A Slow Start to Rainy Season

Guinea has seen extremely “dry” rainy seasons for the last two years. By June, the end of an intense, extended dry season, wells and rivers had run dry. Less rain affected everything from vegetation to the hydroelectric dam. Less electricity meant fewer working hours for laborers and ineffective refrigeration which negatively impacted homes and small businesses. Our town’s water source became exceedingly low and municipally supplied water became infrequent and dirty. We had to be cautious of our own well water usage so it wouldn’t dip below the pump line.

Colleagues tried drilling a well at our mountain prayer retreat. They drilled 110 meters without hitting water so they moved the rig to another location on the property and tried again the next day. A second, 110 meter well hit nothing but rock. It cost about $4000 dollars to sink these dry boreholes. Since hiring local laborers was unsuccessful, and bringing in a foreign corporation to dig a single well costs about $12,000, we will go without water at this location.

A colleague has speculated that, in addition to lower annual rainfall, one reason we’re experiencing dry wells is due to improperly dug deep wells. These forages, dug to depths of more than 350 feet, when drilled improperly, can drain the upper water table into the lower water table, he theorizes. I also think that communities are digging more wells and the level of the water table is dropping correspondingly.

After appealing for prayer via our social media sites, God answered and sent some rain. Would you please continue to pray with us for rain in Guinea?

“Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Acts 14:17