Behind the scenes of our water project in 2022 there was another story playing out; that of severe health issues with a longtime friend, Deborah Franco. Nearly every day we communicated by phone, sometimes by message when the network was poor.
Although the attack inside her body was violent we expected her to pull through, but in late June, after a valiant fight, she went to be with her beloved Lord and eternal Saviour, Jesus.
Without our knowledge, Deb had named Wings of Grace International as her charity of choice for her memorial service. While on the field I was made aware of a village called Matare in the Macuba cell of Nyamasheke District, Rwanda, a small village which sits on a hill which is almost completely surrounded by the lake. Clean drinking water is far away from Matare, so the lake was their only real option.
With the funds donated by the friends and family of Deborah Franco, Matare village very unexpectedly received 20 rainwater harvesting tanks with the words, ‘Jesus Loves You’ painted on them in their local language.
The delight on the children’s faces and the gratitude expressed by the adults are images which were a joy to capture, and which will always remind me of Deborah’s love for the Lord and people, and her desire to make a positive difference in any way she could.
Her kindness and generosity have marked the lives of all who knew her, and through the generosity of those who gave in her memory, lives will continue to be improved for generations to come.
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