Hope in Her Hands

The sun is just becoming visible over the red dusty hills in Gichagi as Joyce steps out her front door with a 20-liter bucket in each hand. The day will begin with water, or at least she hopes it will. Her eyes scan the path ahead, already busy with women making their way towards the water access points. She moves quickly. If she’s late, she’ll lose the jobs.

Joyce is one of a handful of women eager to secure work with a few families in the area who can afford to pay for water collection. It’s a laborious task offered on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s also no guarantee that these families will even need her services today, but there’s only one way to find out.

It’s a game of chance. But Joyce has a strategy. Her focus will be on the family she knows has gone the longest without water, and she’ll arrive very early. So early, in fact, it often makes her uncomfortable.

“I will usually have to wake them,” she said. “If I wait until a later time, someone else could be given the job. You have to be diligent when drawing water for people.”

If water is needed, Joyce will retrieve it as quickly as possible in hopes of still making it to the other families on her route before the competition. The idea, of course, is easier said than done. The water points vary in distance from the homes, and hauling 45 pounds of water in each hand up and down the steep and often muddy hills is no easy feat. But it’s her best opportunity to make money today. And if there is work, Joyce will receive 30 shillings for her efforts – approximately 23 cents.

Once the morning rush has subsided, she’ll look for additional work washing clothes or working crops for other families in the community. These opportunities are also few, competitive, and provide very modest pay. Her husband faces the same when seeking construction and agricultural day jobs. As a result, their family, like many in Gichagi, often struggles to meet their basic needs, including food.

“I first met people from Vapor when they were going through the community helping during the pandemic,” she recalled. “I have been in this area for 12 years. I had seen the center down the hill, but I never went there. I didn’t know what they were doing.

“They came to my home with food when it was very difficult for us,” she continued. “They gave us rice and beans and cooking oil. They also prayed with me and shared the Gospel.”

Joyce had never seen or experienced anything like what the Vapor team members were doing in the area. Soon after, all three of her children enrolled in the ministries’ discipleship league, and she said the difference she’s noticed in them is striking.

“They come home and talk about the things they learned and tell me their memory verses,” she shared with a big smile. “I’m always so impressed.”

When Joyce’s family again benefited during a community outreach initiative a little over a year later, she was also moved to action.“I saw the change in my children, and I wanted to be involved in what Vapor was doing,” she said. “So, I went to the center and became a volunteer coach.”

For nearly three years, Joyce has been pouring her time, love, and passion for the Word into children of all ages.

Vapor continues to support Joyce’s family during exceptionally difficult seasons, particularly with food supplies and school fees. But there’s another gift she received that she holds especially dear. A gift that helps in ways that regular provision simply can’t.

“I now have a Bible of my own,” she said with excitement. “I’ve never had my very own Bible. Now I actually have two because of Vapor. One even has my name on it!"

“Before I came to volunteer at Vapor, I was down spiritually,” she confessed. “I felt heavy, like there was a weight on me. But now I feel much lighter. The Gospel has helped lift that burden.”

Your kindness opened a door and touched a heart. Because of you, Joyce’s life has been forever changed. Because of you, she’s now an incredible part of the Vapor story. This is the power of the Gospel at work. And this is what you make possible every single day. Thank you!

If you are not yet a ministry partner and would like to learn more about how you can help change thousands of lives like Joyce’s today, please click HERE.