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By KENDALL COX
Writing this column is one of the many
perks of being the Clean Water U Program
Director. Every few months my assign-
ment is to write a column in which I get to
brag about our amazing CWU volunteers.
I could (and have) gushed about these
folks and their dedication to Living Waters
for the World and bringing more clean
water to people in need. There is no way
LWW could do the work we do in the
world without this committed and enthu-
siastic crew who head up their own water
teams while also training and equipping
others to go out into the world and part-
ner with communities in need.
Before I tell you about this edition’s
CWU Who spotlight, I should probably
disclose to you that my family and I trav-
eled with Jerry and Verniece Goode to
Cuba in July. Spend even a little time with
the Goodes of Laurel, Miss., and you too
will be ready to sign up for a water trip
to Cuba! They are like cheerleaders and
travel agents all rolled into one,.
The Goodes are LWW’s go-to couple on
all things Cuba (LWW’s newest network).
Their work there stretches back to the
mid-’90s, so they are not only very famil-
iar with the lay of the land, they have a
deep love, respect and commitment to the
Cuban people.
In 2007, they attended Clean Water U
with members of their church, First-Trin-
ity Presbyterian, with thoughts of adding
water to their already existing relation-
ships in Cuba. Within two years they had
completed the first installation there. As of
July 2012, Cuba has eight LWW clean water
systems with several more planned in the
coming months.
Besides their work with the Cuba
Network, Jerry and Verniece are deeply
involved in several other aspects of LWW’s
mission: Jerry is a lead instructor in our
103 installation workshop and also serves as
the moderator of the Technical Team. Ver-
niece is an instructor for our 102 health,
hygiene and spirituality workshop. As an
English as a Second Language teacher, her
Spanish was a big help on our recent trip.
Rather than going on and on about
CWU Who:
The Goodes: Go-to couple in Cuba
Jerry and Verniece (trust me, I could!), I’m
going to share two photos with you that
my daughter Lesedi Chambers took during
our trip.
The photo above is of Verniece with our
good friend an interpreter, Karell Acosta.
They are pictured going over the Bible sto-
ries before our 102 class at Sancti Spiritus.
The photo at left is of Jerry at a spigot
outside the dining hall at Matanzas Semi-
nary in Cuba, the spot where the water
wheels started turning for Jerry:
On a visit to the seminary, Jerry was
told by their seminary partner not to drink
from this faucet since it was contaminated
water. He then saw a young mother turn
the tap on and lean over to give her toddler
a drink.
“That will not do,” Jerry said to himself.
Soon afterward, plans were under way for
the first LWW water system installation in
Cuba.
I am thankful for the gift of working
with volunteers like the Goodes. What a
privilege. Gracias a Dios!
Kendall Cox, Clean Water U Program Direc-
tor., lives in Greenville, Miss., where she attends First
Presbyterian Church.
4
• Sept. 5-9, Clean Water U, Hopewell, Miss.(fully booked)
• Oct. 7-11, Clean Water U, Calvin Crest, Calif. (some slots left)
• Nov. 14-16 Teams meet, Franklin, Tenn.
• Dec. 3 Committee meets, Franklin , Tenn.
Verniece Goode shares a laugh with friend and interpreter
Karell Acosta.
Jerry Goode at the dining hall
faucet that started it all.
What’s
coming up