A Wonderful Risky Prayer

Pat Selvey here. I prayed a wonderful, yet risky prayer regularly for three years. It went something like this:

“Lord, is there anything You want done that You can’t get anyone else to do?”

Can you sense the weight of the risk—looming, even if only faintly? Whatever the task may be, it’s likely to be either profoundly challenging or stripped of obvious rewards—or even enjoyment! Yet, imagine the deep, soul-stirring joy of partnering with the Lord on something so intimately tied to His heart. That thought gripped me, compelling me to pray that prayer—not just occasionally, but often, sometimes daily, as if my spirit couldn’t resist its pull. 

One day, without any fanfare or loud voice, the Lord led me to the Trans-Mara Region of Kenya, home of one of the oldest tribes in Africa — the Maasai. In many ways, they are curiously not only one of the oldest, they are also one of the least developed. I recently met with the Governor of Narok County (a Maasai man) and he was dressed in a red wool Shuka with Maasai beads adorning his arms, cloak, and chest. He struck me as a noble man from a noble heritage. I learned he wears a business suit when addressing Parliament.

The Lord’s voice and directions were clear and simple,

“Help the Maasai, no one else is helping them.”

As I explored this area of Kenya, I learned much of the modern development enjoyed in East Africa had jumped over the Maasai, passing them by without a second thought. I discovered poorly managed dirt roads, potholes you could lose a dump truck in, and so many cows who think the road belongs to them!

In the first group of 79 schools we surveyed, only one had a drilled well and access to clean water. We learned that hand-dug wells in this part of the country are usually not effective because the first aquifer is simply too far down to reach by hand. Only one school out of 79 had clean water—unthinkable! The only water available to these schools comes from rivers that are few and far between, and often seasonal. Rivers that slowly flow with dark brown water—at least I think it’s water. Honestly, I don’t know how fish could live in what I’ve seen.

Maybe that’s why the Maasai tell me,

“No, we never eat fish.” 

I wondered why no one ever stopped long enough to help these strong, noble, yet friendly people? I wondered if there was even a small amount of ground water beneath their feet? Is this ongoing neglect of the Maasai because the underground formations are so unstable that drilling is problematic? Maybe that’s the reason no one is helping? Surely there must be something terribly wrong for the whole world to see and ignore such a need. Hundreds of thousands of tourists regularly travel right through this area (at great expense, mind you) to see the exotic animals that can only be seen in Africa—so many people of means who surely see the problem—yet they never help!

After completing a hydro-geological survey, we drove our drill rig into the Trans-Mara for the first time and drilled our first Maasai Primary school well. There was plenty of water! “This is too easy!” I thought. Then I cautioned myself, “Don’t get excited, it’s just one well, after all.” Then we drilled another one—same results. I moved several miles inward to a place that was so dry the powdered dirt could choke you just from walking in it. We drilled, and again we found so much water. “We are really onto something here!” I reported back to Hydrating Humanity’s home office. We got so excited we continued drilling before we even started fundraising. We call it The Maasai School Project.

We choose schools as drilling locations so that every child can grow up drinking safe clean water. We rejoice as we watch hundreds of children walking along dusty roads with empty plastic jugs in hand, now taking good water back home to mom. Water that isn’t laden with river mud. Are the roads difficult? Does the area have multiple challenges? Yes, and yes! Some of these schools are an hour’s drive from each other due to the extreme conditions of the roads. I’ve been totally lost too many times to count. And Google maps—not so helpful out here!

We are convinced this is a project whose time has come. We are also convinced that this is a project that is near to the Lord’s heart. If this story resonates with you—even a little—consider partnering with us by making a generous donation to The Maasai School Project. This is our main focus for the foreseeable future, and you can learn all about it on our right here on this website (the button below will take you there!)

Warmly,

Pat Selvey

International Director

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