“Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. — John 2:7
In a village tucked into the hills of rural Nusa Tenggara, children gather each morning not in a building, but beneath the shade of a tamarind tree. The ground is their floor, the breeze is their air conditioning, and the distant sounds of roosters and waves serve as their school bell.
This is school, for now.
When we first heard about this community, it reminded us of what matters most: the heart to learn, the willingness to teach, and the sacred beauty of making something out of almost nothing.
In 2024, The Water Jars began supporting a grassroots effort led by a small but passionate group of local teachers and volunteers. Their goal was simple: build a basic but safe and weatherproof learning space for the children—most of whom are the first in their families to ever attend school.
We didn’t come with grand blueprints or massive resources. We came as jars—empty but willing to be filled. Through a series of small but powerful donations, and with the help of local laborers and parents, construction of a bamboo-and-zinc learning shelter began.
Within a few weeks:
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A tented roof gave shade to the young learners.
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Solar lamps made late-afternoon reading possible.
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And a box of 300 donated books became a mobile library.
But more than the structures, what grew was hope.
Children began arriving earlier. Parents began asking questions. The spirit of learning caught fire.
One of the local volunteers, a young woman named Lia, told us,
“We don’t need much. Just a space. Just love. Just someone to believe this is worth it.”
And we do believe.
Because just like in Cana, we know that miracles begin with what we already have—offered in obedience.
This story is still unfolding.
And there are many more trees to turn into classrooms.
