Drinking from a Bucket of Parasites

Ten-year-old Michel lives with her grandparents in Honduras.  One of their greatest challenges is finding clean water to drink. Their main source of water is a small pool that collects runoff from the mountain.   

Maria, Michel’s grandmother, explained their system: “To store water, we dug a hole in the dirt on the side of the hill.  Then we put rocks around it and connected a hose that carries water down the hill to our houses.”   

“We have to clean the pit all the time,” Michel told us. “There are lots of leaves, dirt and even animals that fall into the water.”   

When dry season hits, the water in the hole dries up and becomes even more dangerous.   

“The water is always dirty,” Maria said.  “It has a bad smell.  We suffer a lot from drinking it, even though we strain it and sometimes boil it.  The children suffer a lot. We know that water gives them parasites. We have seen the worms.” 

Michel recalled the day she drank the dirty water while helping her grandfather harvest coffee.  

“I drank a lot water because I was very thirsty. Minutes later I got really STRONG stomach pains.  It felt like something was moving around and attacking me on my insides. Even pills did not help me to feel better.”   

Then thanks to YOU, Operation Blessing came and set up a community water project. First, we built a collection point near a fast-moving spring. Then we piped the water to a new 5000-gallon tank where it is treated and stored.  Finally, we installed pipes to distribute clean water to 39 families in the community and to their school!   

“When grandma turned on the faucet, the water came gushing out!” Michel exclaimed.  “It was so fast it even made bubbles!”   

“I never thought we would have this much water in our home,” Maria remarked.   

What a beautiful example of how CBN partners share the love of Jesus around the world with people in need! If you’re not yet a partner, we invite you to join us today. Help bring God’s love through initiatives like clean water wells, medical missions, feeding programs, and so much more—all in the name of Jesus! Join us today and become a part of what God’s doing through CBN partners. Michel continued, “I am grateful to the people who gave to Operation Blessing so we can have clean water.  Thank you!”