We Must Go To Fetch The Water...

Does anybody know what that is from?

You got it...Jungle Book. This song was in my head almost constantly for 3 days while we were in Africa.

I mentioned a couple African posts ago that the way our trip was designed by Vernon was that he wanted us to REALLY experience life as a widow running an orphanage in Sudan. So we lived beside them for 3 days, helping them with every bit of their daily responsibilities.

WELL...one of those daily responsibilities is (or I should say 3 TIMES daily) is fetching water from their water hole that is about 1/2 mile away from the orphanage. No big deal, right? WRONG. It was by far the hardest physical thing I have ever done and I didn't even have to walk the 1/2 mile back to the orphanage. I just had to walk the water back about 50 yards to a truck that we brought that was parked with 3 giant metal drums that we poured the water in.

Their water hole.






The road they walk from the orphanage to the water hole.








Carrying the 5 gallon jugs of water! The hardest thing I have ever done! That's a fake smile.






This is what my feet and skirt looked like after fetching the water. The amazing thing is, the widows don't have a drop of mud on them after doing this.


This video is about 2 1/2 minutes long and it shows almost exactly what we had to do to fetch the water. It is of my husband carrying the water from the water hole to the truck. The only difference was usually we were carrying TWO 5 gallon jugs instead of one. They weighed about 20 - 25 lbs each.

Sudan - Fetching water from the water hole from Janelle on Vimeo.

The first time I fetched the water, I truly thought my body was not capable of doing it. I was going to give up, but Vernon really made me push myself and kept telling me, "You have no idea what your body is capable of doing." In other words, the precious ladies in Africa do so much that is so strenuous on their bodies. And even though some of the ridiculously strength enduring things they have to do seem impossible to me, they do it because they must for survivor. They are amazing!! And my hands were definitely bruised the next day, but it was a good reminder for me to be SO grateful for what I have.

My hands have never been bruised by turning on the faucet in my own home! It's all about perspective.

I miss those ladies so much!