Genesis 26: 17-18 (The Message) "So Isaac left. He camped in the valley of Gerar and settled down there. Isaac dug again the wells which were dug in the days of his father Abraham but had been clogged up by the Philistines after Abraham's death. And he renamed them, using the original names his father had given them".
It's been over a year in the making and "remaking" of the well at the Nazareth House Apostolate Compound on the way to Ismaia in Kabala, Sierra Leone. But today, there is water - fresh, clean water.
All of us at NHA - The NHA Board of Directors, the Staff in Sierra Leone, the beautiful people we serve, and especially Pa Foday, James, Seraphim and I want to thank everyone for the combined effort to make this very important project a functioning reality.
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| Pa Foday shows Mama Fatu the newly finished well! |
This is big! and you are all such a huge part of its accomplishment.
Thank You! Tenki! Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. God bless you all.
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| James draws fresh water from the NHA Well of Rehoboth |
During the Rebel Attacks, many of the wells of Kabala were destroyed. So, like Isaac, we have to reestablish the wells.
The well that we rejoice over today, is vital to the survival of the people in the area near our NHA Compound and NHA School.
As it was Isaac's top priority, it is also ours at NHA. Hagar saw a well in the desert, so she was able to quench the thirst of Ishmael.
We now have a working well where there was none, where the waters were dry and now we are able to quench the thirst of Ismaia (Ishmael) Road (The name of the dirt pathway in which our compound and school reside).
Genesis 26:19-24 (The Message) "One day, as Isaac's servants were digging in the valley, they came on a well of spring water. The shepherds of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's shepherds, claiming, "This water is ours." So Isaac named the well Esek (Quarrel) because they quarreled over it. They dug another well and there was a difference over that one also, so he named it Sitnah (Accusation). He went on from there and dug yet another well. But there was no fighting over this one so he named it Rehoboth (Wide-Open Spaces), saying, "Now God has given us plenty of space to spread out in the land." From there he went up to Beersheba. That very night God appeared to him and said,
I am the God of Abraham your father;
don't fear a thing because I'm with you.
I'll bless you and make your children flourish
because of Abraham my servant."
In honor of Abraham and Isaac, we name this well at the NHA Compound and School: The Well of Rehoboth, Kabala, Sierra Leone - for there is room, "wide open spaces" - the access is no longer restricted.
We do so because the well was not built in a selfish manner, for there were many who participated in making it happen.
It was not built for NHA's private use only but for all of us - those living in the area - along with the school and compound.
Community means "fellowship with others, a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals; a group of people living together in one place, esp. one practicing common ownership attitudes". This is what NHA is - community, not only at St. Simeon Skete but also here in Kabala.
As we take joy in the digging, completion, and functioning of this well, we should also consider reestablishing many of the wells our forefathers dug in order to survive spiritually. We must first consider the well of ongoing prayer in our lives. It is the most powerful force around us, providing God the space to intervene in the affairs of our lives, yet... and yet, it is the most unused and neglected source of strength around us. God doesn't work apart from prayer. If the well of prayer is not freely flowing in our life, we must re-open it. Martin Luther said, “If I neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.” Isaac re-dug the wells of his father. Let us do the same in our own lives.