Train the Trainer

Uploaded on behalf of Linda Enskat:

During the summer we learned about leadership and the water system, itself, with three of our team members. This week, Linda Enskat is learning the third piece of our Team Leadership: CWU-102 hygiene, health and education.

The first two days we are learning different ways to communicate and how to find appropriate people to further teach others in the community. We are learning to work with the community leaders, giving them stories and activities to be able to teach other kids and adults: What makes people sick, what is clean water -vs- dirty, how to use clean water.

One example used to demonstrate the water conditions are where there are three communion cups filled with water; 1 cup with "stones", crumbled cookies, showing water which looked bad but is good to drink; 1 cup with sweetener which looks clean but is contaminated; 1cup from their water source which looks fine, but is not safe to drink. We learned how to grow cultures in the water samples to see what kind of bacteria are present.

We also learned about how we can represent germs by modeling some out of Playdoh – and some were quite creative little beasts!

Another interesting exercise was when one person had a glittery hand lotion on, and we greeted one another with a handshake. Everyone in the group was 'contaminated' with the glitter after just a minute of greeting! We need to teach the proper use of clean water, for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth and caring for babies. Cleaned water is not for washing clothes, animals, or floors! Another example of the proper use of clean water was to have a UV Dye on our hands to see how well we washed. If there was dye remaining, we need to wash better!

Our experiences also include lessons on how God used water to help God's children throughout the Bible with stories of Deliverance (the parting of the Red Sea upon leaving Egypt) and Living Water (The woman at the well). The days are once again very full, but the scenery is beautiful. There is a little time for reflection first thing in the morning, but the rest of the day is spent preparing ourselves for the time when we pass this knowledge to others!

Wrapping up and coming home.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

We are finished and on our way home. (Actually, by the time this is posted we will be home.)

Friday dinner was a special dinner of water, black beans, and corn bread – so that we could contemplate on how we, in the developed countries and industrialized cities, have our basic physical needs well fulfilled – basic needs that are luxuries and unavailable to billions of God’s children. Basic needs such as plentiful potable water, plentiful food, clothes to protect us from the weather, homes with roofs, rooms, kitchens, heating, cooling, indoor plumbing, nice churches and buildings where we can worship, and so many more material possessions.

But all of God’s children can have God in their souls and love in their hearts, no matter where they live or in what conditions. Maybe, those who are really most blessed are more likely to be found at the very bottom of the consumerism ladder.

Friday night, the CWU staff presented an overall review of the LWW “Mission System” and pep rally to the students. Lots of fun and games, but also more info came our way.

The final review was followed by Devotion and graduation in the Civil War era chapel on the Grounds of Camp Hopewell – a Presbyterian owned and operated camp. We each got a diploma (stiff paper, suitable for framing).

Following the services, we ended Friday night with an ice cream social. The ice cream was cold and sweet, the personal bonding was deep and comforting.

Oh, we forgot – this is Saturday’s blog. So on Saturday, we has breakfast, final Q&As, not enough time to network with those that have installed LWW systems in countries where we (PCB) are interested in going, Devotion, and last of all – the packing of the bags and the driving to the airport.

On a personal note, Janet, Fred, and Ron would like to thank the PCB congregation and mission committee for allowing us to go through such valuable training. We will be forever enriched. We look forward to passing our lessons on to all of the LWW mission committee at PCB and the congregation.

More importantly, we look forward to successfully installing clean water systems for our brothers and sisters who are in great need of clean water for the health and well being of their families.

We did not and will not forget that we three are but a small part of the PCB LWW mission team.

Peace be with you,
Janet, Fred, and Ron

PS: We all got home safely.

Friday - Everyone learns what everyone else learned.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Friday activity. As we may have explained in earlier blogs, the CWU teaches three sections. Each person selects one of the sections for the entire time we are here. They are:

101 – Survey, initial contact, covenants, negotiation, and overall mission management. (Janet and Fred)
102 – Education (of the community where the system will be installed. (Linda Enskat will come to CWU in September for this section.)
103 – Installation – the actual clean water system design, installation, maintenance and operation. (Ron)

The students in each section prepared and presented to the other two sections a 90 minute summary of what they had learned. This is exceptionally valuable because
• It deepens and reinforces what we learned.
• It provides insight into how each section is valuable and necessary for a successful installation. (How the team works together.)
• It prepares the students for teaching what we learned to our mission team members back home who could not come to CWU.

We had classes today and finished all three section presentations. All presentations were well done and liberally dosed with humor, skits, songs, and just a little goofing off. The program is gelling quite nicely.

Right now, we have an unbelievable 90 minute break before our next classes. Except for sleeping each night, this is the longest personal break we have had all week. Most are napping – which sounds real good.

ZZZZZZZZZ

Janet, Fred, and Ron

Selecting a Country

Thursday, July 8, 2010

We are just rockin’ right along here at Clean Water U. In addition to the regular class schedule, we devoted considerable time and talk about deciding where to install systems.

