to My people, My chosen." 02:45 Amen. 02:46 You know, Jesus said He's the water of life, 02:49 the living water, the Holy Spirit, 02:51 how we need God's living water. 02:55 And today we're going to be talking about "Water." 02:59 Not just spiritual water, but physical water. 03:03 And we've got some wonderful guests with us. 03:06 Let me introduce them. 03:07 Tim, you are no stranger to 3ABN, 03:10 and I think I've interviewed you 03:11 three times maybe. 03:13 I think you have and we're happy to be here. 03:15 This is my wife Annette. 03:16 Well, Tim and Annette Rasmussen 03:19 and you are the President of Water for Life. 03:23 Annette, you're a volunteer, 03:26 you work side by side with your husband. 03:28 And we're going to hear this exciting ministry. 03:33 You all are so inspiring and making such a difference 03:37 in so many people's lives. 03:39 But first we know how much you love music. 03:42 We love it too. 03:43 So, honey, who's going to sing for us today? 03:46 We've got Scott Michael Bennett. 03:48 He's gonna be singing "How Deep the Father's Love." 03:51 Amen. 04:06 How deep the Father's love for us 04:12 How vast beyond all measure 04:18 That He should give His only Son 04:24 To make a wretch His treasure 04:30 How great the pain of searing loss 04:37 The Father turns His face away 04:43 As wounds which mar the Chosen One 04:49 Bring many sons to glory 04:58 Behold the Lamb upon the cross 05:03 My sin upon His shoulders 05:10 Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice 05:16 Call out among the scoffers 05:21 It was my sin that held Him there 05:27 Until it was accomplished 05:33 His dying breath has brought me life 05:39 I know that it is finished 05:48 I will not boast in anything 05:54 No gifts, no power, no wisdom 05:59 But I will boast in Jesus Christ 06:05 His death and resurrection 06:11 Why should I gain from His reward? 06:17 I cannot give an answer 06:23 But this I know with all my heart 06:30 His wounds have paid my ransom 06:35 Why should I gain from His reward? 06:42 I cannot give an answer 06:47 But this I know with all my heart 06:54 His wounds have paid my ransom 07:00 But this I know with all my heart 07:07 His wounds have paid my ransom 07:29 Thank you, Scott Michael Bennett. 07:31 Yes. A beautiful song. 07:32 Very good. Very good. 07:34 He's a minister of music. Amen. 07:35 Well, if you're joining us just a moment late, 07:37 our special guests are Tim and Annette Rasmussen 07:41 and they are with Water for Life. 07:43 But before we talk about and explain 07:47 what Water for Life is, 07:49 let's kind of get to know the two of you a little bit. 07:52 I'm gonna begin with you, Tim, you are a district attorney, 07:55 where? 07:57 I'm the elected district attorney 07:58 for St evens County, Washington. 08:00 And you? 08:01 It's a county from Spokane that goes up to the Canadian border, 08:03 about 45,000 people, 08:05 one of the 39 counties in Washington. 08:07 Oh, it's always nice 08:08 to have a personal friend who's a DA. 08:10 Well, if you ever get a ticket, I can fix you out, 08:12 just a little, can't do much but I can fix a ticket. 08:15 I should look at it. Yes. 08:16 You know, tell us a little bit about your physical condition 08:20 because I know, 08:21 I think the last time you were here, 08:23 you were in a wheelchair. 08:25 You suffered polio as a child? 08:28 When I was three, I was living in Michigan, 08:31 and I had polio, 08:33 and that was in 1951. 08:35 And like many people, it was a terrible disease 08:38 and they didn't know how to treat it very much. 08:41 And I was left with a residual weakness 08:43 on the right side of my body, 08:44 particularly it affected my right leg. 08:46 And through the years I became more and more handicapped 08:50 until probably 35 years ago, I started using a cane, 08:54 and then two canes, and then crutches, 08:56 and then about four years in a wheelchair, 08:59 but about three years ago I went to, 09:01 I found a doctor in Seattle 09:03 and went over to a foot and ankle institute. 09:06 And this older fellow, he knew what to do. 09:09 He reshaped some of the bones in my foot, 09:11 put a bunch of metal in there and move some tendons around 09:15 and I'm walking better than I have for 30 years. 09:17 I know, I was just so amazed to see you today. 09:20 I can stand, I can walk, 09:21 I can move around, I don't have to... 09:23 For years I was in a wheelchair and people at work 09:26 when I'm walking, they say, I didn't know you were tall. 09:28 Yeah. 09:30 That's 'cause I've been in that wheelchair for years. 09:33 But, yes, technology and the Lord 09:36 has provided some very skilled physicians 09:38 and people to do work and they sure helped me. 09:42 That's interesting 09:44 because we had a house built on one level 09:46 because we were sure that he was gonna have to live 09:50 in a scooter. 09:51 Yeah. 09:53 And so we got this, everything spaced apart, 09:55 the kitchen, everything 09:56 so he can race around the house in his scooter, right? 10:00 He doesn't need a scooter. 10:01 Now we got a long walk around in the house. 10:03 Oh, well, that's good. Yeah. 10:04 That's good. Yeah. 10:06 So we're praising the Lord. Amen and amen. 10:07 So, Annette, I know, 10:09 it kind of give us a little of your history. 10:10 Did you grow up as a Seventh-day Ad, 10:13 in a Seventh-day Adventist Christian home or...? 10:15 Yes. Okay. 10:17 The history goes pretty far back 10:19 'cause my grandfather came from Sicily 10:21 when he was about 16 years old, 10:24 and very strong Catholic family. 10:27 And when he came to the United States, 10:29 he studied all the religions, 10:31 and he decided that the Seventh-day Adventist faith 10:33 had the most truth. 10:35 Amen. 10:36 And so he went to seminary. Praise God. 10:38 And the Northern California Conference hired him 10:40 to start the Italian churches. 10:43 How exciting! 10:44 Because there were so many immigrants 10:46 from Sicily and Italy 10:48 that didn't know English, 10:49 and they wanted to hear sermons in Italian, 10:54 and so there was about 50 churches total, 10:58 but he was one of the first ones 11:01 that helped to start that work. 11:02 Praise the Lord. 11:04 And then after that two or three generations went by, 11:07 they didn't need this, 11:08 you know, Italian speaking ministers anymore. 