The Bridge Family

About 15 minutes from Gracias, in a village called Rio Grande, lives a family that we like to call the Bridge Family. To get to The Bridge Family’s house, you have to park on the side of the road, walk about a quarter of a mile to a bridge, cross the bridge that crosses the Rio Negro (hence the Bridge Family’s name), and walk about another quarter of a mile to their house. Many people make up the Bridge Family. Don Elias, the patriarch of the family, has over seven children and over ten grandchildren living with him. His wife died many years ago. Since then he has remarried, and his current wife and her children also live with him. It is safe to say that at least 20 individuals live at the Bridge Family’s house.

For the past 28 years, the Bridge Family’s only source of water has been the Rio Negro. This river is called the Rio Negro because it is where Gracias’ sewage system drains into. You can imagine how very unsanitary this water is. The Bridge Family has used this water to bathe, drink, cook, and do laundry. It was a common thing to visit the Bridge Family and see the children hauling gallons of water from the river to their house. Last year, many of the children became very sick because of the dirty water that they were using for their daily tasks. This is when we realized that they needed to be helped in a special way.

In July 2015, The Gathering Church from Brock, Texas, along with fellow Honduran missionaries the Sowers, teamed up with 61 Isaiah to provide the Bridge Family with clean, running water for the first time in 28 years. Now, right outside their house, is a pila – a big sink that holds water in the center, has a washboard to wash clothes, and has a toilet and shower on each side. The Bridge Family no longer has to walk a quarter of a mile to haul dirty river water to drink or cook with. Also, they no longer have to take baths in the dirty water or wash their clothes down at the river.

Through our relationship with the Bridge Family and being able to meet this need of theirs, we have been able to share the gospel with the children. We have been able to love on them, play with them, care for them, and simply spend time with them. We thank God that ultimately, He has provided for them, and it our prayer that they would know Him. Please pray for the Bridge Family whenever you think of them.