Carrying Water For Them

When I was a child I heard an expression, “Carrying someones water.” I understood it to be a metaphor for carrying someones load. It wasn’t until I went to Africa the full weight of this expression became real to me. At a very large home (for 125 children) in Uganda, everyday the children had to make the trek to the bore hole. Not only these children but all the surrounding homes to get water. This is a morning and evening ritual you see in many places. At this particular home large Jerry cans are taken down to the hole, water has to be hand pumped to fill up (which is a lengthy process in and of itself) these cans, and then full of water they are transported back. It is not like the bore hole is right outside the door. It is a walk, not as lengthy as some might have to walk, but nevertheless it is quite a walk.

The Jerry can is the life blood of a home in many parts of Africa. It is what they use to clean themselves, cook and drink. It is a beautiful thing that so many of these bore holes have been dug in Africa. I can’t even imagine how laborious this must be for those who live miles from a water hole. Now if the Jerry can is 20 liters (5.3 gallons), and it is roughly 2.2 lbs per liter , then the weight of the water would be 44 lbs (20 kg). Even 10 liter cans are 22 lbs (10 kg). Imagine how hard that would be for a little one to carry and they would do this twice a day. In this particular home, the children were assigned certain days to collect up the Jerry cans of the entire compound and pile them into a wheel barrel, carry by hand or on top of the head . This process was a lengthy one and I watched this process when the children were off from school. Imagine the addition of collecting water for a compound of 125 children and the adult workers while also getting ready to go to school?

So as I would go down with the children to the bore whole to collect water, I often heard the cry, “Juni, Juni (they couldn’t pronounce my name).” Which I knew meant “Please carry my water can,” or “I’m tired would you pump the water for a while.” Which I did multiple times. I helped carry, pump and collect cans of water for the children. And of course the neighboring children who also were getting water for their families were fascinated with a Mizunga (white person) helping collect water.

This is where the expression “carrying someones water,” (which surprisingly most people had never heard this expression) became a reality for me. In a small way I was carrying someones burden, a daily burden which took time and effort for them. In a seemingly unknown way to me, my bigger frame and size added to lift the burden. It was easier for me to carry the water than a little seven year old. And even with the mechanical advantage of a wheel barrel, it just meant you had to carry more. I think about this in the body of Christ, we are here to carry each others burdens, to lighten the loads of our brothers and sisters, to “carry their water” when they don’t have the strength to. I know a lot of burden bearers, and I am so thankful for all the laid down lovers that I know who choose to “carry water for someone.”