Clean Water for an Akha Village

But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere- in Jerusalem, thought Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

We spent the last four nights in an Akha village in the remote hills of Northern Thailand. There are about 15 houses, with most made out of bamboo and having thatched grass roofs. They are off the ground on stilts. Each house has a solar panel that powers an indoor light and they have batteries if they are lucky enough to have a television. The kitchen (in the main section of the house) has a wood fire where they heat water for tea, cook lots of rice, some vegetables and a little fish or meat. The bathroom is outside in a separate building and contains a "swat" toilet and a large container of water with a bowl for dipper baths. Before dinner, the young men gather at what looks like a dirt volleyball court with a lower net and play decrew, a game using their feet and heads and a wicker ball. It is amazing how good they are at getting the ball over the net.

A simple life. People in the village care for each other, love their children and work very hard. One issue they have is a lack of clean water. That is why we are here. ABCRM has supplied most of the money, Chuck Fox and the Akha Foundation have supplied the expertise and the village paid for some of the materials and almost all of the manual labor for the water project. Before we even arrived the villagers, both men and women, went into the jungle with machetes and hacked a narrow path for the water pipe. A dam was built in a stream over three miles from and 100 meters higher than the village. The ABCRM Mission Team is here to lay and connect the PVC pipe together. It is hard work.

I believe this is an example of being the hands and feet of Christ. Having clean water is something we take for granted. ABCRM mission funds will make a difference for this village. Even though most of the work is being done by the villagers, your funds and willingness to help has made it possible. The mission team members are here to let these new Christians know that there are brothers and sisters in Christ half-way around the world who care about them. By bringing clean water to the village, the Rocky Mountain Region has helped Christian people in a remote Akha village experience the living Christ in the world today.

Please pray for the mission team and the Akha people.

Karen Van
ABCRM Mission Team member
February 21, 2009