11:10 Yeah. Yeah. 11:11 So thanks to him, 11:13 I got raised as a Seventh-day Adventist. 11:15 And when did it become real for you? 11:18 I mean, you know, 11:21 God has no grandchildren, He only has children. 11:24 So just because your parents are Adventists 11:27 and you grew up in an Adventist home 11:29 doesn't necessarily mean you're a child of God, 11:31 you have to make that personal choice. 11:33 When did it become real for you? 11:36 I can tell you right off the bat, 11:38 I was living in Alaska, 11:40 and my children were small. 11:43 And it was not a conference yet, 11:45 it was a mission. 11:46 And we were living about 18 miles 11:48 out of Anchorage, Alaska, 11:51 and they wanted to start a church out there. 11:54 And so they did a Revelation seminar 11:57 and we invited our neighbors 11:59 and we ended up with about five families 12:02 in this group that were gonna be 12:04 part of the church. 12:06 And so the president of the mission 12:10 at that time came to us and said, 12:13 "You have to teach these people how to run a church." 12:18 And I said, "Well, I'm sorry, 12:19 but I've only just warmed the pew 12:22 for 30 some odd years. 12:24 And I don't, I've never done those jobs in the church." 12:28 And they said, "But you've seen them done. 12:31 And you can tell them what you've seen, 12:34 and you can do it yourself." 12:36 And I grew spiritually in that time period 12:39 when my little children were growing up 12:41 because we started the church in Alaska. 12:43 Amen. 12:45 And, you know, I always say, 12:46 you learn to teach, you teach to learn, 12:49 there's nothing like sharing. 12:52 I think that's why God wants us to share our faith. 12:54 Really? 12:55 Now I just have to say this, 12:57 these two have the most amazing story of how they met. 13:01 He picked her out of a catalog. 13:05 Give us the Reader's Digest version of that. 13:08 Reader's Digest version. 13:11 I was living in North Carolina, working. 13:14 I had a law practice there. 13:15 I was a solo practitioner in a small town. 13:18 I needed to find a good woman. 13:23 And I know the difference 13:24 between a good woman and a bad one. 13:27 And my mother and my sister, 13:29 what I've received from my mother was some pages 13:32 from the California conference directory. 13:34 And there were some pictures of some lady circled. 13:37 And let me explain that for some 13:39 who may not be Adventist who are watching. 13:42 The conferences, an organized, 13:44 it's kind of church headquarters 13:47 or administration over a certain area. 13:50 So you work for the California Conference. 13:52 Communications department. Okay. 13:55 Okay, so you get this conference directory 13:58 with some pictures circled. 14:00 Yeah, and I called my mom, she lived in Michigan. 14:02 I said, "What is this?" 14:03 And she said, "Well, your sister and I, 14:06 my sister lived in California at the time, 14:08 and that my sister has beliefs that these are nice gals. 14:12 And I want you to call these gals." 14:14 And I said, "I'm not gonna do that, Mom, that's not, 14:17 so I'm not gonna do that." 14:19 She said, "Okay." She didn't say much. 14:21 But a couple days later, she said, 14:22 "Well, you've been looking at those pictures." 14:24 And I said, "Well, sure." 14:26 She says, "Call up these gals. 14:27 These are all good gals. 14:29 And I want you to meet these gals." 14:31 I said, "No." 14:33 And this kind of went on several times, 14:35 I finally got irritated. 14:36 I said, "Mom, if you think that's such a good idea, 14:38 you do it." 14:41 Mom says, "Well, if I do and I like one of these gals, 14:44 will you call?" 14:46 And I said, "All right." 14:47 She said, "Do you promise?" 14:49 And I said, "Yes." 14:50 Few days later she called and said. 14:52 What did she say to you when she called? 14:55 Well, just the basics. 14:56 I have a very handsome son who's single. 15:02 She was very honest with me. 15:04 She told me about his disability. 15:06 And that he was an attorney in North Carolina. 15:09 Yeah. 15:10 So I said, "Mom, I'm not gonna do this." 15:14 She said, "You promised." 15:16 So I called California 15:17 to apologize to Annette for my mother 15:20 and her audaciousness to call to say what you think. 15:25 And we began talking on the phone. 15:27 And I fell in love with her talking on the phone. 15:30 And pretty soon I was courting her through the mail. 15:33 We wrote letters, we sent pictures. 15:35 I was living in North Carolina. 15:36 She was living in California. 15:38 We didn't have a chance to date. 15:40 And finally, that was in January, 15:43 and in about April, she said, "I think it's time we meet." 15:47 And so I flew to California. 15:49 And she and I, 15:51 I met her at the Sacramento Airport. 15:54 We ran... And sparks were flying. 15:57 We just, we knew each other. We knew each other. 15:59 We felt very comfortable 16:00 because we got to know each other from the inside out. 16:05 Yes, yes. 16:06 We've already spent a lot of time praying 16:08 with each other on the phone. 16:09 In North Carolina, I could call after 11 at night. 16:12 And it was 8 o'clock in California time, right? 16:14 So I can get the cheap calls. 16:16 And we end up talking late at night. 16:19 And then we have prayer before we went away. 16:20 You know, we just got, 16:22 we got acquainted without dating. 16:23 Amen. And so we were there. 16:27 We met her parents, 16:28 and then she went to my sister's house at Lodi. 16:31 And I had to go back in three days 16:33 to continue my practice. 16:34 And about three weeks later, I proposed to her on the phone. 16:38 And she had some conditions. 16:40 I had a checklist. She had a checklist. 16:43 Good for you. 16:45 And one of her condition was, she says, "I want to come 16:48 and see my parents anytime I want." 16:50 I said, "No problem." 16:52 She said, "And I want to, I want you to help my parents." 16:55 No problem on that and she said, 16:57 "And I want to be a beautician." 17:00 I said, "Well, there's a little community college 17:02 about seven miles away 17:03 and they have beautician's class. 