In April of this year I had the opportunity to visit the village of Chemba in the region of Gokwe, Zimbabwe. We have a congregation of brethren who live and congregate in this village. The drive to the village from the nearest city is an arduous six-hour journey down many unpaved roads. During the rainy season the drive can take much longer or might be impossible depending on how much rainfall the country gets. This region of Zimbabwe has been experiencing drought conditions for at least the past few years. In addition, the soil is very sandy and difficult to grow substantial crops in.

About a year ago, the LifeNets organization provided funding for a borehole well to be drilled in Chemba so our brethren there could have more access to fresh water for daily living as well as for irrigating gardens and crops. Earlier this year a drilling company was hired to drive a drilling rig out to the village and drill 40 meters (approximately 131 feet) down to find water. The drilling rig got partway down the road and was forced to turn back. That company—and a second drilling company—canceled the project due to the difficult journey. A third company was hired and earlier this week was successful in traveling the difficult road to Chemba.

On Tuesday morning, they began to drill. By the evening the rig had reached 31 meters but had still not found any water—even though there is a shallow hand-dug well nearby. I received a call from pastor Mabasa Chichaya asking for prayers. He and the brethren across the country were already praying that God would help the drillers find water by the 40-meter limit. One concern they had was that additional drilling past the set depth would cost extra money per meter and there was no guarantee the company would find water or that they would drill in a different location to find water. Immediately the brethren in the New York City area (including New Jersey and Connecticut) joined us in praying. The Good Works program had promised to get funding quickly to Zimbabwe in case there would be extra drilling costs.

Before the additional funds were even sent, the drilling company had agreed to stay and continue drilling into the night. By Tuesday night, at a depth of precisely 56.43 meters (approximately 185 feet) the rig found water! The brethren, praying and watching as the night carried on, shouted with excitement and praised God for such a wonderful and much needed blessing. It was really beautiful to see the fruits of LifeNets and Good Works, and the prayers and donations of the brethren from various parts of the world come together to help bring God’s blessings to those brethren in need.