Church members help install water purification system in Honduras

Teresa Ingle, pastor at Wakarusa Presbyterian Church, put a sample of water in an agar-filled petri dish as part of an educational program during a Living Waters for the World mission trip last month to Pajuiles, Honduras.

Within four days, small, white worms were growing in the petri dish.

The water came from the villages water supply and was being used by residents for drinking, cooking and bathing. The effects of the dirty water could be seen in the bloated bellies, small stature, intestinal problems and malnutrition of the towns children.

Water is an integral part of life and clean water is an integral part of a healthy life, Ingle said.

Living Waters for the World partners with global communities to develop a sustainable solution for providing clean water. It provides an affordable, simple water treatment system for contaminated water and teaches local leaders about health and hygiene so they can take ownership of their own well-being. The organization doesnt drill wells or provide other water access solutions.

Living Waters for the World is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), but churches of all denominations and civic organizations can participate. Since its inception in the early 1990s, Living Waters for the World has helped install more than 500 clean-water systems in other countries and the Appalachian region of the United States.

Ingle was part of a five-member team from the Presbytery of Northern Kansas who joined five volunteers from a Presbyterian church in Collierville, Tenn., in March to install a water filtration and ozonation system in Pajuiles. Other volunteers from the Presbytery of Northern Kansas were David and Julie Parks, of Salina Sunrise Presbyterian Church, and Penny and Thad Allton, of Topekas First Presbyterian Church. Thad Allton is director of photography at The Topeka Capital-Journal.

David Parks, moderator for the Honduras Networking Coordinating Team and coordinator of the March trip, said he became involved in Living Waters for the World in 2008 and has made 19 trips to Honduras since then.

Parks said volunteers who want to take part in a Living Waters for the World mission first undergo training in leadership and administrative tasks, such as water testing; education focusing on the importance of health, hygiene and the spiritual aspects of water; and construction and maintenance of the water filtration and ozonation system.

Prior to receiving the equipment, a water issues survey and water testing were conducted in Pajuiles to make sure the filtration and ozonation system would properly clean the water.

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Church members help install water purification system in Honduras