17:05 I had checked everything out I knew. 17:06 Amen. 17:08 And then I made 17:09 the convincing argument was this. 17:11 There's no way we can date, 17:13 this is either work or it'll be a terrible mistake 17:15 and there's no way to find out. 17:18 And thank the good Lord, she said, yes. 17:20 And that was 22 years ago next month. 17:22 Praise God. 17:23 We believe God put us together. We do. 17:25 Absolutely. We do. 17:27 Absolutely. 17:28 Okay, so now let's talk about 17:31 the ministry that you're doing. 17:33 You know, for our viewers at home, 17:35 you may recall not too long ago in the news, 17:39 they were talking about a couple 17:41 who were hiking and got lost and had no supplies with 17:45 and they were out of water, 17:46 but they had some kind of little straw 17:48 that they were able to filter the water through. 17:51 And that's the only reason they survived. 17:53 You know, when you think about water, 17:56 you and I take for granted 17:58 that we can turn a tap and have clean water. 18:02 Well, we take it for granted around here most of the time. 18:05 We do have water, 18:06 boiled water alerts every now and then. 18:09 But can you imagine 18:11 if you lived in an area 18:14 where you had to go to a river, 18:19 a dirty river to get your water? 18:22 I mean, I've seen them and sometimes 18:24 I wouldn't even want to wash my clothes in them. 18:27 But can you imagine having to give your infant child water 18:31 that has parasites in it, water that can kill them? 18:35 Did you know that dirty water is one of the greatest killers 18:39 of children around the world? 18:40 It is. 18:41 Contaminated water kills more children 18:43 than any other single disease or process. 18:47 And in Guatemala, I've been in villages 18:49 where women are getting water for their homes 18:51 out of one side of a small pond 18:53 and cattle are standing in the water on the other side. 18:55 Oh, my goodness. 18:56 And you know, a baby. 18:58 If a baby gets some bad water in two or three days 19:02 of diarrhea and vomiting, 19:04 pretty soon that baby's dehydrated, 19:06 and that baby will die. 19:08 And that happens a lot. 19:11 And we've been in villages after we've drilled well over 19:14 and village elders will come and say, 19:15 "This is the first year 19:17 that no children have died in our village." 19:19 That's amazing. Praise the Lord for that. 19:20 Let's back up just a second. Hang on. 19:23 Let's back up just a second and talk about 19:26 'cause we just jumped right into it. 19:28 Water for Life, what is your mission? 19:32 Tell us what Water for Life is all about 19:34 and how it started? 19:36 Water for Life was started by Gary Bartholomew 19:38 and his son Rod in Spokane, Washington. 19:41 They were organized to try to do something 19:44 about a contaminated water problem 19:46 for an orphanage and school in Northeast Guatemala, 19:50 the Petén region in Guatemala. 19:52 Gary had adopted a child. 19:54 Gary and Angie had adopted a child there, 19:56 years before 19:57 and had stayed in touch with the orphanage, 20:00 and as the area developed 20:03 and upstream there was more development, 20:05 the water became more and more contaminated. 20:08 They were getting water out of a hole in the river. 20:11 And for many years it was good water 20:13 but after it became more contaminated, 20:15 especially in the dry season, 20:17 when the water level was low, the contaminant part is high. 20:22 And some children there got very sick. 20:24 One of the teachers almost died from amoeba in the water 20:28 and Gary determined to do something about it. 20:31 And what was Gary's profession? 20:32 Gary was in the well drilling business. 20:34 Albeit. 20:35 And had worked around well drillers all his life. 20:38 He had operated Bartholomew pumping 20:41 well service there in Spokane. 20:43 And he was really the start of it. 20:47 But I'll tell you, the Lord started as well. 20:48 Amen. 20:50 But can you imagine, he been a well driller, 20:54 and he was familiar with that area 20:57 and knowing that the children were getting very sick 20:59 and almost dying, 21:01 can you imagine the burden on his heart, 21:04 who want to do something about it. 21:06 Amen. Amen. 21:07 And what Gary did was, he put an ad 21:09 in the Washington Well Drillers Association magazine 21:13 for someone to donate a drilling rig. 21:16 And a Mennonite company in Silverton, Oregon, 21:19 Stadeli and Sons call him up and said, "What are you after?" 21:22 And he said, "Well, we need a drilling rig." 21:24 And they said, "Well, we have an old cable rig 21:27 that we will donate to you, if you're interested." 21:31 And Gary said, "Are we interested? 21:32 Yes, we are." 21:34 Well, these folks refurbished that rig 21:36 and that rig was donated. 21:39 Gary, at his own expense shipped it to Guatemala. 21:42 And I became aware of Water for Life 21:44 when I was preaching 21:46 at the countryside Adventist Church, 21:48 giving a sermon on religious liberty 21:50 because I'm a lawyer. 21:51 People want to hear that. 21:52 And at a break, 21:54 I heard Gary say, 21:56 "The well drill has been noticed 21:58 in the custom's yard in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala." 22:01 And I heard this, 22:02 praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 22:04 I'm wondering, "What is this all about?" 22:06 And afterwards, I got a moment to speak with Gary, 22:09 and ask him, and he told me that 22:10 they were trying to solve this problem 22:12 with the contaminated water at this orphanage. 22:15 And I became interested in it. 22:17 And that was visiting our grandchild over in Seattle. 22:21 And I told Gary, I said, 22:23 "Count me and I'll buy the first tank of fuel 22:24 for your rig." 22:26 And I called Annette and I said, 22:28 "You want to go to Guatemala?" 22:30 And I said, "Why, why? 22:33 I knew nothing about it." Yeah. 22:36 Yeah, that's a strange request, isn't it? 22:39 And so that afternoon, I kept looking at Expedia 22:42 and these sites for tickets, 22:44 and I kept calling Annette and talking to about it. 22:47 And finally I said, listen, 22:48 I really want to go and check this out. 22:50 She said, "Well, if you're going, I'm going." 