Water Shortage, Thursday, January 26

This morning, in the courtyard near where we are staying, we were chatting with Pastor Luhwa, and he mentioned that many people in Hedaru come to this place to get water. The water is gravity fed from the mountain and is in short supply. When we asked where the people were, he said that no one was allowed to use the water this week because of us; they didn’t want to risk running out of water while we are here! We promptly told him that we don’t mind if people come here to get water.

Today was market day in Hedaru, so we walked through the market with Grace and Pastor Luhwa. It was packed with people selling a large assortment of goods, such as plastic items that would be considered junk in the US, fruits and vegetables, and used clothing. I really wanted to get some photographs, but I felt guilty owning such an expensive piece of equipment when I saw the things that people were selling just to make a living. Just carrying my camera made me feel like I was unacceptably flaunting my wealth, and I didn’t want to become an even greater target for theft. I felt relatively safe because I was with Pastor Luhwa, and it is clear that he command great respect here. We were keeping an eye out for a drum for Alex, but we didn’t find one. It’s obvious that our hosts are very eager to please, so we try to make clear that we are very pleased with everything.

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