Beech Tree News Network

On June 16th, I had the opportunity to travel to Leon, Nicaragua, the second largest city in that country.  After six hours in a plane and a three hour van ride, we arrived at our home for the week, anxious to get to our work site and see what the week had in store for us.  The next week would change my perspective and shape my view of a world in desperate need of Jesus.

Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere and a short drive through town would prove this fact.  Despite their economic circumstances, they are richer than we will ever be.  They love their families, work hard for what they have, respect those that have gone before them, and find comfort in their lives that many of us search years to find. 

We were there to perform a simple act of kindness.  Every night before I go to bed, I go to my sink and drink a glass of water.  I do not have to wander if I will get sick or if the water is clean.  Yet every day, Nicaraguans walk miles to get water, only to know that what they drink has the potential to harm or even kill them.  So, over four days in the Nicaraguan heat, my team and I built a water well for a community outside of Leon, bringing hope to a village in desperate need of the love of Jesus. 

Traveling with an organization called Living Water International, we had 7 people on our team.  The men dug the well, requiring us to drill over 100 feet in the ground, while the women taught bible lessons and hygiene classes to the women and children of the village.  Living Water’s motto is a cup of water in Jesus’ name.  Because of the work our team accomplished, we were able to supply many cups of water in Jesus’ name. 

Our guide for the week told us that many people in Nicaragua believe in Jesus but very few of them have seen Jesus at work in their lives.  I don’t know if they saw Jesus in us but I understood better what it meant to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  There is now a community in Leon, Nicaragua that, for the first time, have access to clean water.  Great journeys begin with small steps.  For this community, a water well is a small step towards a better future for their children and for many generations to come.      

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Chase Goff traveled with a team from Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green to Nicaragua.  He was trained by Living Water International. Chase is married to Lauren and they have one son, Maddux Chase Goff.