First, some abbreviations:
• IP – Initiating Partner. This is the organization that is sponsoring the installation. In our case, PCB is the IP.
• OP – Operating Partner. This is the community that receives, takes ownership of, maintains, uses, and benefits from the clean water station.
• CWU – Clean Water University. The training program operated by LWW that is located at Camp Hopewell (yes it is a real day and summer camp for kids) near Oxford, Mississippi, home of Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi).
• LWW – Living Waters of the World, the Presbyterian Synod of living waters dedicated to the mission of providing clean water to people who do not have access to it. LWW is open and available to any religious or non-profit organizations or groups wishing to provide the LWW systems anywhere in the World.

We have learned and discussed a host of factors that influence the decision of which country and which community in that country will be our first installation.

We will bring back material describing countries where systems have been installed or where installations are planned. One task usually undertaken in each trip is to scout out new locations for future installations. Consequently, there are a number of potential OPs already available for our consideration.

The PCB LWW Mission Committee will have a lot of work evaluating factors and information so we can make choices and recommendations appropriate for our mission goals.

Some of the places where LWW systems are installed or are being planned are:
Bolivia; Peru; Cuba; Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Nicaragua; Haiti; and Honduras.

Got to go to class now. More later.

Ron, Janet and Fred

First Full Day

Wednesday July 7, 2010

Our first full day -- breakfast at 8, devotion at 9, first class at 9:30, beak for lunch, classes all afternoon, dinner at 5:30, classes at 6:30, devotion at 8:30, then free time. There was no rest for the mission team today. None of us remembers school being this intense – at least not on the first day.

Well, to put it simply, we are learning a lot. Concerns that LWW was stretching one day of training into three days have now been replaced with the reality that LWW is squeezing six days of training into three days.

We are learning just how critical every part of this training is to a successful installation – an installation that can and will greatly improve the health of a community in need of clean water. And there are so many communities like that.

But our spirits are high, our love of God is strong, and our devotion to the mission endures. We are hearing amazing success stories.
• A system was installed in a Catholic Church in the Yucatan. The nuns, years after a successful installation, are still ecstatic that “their children” are no longer suffering from devastating and deadly GI track illnesses.
• Whole communities have experienced dramatic health improvements since their systems were installed.
• An overwhelmingly large number of the more than 300 systems already installed are still actively producing clean water for their communities – communities now irreversibly convinced of the life saving value of clean water.

So, the systems work, the training works, and God’s children are being helped by God’s children as we speak. We strive to be among the helpers.

We have met fellow students who are not affiliated with an LWW mission in their own church. They are like independent missionaries -- joining mission teams in other churches and organizations. Suffice it to say that the variety of people wanting to help install successful clean water systems is easily as great as the variety of systems being installed and the complexity of the hurdles to successfully install them.

We are very happy to report that Ron’s luggage has now joined us.

Please know that we are ever conscious of the support and prayers for our save travel and successful training. This trip, though. Is only the beginning. There is much to do in sharing our knew knowledge with the mission team and congregation at PCB. We look forward to that.

Fred, Ron, and Janet

First day of training - Travel and Getting Started

Tuesday July 6

The PCB Mission started its activities in fine fashion, taking an early morning flight from O’Hare to Memphis, Tennessee.

A small hiccup in plans reared its head when the airlines informed us that the luggage for one of our team decided to take a later flight out of Chicago. Spirits were high, though, and the team moved on with promises of luggage delivery by the airlines later in the day (a promise later proven to be unfulfilled.)

We had several hours before check in at Camp Hopewell (a mere 50 miles away) so we soaked in some Memphis culture. Blues City Ribs, on the world famous Beale Street in Memphis, provided a very satisfying lunch. There was even time to walk around the home place of rock and roll and to duck into the Gibson guitar factory for a quick look around. Now it was time to move on to more substantive fare.

Arriving at Camp Hopewell, we met the first of the many friends in our quest to learn about clean water systems that are proving to be so valuable for more than 300 communities around the world. At 3:30, we began the introductory session to the camp. This session was light hearted and hopeful – full of promise for helping other have clean, healthy water – and doing so with the Lord in our hearts.

Dinner is served family style. The young people, also staying at the camp took half of the dining hall, while our group of 40-50 had the other half. The separation was illusory only, however, as the atmosphere of love, cooperation, and fun permeated.

Losing no time, our real work began right after dinner clean-up- The LWW students broke into three separate sessions for our first classroom work. After the classes, evening devotionals topped the day, replete with guitar music, singing, and love for the Lord.

(Sorry, no pictures yet. Cables for the camera/lap top connection are in Chicago with the errant luggage.)

Janet, Fred, and Ron

The Journey Begins

Our Living Waters of the World team was commissioned and blessed at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington this morning.  Reverend Dawn Haeger asked the congreation to bless the LWW team. 

Janet Hirsch, Dr. Fred Lewis, and Ron Polasek will be travelling to Clean Water University in Oxford, Mississippi to learn how to survey and meet a community in need of clean water, how to install the water filtration system, and how to follow up with our friends in the new community. 

Linda Enskat will go to CWU in September. The rest of our team, Barbara Schwartz, Eric Enskat, and Chris Schiller will receive their training from those who have gone to CWU.