Seven-year-old Marisol is used to drinking water that is murky and laden with bacteria. Marisol has been drinking contaminated water since birth, and has become accustomed to getting sick and throwing up. It is a part of her life.
“ Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.� John 7:37b (niv)
Marisol knows that the water will make her sick, but she also knows she has no choice.
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground…” Isaiah 44:3a (niv)
The tiny stream in her community in Copan, Honduras, is full of bacteria, parasites and animal waste.
Marisol cannot go to school because it is her job to help her mom fetch water twice a day — once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. Marisol’s daily routine also includes going to the river to bathe and help her mom wash clothes.
s k n i r d l o s i r Ma rom f e d a m e d a lemon ter a w d e t a n i m conta
The two-mile hike Marisol makes each day takes her up and down a mountainside. On the way to get the water her container is empty and easy to carry, but after it’s filled it is heavy and backbreaking, and tiny Marisol struggles to carry it home. After Marisol finishes the chore of fetching water, her mom, Hilda, sometimes makes a few cups of lukewarm lemonade — a rare treat.
Marisol and her siblings often tell their mom, ‘Mommy, don’t give us that water,’ because it’s muddy and smells bad — like clay. “If we had clean water it would be good,” Hilda said. “We wouldn’t get sick and we could fetch water close to the house.” Having a water source close to their home would be a blessing, especially when it rains. Heavy rains make the walk to the river too treacherous, so the family is forced to bathe and wash clothes with rainwater collected at their home.
“Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:8b (niv)
Marisol and her siblings are resigned to drinking the contaminated water which often makes them sick with diarrhea. “We got used to the water…” Hilda said. Marisol prays with her parents and siblings every night before bed. Together, the family recites the Lord’s Prayer. Marisol’s mom also prays for water each day.
“I pray so that God will soften people’s hearts to give us water,” Hilda said. Marisol’s mom is faced daily with a tragic choice: either feed her children or use her meager earnings from washing clothes to buy clean water. “I can’t afford to pay for clean water because there are other things we need for sustenance like corn and beans,” Hilda said.
Keep Marisol and her family in your prayers with this special prayer card.
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“ Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:2-3 (niv)
Your compassionate generosity has the power to deliver clean, safe drinking water to beautiful children like little Marisol who thirst. Your gift for water will help dig and install water wells and provide pumps that will supply clean, safe drinking water to children like Marisol. A typical water well can produce enough fresh, clean water for an entire community! Your gift for water will help give children like Marisol the chance to go to school and transform their lives and the lives of future generations!
“I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants.� Isaiah 44:3b (niv)
Before
Remember Dania
from our previous water campaign? Dania, 7, risked her life each time she had to drink dirty water from the river. She knew the water could make her deathly ill. But when it didn’t rain, it was all the family had to drink. Dania lives with her family in northern Nicaragua, where a severe drought has made drinking water scarce. Dania and her family constantly prayed for the gift of clean, fresh water.
Thanks to your kindhearted generosity, Dania and her family now have clean, refreshing water to drink! Not only can she enjoy a glass of clean water, but she and her family have a brand new Food For The Poor house. They no longer have to worry about becoming sick from drinking contaminated water. Dania and her family have a new life, all because of you. Thank you for blessing her and her family with the gift of clean water and a new home!
After
In the same way you helped Dania, Marisol needs your help now!
www.FoodForThePoor.org/marisol
, Please scan here bsite e w ve o b a e th it s or vi ut to see a video abo amily. f Marisol and her
“Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in My name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” Mark 9:41, (niv)
6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073 954-427-2222 • www.FoodForThePoor.org/water