Clean water for God's thirsty children
Water Women Provide Clean Water In Kenya
Fr. David Morman stands with one of the Kenyan Water Women who completed her training and received her water-storage container. Below, a training session takes place.
Despite the effects of the Coronavirus, the work of the Bismarck Mission continues

Fr. David Morman was on a visit back to the United States when Kenya closed its borders for three months because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Then, after he was back at work at the mission sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Bismarck, he had to return to the US because of a death in his family.

“Being gone for a total of four months, a lot has transpired,” he said. “I’m having to play catch up.”

One benefit of his trips is that he was able to transport a total of 250 Sawyer PointONE Filters. That is in addition to the 300 filters that have been given to Water Women in this area of Kenya over the past two years. Now, he and Water With Blessings coordinator Lilian Kwamboka have been working to train 25 new Water Women each month, despite the challenges of the pandemic.

“Covid changed so many things,” Fr. David said. “Travel restrictions made us short on filters we need to continue the work. But now Les and Kathy Pepple are coming over to serve with me. They arrive the first week of December for a three-year commitment. And obviously they will bring filters with them.

“Over the past two months Lilian has been able to get back on target. After the initial training, she has six follow-up sessions with the women. Another thing she does is make spot checks to see how they are using the filters and sharing them with others.”

If the new Water Women make it through the six follow-ups successfully, they are eligible to receive a water-storage barrel that holds 210 liters, which is approximately 55 gallons. This makes more water available without having to keep traveling to the area’s water source.

“We’ve given out 35 so far,” he said. “Now, two people have come forward to sponsor another 100 and we’re in the process of purchasing and delivering them.
“Raising money for Water With Blessing and the work that we’re doing here has been very successful. It’s really grabbed the attention of the people in the Diocese of Bismarck. They’ve been very supportive, very generous.”

Water With Blessings has also caught the attention of the Bishop of the Dioceses of Kisii, where the Bismarck Mission is located.

“I was meeting with Bishop Joseph Mairura and telling him about Water With Blessings,” Fr. David said. “I showed him the filter and how it works, and he asked if he could get one. He’s had some health issues. So we trained two Sisters on the diocesan staff to use the filter.

“But he’s very interested in our partnership with Water With Blessings. Access to clean water is such an issue all over Africa, and especially here. Even water that comes out of bore holes very often will be red or brown. Rain water is good, but when you store it things begin to grow in it. Clean water is such a challenge.”
Why I Support Water With Blessings
Marsha Dee
Louisville, Kentucky
“I was looking for a project to do with my grandchildren,” Marsha Dee said. “I think it’s good to teach them about service. I talked with Marie Pierce (Director of Outreach and Community Engagement) at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, and she suggested tie-dying shirts for Water With Blessings was something we could do.”

Enlisting the kids’ other grandmother, Jody Blackburn, they spent an afternoon working together at the Water With Blessings office. They did such a great job, the WWB staff asked if they could do 75 more. So Marsha coordinated the next steps with the staffs at Our Lady of Lourdes School, and Holy Trinity School where her grandchildren attend.

WWB staff member Debbie Robson visited both schools and made a presentation on how the Sawyer PointONE filter works.

“The students got to see how the charity works and learn who benefits,” Marsha said. “Then they had a hands-on activity to help.

“It’s amazing that one little filter can turn dirty water into something drinkable, and that one Water Woman can take that and use it to help three other families. The students understood the importance as well. It’s a great visual seeing the dirty water come out clean.”
Coming Up On October 5: Please Help Us Celebrate Ten Years of God's Blessings
As we mentioned last week, we’re having a birthday moment – 10 years since we incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

You have helped us reach 48 countries, with nearly 130,000 trained and equipped Water Women providing clean water to nearly half a million families.

And we don’t want to celebrate by ourselves. Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, October 5. We will be partying in the parking lot in front of the Water With Blessings office (1902 Campus Place, Unit 11, in eastern Louisville) between 4 and 6pm. We will provide a light supper with barbecue and other treats.

And for those of you who would like to learn more about our beginnings, we will have our scrapbooks and other archival materials for you to look through.

Please come celebrate this milestone with us. You helped us get here, and make it possible for us to continue providing clean water to God’s thirsty children today and into the future. If you would like to join in the fun and to reserve your barbecue box, please send your RSVP to:
Get Your Raffle Tickets Now!

We will be participating again this year in the Frosty 5K, hosted by Good Shepherd Catholic Church (Lakeview Park, 112 Park Ave, Frankfort, KY 40601). As part of the benefit to Water With Blessings, they will raffle off this beautiful queen-size quilt (82”x96”), crafted by a former WWB volunteer.

The drawing will be held on Sunday, December 5, 2021, between 3-4pm. Tickets are $5 each, and you can purchase them at this address:
Join Us Friday Morning For CinnaBourbon Hugs

Enjoy the best cinnamon rolls in Louisville. You can pick them up every Friday morning at Water With Blessings (1902 Campus Place, Suite 11). A portion of the proceeds helps fund Water Women around the world.
 
Warm, gooey cinnamon rolls, made by Captain’s Cabin in Louisville, will be available for pick up every Friday
from 8am-9:30am at the Water With Blessings office.

Please try to order before noon on Thursday. You can click on the button below to make sure you can take home your favorite flavor: original, pecan, or bacon. And yes, they can be frozen, but they probably won’t make it to the freezer!
We believe every child should be drinking clean water. Are you with us?
Is this your first time to receive this email? Check the ENews page at our new website to see back issues...and look around to see a lot more!
Are you new to Water With Blessings? Click HERE to subscribe to this newsletter. You can absolutely unsubscribe at any time.