22:52 So I click, I put, 22:54 I clicked the button 22:55 and I bought a couple of tickets, 22:57 and that was 15 years ago. 22:59 And we were there 23:01 when the first wells were drilled 23:02 with that old drilling rig that 1946... 23:06 1946, yeah. 23:08 It was a 23:10 and there's some miracles that have occurred 23:13 that I'd be happy to tell you about if we have the time. 23:16 Sure. 23:17 But the good news is, 23:19 is that with an old unit like that, 23:22 it could be repaired. 23:23 Yes, technology that's 40 years old technology 23:27 here in the States 23:28 and everything is rotary rigs here. 23:30 Drill your well in a day. 23:32 Down there, it's two weeks or so using these old rigs. 23:36 But we could repair it down there, 23:37 a welder and some cable, and you're back in business. 23:40 And with someone that had experienced 23:42 that the Lord had put on his heart 23:45 and prearranged things years and years, 23:47 centuries, eons ago, 23:49 that there would be a little girl there 23:51 that they want to be part of their family. 23:52 That's right. 23:54 I mean, if you can look at the big picture 23:55 and then how do you get trust 23:58 in the strangers that you've never met? 24:02 What's better than clean water? 24:04 Nothing better, you meet their needs. 24:06 Here in the US, we are so blessed. 24:07 We water our lawns with treatable water. 24:11 Yes. 24:12 And down there people die for clean water. 24:15 Isn't that amazing? 24:17 And that old drilling rig worked down there, 24:20 we've had a lot of wonderful miracles. 24:23 When that drilling rig got there, 24:25 our friend Bernie Leonardo is, 24:28 he was trying to get it through customs. 24:30 And he got a call from Gary and says, 24:32 "Gary, we can't find the VIN number on that rig." 24:36 And we had paperwork 24:38 and it had to match what was coming in. 24:40 Gary called the Stadeli down there and said, 24:43 "Where's the VIN number on that old truck?" 24:45 And they said, "We don't know. 24:46 We've hauled it around on a lowboy for 20 years 24:49 which not been licensed. 24:51 And the customs man said, 24:54 "No VIN number, no truck." 24:56 Very simple. 24:58 Bernie went to a little hotel in Puerto Barrios 25:00 and spent the night in prayer. 25:02 In the morning, he went back 25:04 and as he was waiting at a bus station. 25:06 He went in a little tee under there 25:08 and found one of those plastic label makers, 25:11 you know, you squeeze the little thing 25:12 and it prints them up, he had the paperwork. 25:15 He printed out a little label in blue. 25:18 And he went back to the customs yard 25:20 and said to the guy, 25:21 "Can I go out there and look one more time?" 25:24 The guy said, sure. 25:25 Bernie went out there 25:27 and he fastened that little label somewhere 25:29 in an obscure place on that truck. 25:30 And goes I found the number. 25:32 And the guy came out and he looked at paper, 25:35 he looked at number, which is fine, no problem. 25:37 Come on. Praise God. 25:39 And the Lord brought that drilling rig in. 25:42 And that was the first miracle. 25:44 Fifteen years ago 25:45 and now you've got 130 wells drilled. 25:49 Yes. 25:51 That is so amazing. 25:52 And when you all go in, 25:54 we're gonna talk about some miracles 25:55 with the equipment and things but here's the wonderful thing, 25:58 as you said, honey, when they go in, 26:01 they are meeting a serious, 26:05 crucial, 26:06 personal need for the people. 26:09 But that's just the introduction 26:11 because you then are able to minister to them 26:15 spiritually. 26:17 You've seen a bunch of people come to the Lord re-baptized. 26:20 Yes, we've had hundreds and hundreds of baptisms 26:23 have occurred in the Petén region. 26:25 When groups come down, volunteer groups 26:28 from Upper Columbia Conference build churches there. 26:30 We've been involved and aided in the construction 26:32 of 14 churches in our area, 26:35 and these churches are bulging. 26:37 You know, here in the States, 26:38 you can hardly tell people about Jesus. 26:42 They've heard about Him, they know it's nothing. 26:44 But down there people are hungry 26:45 for the gospel. 26:47 Light Bearers has given us 26:48 millions of pieces of literature. 26:50 And we have distributed that literature 26:52 across Guatemala. 26:54 We buy thousands of Bibles in Spanish 26:56 and we distribute those Bibles. 26:58 When we're drilling, if we have the volunteers, 27:01 a dental worker, we have dental equipment, 27:04 we'll send them into a village and pull teeth, 27:06 give out literature. 27:07 But you also send in medical supplies, don't you? 27:10 Yes, we do. 27:11 Thousands of pounds of donated medical equipment 27:13 we put in our container that we send every year. 27:16 We give that to the Ministry of Health. 27:18 They locate villages with particular needs, 27:21 and we go to those villages and drill wells. 27:24 And at first the people will wonder, 27:25 "Well, what do you want from us? 27:27 What do you want?" 27:28 And we said, "We don't want anything." 27:29 "But why are you doing this?" 27:31 "Because God loves you." Amen. 27:33 Here's the Bible that tells about God's love, 27:36 and people's hearts are opened 27:38 and we maintain these wells year round. 27:41 More than 30,000 people use our water every day, 27:45 our water, it's God's water. 27:47 We just help get it for them. 27:49 But 30,000 people today are drinking water 27:51 provided by Water for Life. 27:53 And it's not only the water that gives them health, 27:57 but we bring them the Bible 27:58 which is the Water of Life and it opens people's hearts. 28:02 In a little village called Kahin, 28:05 there was churches where... 28:07 Sunday keeping churches were not... 28:10 They weren't very active. 28:12 But a lady who was the elder in the church 28:14 became convinced of the Sabbath. 28:17 And she talked all her congregation members 28:20 into keeping the Sabbath. 28:22 And they all started coming back to church, 28:24 but now they're worshiping on Sabbath. 