Rosalbali, Chiapas- Waiting for Rain
As the first week of Advent unfolds, Christians worldwide light a candle of hope, reflecting on the promise of light in the darkness and the steadfast belief that better days are coming. In rural Chiapas, Mexico, this theme of hope resonates deeply, especially during the dry season—a time when communities embark on a determined quest for safe water while awaiting the life-giving rains.
Advent and Hope
This Advent season is a time to reflect on the core tenets of our faith through the celebration of the birth of Christ. At the time of Christ’s birth, people were longing for better days, engulfed in the darkness of oppression and hopeful that salvation would soon arrive. We experience similar times in our own lives, where life can feel too dark and challenging, making it hard to imagine things ever getting better. These moments of dryness and thirst remind us of the taste of water we once had, yet we feel we no longer have access to it. Longing can make hope seem painful, but Advent serves as an important reminder that our hope is not in vain. Light will come. Rain will come. We simply need to hold on and not give up.
The Challenging Dry Season
Rural communities in Chiapas (Rosalbali), Mexico, experience a dry season and a rainy season each year. The dry season lasts from December to April. Access to water is challenging in these communities throughout the year, but it becomes particularly difficult during this period. Rivers and streams shrink and obtaining clean water becomes increasingly hard. Women and girls are especially affected as they often have to walk long distances to collect water. This journey can be dangerous due to the hilly terrain they must navigate, and it is physically demanding, leaving them with little time for other activities. In the community of Rosalbali, the small stream that previously provided water for their taps runs dry in the summer. As a result, they do not have nearly enough water to meet their needs. Daily tasks like washing clothes become arduous and taxing- straining the already limited resources.
The anticipation of the rainy season mirrors the anticipation of Advent. Just as communities wait for the life-giving rains that replenish their water sources, the Advent season symbolizes the hope for the fulfillment of God’s promises. Both experiences require patience, resilience, and an unwavering belief in what is yet to come.
Hope is not passive; it is active. During the dry seasons of life, we often do whatever we can to sustain ourselves. This can be taxing, as we strive to get through each day while feeling a deep thirst for better times. The people in rural Chiapas engaged in various activities to prepare for the dry season. For instance, they used the water they stored in buckets during the rainy season, conserved water by not washing clothes, reused dirty water, and tapped into their budget reserves to purchase water.
The Abundant Rainy Season
Recently, in Rosalbali Chiapas, Mexico Healing Waters inaugurated a project that will bring consistent safe water directly to hundreds of household taps. This access has transformed the community, moving them from scarcity to abundance. This abundance goes beyond just safe drinking water. There is abundance for all daily tasks that require water, leading to much healthier outcomes. While they anticipated the rainy season for better water access, they still had to worry about purification. Now, no matter the season they have an abundance of purified, safe water.
When hope is fulfilled, it is fulfilled with abundance. When Jesus came to earth, He brought abundance, meaning life could be more than merely surviving. His miracles demonstrate this abundance—when He turned water into wine, there was more than enough, and after multiplying the five loaves and two fish, there were leftovers.
Similarly, our goal is to meet the needs of communities abundantly, providing them with more than enough. When the dry season finally ends, the rains come pouring down.
So, during this Advent season, consider the global community. As we experience abundance here in the U.S., think about those living in scarcity. As we enjoy the rains, remember those enduring dry times, and recognize that sometimes we are what is needed to be the rain for others.
