Water and Living Water
By Leslie Hawthorne-Klingler with Wayne Niblick, Field Trainer

Wayne Niblack of San Jose, California, has been a volunteer Lifewater field trainer since 2006. A software analyst, he decided to become a field trainer because the basic Lifewater approach appealed to him: help communities meet their need for safe water, and while doing so, share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. In April 2008, Wayne traveled to Ethiopia with three other Lifewater field trainers to teach Lifewater’s Hand Pump Repair course to one of Lifewater’s partners, the Mekane Yesus Church. Upon return, Wayne shared about his trip:

"One highlight was the joy and celebration of the people in the village of Doyo when we were able to repair their pump. The women of this Muslim village were absolutely beaming, and out of their limited resources offered us an abundance of food, local coffee, and thanks. One of them told us, 'Your God is powerful. He has given us water.'

"Another highlight was simply talking with people, especially staff members of the Mekane Yesus Church. They are quality people. As I spoke with them, I was able to see their heart for service and the gospel, and I learned about the church’s wide-ranging programs to help their country. I also enjoyed talking individually with the trainees on our rides to various water pumps we were repairing. It was a pleasure to try to understand their ways of thinking and to encourage them in their work and testimony.

"A final highlight has to do with a broken pump we worked on with the trainees. We fixed several obvious problems, and we did a nice job. But surprisingly, the flow rate was still low when we had to leave. Discussing our work that evening, we decided to go back. The next day we found and fixed another problem that corrected the low-flow rate. It was satisfying to know we left our trainees with an example of persevering to do a good job and showed the community that we really wanted good things for them."

For Wayne, being a field trainer brings out many emotions: “It can be frustrating to realize the obstacles—lack of transportation, supplies, local shopping, and so on—that our local trainees will face as they try to put into practice the things we have taught them. It can be heartrending to connect with people and see how difficult it is for them to provide their families with the basic needs of food and safe water. But it’s a real joy to get to know some of God’s faithful servants and work with them to bring life-transforming change—water and living water—to a community.”