28:27 I don't think they're Adventist yet, 28:29 but they're worshiping the Lord on the Sabbath day 28:33 and as a result of that. 28:34 And they're more healthy than they were before. 28:36 Yes, they are. 28:37 We maintain these wells year around. 28:40 Now, Annette, do you travel with Tim every trip or... 28:45 There's a few times I haven't gone, 28:47 but in the last 14 years, I've gone almost every year. 28:50 And then what do you do while you're there? 28:53 Well, I started out with my job experience 28:56 as a school secretary 28:57 and I've been around children for many years, 29:00 and I used to teach crafts in the summertime 29:03 when they had day camp, 29:05 and also taught yearbook class, 29:08 and I have a certificate in desktop 29:11 publishing and do graphics. 29:13 That's what I was doing at the conference office. 29:16 And so my greatest interest, 29:20 strongest interest is in art. 29:22 Yes. 29:23 And then hair, I'm a beautician. 29:25 So I can do haircuts with the kids 29:28 and they love that. 29:29 But my fun was in 29:34 bringing supplies to do crafts with them. 29:37 Oh, here you got some pictures. 29:39 This was the most basic thing 29:42 that they loved the most and the easiest thing 29:45 because when I was in preparation 29:47 during the year I had to think of things 29:49 that I could show them without a lot of Spanish, 29:53 'cause I didn't know Spanish. 29:55 And I had to do a lot of thinking 29:57 about how they saw it, 30:00 and how they could learn it there in the most simple way. 30:04 So I took a little stretchy band 30:06 and some yarn, sparkly yarn. 30:10 And I showed them 30:11 how to make a little scrunchie for their ponytails. 30:13 And they all have this really thick, heavy long hair. 30:17 And they need scrunchies they need, 30:18 you know, stretchy band. 30:20 So they learned it very easily. 30:24 It was a very easy pattern and they were so beautiful. 30:26 And when you got done with this thing 30:29 that I taught them, it looked like a bird's nest 30:32 and they could put it in their hair. 30:35 And then they wanted to do all the colors. 30:37 And I had every colors of the rainbow 30:39 and they were very sparkly type of thing. 30:43 And so then the next Sabbath after I taught them 30:46 how to do this, 30:47 I was sitting in the back of the church, 30:49 and here I saw them with their scrunchies. 30:51 Oh, how sweet. Yeah. 30:54 All over the church. 30:55 It was so fun. Amen. 30:56 In villages, we go out to villages 30:59 and Annette will take some crayons 31:00 and make friends with the children. 31:02 Yes. 31:03 And Bernie and I may be looking at the well 31:05 and seeing what the condition of the pumps and things. 31:08 But Annette's making friends with these children, 31:10 and children love colors. 31:12 You pass out crayons, pretty soon it breaks the ice, 31:15 if you're there and they're a little nervous 31:18 and they don't see many white people, 31:20 and pretty soon we're looking at stuff 31:22 and we don't talk too good. 31:24 And then that's over there with the children 31:26 and they're passing out stuff 31:27 and pretty soon the ice is just broken in. 31:29 Praise God. 31:30 It takes a little while because 31:32 we're very tall compared to them. 31:33 Yes. 31:34 And they've never seen people so tall and so white. 31:37 Yeah. 31:38 Let me ask something for the guys out here. 31:40 Just a quick technical just so I can get this. 31:44 So we got the rig out there and the rig, 31:46 now we're waiting for the volunteers 31:47 to come down to run the rig, is that right? 31:49 Yes. 31:51 Okay, so let's just say hypothetically, 31:53 October the 15th, we're gonna all meet there. 31:56 The volunteers are gonna come in, 31:58 is this limestone that they're going through? 32:00 It's almost all limestone. Limestone. 32:02 And our wells are from about 150 to 250 feet. 32:07 Okay, and how long, 32:08 how long does it take to drill that? 32:10 Using one of the rotary rigs, about two weeks. 32:14 Two weeks. 32:15 And we have four drilling rigs there. 32:19 Three of the old cable rigs that we're talking about, 32:22 but this last year, we imported a rotary ring. 32:27 And it's the first step into the rotary system. 32:30 The rig was donated to us by a fellow named Seth Weilage 32:34 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 32:36 He was one of our volunteers, used the cable rig. 32:39 Now is this picture of that that we just saw? 32:41 Yes. Okay. 32:43 And he said, you know, he's working there 32:46 with the cable rig and he said, 32:48 "Drilling with a cable rig is fun 32:49 for about the first day out." 32:52 And he said, "Why don't we try 32:54 to get a rotary rig down there?" 32:56 Well, he donated rig, we refurbished the thing, 32:59 shifted down there. 33:01 And in this year, in eight days, 33:04 he drilled six wells. 33:05 Wow! 33:07 And now this truck was also donated, 33:08 is that right? 33:09 This truck was donated by the Loomis Truck 33:11 & Tractor Company in Lind, Washington. 33:12 And they gave us this truck. 33:14 We modified it for our purposes. 33:17 That crane that was put on it was donated to us. 33:21 And then we sent it out of Tacoma, Washington. 33:24 And the shipping company that we contacted, 33:27 got interested in it. 33:28 A man there said had been to Guatemala. 33:31 He looked us up on the website to see what we work 33:34 and they shipped it to Guatemala 33:35 for free on that truck. 33:37 It's a roll on roll off rig. 33:39 Thousands of dollars' worth of donated time 33:42 and then they put us on their web page 33:46 as a ministry that they're helping. 33:48 Oh, glory. 33:49 And so the Lord works in all these ways. 33:51 A donated rig sent on a donated on a donation down there. 33:56 And that rig now is there in Guatemala 33:59 with that service truck with it. 34:01 And it's doing the work of the Lord. 34:02 So now it's sheltered. Yes. 34:04 Okay, we've gone down there. 34:05 We spent the month of October. Yeah. 34:07 Okay, now the volunteers come back home 34:10 and they just sit there, 34:11 but yet during that time, 34:13 if there's some issue with one of the systems, 34:16 the wells, there's somebody there 34:18 that's lonely that can repair that. 34:20 We have two employees in Guatemala. 