The Portion of my Inheritance

At the children’s home in Kenya, Carol is the one that washes all the clothes . . . by hand . . . . every single day.

We helped her out some while we were there and it was hard work. The trough was just at the height that you had to stoop over it and it didn’t take long for your back to get stiff and sore.

The water was cold and the soap was so strong it dried your hands out after just a little while of washing. We would wash the clothes in a bowl inside the trough and scrub the clothes together until they were clean (or clean enough), then put them in a new bowl of clean water to rinse.  Water is precious and we used the same rinse water until we could not possibly use it any more. We would wring the clothes out by twisting them, then they were ready to hang on the clothes line.

This took most of the day.

This is also the perfect place for a snake to keep cool or to get a drink. Although we did not see one while we were there, it is normal and expected to find one in the troughs.

Although I love simplicity, and sometimes yearn for times of old, I am so thankful for my washer and dryer and my modern day appliances.

And now why are you waiting?  Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.  Acts 22:16