Todd Luke — March 2023 Update
These three young men each own a cistern. All three attended VBS as children. They grew up drinking, washing, and bathing with rainwater from their parents’ cistern. All three are married. Two of them have children. The fellow on the left has built around 200 cisterns as a valuable member of the cistern building crew. The two gentlemen on the right worked with our cistern crew and American partners to build each other’s cisterns in February.
In January and February, our little partnership built seven cisterns for seven young families in the village of Castilla Brito. That’s where our cistern ministry began back in 2002. Not surprisingly, we share a bit of history with our newest cistern owners. Most of them grew up drinking rainwater from cisterns we built with their parents a long time ago. Those kids grew up, got married, had kids, and built their own homes. Like their parents before them, they need a year-round water source to keep their families healthy.
At the work sites, I was occasionally confused by the faces of the new owners. I kind of recognized them from when they were kids at our mission team VBS sessions from 15 and 20 years ago. This got me thinking about the link between our VBS sessions in Castilla Brito in the 1990s and 2000s and our cistern project.
Our annual VBS events in Castilla Brito introduced children to Americans who came to act out Bible stories, serve, create, and have fun together. The unique combination of VBS and cistern-building experiences formed a degree of comfort and trust between the Mexican and American partners that is rooted in shared faith.
Did you know that VBS played a part in the successful creation of the cistern ministry itself?
Back in the late 1990s, when Americans began offering a VBS, it took a hefty measure of planning and participation from members of the host church. The Americans witnessed the exceptional hospitality, hard work, patience, and unity from the men and women of the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church of Castilla Brito. Those admirable characteristics revealed that our Christian friends in Castilla Brito would be the right partners with whom to attempt to begin this little cistern ministry.
Today, there are 103 family-owned cisterns in Castilla Brito and a total of 646 family-owned cisterns in over two dozen villages. The cisterns provide over six million gallons of water annually. This summer, our cistern partners from Castilla Brito hope to take the ministry to two villages where we have never worked before.
To God be the glory.
Muchas gracias.
Todd Luke
224-808-9825
Read more about Todd Luke’s ministry HERE.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the mission and ministry of Todd Luke and the Cistern Ministry. All gifts of any size are welcomed to help with the cost of building cisterns. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.
Ana is pictured here. She is a widow with five adult children. Her nearest child lives six hours away. Her cistern was one of five cisterns we worked on during the first week of August 2022. She filled and carried hundreds of buckets of water at the five worksites. A bucket of water weighs about 40 pounds. Ana says, “I’ve been carrying water buckets my entire life. I’m used to it.” She always worked in flip-flops and a skirt.
When Victor was erecting the platform for the roof pour, Ana was passing him wood planks and posts. I didn’t expect that, so I took a photo. I was even more surprised when I realized that Ana is also the full-time caregiver for her infirm sister who needs assistance to get out of bed.