Living Water International’s First Big Rig
In the fall of 1990, I got a call from my friend Gary Evans.
“How would you like to go to Africa with me and Harry (Westmoreland)?” he asked. My mind was flooded with just how many ways I could say NO to his invitation. The most obvious that came to mind was my upcoming family vacation to Hawaii, and given the choice, Hawaii it would be. I was curious, however, and asked “Why Africa?” Gary shared that he and Harry had seen firsthand the overwhelming need for the love of Christ and clean water while on a mission trip the prior spring with our church Sugar Creek Baptist. Given my career in energy exploration, they thought I might be able to contribute drilling expertise on this follow up trip with he, Harry, Kyle Evans, and Bob Dunn to drill some wells and tell people about Christ. So sure that I would NOT be going to Africa, the Lord began to work on me until I found myself a few weeks later on a plane bound for none other than Mombasa, Kenya.
I should have known, when I arrived but my luggage didn’t, this would be a trip to remember. What I didn’t realize, however, was that it would change my life. It didn’t take us long to find ourselves over-confident and under-equipped. We had a small rig Harry had built which could drill to 100 feet. Frustrated with our numerous failed attempts at a successful water well in Kenya, we moved on to Tanzania. There we found much of the same: hard and tedious drilling, stuck drill pipe and, regardless of our best efforts, very little to show for it.
Once back in Mombasa, with a wealth of discouragement, we prayed together and brainstormed on all we needed to successfully drill for drinking water in that part of the world. As much as we would like to take credit for what came next, it was undeniably ALL GOD.
Having seen the industrial waterfront, we thought it would be a good place to start looking for an oil company with drilling supplies. We found an Amoco office and quickly learned from Jerry Webb, their local superintendent, they were shutting down operations in Kenya. He took us to the storage yard and showed us 2,000 sacks of drilling mud he would give us…that was a good start! Also in the yard, was a Jaswell drilling rig that could reach 3,450 feet. A rig like that would be a game changer for us.
Half joking, I asked what the plans were for it and was disappointed to find out it was sold. He said anything more than drilling mud would need to be discussed with “corporate” back in Houston, of all places. Kid you not, this guy proceeded to give me contact information for Orville Gaither, a businessman I had known for many years. No way was that a coincidence.
Back in Houston, I called Orville, thanked him for the drilling mud and visited with him about the Jaswell rig. He confirmed it was sold and closing the next week. Even if that sale should unexpectedly fall through, there was another buyer interested. He thought I was joking when I said I would be praying both bids fell through. Before he hung up, he asked me the name of our organization. Name? We didn’t have a name.
A few weeks later, he called to tell me that my prayers were answered, and the rig was available. Unbelievably, neither of the bidders could come up with the funds. He warned me that a donation of equipment that valuable would be a long shot at best, but he would be willing to discuss the possibility with his associate, Leland Calloway. He explained that both would have to sign a letter of recommendation to the Amoco headquarters in Chicago asking that they consider donating the rig. He again stressed that it was an overwhelming long shot, and he would be in touch.
He, himself a little mystified, called me the next day to say that Mr. Calloway had whole heartedly agreed to co-sign the rig donation recommendation. Unbelievably, for 15 years his parents had been missionaries to, of all places, Mombasa, Kenya! You can’t make this stuff up.
Not holding out much hope that Amoco would ever agree to donate such a valuable, sought after rig, I settled back into my routine. Long after I had given up on that rig, Orville invited me to lunch and told me to bring my checkbook. Lunch sounded good, but MY checkbook?
Orville was pleased to tell me that while Amoco had not agreed to donate their $1.4 million Jaswell 3450, they did agree to sell it to me for $25,000. This time, I had a name for him. I wrote the check, and with that lunch, Living Water International was launched.
Looking back, with the benefit of more than 30 years since that fateful call from Gary, I have seen over and over God’s faithfulness to Living Water. HE is the God of the impossible, the long shots, the unbelievable and miracles. Only HIS power can weave it all together, connecting the dots to fulfill HIS purposes. Born out of a simple mission trip, with an average group of people that simply loved the Lord and refused to grow weary and lose heart, against overwhelming odds, HE built a world-renowned, water-drilling, Christ-winning organization: Living Water with just over 22,000 water projects serving 6.5 million people daily with clean safe water, extensive hygiene programs and, most importantly, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
—Gary Loveless
