Water for the Thirsty

The 3-year-old drinking water from the newly-installed water filer in a poor neighborhood in Davao City, Philippines

Missionaries Darrell Blatchley and Gary Higgins looked down at the water in the small pail in front of them. The liquid was brown and brackish, with insects and other unidentifiable matter floating on the top. But for Esther, a widow from a poor neighborhood in Davao City, Philippines, this water was all she and her children had to drink. With an income of only 50 cents a day, having a reliable supply of food and water is an unaffordable luxury.

Gary Higgins, who serves with Convoy of Hope, had arrived in Davao only a few hours earlier with a suitcase full of water filters. After showing Darrell Blatchley how to assemble the filters, the two men made their way to one of the neediest areas of the city. Darrell Blatchley and his wife, Sandy, know these areas well. The ministry they lead, called Family Circus Children’s Ministry, reaches out to underprivileged children and their families. Of the 5,000 people who regularly attend, the majority are desperately poor.

Arriving at Esther’s small hut, Darrell Blatchley and Gary Higgins offer to demonstrate the filter. But after straining the bugs and larger particles from the water Esther gave them, the amount was far short of the quantity needed to fill the five-gallon filtering bucket. Since the nearest water source—a hand-pump well—was some two miles away, the two men opted to purchase enough rusty, dirty water from a neighbor to fill the container. Moments later, sparkling clean water poured from the filter.

“We gave some to Esther and her children,” said Darrell Blatchley, “and the 3-year-old immediately drank an entire glass. When we asked if she wanted more, she raised her eyebrows as a sign that she did.”

As with many families in the neighborhood, Esther and her children frequently suffer from diarrhea and other waterborne illnesses. “We explained that with proper use and maintenance, the filter would remove harmful bacteria and help them stay healthy,” says Darrell Blatchley. “To see and hear the thankfulness expressed by the family was deeply moving.”

After leaving Esther’s home, Darrell Blatchley and Gary Higgins delivered two more filters. “One family had 20 members living in the home,” says Darrell Blatchley.

Gary Higgins departed Davao the next day, leaving 43 more filters to give to needy families. “These filters will provide thousands of cups of water as a testimony to the One who supplies Living Water to thirsty souls,” says Darrell Blatchley.

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Darrell and Sandy Blatchley are AGWM missionaries to the Philippines.