How close are you to water?For most of you, I suspect that it is as close as a few steps away – the kitchen faucet, the bathroom sink, and the hose in the yard.You just have to turn it on and water will flow out.Some of you may even be able to look out the window where you are sitting right now and see water – a lake or a stream.

The last time we had measurable rain here in Kodaikanal was on December 31st.There has not been more than a couple drops from the sky in 2004.The elementary students at Kodaikanal International School have been hoping and praying for rain.They are learning many rules for water conservation.After weeks of sunshine, there were some clouds that came over this past week.As the 5th grade class was walking between classes yesterday the clouds released a few drops of water.The children felt them and began to dance and cheer on the balcony outside their classroom.

The people of the town of Kodaikanal, and many towns and cities of southern India, have been hoping and praying for rain.Our school has its own wells and enough money to buy water to supplement that.The staff house we stay in has indoor plumbing.Most of the people in our town do not have water supplied to their homes.They rely on township water that comes to central faucets in each neighborhood.This water comes from the town water reservoirs.David went to visit them a few weeks ago with the 5th grade class and saw that the main reservoir was completely empty and repairs were being done on the wall of the dam at the end of the reservoir.While we are glad there are repairs going on, it means that none of the rain that came in the monsoon season of October and November had been saved to be used during this dry season now.

During most of the year, the township supplies water to the neighborhood faucets for a few hours every 3-4 days.Yesterday one woman told me that the faucet in her neighborhood is only getting water for 2 hours, once every 10 days.Another woman came to our house and mentioned that in her neighborhood they have not had water in the township faucet for 3 weeks.She is grateful that there is a stream that runs about a half-mile from her home so she can at least carry water from the stream to wash clothes and bathe."But getting drinking and cooking water is very difficult," she said, "I have to buy it when the water truck comes, and we never know when that might be."

Take a moment to think about how you use water everyday.Then, please pray with us that God will bless the people and the land in south India with rain.Paul writes in Philippians, "by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil. 4:6)So when you pray that we would have rain here in Kodaikanal, do not forget to thank God for the blessing of the water that flows freely from your faucets 24 hours a day.We do!

Blessings,
Betsy and David Perkins