Three days away from our departure to Honduras. I have spoken several times this week with our friend, Ana. During one conversation she announced, “the (tap) water looks like coffee!”

Clean water is something I truly appreciate every day, although it does impact me more strongly just before I leave for, and when I return from Honduras. One day this week, I found myself thinking about it as I was simultaneously filling the dog’s dish, placing a pot of water on the stove, running the dishwasher and the washing machine. Many things happening at once, but oh, so simple when you have accessibility!

I began envisioning how different my life will be next week when we have “clean” water available twice a day at the spigots, at the end of our road. We will fill our gallon jugs and bring them home to use for cooking, washing the dishes and bathing. Having water in limited quantities truly makes you realize it’s importance.

Honduras has a population of 6.5 million people and less than 1/2 of the population has access to clean water. Each year there are 50,000 deaths of children under the age of five who die from contaminated water. Eighty percent of the illnesses in the country originate from the infected water supply. More than 1/4 of the population lives without sanitation.

Our church (Pilgrim Congregational, UCC) has been working with PLAN International to help bring clean to the village of Flores. It has been a very long, involved process but we are excited to report that a technical study is currently under way. Perhaps “our dream” of clean water for Flores, will become a reality.