Hooray…water at the convent!
By Naomi Corera, December 16, 2014
Wow, was I so thankful to the Lord! Just a few days after we put up the pictures on this website, one of my good friends called me and said, “Naomi, I would be glad to get plumbing for the Sisters and give the check for $5,000.” So now the six Sisters in the order – St. Therese the Little Flower in Fort Portal, Uganda – have flowing water in their convent!
The Sisters were so happy to hear – I called them right away and told them that I had received the donation, because they had been praying hard for it. They immediately called my friend and they drummed and sang and were shouting for joy. My friend was so humbled in hearing that with this donation they had received so much life – the gift of water!
The Sisters used to labor so much carrying buckets of water for a simple thing that we take for granted each day – taking a shower. Now, not only do the Sisters have running water for their shower, but also for their kitchen sink and their toilet (before, they would use buckets of water for everything, including filling up the tank on the toilet).
Immediately the plumbers set out to work, because I had already sorted the plumbing job details to know how much the job would cost. So they were just waiting to get started.
As you can see, everything must be done by hand. Here is the trench for the pipes and the hole for the tank. Now when I call the Sisters, they turn on the tap and hold the phone so I can hear the sink, and then run to the shower and do likewise. Just their delight of having water and their joy…it makes everything we do worthwhile!
Digging the hole for the main water tank
Not only did it give the Sisters water, but it gave these men work for a whole week. Their work is very good and incredibly fast, especially without all of the permits and red tape that we have in the United States. I was surprised that within just a handful of days they were sending me these pictures! They’re all good workers, it’s just that they don’t have work, so this was a blessing for them and their families, too.
Plumbing the pipes to go right inside the bathroom
The Sisters would always shower daily because at the end of the day, you can’t help but having lots of dust and grime – you can feel the grit on your skin! So now their daily showers will be so much faster to open their time to their important work.
Sisters Agnes, Sister Especiosa, and Sister Apollo (left to right) celebrating the arrival of their new sink.
The pressurizing tank going on its stand
Unloading the ground tank for installation