Do the hard ones, and let God be in control!
When I started drilling wells, I was told: “Do the easy ones first, and you can spend the rest of your life doing the easy ones.” For the past 20 years, I have been trying to follow that advice. With that having been said, God called me to drill water wells for the people of Guatemala.
Early, in the year 2000, I met with the Commanding Officer of the US Southern Command as he was preparing to leave Peten Guatemala, after having shut down a well drilling project. He looked me in the eyes and said, “Good luck with your efforts; this is one of the hardest places in the World to drill a water well.”
Here in Guatemala even the easy ones are hard. Up till now I have only had small trailer-mounted drill rigs to drill with in Guatemala. Using them to drill in this region is like using a spoon to dig a hole in concrete. With persistence and faith, eventually you will get there, but it is not the appropriate technology. With the help of the Lord Jesus, we have had a level of success with our small drill rig program has completed 120 wells as of 2022.
For almost 20 years, I have been praying and believing God for a real commercial “big rig” drilling equipment for Guatemala. Isaiah 41:17–18 says, (amp) “The poor and needy are seeking water when there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.' 'I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.'"
God is so concerned with His people having safe water to drink He says He Himself will open rivers, make pools, and fountains for them. He also sends His Chosen People like us to go and fulfill His will.
Millions of Guatemalan’s are drinking contaminated, unsafe water every day. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a recent report that more than a billion people in the world are suffering from Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD’s). The report goes on to say most of the suffering are poor people in developing countries, like Guatemala.
In a recent statement, the UN said 83% of the Guatemalan population lives in extreme poverty! I can name 5 NTD’s that I, my drill crew, or someone I know have contracted in the last year. The CDC says some 50 diseases and illnesses are transmitted through drinking and using unclean water. According to Worldometers, the population of Guatemala is 17,647,556 (09-11-2019, 1:00pm). The current estimate is 50% of Guatemala’s population do not have access to long term, safe drinking water. That is almost 9,000,000 people in a country the size of Tennessee.
We have a lot to learn, and it is a slow process. We have already drilled 15 boreholes, for a total of 1234 drilled feet. Of those 15, 8 are producing water wells with an average depth of 233 ft, in just 7 months. We have a total of 15 producing wells for the year so far. We have a goal of at least 20 producing water wells each year. My personal goal is to be producing 100 wells by the year 2026. We will do the easy and the hard ones, and let the Lord be in control!
Please consider becoming one of my financial partners to help me continue directing this fine work. I am a faith support missionary, and my income and financial support come from your donations.
God bless you, and I would love to hear from you. My Facebook and messenger account is Jeremy D. Israel, and Whatsapp 502-5937-2997 (also my Guatemala cell phone). You can also call me any time on my Magic Jack number (904) 435-4470.
