Healing Hands International, based in Nashville, Tenn., has received a grant to purchase equipment and furnish a crew to repair water pumps in the area of South Sudan where we have churches. They will also drill new wells where needed.
Earlier this spring, Joseph Smith and Curt King made a survey trip to South Sudan. High on their list of priorities was to determine whether equipment could navigate the roads of the area and to find out what kind of soil they would be drilling in,which determines the kind of equipment needed. They also had to determine what parts would be needed to restore to working order the nonfunctioning pumps.

In almost every area we have visited in South Sudan, an urgent need for water exists.In one village,nine pumps were found but only two were working.In a larger village, the chief told us there are 19 broken pumps. These pumps were broken or the wells filled with dirt and garbage during the Civil War.
Where working pumps exist, the line to obtain water is always long. In some cases, people sleep beside their water cans in order to keep from losing their place in line. Healing Hands also visited several government offices in the capital city of Juba to obtain the licenses and permits needed to import drilling equipment.

The difficulties encountered making this trip illustrate the challenge ofworking in South Sudan. For example,in the capital of Juba, Joseph and Curt rented a 4-wheel drive vehicle, which came with a driver. About an hour short of their first destination, they discovered a hole in the radiator and so had to stop every few minutes to let it cool and refill it with water.
Competent mechanics with sufficient tools are very scarce in Sudan. But upon reaching their first night's village, they located someone who had some material that would temporarily seal the radiator leak but decided the vehicle was not roadworthy, especially South Sudan roadworthy.

With persistence, they were able to complete enough surveying to determine the answers to most of their questions and eventually found another vehicle to return them to Juba. Joseph is now working hard to assemble the equipment needed to provide good clean water for the
Sudanese. Providing this drinking water will open many doors to take living water to the thirsty souls in South Sudan.