By Patricia Hudson
Photos provided by Sean Hudson
Founded in 1990 by Harry Westmoreland, Jr., Living Water International is a faith-based non-profit organization that helps communities in developing countries to create sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene programs in response to the global water crisis. It is based in Houston, Texas, United States. (Wikipedia)
On December 8, 2019, Sean Hudson, age 23, embarked on an adventure that not only impacted his own life, but the lives of many others. Together with a team of Jones|Carter Engineers, Hudson traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Their purpose? To provide a source of water for a village in need.
How did you hear about the Living Water International program?
Bob Aylward, our CEO, sends out a monthly newsletter to all of the Jones|Carter employees. A newsletter at the beginning of the year announced a plan to join forces with Living Water International and form a Jones|Carter team which would travel to Honduras in December, 2019.
Why did you decide to apply?
“I made a decision to apply to serve on the inaugural team because I really felt called to action. Service has always held an enormous place in my life, and it seemed like an incredible opportunity to help. I was also drawn to the idea that I would be traveling outside of the United States, something that I had never experienced.”
Where did you land and how far was it to the village where you would be working?
“We landed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. From there, it was about a 2 ½ hour car ride through treacherous mountain terrain to get to the village near Marcovia, Choluteca.”
What were your impressions of the country? People? Life style?
“The countryside was beautiful. The terrain was pretty much exclusively mountains. I was struck by all of the animals that ran loose everywhere: donkeys, cows, chickens, horses, pigs and dogs. All appeared to be malnourished.
The people live a very simple lifestyle; they are mainly concerned with basic necessities of food and water. Their homes were made primarily of rough concrete walls and floors with metal roofs. Their biggest exports are energy (wind turbines and solar power), sugar cane and fruit. Unfortunately, the Honduran villagers cannot afford these forms of energy, so it is sold to neighboring countries. Despite this, the people are gracious, humble, and seem to appreciate everything they have.
The men of the village had a vested interest in the project; they helped in the drilling process. While we were drilling, the women cooked for us.
The meals were rice, beans, corn tortillas, plantains, chicken, and fish, once, but mainly chicken. The food was delivered by the children.”
Language barriers?
“Besides me, there were only two of our team that actually spoke Spanish. While I experienced no language barriers, there were two hygiene instructors that were able to translate for those that needed assistance. It ended up not being an issue for anyone on the trip, as Living Water International staff from Honduras worked with our Jones|Carter team.”
The project was split into drilling the well and educating the village about sanitation and hygiene?
“Yes. Half of the team was always drilling and working with the well. The other half of the team was educating the people on hygiene: how to wash their hands, why it’s important, how germs are spread, etc. As we were able to choose our daily assignments, I drilled and taught hygiene.”
What was your impression of the children?
“The kids were more appreciative of what they had than any I had ever seen. They are so creative with ways to entertain themselves. We were encouraged to interact with them, so we took frisbees and soccer balls with us. We played several games of soccer. They genuinely loved us being there. I made a friend of Johan, a little boy about 8 years old. He told me that I was his best friend, and that he didn’t want me to leave. I noticed that some of the children wore soccer cleats, as those were the only shoes that they had.”
What unforeseen circumstances did you encounter with the drilling?
“We dug about 60 feet down when drilling the first well. Hitting seashells, we realized that we had reached salt water. We moved about 100 feet away to see if it was an isolated pocket. Unfortunately, we hit salt water once again. On Wednesday, we moved to Comunidad Cruz Roja, about thirty minutes further inland. The second drilling location was almost all rock; it actually took me an hour to drill 10 feet. Between 20 and 30 feet, it was just straight rock. At about 120 feet, we hit water. We continued to flush the water until it ran clear.”
What were your feelings when the team was successful in drilling the well? What was left to complete by villagers?
“It was fulfilling to do what we were sent to accomplish, however, there was not a feeling of accomplishment or anything with completing the well, as it was not about us. It was more happiness and relief that these people whom we had come to love would be able to always have one of life’s necessities. Living Water International, together with the villagers, was left to pour the concrete and install the actual hand pump. We held a Dedication at a church, where the villagers gave thanks to us and to God for allowing the well to be built. They were so grateful.”
If given the opportunity, would you return to Honduras? Would you consider going on a second mission trip?
“I would absolutely go back. Everything about the trip changed my life for the better. It was a fulfilling experience. I was able to establish close relationships with people from an entirely different walk of life. I also made lasting friendships with co-workers I had never known prior to teaming up with them for the Living Water International project.”
For their hard work and dedication, the team was awarded the Jones|Carter Carlos Cotton Community Service Award.
Living Water International
4001 Greenbriar Drive • Stafford, Texas 77477
281-207-7800
