Deadly Drinking Water

Mr. Li’s wish was simple.  He wanted fresh water for his family.  But all he had access to was dirty water from a pond miles away.

He explains, “There was always a layer of white ash when we boiled it. And it caused things like kidney failure.”

After the Li’s oldest daughter died from drinking the water, the couple knew they had to build a cistern to collect fresh water so their younger daughter LiHua wouldn’t die, too.  But that meant Mrs. Li had to leave home and work in the city to help raise money for the cistern.  Meanwhile, Mr. Li stayed home to work on the farm and tried to protect LiHua from getting sick from the bad water.

“I went to a witch in the village,” Mr. Li confesses. “And I prayed to the mountain gods for help to keep LiHua healthy.  But she still got sick.”

LiHua shares “We didn’t have much money to go to the doctor, so a lot of times I didn’t tell my dad my stomach hurt. I just tied a rope around my stomach to put pressure on it and make the pain go away.” Crying, she continues, “It felt like someone was cutting my body with a knife, and everything got fuzzy. I missed my mom so much.  I said, ‘Dad, take me to the hospital. I think I’m going to die!’”

LiHua’s intestines were blocked like her sisters had been. She got better, but refused to drink the bad water after that. When a pastor heard about the Li’s, he contacted CBN.  We built the Li’s a cistern and gave them a water filter.  Now Mrs. Li doesn’t have to stay in the city to help raise money for a cistern.  She’s back home with her family.

“I still remember the first time I drank the new water,” exclaims LiHua.  “I said, ‘Dad, is there sugar in here?’”

Mr. Li concludes with good news, “Now we have clean water to drink, and our souls are clean, too, because of Jesus. He touched the hearts of the CBN donors to help strangers like us, so now I believe in Him. Thank You. You changed our lives.”