LIVING WATER FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES: CHURCHES PRACTICE INTEGRAL MISSION IN RURAL
PARAGUAY
By Eduardo Sánchez
The Baptist Church, “Jesucristo oú Jevyta,” (“Jesus Christ will come again” in the Guarani language), from the remote
area of Guavirá, in Paraguay, is leading an initiative to profoundly impact their community in Christ’s name.
This local congregation, in cooperation with the Baptist Church of Villa Morra, from Asuncion, Paraguay, and with the
support of the Department of Evangelism of the Union of Baptists in Latin America (UBLA), facilitated and directed the
construction of an artesian well, which, from now on, will show the love of Christ in a real way to the community.
The community of Guavirá, located in the San Pedro jurisdiction (the poorest in Paraguay), had serious problems in
accessing water. The community had an artesian well connected to an elevated water tank provided through a government
initiative. However, the well was not deep enough and was located in a sandy area. Moreover, the pump of the well had a
constant mechanical problem. All of this translated into a frequent shortage of drinking water, which made it necessary for
people to use water from a nearby river that was not suitable for human consumption.
Faced with this problem, the Baptist Church of Guavirá contacted the Baptist Church of Villa Morra, from Asunción
(Paraguay), and the Department of Evangelism of UBLA. The Department of Evangelism made the appropriate contacts and
provided advice to the small community of local believers so they were able to raise the necessary funds for the drilling of
the well. They received generous contributions from Christian organizations that helped to make this initiative a reality.
The local church had significant cooperation in their effort to impact their community with the Gospel. A member of
the church gave his own land to be use for the drilling. Others contributed with their labor or donated construction material
for the well.
The drilling was conducted at a depth of about 100 meters (109 yards) with a special pipe. The water produced is of
excellent quality. In addition, an electric water pump was installed with a corresponding control panel. The new well was
connected to the old water tank of 50,000 liters of capacity. The pumping capacity is now 6,000 liters per hour. The water
provided will benefit well over 160 families in the area.
On Sunday, May 3, the well was handed over to members of the Guavirá Neighborhood Commission in an emotional
ceremony that emphasized the figure of Jesus Christ, the Living
(Continued on next page)
PHOTOS: The well drilling stage; View of the construction
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