34:24 Right now, we have four drilling rigs, 34:26 we've got a small fleet of other trucks, 34:28 plus we have two pump service trucks. 34:30 We have a large shop. 34:31 We have accommodations for our volunteer drillers. 34:34 And we drill from January through April 34:37 because this is the time of the year 34:39 in the United States where these guys, 34:41 they got their home businesses. 34:42 They're not working. Okay. It's winter. 34:44 And in the wintertime, it can't work 34:46 and they are willing to come to Guatemala. 34:47 So tell us how you find volunteers 34:49 because I know that 34:52 you go down there with people 34:53 who are not only ardent, I mean, 34:57 often they are not Seventh-day Adventist Christians, 34:59 they may be Christians, 35:01 but you also take people down that. 35:03 I mean, you just take in somebody 35:05 that's got a heart for humanity, right? 35:07 Amen. Yes. 35:09 And I... 35:11 We go to the National Well Drillers Association 35:15 has a yearly convention, 35:17 we go to the conventions. 35:20 I'll also write a monthly story 35:22 in the National Well Drillers journal, 35:24 and tell stories about things in Guatemala, 35:28 and invite people to come and join us 35:30 and they respond. 35:33 We have drillers from all across the United States 35:35 who donate a week or two of their time 35:38 and we don't pay them at all. 35:41 We don't pay their airfare. That's amazing. 35:43 We've got a place for them to stay, 35:44 we've got machine reform, 35:46 we've got a village with a need, 35:47 put that together. 35:49 And these guys come and they drill for nothing. 35:52 And these guys come home and they will say, 35:54 "You know, I've been on vacation... 35:57 Annette and I used to go on vacation to a nice place. 35:59 You eat too much, you lay around, 36:01 you don't do anything, come home feeling miserable. 36:04 These guys come home after working hard in the heat 36:07 and they are blessed by it. 36:09 Amen. 36:10 And I encourage people to come, 36:13 and we need volunteers. 36:15 So what kind of experience? 36:17 Obviously, if you know what you're doing 36:19 that's a "Thank you, Jesus," 36:21 but then you got people that want to see 36:23 what this is like. 36:25 I'll tell you this. 36:27 We can use anybody who is willing. 36:29 Amen. 36:30 We really need people who are nurses, 36:33 dental hygienist, 36:34 people that can come down there 36:36 to meet the needs of the people. 36:37 When we have those volunteers, 36:39 we have a complete portable dental unit 36:42 that we can send out to a village. 36:44 We'll send a nurse out to a village 36:46 to do general healthcare 36:48 and look at things 36:50 that could really be dangerous. 36:53 Just a nurse cleaning a wound in infected ear, 36:57 and the insect bite, 36:58 and a few tablets of erythromycin 37:01 can change a person's life. 37:02 Yeah. 37:03 And the people down there have nothing. 37:05 And if we go and help them, 37:08 and sometimes, 37:10 I can't do much in many ways, 37:13 but I know the ways to these villages, 37:15 and so I'll drive a team out there 37:17 and spend the days sitting in the truck, 37:19 waiting while they're pulling teeth 37:20 or looking after people's needs. 37:22 Those volunteers, 37:24 those are people that can help people. 37:26 They really just have to be willing. 37:28 The wives too, if you've got volunteers going... 37:30 Annette, why should a wife go with her husband? 37:34 You know, first of all, have a lot of fun. 37:36 Yeah. 37:38 The men really need support. 37:42 There's all the domestic needs 37:44 that we all need every day of our lives. 37:46 We need clean clothes, we need good meals, 37:49 and those guys work so hard. 37:51 And they're dirty, they're tired. 37:54 And to have a wife there is very comforting. 37:57 Amen. 37:58 And beyond that, 38:00 I would say to the wives to definitely come, 38:03 no matter who you are. 38:04 You don't have to be a doctor, or a nurse, or a teacher. 38:07 Got old paint brush. Come on, we can help. 38:09 There's lots of painting that needs to be done, and... 38:13 And lots of kids that need to be loved on. 38:15 Our friend, Bernie, that lives there, 38:17 told us, he says, 38:19 "Anything that you've learned in your life, 38:21 your profession, even elementary things 38:25 that you know from day-to-day, 38:27 those people know a lot less than you do. 38:30 Amen. Yeah. 38:31 And you can teach them anything and everything, 38:33 and they will be blessed for it. 38:36 Amen. 38:37 And I've always tried... 38:38 I've always lived 38:40 in this caution zone my whole life. 38:42 Well, not always. 38:43 You married someone 38:44 you only spent a few days, so... 38:46 That's correct. 38:48 If it wasn't for him, 38:49 I wouldn't have gone to Guatemala. 38:51 Yeah. 38:52 And I would stay in my own peaceful zone 38:55 if I were left to myself. 38:57 But when you give your heart to the Lord, 38:59 and He's the Lord of your life, 39:02 he's going to pull you outside your comfort zone. 39:05 Yeah. 39:06 And it says... 39:07 In 1 John 3:18, it says, 39:12 "Let not your love be spoken only in words, but in action." 39:18 Fantastic. 39:19 And so I feel God pushing me out of my comfort zone, 39:23 especially after marrying Tim. 39:26 Amen. 39:27 Admire you're doing it. 39:29 Can you bring up the picture 39:30 of kind of show them the surrounding 39:32 what a typical town looks like? 39:33 Go ahead, Shelley. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. 39:34 Well, we'll go through here. 39:36 Oh, that's beautiful. That's a typical village. 39:38 You can see a pump there in the foreground. 39:40 It's usually open areas in the village in the middle, 39:43 and we only drill wells on public land, 39:47 either churchyard, a schoolyard, 39:49 health department yard. 39:50 In one village, we couldn't find a suitable place, 39:53 and the village leader said, "Well, 39:56 what about right here in the road?" 39:58 And Gary said, 39:59 "What you mean right here in the road?" 40:00 He said, "Well, this is public, just drill here." 40:03 So our driller stepped off the center of the road 40:05 and drilled well right there, 40:07 and the next year we came back, 40:08 the road comes up, makes a detour around, 40:10 a little palapa they built to cover the pump. 40:13 And the village people come, and they get water from there. 