Life had always been hand-to-mouth, but with the onset of the pandemic, life quickly became something closer to hand-to-hand combat. The daily struggle to stave off hunger, thirst, fear and loss increased substantially.
Pre-pandemic, Victoria’s* husband was the only one in the household able to find work. His job barely put food on the table, let alone cover the rent on their meager shanty where they lived with their three sons. Life had always been a fight, but the repercussions from the pandemic put them at war for their lives.
Parched, dehydrated, and aching to the bone, Victoria was unable to afford drinking water, let alone water for other household necessities. The stench of the raw sewage flowing close to their home constantly teased them in the scorching heat. Water so close, yet so contaminated they could barely breathe as a result of the nauseating aroma.
Looking at her children, Victoria felt desperate. What would become of them? Would this be how their lives would end, wasting away from dehydration and starvation with no hope in sight?
In this moment of dark desperation, Victoria saw her neighbor carrying jugs of water. She was far beyond feeling shame to ask for help. She was willing to beg if need be. Her neighbor smiled and told her about the Vapor Ministries Center not too far away. There, she could access as much free, clean drinking water as she needed. Overwhelmed with hope, she immediately grabbed all of her household jugs and made the trek to the center.
Upon her arrival, she could barely speak. “I’ve come with nothing to offer, but I’ve heard you serve, to anyone in need, free drinking water.”
A gentleman in a red Vapor Ministries’ t-shirt gently grabbed a jug to help her fill it. “Yes,” he said with a smile. “Let me serve you as much water as you can carry.”
“Thank you,” Victoria responded in a whisper behind teary eyes. She couldn’t wait to get home and quench her family’s thirst. As her family passed around the jugs, drinking the refreshing water, they could feel life return to their bodies.
“The man smiled and took my jugs and filled them from the well. He charged me nothing. I can’t believe it,” Victoria shared with her family.
The next day Victoria took her husband back to the center to gather more water from the well. Again, the gentleman greeted them with a smile and helped them fill their jugs with water. That’s when the man at the well began to share with Victoria and her husband about the Living Water, Jesus Christ. A different kind of life began to flow through their veins. That day at the well, Victoria and her husband put their faith and trust in Jesus.
Victoria immediately began to plug into the Vapor Ministries Center and the discipleship opportunities available. She registered her two sons in the disciple-making leagues and they also came to faith in Christ soon after. They are now faithful members of a local church where they serve as intercessors.
In sharing her story, Victoria wants people to know that “God designed Vapor Ministries not to only quench thirst, but to also introduce people to a well that does not run dry."
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