Have you ever thought of yourselves as being abundantly blessed? Do we even know what that means? I had been thinking about this when Maggie and I were in Kenya at the end of last year. We went into some very remote communities on the very edges of Kajiado County, where the roads were more of an aspiration rather than a reality. We had a project in a place called Oldonyo Oloolasho and by the time we reached it, the closest small town was many miles behind us. The Maasai living here still follow their traditional lifestyle and all their homes are basic structures with very little in terms of possessions.

Yet they greeted us with wide smiles and open hearts – they didn’t have very much, but what they did have, they shared with us. No sooner had we arrived than cups of hot chai were offered, and after our long journey were very welcome. We were certainly abundantly blessed, but why were these people so generous?

It’s very easy to think that if we don’t have all the comforts of our modern living that we couldn’t possibly be happy and content, but I think there is a big lesson that the Maasai can teach us. Contentment is not what we have around us but is more about what we have inside us.

The whole community came out to meet us and to encourage us as we set up the worksite. We always use local people to help out with casual labour – digging, mixing and carrying – so when we asked for some people to come the next day, we had almost a hundred – and a good mix of men and women. We had to organise them into small groups and then set up a rota so that everyone had a chance to help out. We paid them a fair wage for this work. We know that if we give something to a man, then he will put it towards buying a sheep or a goat – to help develop his livestock herd. However, if we give something to a woman, we know that she will buy food for her children, buy medicine for those who are ill and pay any outstanding school fees to ensure school attendance.

Not only did they have a secure storage of clean and safe drinking water, they also had support in their everyday life. Now this is what we call being abundantly blessed.

Maggie and I came away from this community with the challenge – what makes us feel we are abundantly blessed? Now, that is a challenge for all of us!

We are so thankful for the many partnerships that have been formed in order to make a project like this come to a successful conclusion. Those who have contributed financially, those who have encouraged us and for all of you who have been praying faithfully for us and for the communities we serve by providing clean and safe drinking water.

There’s more to do and we are ready for 2024.