40:16 Oh, you've a great picture. 40:18 I think you've got a story in it 40:19 that goes with a picture of this woman 40:22 at the well getting her water. 40:24 And tell us that story? 40:26 So our employee, Bernie, who maintains the pumps 40:30 during the year took us to this village 40:32 to check on this one pump 40:34 that was having a little bit of a problem. 40:36 And I was just observing 40:39 because I hadn't been to too many other villages, 40:42 I'd spend most of my time at the orphanage with the kids, 40:45 but I wanted to do this. 40:47 And I was watching this one lady pumping her water, 40:50 and it was quite a large containers 40:54 made out of hard plastic. 40:57 And when she got all done pumping, 40:58 she lifted it and she put it on top of her head. 41:02 That's amazing. 41:04 And these are short ladies with a short neck, 41:05 they're stocky individuals. 41:07 And she started walking. 41:10 And, you know, we don't know how far she walked, 41:12 she could live three or four miles away. 41:15 That's amazing. 41:16 And after a while, she put her hands down. 41:19 And then, I was really shocked. 41:21 And I said, "Boy, that does a lot of good 41:23 for your posture." 41:25 And, you know, in villages, after we drill a well, 41:28 it's like the spokes of a wheel. 41:30 There will be paths that lead out 41:32 and people walk for literally miles 41:34 to get to water. 41:36 In some villages, people stand in line 41:38 all day long to get water, 41:39 there are people lined up for water. 41:40 But now they are lining up to go to church. 41:42 You've got a picture of one of the 14 churches 41:45 that they have constructed 41:49 and you said the churches are just emerging. 41:52 Yes, they are. Yes, they are. 41:54 We put Bible workers there, but the gospel is getting out. 41:58 Amen. 41:59 In the US, it's hard to interest people. 42:01 But down there, 42:02 if you pass out Bibles, 42:05 they're just anxious to have it. 42:08 They treasure that. 42:10 And that's what Water for Life tries to do. 42:12 You know, we're about giving people life, 42:16 but the real life is not what they're drinking, 42:18 it's in that book. 42:19 Well, I pick up Water for Life, it's not stagnant itself. 42:23 It seems like, you know, you started off 42:25 by drilling one well. 42:26 Yes. 42:28 And, but now, look at how Water for Life 42:30 has expanded 42:31 in all these different directions. 42:32 Yes. 42:34 You know, just didn't set here and just corrode over. 42:37 I mean, from water, then it becomes trust, 42:41 even scrunchies or what are they called? 42:43 It's scrunchies. Scrunchies for ponytails. 42:47 I never had a ponytail, so... 42:49 I have. 42:50 I bet you look good. 42:52 It's a little thing that, you know, 42:53 it means a lot to them. 42:54 You bet, you bet. 42:56 Yeah, it means a lot. 42:57 And once those children, 42:59 once you work with the children, 43:00 and they began 43:02 asking you questions to the point 43:04 that somebody wanted you to do the class teaching, 43:06 right? 43:08 Yes, I did a class in hygiene, 43:10 which is very good for the girls growing up 43:12 and the boys growing up. 43:14 And I taught a couple of haircuts. 43:18 And it was so cute 43:19 because my translator was listening to me, 43:21 describe how to do this haircut. 43:24 And I was doing one where it would make your hair... 43:27 If you cut it in just a right way, 43:29 it would make your hair wispy naturally. 43:32 It would dry that way if we cut it right. 43:35 And he stopped talking, 43:36 and I said, "Is there a problem?" 43:39 And he says, "Well, there's no word in Spanish for wispy." 43:44 So we figured out something to tell him. 43:46 Sometimes the girls would come with pictures 43:48 that they get from magazines with these real hairdos 43:51 that are all wound up, 43:52 and they say, "I want my hair to look like this." 43:55 It can't happen, it can't happen. 43:57 Well, they have about four times 43:59 the amount of hair on their head than we do. 44:01 It's heavy. Yeah. 44:02 It's like a horse's tail. 44:04 It's really heavy. 44:05 Yeah. Wow. 44:06 But the children and the people in Guatemala 44:08 are just lovely people. 44:09 Oh, they're wonderful. 44:11 You know, we are rich in the United States 44:12 in material goods and poor in spirit. 44:14 Those people down there had nothing in material goods, 44:18 but they are rich in spirit. 44:20 The people are kind and loving people. 44:22 The thing that I've noticed 44:23 is this is mostly agricultural land. 44:25 Yes, it is. Yes, it is. 44:26 I mean, we're not talking about the cities and putting well, 44:28 these are all, so everyone's having to walk in. 44:30 Yes. 44:32 So actually say it'd be wonderful 44:33 to have a central church where they can all come to, 44:35 just close to the water or whatever. 44:37 And we'll drill a well in a churchyard, 44:39 a Catholic churchyard, 44:40 a Protestant churchyard, 44:42 there's lot of church of God places down there... 44:44 A school, and the Lord be praised, 44:47 there's always a place. 44:49 And we make a requirement 44:51 that the people will make the water freely available. 44:53 Amen. 44:55 And they won't fence the public off from the well. 44:56 That's the requirement we have. 44:58 Now, you have become very involved 45:01 with the orphans there in the orphanage. 45:04 You've actually adopted how many orphans? 45:07 We've sponsored ten children, 45:10 two boys and eight girls. 45:11 Wow. Yeah. 45:13 Let me ask you this question because... 45:17 I mean, you are a district attorney, 45:19 you are a graphic artist turned beautician, 45:24 which I need to talk to, if you can tell me, Annette. 45:27 How did it change you 45:31 becoming involved and specifically, Annette, 45:35 when you started going down, 45:36 how did it change you? 45:38 It changed me 45:40 because I grew up with watching Mission Spotlight 45:42 my whole life. 45:44 Yeah. 45:45 And I used to admire the people in that film every Sabbath, 45:48 doctors, nurses, teachers. 45:50 And I always told myself, "No, I can't do that 45:53 because I'm not educated the way they are." 45:56 And when I was willing to take that step and go, 46:01 I saw how much God could use me 46:06 in ways I never dreamed possible. 46:07 Amen. Wow. 46:09 And so if you're willing, 46:12 God will show you and it will grow your faith immensely. 46:16 Amen. See what He can do. 46:18 You know, I'd like to say that 46:20 God is so desperate to save people, 46:21 He will take anybody, 46:24 anybody who will be taken. 46:25 Amen. 46:27 Water for Life is like that. Amen. 46:29 We can use anybody, God can use people... 46:31 Most certainly. 46:32 And He provides the materials. Amen. 46:35 I also like to say that 46:38 God has given 46:39 a never-ending supply of just enough. 46:42 I love that. 46:43 And really that's the story of 3ABN too. 46:45 Yes, it is. 46:46 Never-ending supply of just enough. 46:48 It's not surplus, it's not excess, 46:51 but it is security 46:54 with the never-ending supply of just enough. 46:56 And that's what He's provided for Water for Life. 46:59 We've come across many difficult things, 47:02 and the Lord comes through each time, each time. 47:06 That first year, the second year down there, 47:09 Lynn Bartholomew was trying to get that 47:11 46 well driller running, 47:16 and it would not run, it would not run. 47:18 Finally determined that there was a magneto that was bad. 47:21 It was a 1956 cylinder Hercules engine in that thing. 47:26 And they called to United States 47:28 and called back to Bucyrus-Erie and said, 47:30 "Do you have a magneto for that? 47:31 I said, "What are you talking about? 47:33 We haven't provided parts of that for 30 years. 47:36 Yeah. 47:37 And Rob Bartholomew was in Seattle. 47:40 He made a call to someone in Rathdrum, 47:42 Idaho, a guy by the name Clint. 47:48 I'm blanking his name. 47:49 But he said, 47:50 "I know a fellow who has the shop called 47:53 Magnetos Only, Lee Davis. 47:55 Let me see if he's... 47:56 Maybe the guy is still alive, 47:58 maybe he's still in the business. 48:00 He got the model number, he went in to see Lee Davis, 48:03 Magnetos Only, and the guy was there. 48:05 And he said, "I need a magneto for this old rig." 48:09 And the guy said, "Just a second." 48:10 He walked back and he came back 48:11 with the very part that we needed. 48:13 Wow. Praise God. 48:15 And Brad McCarthy, that was the guy 48:17 he paid for it right on the spot, 48:19 took it to Spokane, and that night, 48:21 a driller was headed down South, 48:23 and that magneto was put on that rig 48:27 and was operating. 48:28 I thought there's a story here and so I went to see Lee Davis, 48:31 and I said, "I like to know about that magneto." 48:34 And I told him about what a blessing 48:35 it had been to us, 48:37 and he's a pretty rough guy, he said, 48:38 "I don't know about all that stuff," he said. 48:40 But the funny story about that magneto, 48:42 he said, "I was working in my shop 48:44 several years ago, and a guy came in 48:46 and said he had found this in his dad's shop, 48:49 his dad passed away and he said, 48:50 "I wondered if you wanted it." 48:52 He said, "I'm interested in old things, 48:54 I kind of do swapping out magnetos 48:56 for old bulldozers and things." 48:59 And he said, "I fixed it up 49:00 and I put it back there on the shelf," 49:02 and he said, 49:03 "Had no call for it for three years." 49:06 And he said, "I knew when your guy walked in 49:08 with the model number that that was the part that I had." 49:11 And he said, "And by the way, 49:12 and all the years I've been working with magnetos," 49:14 he says, "I've never seen one exactly like that. 49:16 If you bring that old one back from Guatemala, 49:19 I'll rebuild that once he gets the magneto." 49:20 Amen. Glory to God. 49:21 Well, you know, that is... 49:23 But there from the jungles of Guatemala, 49:25 a telephone call, and an hour later, 49:28 a rare part is put in our hands and was down there. 49:33 We've since moved off there. 49:35 Gasoline part, engines, all are rigs apart with diesel 49:38 'cause they don't have the storage problems, 49:40 but the Lord has been watching after us. 49:42 Yes, He does. 49:44 And He is the God who knows the end to the beginning, 49:47 so He had that on the shelf for you all along. 49:49 It's a blessing. He did. 49:50 Amazing. You know what? 49:52 It occurs to me that, 49:53 if you're watching, 49:55 you may be saying, 49:56 "Ooh, I need something to revive me, 50:01 revive my spiritual walk." 50:03 You know, we know that 50:04 we are saved by grace through faith. 50:06 Works don't save us, 50:07 but works are the fruit of salvation if you will. 50:12 And Jesus said, "Let your lamp so shine 50:15 that people will see your good works 50:17 and glorify God." 50:19 So these kinds of things are something that 50:21 bring glory to our Lord 50:22 and maybe you would like to participate, say, 50:26 "I can go down and be a volunteer, 50:28 I can hold the pain pressure, 50:29 cook the meal, or I'm a well driller, 50:33 or a dental assistant, or a dentist. 50:36 And you may think, 50:37 "Hey, I'd rather have an active vacation this year, 50:41 instead of just coming home having gained five pounds." 50:45 If you want to get in touch with Water for Life 50:47 or perhaps the Holy Spirit's moving upon your heart 50:51 that you want to see more villages 50:54 get these wells, 50:55 you can sponsor a child at the orphanage, 50:58 you can sponsor materials 51:00 or if you want to help drill a well, 51:04 here is how you can get in touch 51:07 with Water for Life. 51:11 You can make a difference 51:12 for the thousands of children and adults 51:14 who have struggled with polluted water 51:16 by helping Water of Life 51:18 bring pure water to the people of Guatemala. 51:21 Discover more about their well drilling projects. 51:24 Read inspiring stories 51:26 and see the results for yourself 51:27 through their photo gallery 51:29 by visiting their website h2oforlife.org. 51:33 That's h20forlife.org. 51:36 If you would like to call them, 51:38 their number is (509) 842-3952 51:42 or write them at Water for Life, 51:44 PO Box 2330, 51:47 Deer Park, Washington 99006. |
Revised 2019-05-13